After a failed attempt to spend a nice and relaxing weekend in Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay, I’m looking forward to 3 full days enjoying the beach and (hopefully) sun in Boracay! We leave in a few hours and I couldn’t be more excited!
I had such high hopes for Sonya’s, after all, their rooms are made for relaxation (if you ever go, ask for the Chamomile room below):
And yes, Lily was welcomed too, which was a big plus (wish I could take my little puppy everywhere!). Sonya’s is such a nice contrast from Manila, and having been there for lunch before, I couldn’t wait to spend the weekend (dogs are welcomed in the restaurant too!). Who wouldn’t want to relax here?
Entrance to our room:
We had an amazing lunch at Antonio’s (everyone insisted that I’d go, I’m glad I listened!), wish I knew Lily was welcomed there too though. The atmosphere at Antonio’s was also great!
When we got back to Sonya’s we had a spectacular massage (HIGHLY recommend their signature massage! One of the best I’ve had!). We went back to the room to relax and read our kindles, when the super loud music started.
Yep, they forgot to mention they were hosting a wedding at the restaurant that is just a few steps from the rooms. So we went from hearing the birds outside to feeling like we were in a club, ready for some fist-pumping… *Sigh*
I have no idea why with two big restaurants they chose the lower one near the rooms to host the party instead of the upper ones, which would have been far enough that the noise would not be bothering the guests.
It wasn’t even 6pm, and I knew the party would be going on until late, and I didn’t expect the wedding to be quiet (it’s their one day, you know? I wouldn’t even think of complaining to keep the noise down!), so we decided to cut our losses and leave. (Karaoke was starting up then, and though Filipinos are amazingly talented, not all of them can sing, and that was clearly obvious by the sounds of it!)
Sonya’s staff was wonderful and totally understood why we were leaving (and apologized as someone should have warned us about the wedding when we made the reservations – if we knew, we wouldn’t have booked it). They refunded our 50% deposit without hesitation, and we headed in a 3 hour trek with traffic back to Manila. It was still a nice day so it wasn’t a complete loss, but I was so so so disappointed that my weekend of relaxing in a quiet environment that smells like flowers (because the area really does smell like flowers – such a change from Manila!) was a fail. And with less than 40 days until we leave the Philippines I wouldn’t get a redo.
I still highly recommend Sonya’s Garden if you want a relaxing weekend away from Manila, just make sure they aren’t hosting any events when you’re there. We had dinner on our way out, and I was disappointed with the food. Though the menu is the same, lunch was way better the few times we’ve eaten there, so if you just go for one meal, do lunch, not dinner. (The food for the guests at the B&B is different though, but we never got to try it.)
Now hoping relaxation will finally happen in a few hours! Boracay, here we come!
