Around Manila - The Rough Guide to the Philippines - page 112

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE LAKE TAAL AND TALISAY
From Manila you can approach Lake Taal from two directions: from the north via Tagaytay, or via Tanauan, east of the lake.
Once in Talisay tricycles should take you to nearby hotels or bangka operators for P10 per person, or P25-30 per ride.
Some groups take a taxi from Manila or the airport all the way to Talisay; reckon on at least P5000.

Via Tagaytay From Tagaytay market, take one of the
jeepneys (20-30min; P35) that shuttle back and forth
(till around 4pm) to Talisay's lakeshore. Tricycles/taxis will
charge at least P200 (but may ask for P350 or more).

Via Tanauan JAM buses from Manila (see p.81) to Lemery
stop at Tanauan (around P80). In Tanauan take a tricycle
to the Talisay jeepney terminal (P10 per person); frequent
jeepneys head to Talisay town from there (30min; P20).

2

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Most of the lakeside resorts are between Talisay and the village of Laurel a few kilometres to the south. Hotels are busiest
from Sept to Feb (the coolest months) so book ahead if travelling at these times. Weekdays are always much cheaper
year-round. Down by the lakeshore in and around Talisay, there are simple eating places selling barbecued meat and fish,
but quality can be hit and miss; the numerous bakeries in Talisay are a safer bet for a snack.

Club Balai Isabel Brgy Banga, Talisay T 043 728
0307, W balaiisabel.com. This fashionable lakeside
boutique resort is built around a century-old coconut and
mango plantation just east of the town. Rates for the
cosy hotel rooms and suites include breakfast, while the
luxurious lakeshore suites and villas are self-catering (all
have kitchens) and can accommodate up to six people.
There's a swimming pool, and a variety of watersp orts and
even a lake cruise can be laid on for guests. P5550
Ronnie & Au Talisay-Tanauan Rd, Talisay T 0918 564
0349. One of the better sit-down options in town, this

rustic diner knocks up all the usual favourites and 3-in-1
coffee (breakfast for P50). Staples include adobo, tilapia,
tawilis and bulalo (mains P120-200). Ask what's been
freshly caught; they sometimes have maliputo (not
usually on the menu). Daily 8am-7pm.
Talisay Green Lake Resort Brgy Santa Maria, Talisay
T 043 773 0247, W taal-greenlakeresort.net. This solid
budget option lies next to Taal Lake Yacht Club, and offers
a range of rooms with bath and TV, set i in a large, private
compound right on the lakeshore. P1500

★

Taal
The town of TAAL , 130km south of Manila and a further 10km south of its namesake
lake, is one of the best preserved colonial enclaves in the Philippines and one of the few
places you can get a real sense of its Spanish past. Founded in 1572 by Augustinians, it
was moved to this location (and away from the deadly Taal volcano) in 1755 and today
boasts a superb collection of endearingly weathered Spanish colonial architecture and
bahay na bato -style homes, as well as one of the finest basilicas in Luzon. Several of the
town's Spanish-era buildings are open to the public.

Basilica de St Martin de Tours
M. Agoncillo St • Daily 7am-8pm • Free; belfry tower P50
On the northern side of Taal's central plaza lies the elegantly weathered bulk of the
Basilica de St Martin de Tours , said to be the biggest church in Southeast Asia, its facade
visibly cracked, peeling and studded with clumps of weeds. The present church, begun
in 1856, has a magnificent interior and is often jam-packed for masses throughout the
day. The church (and Taal) is a major pilgrimage site thanks to an aged pinewood
image of the Virgin Mary known as Our Lady of Caysasay , only 20cm high, which is
moved to a shrine on the edge of town each week (see opposite). The statue is said to
have been fished out of the Pansipit River in 1603; it was lost then found again in a
freshwater spring.

Leon Apacible Historic Landmark
M. Agoncillo St • Wed-Sun 8.30am-4.30pm • Free • T 0999 344 8976
he Leon Apacible Historic Landmark is the ancestral home of Leon Apacible
(1861-1901), lawyer and Filipino revolutionary. Built in the eighteenth century it