Kid at heart: my Puzzle Mansion Museum experience

Tagaytay is one of the go-to places for most people from Manila as it’s just a couple of hour-drive away from the city. Actually, people go there any day of the year – be it summer or even in rainy season. And it’s not just for the people who wants to de-stress, it’s also perfect for families and friends to go to. One nice place is the Puzzle Mansion Museum. If you are a fan of Jigsaw puzzles, I’m sure you’ll love this place!

I am a big fan of puzzles ever since I was a kid. What I love about puzzles is that feeling of excitement when you see the pieces like you really want to fix them like right now. I’m sometimes OC, so maybe that’s it. But I also love the feeling of fulfillment for completing a puzzle set.

When I was about 5 or 6, my favorite puzzle was Sudoku. I love numbers, and that satisfaction of completing that square smoothly. Then I turned to liking crossword puzzles because my dad used to answer all the crossword puzzles in the newspapers. In between, I also loved Jigsaws. One reason why I am sooo, so interested with the movie Saw. (Off topic, I know.)

About Puzzle Mansion Museum

The building occupied by the Puzzle Mansion started was at first a rest house for Georgina Gil-Lacuna and her family. It was then decided to open the place to becoming an art gallery in 2012 displaying Georgina’s personal collections of different kinds of puzzles and they also opened a bed and breakfast in 2014.

The family learned through the internet that the biggest recognized collector of puzzles was a woman from Brazil who has over 230 puzzles. Gil-Lacuna at that time had 800 puzzles. Hence proclaimed by Guinness to be the new holder of the feat with 1,028 completed puzzles.

Did you know?

You probably are already familiar with Puzzle Mansion Museum’s 2012 Guiness title. But did you know owner Georgina Gil-Lacuna had the title with the largest collection of Jigsaw puzzles until 2017, when the previous title holder Luiza Figueiredo earned it back by presenting 1,047 different sets. That’s just 19 puzzle sets ahead. So close!

The Puzzle Mansion is actually one of the famous spots in Tagaytay, but everyone who visit it spend time to really get to know more about the puzzles’ stories.

When you get inside, you will be welcomed by a very nice and friendly guide. All of their staff also take good photos and it’s for free! If you forgot to bring your cam, you can hire a photographer and have your photos printed. They also offer souvenirs and printed jigsaw puzzles!

Here’s a fun story on how Georgina started her collection. She was 35 when she assembled a Mikey Mouse Racing puzzle as a gift for her son’s 2nd birthday. She spent at least 70 hours completing the 5,000-piece puzzle from Hong Kong. It became a hobby since then, and her collection grew. She even traveled around the world to buy replica puzzles from international puzzle manufacturers. This hobby lasted for more than 30 years before she suffered a heart attack in 2014.

The first biggest puzzle in her collection is the puzzle replica of Adrian Chesterman’s famous painting called “The Wildlife” which consists of 33,600 puzzle pieces completed in just 1 year and 6 months’ time. It is located on teh second floor of the museum along with the other two biggest sets.

What to love in Puzzle Mansion Museum

There are variety of puzzle sets

The most common puzzle pieces to collect probably would be Jigsaw puzzles, but this museum displays more than that. Lacuna’s collection consists of 2D, 3D, and 4D puzzles including replications of world-renowned paintings like Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, and Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. One of my favorites is this Van Gogh portrait you’ll find in the middle of the sea of great and very detailed puzzles.

Fun and informative tour

As mentioned, the Puzzle Museum people are friendly and very accommodating. Such a perfect environment to wipe away your stress. If you want to run away from negativity, go here, and maybe learn a thing or two about puzzles.

The yummy Coconut Cream Pie

Okay, a confession – we actually went here because of the pie. It’s just so famous among the locals and we heard they’re loved by tourists as well. I loved the museum, and what made me love it more is this Coconut Cream Pie.

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Pre-travel guide

Facilities and other info

Puzzle Mansion offers packages that will sure fit your budget. From a very affordable day tour ticket to packages including accommodation and food, you’ll see and appreciate where your money goes.

Their B&B area has a nice swimming pool, massage area, and Jacuzzi (OMG perf for Tagaytay feels!). They also have function halls for your business meetings or private gatherings.

The museum is open between 8am to 5pm for day time visitors. If you want to check in for the night, remember that their usual check in time is at 11am and check out time is 12nn the next day.

How to get there?

Private Transportation: From Metro Manila, take SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) and exit to Sta. Rosa. Along Sta. Rosa – Tagaytay Road, turn to Tagaytay – Calamba Road to Tagaytay – Nasugbu Highway. There alreay are signed to teh Puzzle Museum from Tagaytay Rotunda. Landmark to the museum would be Maglabe Drive

Public Transportation: From Buendia or PITX, book a ticket to Maglabe Drive and take the bus bound to Nasugbu. From Maglabe, hail a tricycle to the Puzzle Mansion. The museum also picks up guests from there, but unless you have booked your arrival, taking the trike is also okay.

Wrap up:

Did you like this article? Let me know your thoughts!

I’ve been to many spots in Tagaytay and every one of them never fails. Maybe because they’ve got the perfect ambiance not to mention the climate compared to the busy and hot cities in Manila.

I know the most-visited places in Tagaytay are those chill, there’s-lots-of-food spots, but take time to also visit Puzzle Mansion Museum and get your creative spirit inspired. Who knows, you might be the next biggest puzzle collector in the world!