Tagaytay City - Peoples' Park in the Sky (Palace in the Sky)

Originally intended by the former first lady Imelda Marcos in 1979 as a guesthouse for Ronald Reagan, which was the California Governor at that time – who never arrived.  The name was changed to People’s Park in the Sky after the People Power Revolution in 1986, which toppled the government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

The mansion was built on the highest place of point of Tagaytay City.  Having cooler winds and magnificent sceneries, this has become one of the tourist attractions of the city.

Parking fee is P20.  Entrance fee is P30 per head.  To reach the mansion, you can either ride a jeep or walk up – which I recommend as you will not enjoy the scenic view of the city when you ride a jeep.  It is much more fun to walking.  It is just a 300-meter walk, even a child can manage to do and of course, walking is good for your heart!

Having breakfast there is not a problem, you can rent one of the picnic huts for only P100 for the whole day.  A single cottage can accommodate a family of 4 to 6.

You can also rent their conference hall for P2,500/day, their View Deck which costs P800 per day and/or P500 for a half-day rent, and the Ampitheather which costs P1,500 per day and/or P700 for a half-day rent.

There are souvenir shops in the vicinity of the mansion where you can buy stuff like key chains, T‑shirts, mugs, cardigans, bonnets, paintings and many more.  Some added attractions is having a photo of you with a boa python.  This costs P100, printing included.  But, if you have your own camera, they charge you for P50.  There is also the human robot, when you put money in his money box, he will move like a robot.  Good enough for young kids, but not really that entertaining for adults.

By the way, if you want to catch the experience of the thick fog and the coldness of the air, be sure you arrive there around 7am or earlier.  At 8am onwards and when the sun is already up (this is depending on the weather forecast though, but most days the sun is up around 8am) thus the fog is gone.  Don’t be sad, there is still a good side of this.  When the fog is already cleared up, you now have a fantastic view of the city, great for taking pictures and all!