Rent/Own in Tagaytay

Tagaytay is known for its cool climate and the Taal Volcano; it is only an hour and half drive to Manila; I bought a land in Silang around 400 Sq.m. I fenced it planted plants that will hide the fence and bought a ready made house a kubo! There are already fruit trees in the land I just add more! There are condotel and subdivisions; find them expensive and delimiting! They are near the mall and markets;

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The cooler climate and cleaner air (as compared to the city) I think is what draws expats to Tagaytay. It's also a midpoint between Manila and the beaches at Nasugbu Batangas, which are around an hour's drive. My parents have a property at Tagaytay Country Homes 2 which was built as our family's vacation home. But since we just visit in the summer, my parents decided to rent it out. Most of the time, the renters were either foreigners or Filipino Americans. At one time, it was rented to a British executive. Another was a Korean couple. The current renter is a Filipino-American woman who is married to a foreigner working abroad. Quite a few of our neighbors there are expats.

Downsides: it can get pretty boring. My parents stayed there for around 3 months straight, planning on retiring there. They have green thumbs and planted fruit trees in our vacant adjacent lot. But once that project was done, they went back to Manila.

You most likely would need a car. From our place, sure Bag o' Beans, Breakfast at Antonio's and Residence Inn (the last two of which have a nice view of Taal Lake) are walking distance, but to get to shopping areas, you need to drive. The novelty of these tourist areas slowly get lost (and could get quite expensive) once you turn from tourist to local. It seems like there's always heavy traffic at the town proper near the rotunda.

Twelve years ago, when my husband and I used the house as a staging area for our wedding, I remember the climate was cooler and the breeze stronger than it is now. Could be from all the development in Tagaytay. There's now mid-rise condos here and there. There's also a theme park now with a huge ferris wheel, which I think detracts from, rather than add to, the beauty of Tagaytay and Taal. One can only guess what Tagaytay would turn into in the future.

FilAmericanMom wrote:

The cooler climate and cleaner air (as compared to the city) I think is what draws expats to Tagaytay. It's also a midpoint between Manila and the beaches at Nasugbu Batangas, which are around an hour's drive. My parents have a property at Tagaytay Country Homes 2 which was built as our family's vacation home. But since we just visit in the summer, my parents decided to rent it out. Most of the time, the renters were either foreigners or Filipino Americans. At one time, it was rented to a British executive. Another was a Korean couple. The current renter is a Filipino-American woman who is married to a foreigner working abroad. Quite a few of our neighbors there are expats.

Downsides: it can get pretty boring. My parents stayed there for around 3 months straight, planning on retiring there. They have green thumbs and planted fruit trees in our vacant adjacent lot. But once that project was done, they went back to Manila.

You most likely would need a car. From our place, sure Bag o' Beans, Breakfast at Antonio's and Residence Inn (the last two of which have a nice view of Taal Lake) are walking distance, but to get to shopping areas, you need to drive. The novelty of these tourist areas slowly get lost (and could get quite expensive) once you turn from tourist to local. It seems like there's always heavy traffic at the town proper near the rotunda.

Twelve years ago, when my husband and I used the house as a staging area for our wedding, I remember the climate was cooler and the breeze stronger than it is now. Could be from all the development in Tagaytay. There's now mid-rise condos here and there. There's also a theme park now with a huge ferris wheel, which I think detracts from, rather than add to, the beauty of Tagaytay and Taal. One can only guess what Tagaytay would turn into in the future.

Thank you for the response.  What about taxi or tricycle or jeepney services?  I would prefer to not drive in the Philippines, having seen plenty of action on the streets and roads there.  The climate is the draw, along with better air, and as for boring, I cannot imagine there is any less to do than in Santa, Ilocos Sur  I do think we would rent first to get a feel for the place, I am sure the beaches are better than the stony surfless ones in Ilocos Sur.

Tagaytay is a nice, quiet place with good climate (cool at night) and seems relatively safe. Good food available but I think driving is necessary.