Ilog Maria
By 3:30 p.m. we were on the road to Ilog Maria. There was a prominent enough sign on the highway which signalled us where to turn but the road was so narrow and unpaved, at one point, I really thought we were lost.
The Road To Ilog Maria
Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm
When we finally found the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm, we were surprised to see the place filled with people buying their items. I guess this is part of the Ilog Maria package, you feel you are heading out to a place in the suburbs, middle of nowhere, to buy authentic all-natural products. It didn’t hurt also that Sonya’s Garden uses their stuff. We ended buying an assortment – soap, shampoo, balm, liniment. Erlin had asked me to buy her some leather balsam so I bought that too.
Ilog Maria Bee Colony
I had wondered earlier how we would be able to go back out the same way we came in as the road was obviously not wide enough for 2-way traffic. But we soon discovered that the same road winded back to the highway and we were on our way to Sonya’s Garden before 6:00 p.m.
Sonya’s Garden
And then there it was again, the maddening crowd. Alas, Sonya’s Garden was far from the tranquil place I envisioned it to be. Payday weekend, remember? I swear, walking through the garden felt like being in some urban park, there were just too many people, quite akin to us actually, who were there to sightsee.
Upon Irma’s suggestion, we tried to get bookings for treatments at their spa but, not surprisingly, we were told that they were fully booked for the rest of the day. On the way to the spa, we met Sonya’s huge scarf wearing dog.
By this time, my eat clock’s alarm was ringing wildly so I thought that maybe we could dine there instead. But they just had salad and pasta and other healthy stuff on their menu and we had kids with us who weren’t into that sort of thing. So we decided to just follow the exit arrow and head back to the Taal Vista area and scout for chow places.
This Way Out
I met another dog on the way out (or is it the same dog?) and this one I was able to photograph.
Buon Giorno
Buon Giorno was one of the places that Erlin said we should make a point of checking out. This Italian restaurant, clustered with other similar establishments, is located at The Cliffhouse along the Taal Lake rim at Aguinaldo Highway. I liked the place at first sight. Beautiful birdhouse lanterns hang from its roof eaves. It had a section which directly overlooked Taal Lake. It was nicely appointed and more importantly, it offered a wide range of choices for us hungry travellers.
I ordered their Bayby Back Ribs (P554), Buon Giorno Special Salad (P202), Regular Coke (P56) and two desserts – Mango Cheesecake (P168) and Coppa de Tiramisu (P168). The ribs and salad were yum-my! But the desserts were a disappointment as I’ve had much, much better elsewhere. My friends ordered pasta, pizza and chicken and everyone was in agreement that everything tasted great. And the coup-de-grace were the prices, Irma was now solidly behind Buon Giorno because – her Italianni’s-in-Tagaytay-for-less.
Ti amo Buon Giorno!
Buon Giorno: I would give them a five as soon as they improved on their desserts. Everything else is perfect, though, ambiance, taste, view and prices. Highly recommended: their melt-in-the-mouth baby back ribs!
Rating: 4 1/2 Plutos
I was pretty deadbeat when we went back to the hotel. We were toying with the idea of going to the hotel spa before turning in for the night but I chucked the idea when I got to the room.Sleepyhead that I am, the moment my back touched the cool sheets of my bed, there was no getting up for me anymore. I was in zzzzzzzzzzz heaven by 8:30 p.m.