A Trip to Caleruega

Here's another entry related to my previous post, http://mei-mei-myperfectlyimperfectlife.blogspot.com/2013/07/tagaytay-weekend.html. Here, I am going to detail our trip to Caleruega Church.

From Hotel Keni Po, we rode a tricycle to get to the town center.To get to Caleruega, we rode a bus to Nasugbu.

When we got off the bus, we took another tricycle ride to get to the church. As mentioned in my previous blog post, you have to get the mobile number of the tricycle driver because you have to contact him again when you are ready to be picked up. There are no public vehicles nearby so you have to remember this. :)

Entrance to the compound

You have to pay an entrance fee of Php30 only to get inside. For those with cars, there are parking areas outside the compound. I'm just not sure if they also allow visitors to park inside.

As soon as you enter the compound, you will see that it is surrounded by trees and it has such a peaceful environment and scenic views, which makes it a suitable venue for team buildings, seminars, and weddings.

View upon entering the compound

As you walk further, you will see this church facade where many visitors are having their photos taken. This is not a church but the entrance to get to the different spots or destinations within the compound.

Of course, we also had out photo taken. Hehe :)

And our solo shots as well. :)

Kim

Mei-Mei

It's common to see images of saints in churches and Caleruega is not an exception. And we both posed beside them. :)

Here are our photos to welcome you to Caleruega :)

Mei-Mei

Kim

When you go inside, you'll see this stairway. I think this place serves as a venue for wedding receptions and conferences.

"Grand" Stairway

When you go to the right part of this area, you will find a pathway that leads to the outdoor areas of Calereuga.

The pathway

And this pathway is lined with potted plants with flowers and I just had to have my photo taken there :)

Me with the potted flower-bearing plants :)

When you reach the end of the pathway, you will see this signage that lists the different areas you can find within the compound.

Directions

As I've mentioned, the property is surrounded by trees and other plants. Here are some of our photos taken in the different areas of the compound.

We rested for a while and asked Ryan to take our photo :)

Here's a view of the mountains and greenery surrounding the compound:

Hot weather

Blue skies

It was really hot when we went there but I prefer that weather than a rainy one :)

A stairway made of rocks leads to some benches where you can sit and enjoy the view of the mountains.

Rocky stairway

See the pine tree? Over there is the bench I was referring to.

Unfortunately, Ryan and Rej were in another part of the compound so we had to make use of the front camera of my phone to capture a photo together.

And we also had our solo shots taken at the bench :) It doesn't really protect you from the sun because the supposed roof is also open. Hehe :)

After our mini-pictorial, we made our way to the church. Since it was a Sunday, they celebrated mass at 11am.

On our way there, we passed by this potted plant with tomatoes. I was fascinated so I took a photo of it. Haha!

Tomato plant

Then, we also passed by this plant which we both do not know, but since it was so cute, I decided to take a photo of it as well.

I don't know what this is but it's cute

And there was this vine which I found adorable so I asked Kim to take a photo of me beside it.

And this is the church.

I took a photo of it side by side the brochure that was given to us at the entrance.

That's Kim's hand. Haha! Waah! There's a photobomber!!!!

Here are our solo shots :)

Kim

Mei-Mei

 A foreigner was waiting for his turn to take a photo and while we were having our photo taken by Ryan, he said that we looked good together. <3

We heard mass at 11am and we came just in time to get seats. :)

This is how the church looks like inside.

Rej: you're a photobomber!!!!

View from our chairs

The church is relatively small. I think it can only accommodate around 200 to 300 people so a lot of the visitors heard mass standing all throughout.

 After the mass, we decided to go back to Tagaytay already to have lunch and go home. :)

Trees outside the church

View from the store where we waited for the tricycle driver to pick us up

We texted the tricycle driver to pick us up and then rode a jeep to go back to Tagaytay.

Caleruega is a nice place if you want to meditate or be one with God and nature. :)

Tagaytay Weekend

A spontaneous lunch meet up with Rej, a college barkada, brought us planning for a weekend trip to Tagaytay. :)

It's easy to get to Tagaytay and get around it. We just commuted all throughout our trip and I think it made it more exciting. We got around Tagaytay pretty much via tricycle and it was very convenient because there were a lot in the area.

Kim and I rode a shuttle from Star Mall at Shaw Boulevard. It costs Php120 per person and it took less than 2 hours to reach Tagaytay. We then proceeded to our destination for lunch, which is at Josephine Restaurant, via a tricycle which cost us Php40 only. 

The menu
NOTE: I'll be posting another entry for this restaurant.

The restaurant was also our meeting point with Rej and Ryan.

Group photo

After having a heavy lunch (well, it was only Kim and I who really ate lunch because Rej and Ryan only had shakes), we then proceeded to the inn where we were staying for the weekend.

Keni Po entrance

View from the outside of Keni Po

If you're looking for a budget-friendly but a clean and pleasant place to stay in Tagaytay, I'll definitely recommend Hotel Keni Po. The staff are very friendly, attentive, and accommodating with our requests. The rooms are very cozy and comfortable. You can borrow DVDs from the reception area and use the DVD player in the rooms. Each room also has a small refrigerator where you can store your drinks or food. There's a small pool at the back though we didn't get to swim anymore. They also have WiFi but the connection is weak when you're in the room already. 

The lobby

Here's a photo of me and Kim at the lobby area. We were supposed to go to Picnic Grove to try the zip line and buy souvenirs but the moment we stepped out of the hotel, the rain poured down so we had no choice but to go back and just borrow DVDs from reception.

We had dinner at Days Hotel and we availed of the buffet because we were quite hungry. Unfortunately, the experience was not that great because there were a few choices and the Php400+ we spent for the food was not worth it. I think I would have been happier if we ate at Jollibee. Haha!

Group photo during dinner

Hotel Keni Po is beside a church, the Ina ng Laging Saklolo Parish (Mother of Perpetual Help), but since we were going to Caleruega Church, Kim and I just decided to take a look at the church before we leave. I make it a point to say a short prayer and make a wish everytime I visit a church for the first time because they say that your wish will come true if you do that. :)

View from the tree house where we had our breakfast together with Rej and Ryan

Ina ng Laging Saklolo Parish

The facade of the church

To know more about the hotel, you may visit their website at http://keniporooms.blogspot.com/ or via Agoda at http://www.agoda.com/asia/philippines/tagaytay/hotel_keni_po_rooms_for_rent.html?cklg=1 or call 046-4830977.

After breakfast, we already checked out but left our things in the meantime at the reception area since we were still heading to Caleruega and it will be very inconvenient to carry our backpacks around while exploring the place. 

We got another tricycle to get to the town proper and then rode a bus going to Nasugbu. It was about an hour of travel. After getting off the bus, we then took a tricycle going to the church itself. Do take note that you have to take the mobile number of the tricycle driver so you can let him know if you want to be picked up already because there are no terminals for public vehicles within the area.

The travel was worth it because the place is beautiful and scenic. We explored it and finished just in time before the mass started.

The entrance to Caleruega Church

This is not the church yet but the entrance to reach the different destination or spots within the compound.

Thanks to Ryan, our official photographer for this photo :)

 

Of course, we need to have our "couple shot". Haha! :) One foreigner even made a comment that we look good together while Ryan was taking our photo. :)

NOTE: I'll post another entry to document our trip to Caleruega. :)

After hearing mass together with Rej and Ryan, we decided to go back to Tagaytay already and have lunch. Going to Tagaytay will not be complete if you do not visit Bag of Beans. :)

We arrived just a little after 12nn and we were lucky to find seats at the balcony of the restaurant so we had a really nice view.

Bag of Beans Menu

Lunch is served! :)

NOTE: I'll post another entry to document our lunch at Bag of Beans. :)

There are definitely a lot of places to see and restaurants to try in Tagaytay and we'll definitely be back. For now, I have these to share with you.