(Weekend Getaway) Valentine's 2014—A Not-So-Typical Tagaytay Date

Valentine's Day

• Singles call it S.A.D (Single Awareness Day).  
• Men call it "Extortion Day".
• Women expect to be romanced.
• Florists/flower shops get rich.  Flower prices double and buying close to Feb. 14 is like Jollibee during lunchtime.

I realized I was single for a long time because the thought of planning my first Valentine's with Love excited me.  Maybe once every decade us guys can go all out on our Valentines Day plans. For me it was for our first one (it's all downhill from here, Love). We'd just officially became a couple Feb. 9 and I wanted to gain some serious BF points.

Plan early and reserve.  

I started thinking about it mid January.  It's good to plan early to make room for plan changes.  Also, some places get fully booked really early (Antonio's in Tagaytay was already fully booked before the start of Feb., and this is for Feb. 15).  My plan was revised three times.  Imagine if I only planned at the last minute.

If she's not your girlfriend or wife, ask for the date right away.

I asked Love to be my Valentine 2 weeks before Feb. 14 (she wasn't my girlfriend then) and turns out, she didn't want to celebrate on the day itself since restaurants will be crowded (there goes my first plan).  She wanted to go out-of-town the next day.

Flower buying strategy.

We bought late Feb. 13 (there are easier ways to do this I'm sure).  Ordering early (before Feb.) may be a good idea since flowers will still be normal priced (but there's a risk with this too).

The Day Before Valentines Day (Feb. 13)

Actually, this was not planned.  I just decided to spend the day with Love because I was going to meet up with my friend later that night to buy flowers. Also, we'd just became a couple a few days back, "masipag pa dumalaw".  We decided to watch a movie, and it was such a good pre-Valentine's mood setter. The movie was "Starting All Over Again", yup, the one starring Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga.

That night, my friend and I muscled our way to buy flowers for our women.  The risk of ordering before Valentine's day?  Your flowers can get stolen by people buying on-site if the delivery system is not organized well.  The bouquet I found had a small paper attached to it with a name and delivery schedule which I ripped off,  "Ate, ito po wala pa may-ari!".  I got my Karma the week after when I lost my wallet.

Fist-sized red roses (I think they're call Ecuadorian)

Valentines Day (Feb. 14)

Right after buying I went straight to Love's condo (I was going for the midnight effect) and gave her the roses.  Her reaction was priceless.

The Day After Valentines Day (Feb. 15)

Love and I agreed to spend our Valentine's date in Tagaytay.  I was glad about this change of plan because now I have a whole day for our date.  The problem was the itinerary.  How can I make our day in Tagaytay unforgettable?

After countless hours of surfing the net (during work hours), and a bit of consulting with well-traveled people, I put together the best itinerary I could think of for our Tagaytay date.

First Stop:  Breakfast at Bag of Beans   

Their breakfast selection is really good.  Great hot chocolate. Perfect for a cold Tagaytay morning.  Time Check 8:00 AM

Second Stop: Taal Volcano Hike

Now this one is not for all women.  Good thing Love is game for adventures like this.  We needed a boat ride to get to Taal and since we needed a safe place to park our car and a place to shower after the hike, I chose to avail of the package from the Taal Yacht Club.  It's a bit pricey but the parking is safe and the shower facilities are nice. The package includes back and forth boat rides and a guide for the hike.  The boat ride took about 30 minutes.

Take the secret trail

Our guide offered to take us to the secret trail instead of the regular trail for an extra amount (a longer boat ride and a longer trail).  The regular trail ends only in an observatory high above the crater lake but the secret trail ends at the crater lake itself.  The climb took approximately 1.5 hours (this is girl speed). The return a bit quicker. There are very few trees and lots of sand so the proper hiking attire really makes a huge difference.  When we arrived at the crater we were the only ones there.  We took a dip then ate our packed lunch. The view was incredible.

Check http://www.tlyc.com/the-tlyc-volcano-tour/ for an in-depth guide for this hike.

We rested for a bit after returning to the yacht club, showered and had a change of clothes.  The day's not over yet.  Time check 3:00 PM

Third Stop:  Couples Massage at Nurture Wellness Village

I saw Love's eyes sparkle when we arrived at the spa.  I knew she loved getting massages.  It's just logical really, after a tiring activity, a relaxing massage was the best next stop.  I booked our massage session a few days before our date.

Magsing-Irog Massage:
A seductive blend of Gayuma Masage Oil using ylang ylang, palmarosa and rosewood essential oils in this intimate massage for two in a romantic couple’s room.  -from the Nurture Wellness Village website





I guess it was great 'cause I fell asleep 5 minutes into the procedure.  Love enjoyed every minute.

Final Stop: Dinner at Fire Lake Grill
For our dinner, we just searched for a restaurant at the Cliffhouse with available seats.  We found ourselves at the Fire Lake Grill.  Their grilled salmon and prawns were delicious and the ambiance was very classy and romantic.  It was the perfect end to a really great Valentine's date.

Seeing Love's surprised reactions and her enjoyment really made it all worth it. Now, what should I do this year?