A Weekend Escape

As school looms on the horizon and city life grows ever more stifling, our kids yearned for a getaway. Amidst the recent blow to our finances from school fees, the prospect of an expensive vacation seemed daunting. But the children’s hard work at school deserved recognition, so we planned a modest overnight trip to Tagaytay, instead of the more costly beach excursion to Zambales they were dreaming of.

We hit the road at dawn via Skyway,

grabbing a quick breakfast at a highway McDonald’s. Frugal or not, it’s a must-have family tradition. Using Waze’s guidance, we arrived in Tagaytay earlier than expected and decided to spend the morning at SVD Farm before check-in time at our accommodation. We took in the tranquil environment and snapped some photos, but the heat had us moving on fairly quickly.

Without a set itinerary, we turned to online suggestions and attempted to visit a sunflower village we’d heard of on TikTok. But the rough terrain, exorbitant entrance fee and considerable distance from the parking lot to the entrance deterred us, especially with my wheelchair.

We kept on researching and decided to try Zoori Residence Inn Zoo. And we’re glad we did. The place’s first impression when you enter the gate was underwhelming, but it’s clearly not the best representation of what you’ll experience. I would admit, it’s not the best zoo out there, but we definitely enjoyed it.

The entrance is P200 but upon seeing me on the wheelchair, the Kuya manning the ticket counter waived my entrance fee. What a nice gesture. I was expecting a discount, but for him to have me enter for free is a total surprise. Excellent service!

The first part of the zoo will lead you to a room filled with aquariums housing several fish species. I loved the colorful tiny fish. There are also geckos and lizards and the husband got the surprise of his life with the large tarantulas on display. After the aquarium area, you’ll pass by the stage where the 11 am show is set to begin We waited there while the kids roamed the rest of the zoo.

The animal show is one of the best experiences I had there. Did I tell you the husband has arachnophobia? Well, the show began with the host asking for volunteers. The first few kid volunteers had a chance to have an encounter with a gecko, and African cockroaches. They’re required to close their eyes first and only open them when the animal is on their palm.

Lay kept on pointing at his sister Jinggay, but the host called him instead. While he was on stage with eyes closed, we kept on shouting tarantula, not really meaning it but only scaring him. Surprisingly, when it’s his turn it’s the tarantulas’ time for the show and upon opening his eyes, I felt his fear but he didn’t have the chance to back out, so he weathered the experience. Hooray for overcoming your phobia papa!

It was Jinggay’s turn and luckily for her, it was a large snake, lol. Key learning? Don’t volunteer others unless you don’t want to bear the brunt and receive karma, lol. Anyways, we laughed so hard and had the best time.

Those faces just can’t hide it

Bird feeding, they look so happy, lol

The zoo offered an array of aquatic life and reptiles, and even a tarantula display that gave my husband quite the shock. The highlight, however, was the entertaining animal show where the kids had close encounters with various creatures.

After the show we finished the zoo and saw the other animals including, the Palawan bear cat, camel, pot-bellied pig, tiger, lion, and an assortment of birds. We were so hungry after since it’s already lunchtime So we had lunch at RSM.

Even though it was so hot, we still chose the alfresco area with the view of Taal. The restaurant had a cultural show featuring music and dances from various provinces of the country which is pretty interesting and educational for the kids.

Beautiful lunch view

Of course, Tawilis

We book an overnight stay at Quest Hotel, since it’s one of the more affordable options. Then I realized, even if Taal Vista was a bit pricier, it would have been better if we chose there. Lesson learned.

I chose Quest because our stay at Quest Clark was pretty great. But then again…

To save some more, we opted for Jollibee for dinner. A sudden downpour made it the perfect evening for a coffee trip, so we braved the queues at Starbucks Summit Ridge. After a long wait, we savored our well-earned Caramel Macchiatos in the chilly, foggy night before returning to our hotel.