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It was our first holiday together as a couple that we decided to head back to Tagaytay to feel the cold and celebrate. Makati is becoming too warm and crowded because of the people buzzing here and there for the Christmas season. Since Tagaytay is just near the Metro, Brian decided to commute by Bus, Brian was very eager to teach me the way of being a “street smart”, since am afraid of crossing streets. It was an adventure for the both of us. We expected the heavy traffic in SLEX and riding the bus is the best option for us. The bus terminal is so convenient because it was just at the end of a train station (MRT Taft Avenue Station) behind Sogo Hotel and it was also cheap just Php75 per person ( Taft to Olivares, Tagaytay). After 2 hours we arrived at Olivares, the bus stop in Tagaytay near Mcdonalds and Tagaytay Rotonda. It was around 11pm we are very hungry and opt to have heavy snack at the nearest resto we can see and at the right side is Jolibee, we ordered their new Chicken Barbeque meal go big time Coke and it was very tasty after that we head off to One Tagaytay Place.

We are very excited of One Tagaytay Place hotel because it was highly recommended by one of our friends working at Taal Vista hotel (which is currently fully booked so he pointed us to OTP) aside from that, their website was nice, Php6000 per night on a Superior room, this hotel must be good. We ride a tricycle for a Php40 drive to the hotel. The air was so cold inside the tricycle, considering that it was an open vehicle you can feel the wind blowing as we head up and downhill in the Tagaytay roads. We can’t help ourselves laughing as we hug each other inside the small vehicle just to keep ourselves warm. (Brian is wearing shorts…hehehehe).

We are in total awe when we arrived at One Tagaytay Place it was indeed AMAZING!

What we saw in their website is exactly what we get. If you really want privacy and a quiet place to stay this is the place. Situated behind a commercial building that has a 7/11 convenient store below (I grew up loving 7/11 in Quezon City), noises of vehicles were limited, unlike other main road hotels. If we had a car with us, an ample parking was available at the hotel’s ground floor with trusty security guards.

As we enter the hotel’s lobby that was lit up with cozy lights, dark brown sofas, glass walls and the 10feet Christmas tree adorned with peach ribbons and silver balls ahhh we felt Christmas is in the air, the cold air of Tagaytay simply warmth our hearts.
Jen of reservations was still there when we arrived very generous of her to wait for us late in the evening just to make sure we checked-in safe and sound. She’s very friendly and never got tired of smiling. As we wait for the lift, Brian and I took pictures and got crazy with the pine cones in front of the lift’s entrance, we are tired but laughter is the best medicine wehehehe. We head up to our room at the 6th floor, comfy cushions, an LCD wall mounted T.V., a sofa by the balcony awaits us. The price we paid is worth it and without worries in our minds we laid in our comfy beds and sleep well.

The next day we woke up feeling so good and head downstairs for our breakfast. The buffet was full of good food from soup to rice dishes. I had my share of cereals followed by hotdogs, I just can’t get enough of these and rice with daing na bangus then fresh fruits for dessert, coffee and orange juice for drinks. And to burn all that calories we went to the 9th floor for a swim after a very deep thought if we should take a dip or not because the air is so cold. Ohhhh NO the water is really cold my whole body is shaking, feeling hypothermia grrrrrrrr but after 30minutes of fighting the cold I was OK. The Infinity Pool was amazing just what we saw in their website nothing less even better. It was a romantic getaway place. I was so at ease strutting in my bikinis even though Brian keep teasing me of feeling cold, but I don’t care of the cold I just stayed there and enjoyed the place.

It’s like our private pool, exclusively for the two of us that day and it was so nice

(but off course a lifeguard is always on the look-out).

We spent the whole afternoon walking around Tagaytay, we went to Picnic Grove to view the Taal Volcano. Picnic grove offers the Zip line and tram ride for P300 per head but we hadn't got the chance to try it because the line was too long. There are also horse back riding and kite flying, various activities can be done in Picnic groove that is why families gather there all the time both tourists and the locals. Walking made us hungry so we went to Tagaytay Ridge which caters various restaurants from grilled dishes to pizza and Japanese food. We decided to have our lunch in Teriyaki Boy with an amazing view of the Taal Lake, dinner at Carlos Pizza and to beat the cold we had coffee at Starbucks.

The holiday wind in Tagaytay is too cold to bare so we head up to the Tower Lounge-SteakBar of One Tagaytay Place. Tucked at the 3rd floor with connecting doors directly to the hotel this hideout is the Best! The bar was long and lit up with dim lights with great house music. A nice place to warm your senses with a wide variety of drinks to choose from. We stayed in the round wooden table at the right side of the bar, ordered beer and martini, with candle lights, Brian and I unwind and talked romantically under the night sky.

We woke up an hour before the end of breakfast time. We hurried to the pavilion at the 3rd floor a huge place where you can actually hold an event. The staff in OTP was so accommodating I was welcomed by one of its Managers, I forgot his name though but he was very pleasant as he ushered us inside the pavilion, as usual we had a sumptuous breakfast. Were supposed to checkout that Saturday but the place is too good to leave early so we extended our stay for another night.

We love spending time with each other and in a great place like this another night won’t hurt, just US.

There are many things to do and see in Tagaytay so we spent the whole day with a blast in the “tiangge”. Shopping secondhand clothes does not bother me it excites me. Finding branded clothes for a hundred bucks is such a steal and in Tagaytay I got lots of them. It was 1st for Brian to buy tiangge clothes and he was amazed well there’s always a first time. We had lunch at Teriyaki Boy laughing our hearts out “as if” there is no Teriyaki Boy in Manila. Brian even got his haircut in one of the small barber shops along Tagaytay road. The cut was clean and he even got a free massage, I call it “Tagaytay CUT” wehehehe.

Being in Tagaytay brings back a lot of happy memories at the same time additional good memories. Experiencing new things, eating new food and experiencing a new place are part of the Tagaytay trip and we will surely come back because in One Tagaytay Place we can be ourselves and feel “in love”.

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