MY GRATCHI's GETAWAY EXPERIENCE

So you've filed your leave from work and you plan to head to the beach... Typical. What say you read on. :)

Together with a good company of bloggers, we headed to Tagaytay. The destination? GRATCHI'S Farm & Resort also know as GRATCHI'S GETAWAY. A couple of hours, then we arrived to this place. Night was dark but moon was lighting everything. The air was cool and the welcome was warm.

Geoff Nuval, JM, Rod, Ms. Gratchi Nuval, Ruth, Jeman and Me.

We arrived around 8 or 9 pm I think. Settled down first, picked our rooms, played a few rounds of billiards and ping pong while dinner was being prepared.

A few minutes in, dinner is then served. The star for the night? Mushrooms!!!! They did serve a Kare kare type mushroom but I was intrigued with the 'Tortang Talong' - Fried Eggplant type of cooking for this particular Mushroom. (Don't worry, it's completely safe to eat). This kind of mushroom was good as in! tasty and healthy.

Another interesting that was in the menu was.. well...a sweet macapuno like dessert.. and yeah... guess what it is... MUSHROOM!!! :) I am not a fan of this kind of sweet after dinner but I gotta say that I liked it.

The dinner definitely opened me up to the possibilities of cooking and eating mushroom. Not to mention, healthy! As we finished dinner, Ms. Gratchi and her son Geoff shared to us stories of how it started and their vision for the place.

After dinner, we headed back to our rooms, showered and rested for what we had planned for the next day. hiking / trekking of what ever you might call it. :)

The next day, woke up with the smell of nature around me, opened my window and this cool Tagaytay breeze just made me want to go to bed again. Wend around and took a few shots of the place.

The place nature-filled. You can really appreciate being one with nature and being able to feel the place overwhelm you with such beauty. After breakfast, we set foot on a journey we will never forget.

The place was full of plants all over, some trees, branches, slippery and soft soil, some man made dangerous steps but yeah, it was fun. Below is me, taking a picture break. :)

Them at the bottom, we see this view.

It was definitely worth the trip down. Untouched nature and definitely worth a thousand words. We then on venture upstream (I think). Took a few shots of the beautiful nature around us.

The hike down was quite hard as to we didn't know where we were headed, and now that we were at the bottom, we had to trek the stream to reach the the cave we were looking for.

Took off my shoes and went barefoot.. so did others. It was painful, but it was worth it. :)

The group did manage to take a rest and pose for a few snaps :)

The cave that we were looking for was on the other side. Too bad we missed it but its was ok. It was also time to head back. :) The way up was easier.. well at least for me... I know my way up and found it easier to move around the cliff. Well, I guess faster, but not really easier... woke up my leg muscles. :)

The pavillion also known as 'Bulwagan' and the noon sun welcomed us with good food and oh yes.. Water. Rested a bit before heading back to our room to rest and freshen up for the afternoon tour.

That afternoon, the humble host Ms. Gratchi showed us other facilities of the place. They have the Mushroom House and the vermiculture and composting facility.

One of the vision of Ms. Gratchi is to be able to raise awareness on the benefits of eating and growing mushrooms. She also shares to us that she plans to help her nearby community in teaching and giving seminars on how to grow and how to harvest mushrooms. The greenhouse that we visited has to be harvested twice a day? you can just image the bulk of mushroom that you'd have by the end of the week. :) If you would have the time, why not sit there and just watch it grow. :) hehe

I harvested a couple and took a few shots of the small ones.

The hundred bags that you see with Ms. Gratchi is her pride and joy. Her past undertakings in coming up with a mushroom house did come across some bumps but with this one, she is pretty much excited and happy.

Along with the mushrooms, Ms. Gratchi also some plants or some herbs like mint, rosemary, basil and others. The place is also full of animals all loved by the staff and owners. They do have some pigs that are cute. I don't think they use these pigs for food. Like I said, they love animals and I'm betting these pigs are counted as one of their pets. :) Met a few of the actually. The goats, Kaldie and Rita with the family, Choco the ever loving dog, and Ren the ever so welcoming monkey with a really nice story. Most of the things and animals there has a really good and touching story behind it.

We met up with other guests and was taken into the activity area.

Already being set up, with courses to chose from, the place will be up and ready for team building before you know it. This is a place where you can enjoy nature with your family and friends and at the same time do great activities outdoor on top of the place. Check out team building pictures here.

Gratchi's Getaway is now accepting reservations. Its current capacity can house around 70. I also heard that you can do your camping on the place. by June this year, they will be ready to accommodate more guests.

If you are concerned on the price, don't. It simply vary on the size of the group. Ms. Gratchi said that they are also flexible with the rates. So on your next visit to tagaytay, please make sure to add GRATCHI's GETAWAY to one of your itinerary. They'd be willing to show you around the place, you might also want to call them for more info. +02-664-1633 (PLDT), +0918-910-9633(Smart), +0922-847-2824 (Sun) or email them at gratchisgetaway@gmail.com. You may also want to check their facebook for more updates. https://www.facebook.com/GratchisGetaway.

The 6-hectare stretch of natural landscape is located in Tagaytay, five minutes from Tagaytay-Calamba Road (2.4 km.)

Gratchi's Getaway - Tagaytay Farm Resort is gifted with great natural features and fresh mountain air. Combined with superb hospitality, great outdoor activity, and new knowledge, GRATCHI's GETAWAY TAGAYTAY FARM RESORT is the perfect venue for events, conference, seminars, educational tours, leisure, relaxation, wellness and team-building activities. and if you are wondering what else can you do aside from the ones I've mentioned?

1. You can learn and observe how mushrooms are cultured in their Mushroom House.
2. Ride the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV)
3. Experience planting and farming with our educational demo tours
4. Take a shot at the "Go Niyog" their version of “wall” climbing with a twist
5. Carve your name on their wooden canvas - Graffiti Wall
and many more….

So instead of hitting the crowded beach, laying on the sun with sand in your feet, why not head to Tagaytay and experience something new? Learn a thing of two about mushrooms. Enjoy nature and relax. And I tell you, you'll enjoy at Gratchi's Farm.