We don’t really go on family getaways on weekdays but this time, we had to because there’s a special occasion. My friends Iris and Marcelle Pulga of PH BakeHouse and www.Entrepremom.info were getting married so there was no reason for us to pass up on this once-in-a-lifetime event.

From Bulacan To Tagaytay

We left Bulacan at 6:00 AM so that we wouldn’t catch the daily morning traffic along EDSA. The kids and I were all excited even though I didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Aside from our things, my husband and I brought along some “putok-batok” treats from our beloved province — the famous Daboy Backfat Chicharon. Our friends loved these the first time they tried it so I figured they would want another batch. Afterall, no one would say no to backfat chicharon — except maybe if you have heart ailments or high blood pressure. LOL

Anyway, our trip was quite fast and we found ourselves treading the South Luzon Expressway around 8:00 AM. We stopped by McDonald’s to have breakfast and of course, took some selfies with gang. At around 9:30 AM, we passed through Santa Rosa exit but traffic was already building up near the Nuvali area. We drove for another hour until we reached the Tagaytay-Calamba road.

Pink Sisters Chapel and Lunch At Leslie’s Restaurant

It was only 10:30 AM and still too early for us to check in so we headed to the Pink Sisters Chapel first. Here’s their schedule in case you’d like to attend the mass, pray there or send your intentions:

Daily: Holy Mass – 6:30 a.m.

Vespers/Benediction – 5:00 p.m.

Sunday: Holy Masses: 7:30 a.m.; 5:00 p.m. with Vespers

First Saturday: Holy Hour/Mass – 4:15 p.m.

After 30 minutes of prayer and spiritual reflection, we headed to Leslie’s Restaurant. Our kids were already starving and that’s when I realized that it was past 11:00 AM already. LOL Thinking that the place must be packed at that time, I called them and asked if there were still available tables. Lucky for us, there were still a few left so the staff happily reserved one for us.

We were seated right away when we arrived and because we knew their menu by heart, we ordered our favorite dishes immediately: Crispy Pata, Bistek Tagalog, Pork Sisig, and of course Leslie’s Special Bulalo.

Learn more about our dining experience at Leslie’s Restaurant here.

Checking In At Tagaytay Summer House

After lunch, we headed straight to Tagaytay Summer House. We were greeted by their friendly property caretaker, who helped us get settled. It was quite a lovely home! The place was clean and even the bathroom was spotless. The linens were fresh and the beds were neatly made. In other words, it was really impressive.

Read more about Tagaytay Summer House here.

Anyway, we had no plans of going out that night. My sister brought her laptop with her so we could play some music and watch Netflix. But because the internet reception in the area wasn’t that great, we just decided to cool the beer and start the party early. LOL The kids, on the other hand, played outside.

At 12 AM, I received a call from our friends / colleagues, Diane and Michael, telling us that they will be dropping by so we could catch up before the wedding. I’m not sure what time it is when they left but I’ll bet my ass it was in the wee hours of the morning already. LOL  

Coffee Sesh and The Wedding

The following morning, we decided to pack our bags so that we could drive straight home after the wedding. I prepared a homey breakfast for the gang and after satiating our hunger, we headed to Starbucks for coffee. When Diane and Michael arrived, we took some photos again and then drove to Iris and Marcelle’s wedding reception.

My friend Iris looked really beautiful and happy in her wedding dress! Of course, Marcelle was quite a charm, too! The program was still ongoing when we arrived so we didn’t talk to the bride and groom for too long. But does that mean that we weren’t able to take photos? Of course, not. LOL

Nuvali Stopover

Now, if you think we went straight home after the wedding reception, think again. The kids persuaded us to stop by Nuvali to eat (again) and have some fun. There were a lot of people in Nuvali that day, mostly families. We ate a hearty early dinner at Dencio’s, fed the fish and rode the speedboat. My husband and I both knew that we were up for a heavy Manila traffic so we decided to make the kids happy first. We thought that would reduce the possibility of my 4-year-old throwing a fit on our way home. LOL And this, my friends, was how we spent our weekday family getaway.