tagaytay – Chasing Dreams

Club Balai Isabel Weekend with the Whole Family

June 5, 2019August 6, 2022 RhizaLeave a comment

This Club Balai Isabel review is based on our experience in April 2019.

It was a last minute trip, just like Baguio. Two days before Holy Week, we still didn’t have anything planned. In retrospect, we didn’t really mind just being within Metro Manila because have you experienced Manila traffic during Holy Week?? (It’s nonexistent.) Sometimes you’d really rather stay within the city when everyone else is out there!

Just the same, in between Viber messages with my brother, I aimlessly browsed my Agoda and AirBnb apps to see if there’s anything worth snagging without really expecting anything. Everywhere else was booked, naturally, so what were the chances that I’d find a room big enough for a family of 10, in a place such as Club Balai Isabel, at a discount, during the busiest time of the summer? Slim!

To think Balai Isabel is booked out months ahead, let’s just call this impromptu trip meant to be.

Let’s call it #familytravelhacks too. Because I was definitely surprised to know that there are Club Balai Isabel loft rooms at AirBnb. And now you know it too. You’re welcome. ;)

Anyway, photos!

Lunch & coffee stopover

I don’t know about you but this family enjoys the road trip (and the stopovers) as much as the destination.

Disclosure: This post may have affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Stopping for a quick lunch at an SLEX stopover and some coffee to go, we made it to Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas in less than 2 hours. No traffic, hooray for us!

Usually, when you’ve booked through Airbnb, you have to deal with meeting up with your host to get the room keys and to check in. Seems not the case at Balai Isabel. I only had to show up at the lobby with my ID and was checked in quite easily.

Exploring the place

The entire club was booked out but thankfully, our loft was located in the less crowded and the farthest area of the club, with a nice view of the Taal Lake and the Aqua Park.

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Events Place

Our loft had a really nice view of this new event place they’re opening soon. It’s sooo pretty and overlooking the Taal lake, we just had to take a lot of photos in front of it. I’d get married here again in a heartbeat!

Aqua Park

We were also very close to the Aqua Park and although it looks very tempting, I don’t think the facility is very inviting to younger kids. The kids were more than happy to just lounge in the pool.

Swimming Pools

There are 3 swimming pools at Balai Isabel. We were able to use two of them. Although we enjoyed the big pool, it was also very crowded at the time. We mostly stayed in the smaller pool, the one that’s a bit hidden behind the trees (cozy!!), which we pretty much had to ourselves.

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The highlight of the trip, according to the kids

They can literally swim all day.

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How do kids grow so fast again?

Crew

6 adults, 3 kids, all comfy in this loft type room, thanks to our kind AirBnb host.

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A shoutout to my crew, who I’ll never get tired going places with! [/su_column] [su_column size=”1/2″ center=”no” class=””][/su_column][/su_row]

I can’t believe we almost spent the entire Holy Week at home flicking through Netflix. What a better way to spend a holiday for sure. This one’s for the books!

Club Balai Isabel, Talisay Batangas

For years, Tagaytay has been made famous by its view of Taal Lake and its volcano. However, the lakeside towns never became tourist destinations due to the lack of resort facilities, until Club Balai Isabel was developed. Today Balai Isabel’s amenities and facilities make it an excellent choice for holidays, corporate events, and special occasions. With lots of water activities such as kayaking, sailing, banana boat ride, and a tour to get a closer look at Taal Volcano’s crater on horseback or on foot.

Website: www.balaiisabel.com

Get P2,200 off your first AirBnb

This is the exact room we stayed in. If you enjoyed this post and you haven’t tried Airbnb yet, you might want to use this link to get 2,200 Php discount on your first Airbnb booking. :)

Save $40 on your first AirBnb Stay

Our First Airbnb Tagaytay Experience

November 26, 2017July 26, 2019 RhizaLeave a comment

I’m a late bloomer when it comes to AirBnb. It was 2016 when I downloaded the app out of curiousity, but it wasn’t until 2017 when I started actually using it.

I’ve read articles about how using AirBnb isn’t fun anymore, and how the whole concept of apartment-sharing has lost its appeal. I wouldn’t really know the difference to be honest. As someone who’s only started using AirBnb recently, I’m happy with all of our AirBnb experiences so far and will keep on using it for sure!

We recently stayed at this AirBnb Tagaytay 3BR Penthouse Suite with a nice view of the Taal Lake, which would have been so nice if we were able to take photos of the view. Lol. Saving the photo sessions for last, we couldn’t have predicted how much fog there would be in the morning of our last day!

Still, the feeling of being on top of the clouds (no visibility whatsoever) was an otherworldly experience we will never forget too. All is well. 😉

We sure love the hotel-like amenities of our AirBnb—the crisp sheets, the coffee (French press and freshly ground coffee ftw!), the board games. The space was big enough to accommodate all of us, 7 adults and 3 kids. Three bedrooms, 2 baths, and a kitchen with basic utensils and equipment.

Don, our host, responds pretty quickly and knows well how to take care of his guests. (Thanks, Don!)

Although Don’s place is located within the vicinity of everything Tagaytay has to offer—the tourist spots, restaurants, nightlife, etc—you wouldn’t really mind staying in on this one if staycationing is your thing.

A quick guide at booking an AirBnb

Photos matter! When choosing an AirBnb, I like choosing interiors that fit my aesthetics. Just keeping it real guys. I’m most definitely going to take photos after all. If I don’t like how the place looks like in photos, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like it all that much in person.
Take time to read the fine print. Because of AirBnb’s apartment-sharing nature, every host has his own house rules that you’d want to be aware of beforehand. Be responsible enough to read through everything before booking.
Past customer reviews are there for a reason. Let actual customer reviews be the judge!

Get up to 2,200 PHP discount on your first AirBnb stay using this link! 🙂

And now, some photographs with my favorite people!

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Bag of Beans, Tagaytay.

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Disclosure: This post might include affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

One for the road! Stop over at Bag of Beans to take out some barako and raisin bread because that’s just what you do #whenintagaytay

It sure was a lovely weekend spent with my favorite people.. which reminds me. I could use some staycation just about now!

Get P2,200 off your first AirBnb Tagaytay stay

This is the exact room we stayed in.

If you haven’t tried AirBnb yet, sign up using this link to get 2,200 Php discount on your first trip! 🙂

Save $40 on your first AirBnb Stay

Rainy days and Saturdays

September 14, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza3 Comments

I thought the sound of rain I was hearing a while ago was from RainyMood. Turned out it was really raining outside.

There was this particular rainy Saturday a few weeks ago when Lolo Tatay (from my husband’s side of the family) took us up for the twins’ first Tagaytay trip. I didn’t take a lot of photos, but here are some moments captured with our phone camera.

We didn’t know we were going to Tagaytay that day, which explains why the twins were not dressed right for it. Thank God for their jackets, which we always bring with us wherever we go. For the first time, the effort of carrying those hoodies around finally paid off. The rain poured while we were on our way, and it continued to pour while we were having our lunch buffet and afternoon coffee at Taal Vista Hotel.

I don’t like the traffic, the inconvenience, and the floods that often come with rainy days. Not to mention the horrible news about people evacuating because of the floods. But I can’t deny it—I love days like this. I love the sound of rain (it inspires me to write, or do something creative), the cool breeze, the smell of rain, the sight of rain water on wet pavement.

And I love rainy days especially when they’re spent with family, a cup of coffee, and maybe a good book.

“Rain” is an illustration of blessing and abundance in the Bible. Back when we didn’t know we were going to have twin girls, in fact on that particular day we found out we were pregnant, we already knew that we were going to name our firstborn “Rain”.

I can continue listing down reasons why I love rainy days so much, but to make this post actionable, here are some unusual suggestions on how to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon:

Go on a roadtrip.

For real? For real! I suggest you don’t go too far, but go somewhere. If you’re in the south area, go ahead, go for Tagaytay. The point is, get out of the house. Note that this is applicable on rainy Saturdays only, and more specifically, not when there’s typhoon ha. Go on a roadtrip when most people would rather tuck themselves in and curl up in bed. Rainy Saturdays often mean empty establishments and less traffic.

Eat some ice cream.

I know the usual thing to do is to grab a cup of choco or a bowl of soup on a rainy day. But magnifying the cold by eating something cold works too. Back in New York, my husband loves eating ice cream on a winter day. Just for the thrill (and the chill) of it.

Get married!

Two of my friends had their garden weddings rained out. But the rain didn’t ruin their weddings, in fact, the unexpected rain made the experience even more romantic! So instead of planning your wedding to fall on a summer day, why not totally plan to have it during the rainy days. Take it from this girl who’s wedding got rained out. Rain could be the best thing that can happen on your special day. ;)

However you’re spending these rainy days, I hope you’re doing it with people you love. Have a great weekend! :)

Taking A Trip Down The Memory Lane

March 15, 2013July 21, 2020 Rhiza1 Comment

I did say I was going to upload more photographs of Memory Lane, that quaint little cafe in Tagaytay my friends and I visited last month. Well, here they are.

Owned by Jolina Magdangal, Memory Lane reminds me of Hansel and Gretel’s house of candies, except you can’t eat its floors and walls. With its retro vibe and vintage collection all over the place, Memory Lane surely is as eye candy as it can get!

I don’t have much to say about the food. We only ordered some cheese sticks and kebabs out of courtesy, just because we spent too much time taking pictures and we had to consume the 100 peso parking fee.

Tagaytay is known for its food strips, and surely there are countless of restaurants in the area that offer better and cheaper food than this one. But what’s worth the trip down the Memory Lane is the place itself, coz it seemed like it was built to be a tourist attraction / romantic getaway / barkada hangout more than a specialty restaurant.

Then again, what’s worth the trip anywhere at all is the people you’re trippin’ with. So if you’re planning to come see Memory Lane, make sure that you bring along a camera, lots of stories, and people who make you smile. ;)

Memory Lane
Magallanes Drive, Tagaytay City
+63917-8581950, +63922-8298487
Memory Lane’s Facebook Page

Day 19: Day off, married friends, and coming home

February 7, 2013June 19, 2019 Rhiza3 Comments

1. Day off. It was the first time we went out-of-town without the twins, and the farthest we ever got away from them since they were born. Lola Norma came to watch over the babies while Mommy & Daddy took a day off with some married friends. It almost felt like we just got married last week—excited, in love, free. Not that we don’t feel that way anymore now, we do. Just that, having babies around makes you feel those things in a whole new level.

2. Married friends. When we got married, I remember wishing my friends would get married already for the selfish reason of wanting to talk to them about married life. Wish granted! An avalanche of friends’ weddings happened in a span of 2 years, one after the other. Last Thursday, six of us went to Tagaytay and spent the day splurging on good food and hopping from one hangout place to another—Memory Lane for afternoon snack, Pamana for dinner, Cliff House for mochi and coffee. We took a lot of photos, and freely talked about *cough* stuff we avoided talking about when we were still singles. :) It’s a blessing to have people we can grow with, whatever phase in life we are. Last time I was in Tagaytay with this same group, we were scouting for a wedding venue for Robert & Tin, and now they’ve tied the knot too. So much has happened in a span of a few months!

And so many blessings all in just one paragraph.

3. Coming home. We made the most out of the day and by the time D and I came home, it was already past 12 midnight. The babies were still up and a little restless, but were mostly just waiting to be tucked in. It took me less than 30 minutes to get both of them to sleep, making me think that they really just waited for us! I enjoyed the day out with my friends, no doubt. But nothing still beats coming home and ending the day with the loves of my life.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 19.

Canyon Woods Batangas Baby Moon

August 28, 2012November 14, 2021 Rhiza3 Comments

From our anniversary weekend. Here’s more, just because we have tons of them. :)

The resort was huge, and we had it all to ourselves! Because the place was so huge (Have I said that yet? Oh yeah.), we had to take a shuttle to go around from our cabin to the clubhouse to wherever in the vicinity we want to go.

The clubhouse. We had meals at their empty lounge, with a beautiful view of pine trees and the sky. The food can be pricey in the lounge though, so we had one of our lunches in Tagaytay proper, more or less a 30 minute drive away.

The casitas. Although the rooms and the facilities are old and a little worn out, I think it adds to the rustic and country-feel ambiance that Canyon Woods is all about.

And I just looove the floor-to-ceiling glass doors/windows!

The indoor pool. The highlight of our stay has got to be the indoor pool, which we had all to ourselves! They turn on the heater only in the weekends though, so if you’re planning to come here for the indoor pool, definitely schedule your trip on a weekend.

Say hello to my huge belly, at 26 weeks. :)

I think swimming really did me well, especially for my muscle cramps and back pains.

The outdoor pool. It was pretty much ours during our stay, too. Although it wasn’t heated, the sunshine on our backs evened out the cold water, which made our outdoor swim a really nice experience as well.

Canyon Woods is always mistaken to be in Tagaytay, but it’s basically in Batangas already. We love it and we definitely recommend it! Like I said, we seemed to be like the only guests at the time, but they’re not under-staffed and we were taken care of really well.

A tip: Best if you go there with coupon deals, we got ours from Cashcashpinoy. ;)

I’d love to come back soon, but my tummy is getting bigger and bigger, and we’re getting closer and closer to our due date. I guess this is my last trip, at least for now.