Now you can solve the mystery of Puzzle Mansion

MANILA, Philippines - Nestled in the Tagaytay hills is a well-kept secret — a bed and breakfast with a special magnetic attraction: the biggest collection of rare and popular puzzles of a wide range of sizes, genres, sources, subject matter and art forms.

The rooms are well-appointed, with first-class furnishings and amenities. Each high-ceilinged haven is meticulously put together, down to the bed sheets, artwork and colorful topiaries that adorn many rooms.

Spread over a more than one-hectare property, this new destination also has a 400-square- meter function room that can accommodate 400 guests, a spa, an infinity pool, a 24-hour café, cable TV connections and a Wi-Fi hot spot for Net activity. All these are set against a scenic backdrop of grass and a colorful riot of wild flowers growing in abundance. And of course, there is the cool, kind weather of Tagaytay.

But the heart of this new bed and breakfast is its huge puzzle collection. Already a shoo-in for the Guinness Book of World Records, the puzzles are a labor of love of the owner’s mother, Georgina Gil Lacuna, and the inspiration for the place. Each day the collection grows, as Lacuna, lovingly fits hundreds of tiny pieces together to complete an artwork. The result is an art gallery of puzzles with over a million pieces — many of which are of art whose originals can only be found in the Louvre, the Prado and other world famous galleries.

The bed and breakfast, by the way, is aptly named: The Puzzle Mansion. Because of its homespun but classy charm, the bed and breakfast’s main attraction is its puzzle gallery that will draw visitors to Puzzle Mansion.

Over 300 jigsaw puzzles make up the collection in the Puzzle Room. It still grows by the day, as the puzzle hobbyist continues to add new and bigger pieces to challenge herself and make a bid for Guinness Book of World Records recognition. She is currently working on a 32,000-piece puzzle, the largest-size jigsaw puzzle worldwide. Her closest competitor, also a woman, is based in Brazil, with 238 jigsaw puzzles in her collection.

Puzzle Mansion was launched on May 24 at an afternoon garden affair at its location in Cuadra St., Bgy. Asisan, Tagaytay City. The launch had a unique highlight : the unveiling of young designer Jessica Gallegos’ new floral fashion collection for her brand Wear Charlie. The floral prints and summer colors of the collection were inspired by the blushing hues of the Tagaytay blooms and named after the Rooms at the Puzzle Mansion: Lilac, Cosmos, Marigold, Gardenia, Passion Flower, Water Lily, Tulip, Sunflower, Sampaguita and Zinnia.

“The bed and breakfast is now open for occupancy. We also invite schools, offices, groups and individuals to visit our Puzzle Museum for something nice and different,” says Gino Orda, Puzzle Mansion owner.

For information, visit www.thepuzzlemansion.com or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PM.