Manila – Tagaytay: Bulalo, Fireworks and View Park Hotel

During my stay in the Philippines, E’s mum was pretty insistent that he bring me to Tagaytay – a mountain town about 55kms from Metro Manila (He didn’t want to at first coz expensive to rent car + traffic would take three hours + lazy lol). But since his sister and her bf were headed there, we hopped into their car and proceeded to cramp our asses off since it was a Jeep and didn’t have backseats.

Leaving Manila and onto the highway.

I was glad to be out of the city, away from the constant stream of people, noise and activity.

The drive to Tagaytay took three hours even though it was just 55km away, no thanks to one-way roads and trafficus horriblis. I was supposed to meet G there at 4pm but because the driver came to pick us up late, we arrived at 7pm. I was horrified.

Thankfully, he understood and waved it away as ‘Filipino time’ lol.

Tagaytay is located at a high altitude, hence cool weather and howling winds zomg. I never expected a Southeast Asian country to be so cold, especially when the winds blew! We quickly checked into our hotel then met up with G for dinner. And a trip here wouldn’t be complete without trying the city’s signature dish…

Bulalo (bone marrow soup)! Made from cooking beef shanks and marrow bones, the light coloured broth is rich in flavour and fat (not for everyday consumption!). The meat was buttery, fall-off-the-bone tender and melted in the mouth, while the soup had a sweet, peppery flavour complemented by boiled corn and cabbage.

We also got one of my favourite dishes, Sizzling Sisig. The version here was too fatty and oily though.

Fireworks outside our hotel. They went on for a good 10 minutes! Someone has money to burn..

We stayed at the View Park Hotel, which is just across the road from Picnic Grove, a major attraction in Tagaytay. The place is fronted by coffee house and lobby, while the rooms are at the back.  Rooms were spacious, cosy and clean. No air conditioning was needed since it was so cold.

The winds howled like crazy at night and kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning.

Morning! We had a magnificent garden and pool view – but hard to imagine anyone swimming in such cold weather. The yellow building also housed a spa and massage center for guests. 🙂

Colonial-style architecture.

The compound was pretty and well kept, done like an English garden with chairs and swings surrounded by beautiful blooms and refreshing plants.

Breakfast at the coffee house. The staff had asked us our preferences the night before so we just gave our room number and they served food to us 🙂 I had the chicken ham and egg with rice, which came with a small side salad. The garlic rice was fragrant, but the amount was way disproportionate to the side dishes. Wish they gave me an extra slice of ham! 😛

E had bangus (milkfish) with scrambled eggs.

I really enjoyed our stay at the View Park Hotel, even though it was just one night. The price is reasonable and the location is very convenient since Picnic Grove is literally steps away from the lobby. Service is attentive and friendly. Highly recommend coming here to make your stay at Tagaytay an enjoyable one 🙂

VIEW PARK HOTEL TAGAYTAY

GETTING THERE 

Useful directions here