Tagaytay

Having high expectations can only lead to disappointment... this was proven yet again when we reached Dacha Villas in Tagaytay to kick off our weekend R&R. The place was easy enough to find, but what was described on their webpage was really a lot different from what we saw. Well, maybe it wasn't different... but it was totally not what we expected.

Oh well... sayang talaga yung place... kulang sa maintenance. I don't want this to be a 'ranting' post, so I'll just move on...We had lunch at the villa, heated some adobo and cooked rice. Siyempre the food was great, luto ni Axle yun e. :) Then, we spent the next few hours just lazing about... Tere, Maitz and I watched House on my laptop. Afterwards, some picture taking around the place. More pics @ my Multiply album. Then we heard mass at Lourdes Church, then had dinner at The Grill by Antonio's (Ihawan ni Antonio) hehe.
The food was very good! Albeit slightly more expensive than other restos in the area, but food quality was really better. Especially for the bulalo. :) The sisig was also nice, kinda livery, but surprisingly yummy. We also ordered a grilled fish and squid. For dessert, we had ice cream, hehehe. Back at Dacha, everyone slept early except for me, as I still had to work (demmit!).

On to the next day...I was awoken by an uber handsome guy saying 'Gising na ninang' and then giving me a kiss... awww.... For those who don't know, that's Gabby. :D Maaga daw kasi nagising kaya ginising na rin kami lahat. We cooked breakfast, some Chorizo and corned beef... Ako nagluto ng corned beef hahaha! Pero in fairness, masarap talaga ha! Lots of garlic and onions. ;)

Anyway, due to my dad's 'resourcefulness' we were able to enter the super-exclusive Tagaytay Highlands estates. It was gorgeous! Like driving cross country abroad. If I were to win the lottery any time soon, a huge bulk of it would go to putting up a property in this place...

We had lunch at China Palace (or something like that, I can't remember the exact name hehe), since my dad was craving for Chinese food, and this resto was highly recommended. Take note, the same resto can be found at MOA, but I guess the charm and ambiance of Tagaytay Highlands can't be denied. Then we had desserts at the main lobby cafe... Mom had the blueberry cheesecake, Maitz a banana torte, Betty had Creme Brulee, Tere & Gabby had choco mallows, Papa had halo-halo and I had the Coconut-Pandan cheesecake. They were all yummy!

Afterwards, we made our way back to Manila after a quick stop at Rowena's, and some 'white mais' vendors along the way. Maitz and I continued on to Glorietta to take a last look at the sales.

That capped my weekend. All in all, it was fun, relaxing... and as always, a great time with my family. Now that Maitz is living in Singapore, time spent with them when we're all together just became more meaningful and a lot more enjoyable. :)