Living La Vida Simpla
For Jazz aficionados: have a dinner at Piccolo Mondo on Saturday nights. Ivan Roth, international renowned sax player, will entertain you with his smooth Jazz tunes while you are enjoying the authentic Italian food.
Piccolo Mondo Restaurant: 5950 Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay (next to David’s Salon)
Jazz Nights: Every Saturday from 7pm to 11pm
Just like the knife cuts on both sides, Taal Lake can be enjoyed from two sides. The shore side is the most popular one. Every weekend droves of city-dwellers enjoy the lake Taal vistas. The most frequented places are the Tagaytay restaurants and coffeeshops that offer the amazing view of the lake and the islands. The lake side is less visited but nevertheless offers breathtaking views of the shoreline. Mount Makulot, Mount Makiling, Tagaytay Ridge and Volcano Island are best viewed from the lake. The views from the lake are amazing because the sunlight and water create a natural kaleidoscopic effect. Most first-time lake visitors are amazed by the sheer size of the lake. The lake appears to be a “small” lake from the ridge. But from the Talisay shore, the lake shows its true size (3rd largest lake in the Philippines). The vast lake area allows the monsoon winds to pick up speed. The steady winds and huge water surface create the perfect combination for sailing. Every weekend several sailing enthousiasts group together at the Taal Lake Yacht Club so they can enjoy their favorite activity: sailing on Taal Lake. Most sailors use the 16ft catamaran hobiecats. The more adventurous sailors sail their home-build boats. When Ben invited us to go sailing on his beautiful Korvus ketch we gladly accepted the invitation. The small ketch easily accomodates four adults so we decided to arrange sail intro. We had four novice sailors signup up for the sail intro. Ben would be arriving late at the yacht club so he gave us permission to prepare the Korvus and take it for a spin. John, Maria (John’s daughter), Michael, Martin and me left the yacht club around 3pm.
The strong winds and big sail area prevented us from rolling out the genoa. The main sail can not be reefed so the boat was cruising along. The first leg went smoothly but when I manoeuvered the boat to prepare for the jibe the rudder tiller broke. The tiller controls the rudder so there was no way the boat could be steered. I immediately started assembling an emergency steering gear. With a rope I tied the tiller to the rudder stock. This simple temporary construction allowed us to sail back. It was not easy steering with my belly on the deck and face looking at the stern but everybody helped out. We made it safely back to the yacht club where Ben was waiting. I informed Ben of the sad news that I broken the tiller of his ketch. Ben immediately took his tools out and repaired the tiller. At 4:30 pm Ben, Michael, Martin and me went sailing again on the lake. We stayed out till 6.30 pm. The sun had already set but the moon was almost in its full phase so we had enough light to guide us back to the yacht club.
Sailing on Taal lake is highly recommended. The yacht-club offers all-inclusive sail excursions. If you don’t know how to sail you can avail of the experienced instructors that will sail the boat for you. We also like to thank Ben for letting us sail his boat.
Update (July 2007): the Wine and Cheese Evenings have been discontinued
The Taal Vista Hotel presents the Tagaytay Wine and Cheese Evening on every last friday of the month. The Taal Vista’s Foyer-Cafe offers the ideal setting for this once a month dine and wine event. The international wines and cheeses fit right in with the cafe’s high ceiling, assorted furniture, floor to ceiling windows and decorative objects.
In addition, the hotel’s food and beverage staff goes to great lengths to cater to your needs. Inviting food displays, attentive service and a full range of food provide a very pleasant dining experience. The entrance fee is only 495php per person. The fee covers all the food and wines. If you enjoy a good wine with a tasty cheese, Taal Vista’s offering is definitely a bargain deal. Every month a different wine importer showcases his wines. Normally the wine importer presents a minimum of three white and three red wines.
There are about ten kinds of cheese. Dutch Edammer, Danish Blue, Swiss Cheddar, New Zealand goat-cheese and many other cheeses are available for tasting.
To make it a complete meal the buffet offers several kinds of bread (French Baguette, Pasteries, Rye Bread), several vegetables and several meats (Italian ham, salami). As icing on the cake, there are also desert items. At the end of the evening there is a raffle-draw. You can win a bottle of wine and an romantic one-night stay at the Taal Vista Hotel. Let there be no doubts: if I’m in Tagaytay the last friday of the month I go to the Wine and Cheese evening.
Notes:
-Check out Anton’s Taal Vista Hotel review for more information about the Taal Vista Hotel.
-Come early so you can enjoy the magnificent view from the Foyer-Cafe. Once the sun sets the view is no more.
Joe Hagedorn of the Taal Lake Yacht Club organised another great event: The Family Boatbuilding Weekend.
I was there for only a few hours and only noticed contended people. Families were busy building their own sloops and kanoes. They used simple woodworking tools to assemble complete boats. Saws, hammers, grinders, nails, wood, marine epoxy and creativity were the ingredients.
While the families were creating their homemade yachts, others were enjoying their homemade yachts:
It’s amazing how many people do not know about the well-maintained yachtclub at one of the Philippines best sailing locations. Since it’s only a 15 minute drive from Tagaytay City it is a highly recommended rest and recreation place. Their website has the detailed driving directions and affordable sailing rates. Taal Lake Yacht Club is highly recommended.
If you happen to be in Tagaytay and you enjoy HongKong Chinese style food then Hap Chan is the place to be. Hap Chan Tea House is located at the Grandview Commercial Complex right beside the Tagaytay rotunda. It’s right across Shakey’s pizza and diagonally across the 7-11 convenience store. Hap Chan has great Chinese food at affordable prices. They serve complimentary hot Chinese tea. The furnishings are simple but the menu has everything you may wish for:
My wife and son certainly enjoyed their meal.
If you can not make it to Tagaytay >> check out the other Hap Chan branches
Inside information: Beginning of May they will have their rooftop restaurant ready. Enjoy their great food, the tagaytay refreshing air and the breathtaking view, all from the same location…
Fantasy World certainly has an aire of mystery. I have only driven by this magic spot. I don’t know if there is any activity or what’s the real purpose of this establishment. Is it a theme subdivision? Is it a theme park? Is it a restaurant in a special setting? I do not know. Anton has some nice photos of the place. Further investigation is necessary 
If anybody knows more about this Fantastic place please let us know.
Below is a map with the approximate location of Fantasy World. To get there from Manila:
The previous panorama received lots of positive feedback thus I have added another panoramic image. This panorama is taken from our residence in Palmridge Pointe, Talisay. The panorama shows the lake, Napayung Island, Bubuin Island and Volcano Island (left to right). The back of the panorama shows the gardener, the dog (sleeping) and our mediterranean-inspired villa. Click on the image to see the view from our Palmridge Pointe residence.
Just like the previous panorama the following notes still apply:
Besides having a great location, Tagaytay also offers an amazing view of Taal Lake. Click on the image to see the view from our rooftop.
Why we decided to live in Tagaytay?
(http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/ph.htm)
-A map of the Philippines showing the major cities 
(http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/ph.htm)
-A map of Calabarzon (CAvite – LAguna – BAtangas – Rizal – QueZON)
-A map of Tagaytay and the surrounding cities
Currently we are living near the “Tagaytay Rotunda” which is the most important intersection for the major roads. At the Rotunda the Calamba Road joins the Aguinaldo Highway. Our street starts at the Rotunda and leads to Laurel. Our location offers the best of both worlds. The rotunda is the business heart of Tagaytay. The banks, restaurants and supermarkets are all within walking distance. We have an amazing view of the lake. Plus, there is almost no traffic on our street because the road we live on is not completely finished. We have the view , the tranquility and the accessibility. Having more would be illegal