I guess all the traffic that we had to endure this holiday season was the reason why I didn't want to spend my birthday in the city.
On my birthday weekend, Mickey asked me where I wanted to go on my birthday. I actually thought of a place the day before but I wasn't sure if he was up for a 100 kilometer drive up to where I wanted to be on my birthday. I was hesitating to tell him where, but after 5 years of marriage, I guess he knew me well. He then said, "Tagaytay?" with a smile and the next thing I know, we were off to greener and less stressful scenery.
We left for Tagaytay at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at Bag of Beans by breakfast time. It's my first time here and from the road, the place looks quaint. We parked our car and walked up to the gate, the place was quite big for a restaurant. They had many seating areas both indoors and outdoors. As we were choosing the perfect breakfast nook, I thought, definitely indoor dining for today and staying away from the larger indoor dining area where everyone else was (apparently, they also serve buffet breakfast at Php 495.00 per person).
I ordered a cup of house blend coffee, after all, this is "Bag of Beans", right? But I think I should have ordered the Barako blend instead. The house blend was a bit watered down for my taste. I like my coffee rich and full of flavor. Barako blend next time.
Mickey ordered this photogenic Bluberry pancake with fresh fruits on the side. He said it was good and a bit filling. So, I guess, if you do order this dish, it would be good to share.
I wanted something close to home cooking. So, I went for the chicken adobo with 2 eggs on the side. It's a simple dish, but it's flavorful and close to mom's own adobo.
Bag of Beans in Tagaytay City
After breakfast, we wanted to try something new. So we headed to the Sky Ranch in Tagaytay, City. The skies were downcast with a little drizzle of rain, and boy, was there wind! Haha! Okay, so my hair will get frizzy and wild because of the weather, but the weather is not going to dampen my birthday weekend. So, amid the sun playing hide and seek and the surprise light showers every now and then and the wind that makes my hair unruly - we bought our Sky Ranch tickets and brought the sun along with us.
Just in case you'd like to take your family here too, the entrance fee costs Php 80.00/person.
There are many rides to choose from at Sky Ranch. I took a quick scan and told Mickey I wanted to try the Sky Eye (huge ferris wheel), the Grand Carousel and the Nessie Coaster (small roller coaster). Ride fees are: Php 150.00 (Sky Eye), Php 50.00 (Grand Carousel) and Php 50.00 (Nessie Coaster).
We tried the Sky Eye first, quite excited to catch the spectacular view from a higher viewing point. The wait on the line is not very long (on the day we went, it was 5 minutes max). The Sky Eye will make one full turn at a slow pace. Making a complete turn in more or less 10 minutes, enough to take in the breath-taking Tagaytay and Batangas landscape. The cabins are all individually airconditioned which makes the ride more comfortable.
If you will be coming to Sky Ranch as a group. It may be a good idea to rent a gazebo especially if you have small children in tow or senior family members. It would make their visit to Sky Ranch a bit more comfortable. Gazebo rental costs Php 1,000.00.
Taal volcano still looks good even in this weather
I've never seen a double-decked grand carousel such as this before. This was just too pretty to pass up. After some major convincing (read: pleading), Mickey joins me on this nostalgic ride. It was quite fun especially when it spins faster. A word of warning though, after the laughter subsides, dizzy spells come right after. Better to just sit for a few minutes before getting on the next ride, just as we did.
The last ride we took at Sky Ranch was the Nessie Coaster. We watched several people go on it and it looked simple but a fun ride to take. Reminiscent of the rides at the school fair.
We each took an individual seat in the middle portion of the ride, wanting to experience the ride on a solo seat. It was quite fun, especially when gravity pulls the ride faster from a higher point.
Before we left, the band passed by and played a few tunes
Last stop for my birthday weekend was our current favorite lunch place in Tagaytay, The Grill by Antonio's. They serve delicious Filipino cuisine, the service is impeccable, plus, you'll get that cool Tagaytay breeze whether you choose to eat indoors or outdoors.
It was a fun birthday weekend!
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