Tampuhan Cafe

An artsy cute cafe with a Spanish colonial ambiance.

Tampuhan, meaning "sulking", is an 1895 classic oil on canvas impressionist painting by Filipino painter and hero Juan Luna. It depicts a Filipino man and a Filipino woman having a lovers' quarrel. - Wikipedia

The Place

Inspired by the above-mentioned painting, Tampuhan Cafe, located in Taal, Batangas is an 1870's bahay na bato (stone and wooden house) which houses a weekend cafe, gallery and a bed and breakfast. The cafe has a view of the Pansipit River which flows just behind the house and situated beside Villa Tortuga.

The place is surely hard to miss with all the artworks on its wall depicting some of the well-known heroes and life during the Spanish colonial era. That doesn't end there, wait until you see the interior of the cafe and the casita.

 

The Cafe

Decorated with artworks from local artists, the cafe will give you a certain old-fashioned ambience with a twist. Of course, Tampuhan cafe will not be complete if a replica of the painting is not present. The vintage-inspired decorations are overwhelming despite the fact that it is small but cozy enough for those who are looking for an intimate place to dine.

We just can't resist leaving a note on their board.

The Food

The food tastes surprisingly good at a reasonable price. We tried their rose iced tea, vegetarian pizza, pesto pasta and gourmet bangus. All of them are mouthwatering but my favorite is the gourmet bangus. We spent only around P500 for all of those and we will definitely be back to try the others.

The Casita

The price of their overnight stay is P850/person inclusive of set breakfast. The house is beautiful, well-decorated with antique objects and preserved. It has two rooms and a clean common bathroom found on the ground level of the house. Luckily, we were the only ones who stayed there and we're happy to have enjoyed the house all by ourselves.

The staff are very accommodating and nice. The owners, Ms. Marj and Sir Benj, even gave us a complimentary glasses of wine and pretzels for midnight snack.

 

  

 

The room that we had, which is probably the family room, has wide space, two beds, a prayer kneeler and altar, and a good working air conditioning unit. It is not fancy but pleasantly comfortable and cozy.

Room lock - the old soul in me is rejoicing.

Complimentary glasses of wine and pretzels from the owners.

 

The breakfast were served in the common living room in the second floor and we chose to have tapsilog (made with the famous tapang taal) and spamsilog served with kapeng barako.

The place is just too perfect for us. I am an old soul and my partner is an artist, so, what more can we ask for from Tampuhan Cafe?

Tampuhan Cafe
Calle Marcela Mariño Agoncillo Poblacion 6
Taal, Batangas 
Contact: 09178903566 / Ms. Marj De Castro

Villa Tortuga

Have you ever imagined yourself living in the 19th century, when the Philippines was still under the Spanish regime? Or just simply want to experience how you will look like if you are in a baro't saya (traditional collarless blouse and long wrap-around skirt)? Be a Don and Doña or just simply relive the past when you visit Villa Tortuga in the heritage town of Taal, Batangas.

Villa Tortuga meaning "Turtle Village" in English derived its name back in the old days when there used to be an abundance of turtles in the banks of the Pansipit River which flows just behind the house. It is a typical bahay na bato (stone and wooden house) which was restored and now converted into a bed and breakfast.

This ancestral house offers the colonial experience with their vast collections of vintage costumes, hats and canes that you can rent for a photo opportunity. The ground floor of the house serves as the studio to those who want to try it.

The costume rental costs P250 each for an unlimited photos in their studio. They do not have a photographer in house so it is best to try and take the photos in a camera with a tripod so you can make sure of the framing, lighting or anything technical that you want and for a chance to include everyone in a single photo. After the session, you may finish the photos in sepia for the complete colonial experience.

Here are some photos that we took while wearing our traditional clothes:

This is us goofing around in our period costumes...

...and here are the photos we edited and finished in sepia:

Unfortunately, the second floor of the house is under restoration when we went there so we were not able to see the interior but I guess this is another reason to be back and experience again not only Villa Tortuga but the heritage town of Taal.

Aside from the costume rental, Villa Tortuga also offers a tour package and lunch strictly for bookings only. You may contact the number below for inquiries.

Villa Tortuga
Calle Marcela Mariño Agoncillo
Taal, Batangas 
Contact: 0927-975-1683
Entrance fee is P50 each (for house visit only)