Traveling and Discovering the Treasures of the Fun and Rich Southern Tagalog Region

#6 Kamayan sa Palaisdaan

After a long day of fruitful trips to various proud locations of Laguna and Quezon, we finally went to our lodging place for the night: the Kamayan sa Palaisdaan at Tayabas, Quezon. We were grouped into pairs and I was paired with Paolo Abellanosa, the Associate Editor of  Travel Update. Our rooms were located within the row of trees seen below.

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan was awarded “The Best Hotel in District I of Quezon Province” in 2010 due to its outstanding service, admirable cleanliness and stunning amenities. They offer floating bamboo rafts, a function hall, conference rooms, a small basketball court, a large swimming pool, and the El Pescado Bar Cafe where they offer their famous fish menu.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to try out their amenities 🙁 If you plan on visiting Tayabas with your family/friends sometime, you should definitely consider Kamayan sa Palaisdaan! To find out more, visit their website at www.kamayansapalaisdaan.com.ph.

 

#7 Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel or Simbahan ng Tayabas

Our 7th stop on the itinerary is our first destination of Day 2: the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, or locally-known as the ‘Simbahan ng Tayabas’.

Located on an elevated ground with Mt. Banahaw and Mt. San Cristobal on the background, this Baroque-influenced church is the only church in the Philippines which takes the shape of a key from a top view.

It was originally made of bamboo, nipa and anahaw back in 1585, with St. Michael the Archangel as its appointed patron saint. In 1600, it was rebuilt using bricks but then it was destroyed again in 1743 due to an earthquake. More than a century later, the basilica expanded with the addition of transept and copula in 1856 and is now a concrete structure of 103 meters in length.

Just two years later after the People Power Revoution of 1986, the title “Minor Basilica” was bestowed by the recently-canonized Pope John Paul II and proclaimed on January 21, 1989. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines. No questions asked, indeed it is!

 

 #8 Calle Budin

This souvenir-filled street is the so-called Calle Budin of Tayabas. This is where you can buy the delicious budin/cassava pudding, broas (ladyfingers), nilupak, tikoy, pancit hab-hab (pancit lucban) noodles, Lucban longganisa (pork sausage Lucban style), lambanog  and other well-known pasalubong, such as uraro, puto seko, espasol, and shing-a-ling.

This is also the street where the Rodillas Yema Cake, the maker of the mouthwatering dessert, stands.

 

#9- Malagonlong Bridge

This is the oldest and longest stone-arched bridge constructed during the Spanish era (1840-1850) with about 100,000 adobe blocks used- the Malagonlong bridge.  Malagonlong is one of the 11 stone masonry bridges in the city which symbolizes Tayabas as a former capital of Quezon.

Stretched at a length of 445-feet, it is a declared historical site by the National Historical Institute. It was supposed to part of the Guinness World Records as one of the oldest stone bridge in the world, but due to the fact that it is so close to major roads, it was disqualified.

Right now, people flock underneath this historical bridge to have fun swimming or wash clothes with families.

 

#10 Villa Sariaya

The Southern Tagalog region is full of heritage sites! Houses with high ceilings, fancy woodwork, frosted glass windows, and lavish furnishing all surround the village we went to, reflecting the days of the Ilustrado class.

Right after stopping for awhile at Malagonlong Bridge, we departed to the town of Sariaya, the location of Villa Sariaya, where numerous ancestral houses are located and visited by a lot of tourists, thanks to their architecture and the rich history of colonial art reflected within and outside of itswalls. This cunning municipality is practically at the foot of Mount Banahaw.

While traveling, we visited one house in Villa Sariaya, which is known as the Rodriguez-Veloso mansion. This aristocratic house, standing at the corner of Quezon and Daliz streets, used to be a place of meetings of the former president Manuel L. Quezon.  

 

Villa Sariaya is open form 7am-5pm every day (Monday to Sunday). Please also donate P100 per adult person and P50 for students to help preserve this heritage site. You will be able to have fun as well inside the Villa when you have the photo shoot with complete costume as seen in the photo above 🙂