Newest Retreat Center in Tagaytay -- Your Next Event Site?

Looking for a venue for your next company retreat, family camp, overnight fellowship, or school spiritual emphasis week?  The Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center just might be the place!

Built on six hectares of rolling terrain in Tagaytay and  within a few minutes of the Picnic Grove, the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center is a comfortable setting for retreats, conferences, annual assemblies,  conventions, workshops, seminars, planning meetings and similar activities. (Much of the construction and landscaping work was done by former street dwellers being ministered to by the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries.  Read their stories here: http://peopleblessingpeople.tumblr.com/post/2974400287/changing-manilas-human-landscape and here:http://cctkaibigan.blogspot.com/2011/12/21-kaibigan-couples-tie-knot.html.)

The main structures are

• three dormitories  with 20 rooms per dorm and a sleeping capacity of six persons per room 
• two dormitories with 10 rooms per dorm and a sleeping capacity of four persons per room
• a multi-purpose building that includes an assembly hall which can seat up to 1000 persons at a time, a dining hall with a 600-person seating capacity, and a covered paseo in between
• the Pabilyon building with snack bar and game room
• administration building

Multipurpose building

The multipurpose building as seen from the road

Outdoor activity areas include an elevated swimming pool for baptisms,  basketball and volleyball courts, a children's play area, an obstacle course, an amphitheater, and a grassy field for earth ball games.

Future developments will include a prayer site at its second highest point  and a zipline. A large portion of the grounds will be devoted to a pastoral environment for prayer, meditation, and relaxation.

Unique Feature. While other event facilities in the Philippines have separate buildings for meetings, dining, and  sleeping, a unique feature of the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center is that each of the five dormitories has a session room or meeting room at ground level. Groups of sixty or less  have the option of  booking one dormitory building and holding all indoor activities there. All of the function rooms are wi-fi enabled and equipped with sound system and LCD projector.  Large groups may book two or more buildings and use the multipurpose hall as well. 

Grass-roofed bamboo huts for additional meeting space are now available.

Function rooms at ground level of  dorm buildings have sliding partitions for easy division into
 two smaller activity areas. All function rooms are WIFI enabled and are equipped with LCD projectors, screens,
and a basic sound system of wired microphone and floor standing speakers. 

The plenary hall section of the multipurpose building can seat 1,000.

 The Center has an overnight lodging capacity of  460 - 500 persons.For bedroom amenities, please visit:   http://ccttagaytay.blogspot.com/2011/02/take-sneak-peek.html

For instructions on  getting to the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center, click on:  http://ccttagaytay.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-get-to-cct-tagaytay-retreat-and.html

For rates and booking information, please get in touche with Eva Lope, TRTC guest coordinator, at evaranlope@yahoo.com.ph, evamlope@gmail.com, 09192933157, 09232497605, 806-6912, and 654-0536. For information on CCT, please visit its website at www.cct.org.ph.

For the story behind the building of the  retreat center, please visit: http://ccttagaytay.blogspot.com/2012/04/tagaytay-retreat-and-training-center.html

Earth ball, Soccer Field, WiFi Access At Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center

Here are the latest exciting developments at the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center.

All five dormitory buildings are now ready for occupancy. A total of 80 bedrooms are capable of sleeping 480-500 persons.

Bedroom amenities include:  

• two single beds each with a pull-out / trundle bed  
• sofa bed with pull-out / trundle bed
• ensuite bathroom with separate toilet and shower cubicles, twin washbasins

In addition to a basketball court, volleyball court, and elevated swimming pool, a playing field for earth ball games is ready, perfect for group events.  

Wireless network technology  is also now in place at the Center, so Internet access is possible 24/7.

For instructions on  getting to the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center, please copy and paste the following URL into your browser:  http://ccttagaytay.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-get-to-cct-tagaytay-retreat-and.html

For rates and other information, please get in touch with Eva Lope at evaranlope@yahoo.com.ph; 09192933157; 09232497695; 654-0536.  

Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center Dedication

The Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center was formally dedicated to the Lord on May 4, 2011 in a joyful thanksgiving and dedication celebration attended by a crowd of more than 1,000, including community partners, Kaibigans involved in its construction, CCT staff from the support office and regional offices, and board members and their guests.

The dedication message was preached by Rev. Kim Sang Youn of the Nanoom Presbyterian Church in South Korea, and translated into Filipino by Pastora Serlina. 

 Rev. Kim Sang Youn of the Nanoom Presbyterian Church in South Korea.

Mr. Bertram Lim, chair of the CCT Inc. board of trustees, gave the welcome remarks,  talked about how the retreat center came about, and acknowledged the many donors who made its construction possible.  The main dedication ceremony (responsive reading of Psalm 24 and prayers of dedication by all present) was led by Pastor EJ del Mundo, head pastor of the CCT Group of Ministries. Special music for the day was provided by young people from Nanoom Presbyterian Church,  the CCT Choir, the Drum and Lyre Corps of Las Pinas and San Pedro, and the Las Pinas Rondalla. Folk dances were presented by the CCT Dance Troupe.


After the main program, simultaneous ribbon cutting rites and dedication ceremonies were held at the assembly hall, dining hall, at each of the dormitories and at the administration building.

As of May 15,2011 Dormitory Buildings A2 and A3 were ready for occupancy. The retreat center is seen to be fully constructed and landscaped by July. 

Praise and worship singing is led by youth from Nanoom
Presbyterian Church, South Korea.

The CCT Choir

Bro. Bertram Lim welcomes guests and acknowledges donors.

The CCT Dance Troupe

Community partners from Tondo

CCT Group of Ministries Board Members

How to Get to the CCT Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center

Need to do an ocular visit to the CCT Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center for your church or organization? Here's how to get there! 

By private vehicle from Metro Manila: Enter  the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) at any of the following points: 

• Buendia Flyover (Gil Puyat Flyover)
• Skyway: Gil Puyat Ramp
• Skyway: Makati
• Arnaiz Avenue / Pasay Road Intersection
• Skyway: Don Bosco Magallanes
• Skyway Entrance: Magallanes
• Nichols Toll Barrier
• C5
• Merville
• Skyway: Bicutan
• Bicutan
• Skyway: Dr. A. Santos (Sucat)
• Sucat
• Skyway: Alabang South Station
• Alabang
• Filinvest
• Susana Heights 

If you choose to take the Skyway, after the toll plaza, get off on the ramp leading to the rest of SLEX below. Otherwise you will end up in Alabang-Zapote. 

Leave SLEX at the Greenfield City/ Eton City Exit (Malitlit Exit).  Drive along the Greenfield Parkway, passing Eton City on the right and Pramana on the left.  Three kilometres from SLEX you will arrive at a fork in the road.  Take the left road which is United Blvd. Drive straight ahead for the next four kilometres. At the intersection just past the Southern Luzon Hospital, drive straight ahead.  Turn right at San Bruno Drive passing Paseo de Sta Rosa.  Drive straight ahead until you reach the Tagaytay-Sta.Rosa Road where you turn left across from Rose and Grace Restaurant. Drive along the Tagaytay-Sta. Rosa Road for the next seven kilometres passing Sta. Elena Subdivision, Brittany, Nuvali, and Crown Asia.

Continue onto a two-lane road passing through Silang, Cavite. Landmarks are Pasong Langka, Ponderosa, and Windsor Heights.  Follow this road until you arrive at the Tagaytay Public Market just several meters from  the Tagaytay-Calamba Road. Turn left here  --  you will be heading  in the direction of the Picnic Grove. (Meanwhile, enjoy breathtaking views of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano on your right). Turn left again on Kaykulot, a single lane road just past the entrance to the Picnic Grove. The Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center is 800 meters from this point.


Travel time: About 1 1/2 hours from Manila
Toll fee: P167 as of May 2011.

The Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center is managed by the Center for Community Transformation. Some of the buildings here were built by former street dwellers being ministered to by CCT.   Read the heartwarming story of one changed life HERE.  

 For rates and booking information, please contact Eva Lope, CCT partner development officer / guest coordinator at evaranlope@yahoo.com.ph, evamlope@gmail.com, 09192933157, 09232497605, 806-6912, and 654-2536. For information on CCT'  programs and target beneficiaries, please visit www.cct.org.ph.

New Retreat Center Opens on May 4

 

The newest Christian retreat center in the Philippines opens on May 4!

Built on six hectares of rolling terrain in Tagaytay, the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center is the perfect venue for couples' retreats, youth conferences, church seminars,  planning meetings and similar activities.  The main structures are five dormitory buildings and a multi-purpose building with an assembly area capable of seating 800 to 1,000 persons, a dining area with indoor and al fresco seating, and a kitchen. Outdoor activity areas include a baptismal pool, and basketball and volleyball courts.

Future developments will include a prayer site at its second highest point, an amphitheater, and a zipline. A large portion of the grounds will be devoted to a pastoral environment for prayer, meditation, and relaxation.

Unique Feature. While other event facilities in the Philippines have separate buildings for meetings, dining, and  sleeping, the Center uniquely has five dormitories each having a function room and dining area at ground level. These dormitory buildings can sleep four to six to a room and can each accommodate groups of 60 to 120; each dorm has common bathrooms on the ground floor.      

  

Dormitory A-3 at the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center.
This building can accommodate as many as 120 guests overnight.

Function room amenities include:

• built-in LCD projector
• projector screen
• whiteboard
• hot and cold water dispenser

An accordion-type partition separates a spacious meeting hall (above) from the dining area (below).

Bedroom amenities include:

• two single beds each with a pull-out / trundle bed  
• sofa bed with pull out / trundle bed
• glass-partitioned en-suite bathroom with toilet and hot-and-cold shower cubicles, and twin washbasins
• bed linens and towels
• air conditioning units and ceiling fans (but guests are encouraged to enjoy Tagaytay's fresh air while sleeping)

One of the highest points of the retreat grounds.  This will be a prayer venue.

Other advantages are ample parking for cars AND buses; the Picnic Grove and its grand view of Taal Volcano is just about 15 minutes away on foot. 

For booking information, please get in touch with Eva Lope at evaranlope@yahoo.com.ph, 09192933157, 645-0536

Take A Sneak Peek

Take a sneak peek inside a bedroom at the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center now nearing completion.  This is one of 80 bedrooms that will be ready to accommodate guests by June.   Tell your pastor and church leaders about this place and be among its first guests!

 

Bedroom amenities include:  

• two single beds each with a pull-out / trundle bed  
• sofa bed with pull-out / trundle bed
• en suite bathroom with separate toilet and shower cubicles, twin washbasins 
• linens (beddings and towels)

For booking information, please get in touch with Eva Lope at evaranlope@yahoo.com.ph; 09192933157; 654-0536  

Retreat Buildings to Be Complete By May

Five dormitories, a multi-purpose building, and an administration building at the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center are being readied to accommodate guests by May, according to Engr. Rody Gonzales, property development manager. He said a total of 288 carpenters, masons, plumbers, painters, electricians, tile setters, and cabinetmakers are working to meet an end-of-April deadline. Part of the team are 62 former street dwellers trained by the Kaibigan Ministry to do construction work.

Site Plan

Dorms A1 and A2

Activities on  Dorms A1 and A2 as of mid-January include:

• preparation and concrete pouring of slab on fill at the Dorm A1 meeting hall; 
• exterior wall plastering; 
• installation of door jambs and metal furring at bedrooms; 
• and installation of trusses and purlins. 

Dorm A3

At dorm A3, work as of  the third week of January included the making and painting of bedroom closets and doors, final coat painting of bedroom interior walls,  rectification of floor tiles at stair landings, and lay-outing of pin lights to be installed at the meeting hall.

Among the dormitory buildings, three will have 20 rooms each and two will have 10 rooms each.  These will be able to accommodate a total of 400 guests.

Multi-purpose hall development plan.

Multi-purpose hall today

 The multi-purpose building will have an assembly area capable of seating 800 to 1,000 persons, a dining area with indoor and al fresco seating, and a kitchen.

Current major work on this building includes:

• preparation and concreting of kitchen slab on fill and hallway
• concreting of first lift columns
• concrete hollow block laying, 
• wall plastering at the dining area; 
• wall and beam plastering at the kitchen 
• fabrication and installation of trusses at the assembly area

Once complete the retreat center will also have an amphitheater, a prayer tent, a swimming pool, and volleyball and basketball courts.

Aside from being a venue for retreat and training activities of CCT community partners and staff, the place will be open to churches and Christian organizations for such activities as conferences and youth camps. It will also accept walk-in visitors seeking prayer and counseling. Pastoral and counseling staff will be available to lead individual guided retreats or group programs, according to Ruth Callanta, CCT president.

For booking information, please get in touch with Eva Lope at evaranlope@yahoo.com.ph; 09192933157; 09232497605, 806-6912, and 654-0536.

Construction Update

Multi-purpose building

Dormitory A1

Dormitory B1

Dormitory B2

Dormitory A2

Dormitory A3