Oh Tagaytay Oh Tagaytay – You’re Truly a Paradise

Within just about 2 hours drive from Manila, you’ll reach the paradise of South Luzon – Tagaytay City. A cold place, a fruit-rich country-side, a progressive city, and best of all a city of amazing scenery of Taal Volcano in the middle of Taal Lake, Tagaytay is considered as one of the best tourist spots in the country today and even decades back.

A Scenic View of Tagaytay Volcano in the Middle of Taal Lake

A perfect place for travelers, nature explorers, adventurers, road trippers, cyclists, photographers, fruit and vegetable lovers, and for everyone who is enthusiastic about “maiba naman” (be different this time). The Tagaytay Picnic Grove, People’s Park in the Sky and Sky Ranch are just three of the most visited and loved places in the city. If you’re planning to visit Tagaytay soon, these are the places-to-be.

Tagaytay City, Philippines

Getting a bit more excited now? Alright, let me tour you further in this 634-meters above sea level city facing the 234.2-square kilometer Taal Lake located in the province of Batangas. That’s a fact & figure of Tagaytay, anyway.

When it comes to nature and parks, Paradizoo, Residence Inn Zoo and Gourmet Farms Inc. are included in the list. Art museums and galleries to stop over are the Puzzle Mansion and Museo Orlina. Want to be hyperactive? Go and try the Zipline Tagaytay. Looking for “pasalubong” (present)? Pull over at Summit Ridge Promenade or Ayala Malls Serin. Exhausted and hungry? Well, name it, Tagaytay has a lot of it – restaurants and cafés! People are recommending Starbucks, Balay Dako, Josephine, Fire Lake Grill and Sonya’s Secret Garden.

Coffee, Bread and Cake at Starbucks Tagaytay

Where to find these all? Not good if you ask because Tagaytay is just about East and West. Kidding aside, just ask the friendly people and they can direct you to the place more or less. Or if not, get these seafoods, adobo and Pinoy foods serving spots searched in the map before or while driving to the city and you’ll surely pin it down. So go and just conquer ‘em all!

Is that all? No and no! Tagaytay has lots of hidden treasures; I mean great places to visit and enjoy – the alternatives, the “Maiba naman”.

Mahogany Market Beef Section

Do you know Mahogany Market? Oh, dear. Be there! This is one of the best markets in any city in the Philippines. Quite small, but it’s full-packed of luscious fruits and vegetables. And guess what, the freshest of the fresh beef or cow meat can be found right here. Yes. Ten, twenty, one truck of meat? You can buy that in Mahogany Market certainly.

Mahogany Market Bulalo Restaurants Section

And speaking of beef, ohhhlalala, “bulalo” is the menu to see, smell and taste. That aroma of a freshly cooked “bulalo” is truly mouth-watering. So true dear. Bulalo-serving restaurants are just on the second floor of the meat section. About twenty restaurants or karinderyas are there. Give it a try Sir and Mam! No regrets of traveling too far.

And now, the envy of many tourism spots in the country – the overlooking Taal Lake is like no other. Morning, noon or afternoon, even at night, viewing the blue lake surrounded by green mountains and villages is spirit-lifting, relaxing, rejuvenating; there is a lot of words to describe that very moment of seeing the beauty of nature at Tagaytay. Too feel is to believe!

Amazing Views from Tagaytay Philippines

Ooooppps, wait. There are more places to discover here. We're not done yet. Convention centers, spas, farms, hotels, recreational centers, mansions, clubs, golf course, churches, convents, monasteries, resorts, etc. - it’s for you to research them. Just Google it. Bing it! Ask it to search engines and you’ll get satisfying results.

The hustle and bustle of city life in Tagaytay can be unique in some ways.

One, like Baguio City - the Summer Capital of the Philippines (see my travel blog about this wonderful place), it is cold here especially during the “ber months”.

Two, pineapple plantations are everywhere here or should I say this is also the fruit capital of Cavite province.

Three, branches of government agencies like the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are also here. The city gets crowded and busy because of the license and clearance applicants that come and go everyday.

Four, Tagaytay Highlands is here. What is it? It’s actually for the rich but also for somebody whom striven harder and earned enough to experience the luxuries this earth can offer. Country clubs, residential properties, vacation houses and wedding venues that have a touch of “world-class” are inside this territory. It’s the country’s premiere destination for luxury living.

Fifth, Tagaytay is an access to other great places-to-be in the country. The rest is for you to find out.

Photo Collage of Places to Visit at Tagaytay Philippines

With Tagaytay, there is a great reason to be in your own country. Dream for it Filipinos. Don’t let them get it all – get you share. After all, Tagaytay means “taga itay” (cut, father). This is the land of our wild boar hunter ancestors.

Oh Tagaytay, oh Tagaytay, you're truly a paradise for us Filipinos to treasure and enjoy.

About this Blog
Do you find this blog interesting? Let me know your comments. My goal as a blogger is to introduce Philippines in a positive yet also negative-revealing way. You can learn a lot from my blog posts about this country. I am encouraging you to explore this site and share it to the people of the world. Thanks. - Noriel Panganiban, Author

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