Hot 'n Cold Tagaytay

Tagaytay City for me is the nearest family getaway for Christmas. It's always nice to travel with family, especially my parents live in Albay and they visit Manila only on holidays. Tagaytay is not a long drive from Manila but during holidays it's otherwise.

Angelo is my first boyfriend and on this travel it is the first time that I will introduce him to my folks. We tried to plan this trip to be convenient and of course budget friendly.

Tip1: For family travels, it's comfy to have your own car. Commute is a no no because it'll be tiring for the family even before the trip started. There's a lot of car rentals and its quite cheap so just try to look for a good one.

 Tip2: Prepare the itinerary and consider the timeline of the trip. Specially during holidays the traffic in Tagaytay is quite bad. Also usually during Christmas season, Tagaytay is HOT during mid-afternoons but COLD in the evening. The weather is also a consideration in drafting the itinerary. A well-planned itinerary will not only save gas but also time.

Tip3: Booking an affordable and nice hotel is not so hard in Tagaytay, I suggest Tagaytay Country Hotel.  This hotel is not so big but for an overnight accomodation, it's not bad at all. The staffs are nice and accomodating, the place is clean and the hotel is strategically located with shops, foodjoints and churches nearby.

 

Since it's Christmas, the hotel lobby is welcoming with it's Christmas lights and decors.

 For my family, we planned to visit churches and parks in Tagaytay. After checking in the hotel and rest for a while we started our itinerary.

Our first stop, Pink Sisters' Church.

Pink Sisters' Church is a solemn place, honestly it's one of my favorite churches. I love the aura of the place, they say we can hear the thoughts of our heart in moments of silence.

For lunch we had a picnic in Tagaytay Picnic Grove. We spent the afternoon walking, eating and kite-flying. The cottages usually will be full and the food is quite pricey but the view is worth-it.

My mother loves flowers, Sonya's Garden is a must-see for her.

Check-out some handicrafts and flower products in Sonya's shop.

During evening the temperature drops down and it's a little chilly, Josephine Restaurant is often full-packed because of their bulalo and antique decorated resto.

 The next morning, we just spent time in the hotel. I remembered my parents having a heart to heart talk with us about our relationships, I honestly cherish that moment.

It may be cold in the morning but dipping in the pool is an activity we wouldn't pass.

 

It's a cold jacuzzi but who cares we shared lots and lots of laughters in it.

 

Family travels need not to be expensive, it's the bonding moments that matter most.
And it's the reason why life is worth living.