So here's what happened ... we checked out of Punta Fuego around 11:30 am or so and were on our way to Tagaytay. One portion of the road out of the exclusive resort was being paved so you cannot overtake since it was only two lanes. As it happens, we got stuck behind a slow moving pedicab (a bicycle with a side car) which was carrying piles of wood. It was a good 10 minutes ergo our almost 20 year old sedan car could not handle the slow climb up as we had heavy load of luggage in our trunk so the engine started overheating!
As soon as we reached the portion where it was possible to overtake the pedicab, we pulled over and had to open the hood to let the car cool down. We were in the middle of nowhere in some rustic provincial road and even though there were other cars passing by, I got paranoid. I believe it took about 30 to 40 minutes before it totally cooled down. By then, the afternoon sun was on full blast but we could not switch on the aircon, so beads of sweat were pouring down my back and my forehead. Not pleasant at all. But it was what it was and it happened so it is an incident I will always connect with our road trip.
By the time we reached Tagaytay (incident free thankfully) it was already past lunch time, so we ate at Leslie's Restaurant at their outdoors area so we could see Taal Volcano from our seats.
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Lunch at Leslie's - Bulalo Special, Crispy Tawilis,
Pancit Canton, Crispy Kangkong leaves and Buko Juice |
Our accommodation in Tagaytay was the posh Taal Vista Hotel which in the 1980s was known as Taal Vista Lodge but taipan Henry Sy (owner of SM) refurbished it and is now a 5 star hotel.
Frankly it is way above my budget but the girls were kind enough to secure a room for us so we obliged and I am thankful for the opportunity to stay at this lovely hotel which has a spectacular view of Taal Volcano. We were booked for 2 nights and truly enjoyed it ... especially the grand spread of its buffet breakfast.
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| I loved the cool November climate in Tagaytay! |
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| Hello there ... Taal Volcano! :D |
2 comments:
I am a bit apprehensive to plan a vacay in PI because of the prices. I see fellow bloggers talk about buffet whose prices when converted to $ are outrageous. Can you give me a ballpark figure on the price?
All's well that ends well. Another story to tell about this vacation. We always encounter wrinkles when we travel.
Well it depends where the buffet is located, if it is in a hotel then it is quite expensive. Let's see, prices of buffets in hotels range from 899 to 1400 pesos. That would be about 20 to 31 $.
There are buffets in malls which range from 399 to 450 pesos (8 - 14 US$) and are usually more expensive during the weekends and dinner.
If you book a hotel room, you can opt for a package with breakfast and it depends on their location. A room with breakfast can average for between 4500 pesos to 7000 pesos (100 to 155 US$).
It all depends on your budget, there are many options available. But yes it is quite pricey that is why I barely get to travel locally as there are many factors to consider like transportation, airfares and accommodations.
It doesn't help that I have a penchant to go for good quality and not willing to rough it out because first of all it isn't safe and secondly I like to travel in style LOL
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