I had the privilege of being invited by Dr. Preciosa Soliven, founder of OB Montessori and wife of the late great publisher and writer Max Soliven, to her farm in Tagaytay. It’s a beautiful farm that was borne out of Dr. Soliven’s vision of putting up a self-sufficient farm that would be used for the education of OB Montessori students especially in the fields of agriculture, science, horticulture, and related fields.

It’s a truly educational tour that shows the guest varieties of trees and plants such as these mahogany trees.

Or this row of Dragon Fruit trees. Did you know that it first grows a flower that wilts before the pink Dragon Fruit shows itself.

I was also fascinated by the following plants:

Lemongrass …

Ginger …   Peanuts … Tobacco …

… and corn!!! “If you build it, they will come!” they whispered. 

In 2012, they added Asian-themed villas. We got a peek into the villas themed Japan and Thailand …

They now have 12 villas (some with jacuzzi pools!) open to the public. There is also a camp site with a zip line, wall climbing and mini-ampitheater facilities. They are also currently working on building a 1,000 square meter chapel.

But the piece de resistance of the 16.5 hectare property is the Pavilion. There is a sprawling garden leading to it.

The lanai is designed with wood with intricate craftsmanship (look at those doors!) and some works from the personal art collection of Dr. Soliven. 

 

The second floor offers this serene view.

Our lunch comprised of Tagaytay popular dishes like bulalo and tawilis cooked by OB Montessori’s chef.

Especially loved the fruits fresh from their farm. Their durian and rambutan were so sweet!

The trip was capped with loads of lovely “family pictures”. Especially love this one of Dr. Preciosa Soliven with her golden-haired dog Goldie.

Hope to hold a party here one of these days!

Precioza Botanic Park & Farm Resort
Call 723 9067 for inquiries
Wedding Package P60,000 – P66,000 + P6,000 in excess of 5 hours
Villa rates P4,800 (up to 4 pax) + P600/extra person