It was my day-off on Valentine’s Day but somehow, I dreaded spending the day in Manila. Going to Tagaytay was a last-minute decision hubby and I made. ’twas a good thing the South Expressway is much better now compared to the last time we used it. We arrived in the cool, chilly city in a little more than an hour.

Our home for this trip was The Lake Hotel which is very near Starbucks, Army Navy, Antonio’s Grill and all those modern restos by the ridge. We paid a corporate discounted rate of P4,320 for our Superior Lake View Room. It was modern but a bit small, mainly because they fitted two queen-sized beds into the space. But as they say, in Tagaytay, you’d pay an arm and a leg just to wake up to this view…

For our Valentine’s Day dinner, we decided to skip the hotel coffeeshop and walk the few steps to neighboring Cliffhouse Tagaytay. It’s a restaurant complex composed of Buon Giorno, Cafe Breton, Cafe Platito, Fruits in Ice Cream Summer Cafe, Fling Frozen Yogurt and Fire Lake Grill.They’ve even tucked an upscale cozy inn. I love this area. The charming layout complements the stunning natural scenery and the view of Taal Volcano.

We were quite early for our 6 p.m. dinner at Fire Lake Grill and so we partook of dessert first Here it is, yummy mochi ice cream from Mochiko. A bit expensive at P70 for a small ball but it’s heaven to alternate between the velvety texture of the green tea ice cream (my chosen flavor) and the chewy dough.

Soon enough, we hied off to our chosen dinner spot, arriving on the dot to choose which of the last two tables we preferred – the one beside the bar or the one by the door (ouch). Everything else was reserved. The staff of Fire Lake Grill looked very prepared for one of the busiest business days of the year.

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