One-day Tour in Tagaytay and Batangas on a Budget (2018)

I really have travel blogs that are overdue. I didn't have the luxury of time to write and organize my thoughts. I spent my free time mostly on youtube, watching videos about my 'ship', stalking them on social media and even reading this wattpad story that I came across while reading comments about them. Nakakaloka 'cause I think I'm too old for this. Haha. Anyway, I am going to share one of my recent travel with my family. I have a lot on my table actually but I'm posting this earlier than the others since the memories are relatively fresh.

Live your dreams in Fantasy World.

So my family and family friends had a day tour in Tagaytay and Batangas last October 21, 2018. We availed the services of Adventuristas Travel and Tours where my sister works as a travel agent/marketer.

BUDGET

Regular All-in is P850.00 but since we booked as 'joiners' during the promo season, per pax was down to P750.00. We also had 2 senior citizen companions with 10% discount from the regular price so they paid P665.00 pesos (850x0.90-100) each instead. The tour package only includes round trip transportation from Manila to Tagaytay-Batangas, water refill, breakfast and lunch. Entrance fees, pasalubong and other snacks/meals were shouldered by us. No need for downpayment because the tour agency accepts full payment on the day of the tour itself.

PLACES VISITED

As much as possible, I want to use photos which are different from the ones that usually appear on the internet. Here are my random picks for the sites we have visited in chronological order.

1 and 2.) Taal Basilica and Taal Heritage

Escuela Pia Taal Cultural Center.

Taal Basilica.

Here you will find a town with structures giving off a Spanish era vibe. There are vendors who will offer to take pictures of you for free and will request you to buy food/souvenirs from them after.

Before looking into the area, we stopped at a canteen/restaurant just few walks away from the church. The tour agency provides two choices for free breakfast: pancit bihon and lomi. You may opt to pay for extra orders if you want.

Batangas lomi

3.) Fantasy World

This is my favorite part of the tour. Fantasy world emits Disneyland feels and is very picturesque. We even saw a prenup photoshoot near the fountain. Castles, towers, hanging bridge, the view - amazing! Entrance fee is excluded in the tour package so we paid P100.00 per pax.

Yeah, we weren't able to take a perfect shot.

What a view from the tower!

Cute cat wandering around turned out just wanted to occupy a space on the bench where we were sitting.

Meet Miss Universe Philippines 2018.25 Catriona Orange. Char!

Make sure to visit this wonderful theme park in Lemery if you happen to go to Batangas.

4.) Caleruega Church

Caleruega Church.

It was hard for me to take a decent group photo of my companions. There were many tourists that time because it was a Sunday. There is a relaxing mini-eco park in the vicinity. If you want to rest and chill, benches and cottages are available inside. Entrance fee is P30.00.

Half of the tour was finished at around 11am and we headed to Betchay's Special Bulalo for lunch. 1 rice and a group-serving of bulalo c/o the tour agency for lunch! Order extra dishes at your own expense.

My plate, not-so-good presentation eh.

My sister said that they used to eat at Mahogany Market, also a souvenir center which is very crowded nowadays.


5.) Twin Lakes

This vineyard resort community is a very good place to have shots of stunning views of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

It's a good thing the rain didn't pour hard.

6.) Sonya's Garden

As the name infers, this is really for persons who are fond of flowers. There are also plants and souvenirs for sale.

Flower plants for sale.

Nature is love.

Sonya's Garden is my mother's favorite site in this tour. It is actually one of the reasons why she wanted to go to Tagaytay. More photos of this tour are posted on her facebook account.

7.) Gingerbread House

Perfect for kids and kids at heart, Gingerbread House is so colorful that we coudn't help but take pictures! It's like a candy land, sweet treat for everyone. Aside from Fantasy World, this is also where you can have 'instagram-able' shots.

One of the intricately made displays in Gingerbread House.

They already have Christmas-themed decorations.

The P50.00 entrance fee is worth it.


8.) Dreamland Arts and Cafe

To enter the cafe, pay a consumable amount of P100.00 for adults and P50.00 for kids. The entrance fee policy just started this month according to the travel coordinator. The design lives up to its name, it really is artsy. Here, only 4 (3 adults + 1 kid give us P350.00 consumable) entered from our group. We ordered 1 Strawberry drink for sharing and 1 DIY Nutella S'mores.

Even the comfort room is artsy, how about that!

Yum yum yum!

9.) Rowena's Pasalubong

So delicious that the we almost finished eating before I remembered taking a photo of it.

Great place to buy food for pasalubong since they offer various types. From banana chips, brownies, pastillas and any other pastries you may thought of, they can be found here.

I wished the weather was sunny when we had the tour. As you can see, the skies in the photos were not catchy. Beautiful cloud formations were not present but the presence of my family made this tour special. We've seen Fantasy World and Gingerbread House in one day, so sulit! Skyranch was originally included in the itinerary but since none of the joiners wanted to go there, we just skipped it. Hopefully, we can convince my father to join us in our future travels. He doesn't like to get tired and hungry so I better save up to book a very convenient and food-loaded trip. 😺

Tips

1. If possible, visit these places on weekdays to avoid crowds and 'photobombers'. Hihi.
2. One day is not enough to fully explore each and every site. If you have the budget, spend more days and more destinations!
3. If availing a tour package, book during a promo season to save and take advantage of discounts.

For updated tour package and prices, contact my sister at m.me/eunjinfei or facebook.com/eunjinfei