Must-go places in Tagaytay

I am a city girl but once in awhile I need to recharge and be surrounded by fresh air and nature.

For me, Tagaytay is a perfect getaway to unwind.  It only takes an hour and a half drive from Manila to get there plus there are a lot of wonderful things to do in the area.

During my recent road trip to Tagaytay I was able to visit to the following cool places:

1) Antonio's Breakfast

Antonio's Breakfast is a nice place to stopover for breakfast or brunch. It offers an all-day breakfast menu. There are a lot of good dishes to choose from which includes  pancakes and waffles, roesti, crepes, omelette and fritatas, sandwiches, pizza, etc.

Both kids and adults would love the food choices at this cozy breakfast place.

For healthy food eaters, they have good salad choices too. I had the Antonio's House Salad which was good as it is a combination mixed greens, assorted fruits, cucumber, nuts and seeds with an organic boiled egg and the dressing is a mixed berries mustard dressing. Since I like a lighter tasting dressing I requested for the Raspberry vinaigrette  dressing which was very good.

Antonio's House Salad

Antonio's also sells salad dressings, jams, cakes, breads and pastries.

Salad dressings

Fruit jams

Freshly baked breads

Cakes and pastries

Antonio's is definitely a cool stopover for a nice breakfast. Plus, while dining at the restaurant you also have a view of the famous Taal volcano.  They also have an outdoor viewing deck located at the back of the restaurant.

Taal volcano

                             

2) Antonio's Lanai Lounge

Antonio's owner Chef Tonyboy Escalante also opened  Antonio's Lanai lounge a couple of months ago. The place is a cool garden lounge located in the same premises as his fine dining restaurant.

Gate to Antonio's Lanai lounge

Lanai lounge area 

Comfy lounge area that reminds me of Mandarin Oriental
 in Thailand

The bar at Lanai lounge

Cozy lounge area

Main house(fine dining area) at the back of the garden lounge

Lounge areas in the garden

Strawberry balsamic drink

I also like the sense of humor of the owner. Look at the signage hanging near the restroom.

Signage at Antonio's Lanai lounge restroom

I was told by the staff that their Lanai lounge looks nice at night. Looks like I have to go back then and go there for cocktails before dinner one of these days.

3) Ilog Maria bee farm

 Another cool stopover is Ilog Maria bee farm.

Ilog Maria sells various organic products using ingredients sourced from the bee farm such as massage oils, throat spray, shampoo, body wash, soaps, etc.

A good friend of mine and I use the throat spray since it helps boost the immune system and is very good in preventing sore throats.

Ilog Maria throat spray

Ilog Maria massage oil

Bath gel

Soaps made of natural ingredients like oatmeal and milk, etc.

To know more about Ilog Maria, you  an visit their website:  Ilog Maria website

On your way home, you can also stopover one of the flower shops along the main road in Tagaytay. They offer a wide selection of plants and the prices are much lower compared to buying it in Manila.