After visiting my grandma in Batangas, we decided to visit this famous "Puzzle Mansion". I've been hearing a lot of comments about it and they seemed really fascinated so I asked my father if we can visit the place since it's still early to go home and we have nothing else to do. Finding the place is a struggle (we had a hard time finding it because the signs are not consistent).
The PUZZLE MANSION is a museum where you can find the record-breaking puzzle collection of Gina Gil Lacuna. It is located in their house in Tagaytay. This mansion is now holding the Guinness World Records for having the Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles in the World.
Upon entering the place, you need to pay an entrance free which costs PHP 100.00 per person. After that, in the area where you will get the ticket, you can see news clippings and photos of different celebrities who visited the place. Unfortunately, I admit that I am too lazy to read the clippings and too excited to find out what the people is really talking about in this place.
As I enter the room, I find it amazing how she (the owner) managed to have time to finish all of the puzzles in the museum. While looking at the puzzles, you'll realize that she is dealing with all kinds of puzzles (from the usual boards to the 3D puzzles). Below are some of the photos of what you're going to see inside the Puzzle Mansion.
This Mickey Mouse puzzle is actually my favorite! Surely, your kids will love this one too! :)
I like this one because I usually call my father "Tigerlily". Mind you, the reflection that you can see on the left side of this photo is my father. HAHA! Isn't it cool?
And now let us take a look at the 3D puzzle collection! I spent about 30 minutes just by looking at all of these. So cute!
There are still a looooooooot of puzzles inside this room but it's for you to explore the place. I don't want to be a total spoiler by posting all the photos of the puzzles with all the details and everything. However, if you think that the tour is already done, you are WRONG! The highlight of the Puzzle Mansion can be found upstairs. Yes, a BIG surprise is waiting for you there.
This is the BIG surprise that I am telling you. According to one of the usherettes in this place, this is the largest puzzle ever with 32,000 pieces to complete the whole picture. I wonder how long did it took her (the owner) to finish this one. Beside this one, there is a store where you can buy souvenirs (of course, puzzles) for your kids or even for you (if you're a puzzle-lover too).
If you feel tired and hungry after looking at all the puzzles in the mansion, they have a restaurant there that offers their famous "Coco Cream Pie". Below is the photo of their restaurant (though it doesn't look like one. LOL!).
Personally, I don't think they hired the right employees there. First, when we arrived there, nobody assisted us and the table that we were about to occupy is really dirty and they did not even bother to clean it. We had to ask them first to clean the table before they do so. That's very disappointing! Second, they did not even bother to place new tissues in our table while the other tables have. Very irritating! Third, nobody even tried to entertain us. I had to get the menu by myself while others who just arrived were offered the menu by the staff. I still have a lot of complaints but I think I should just tell their manager instead.
So, this is the Coco Cream Pie that they are promoting. It costs PHP 50.00 per slice. It tastes fine. Nothing extraordinary actually! It's like you just bought a buko tart and placed nestle cream. HAHA! I am not being mean, I'm just being brutally honest. I'd rather buy buko tart in Amira (they have the best buko tart in Tagaytay).
That is my Puzzle Mansion experience and I believe that this is an overhyped place. Nothing extraordinary aside from the biggest puzzle collection. Moreover, there is nothing special in their Coco Cream Pie (believe me). Out of 5 stars, I'll give them 2 stars.
