Michi Photostory

So last month, my husband and I searched for different restaurants that we wanted to try, some restaurants were fully booked, some restaurants naman na may promo, may days lang pwede maavail yung discounts, and some restaurants naman, namamahalan ako. Hehehe! 

I was torn between buffet lunch and course set menu; the buffet lunch is much cheaper because of the 50% credit card promo but in the end, I chose the course set menu. My husband was the one who suggested this restaurant kaso nga lang namamahalan ako but I changed my mind after reading good reviews. 

Also, my husband took a vacation leave for our wedding anniversary so sayang naman ang VL kung nasa bahay lang kami. So day before our wedding anniversary, I messaged my husband na magpareserve na sa Samira by Chele Gonzalez. 

Samira by Chele Gonzalez is Anya Resort's in-house restaurant located in Tagaytay City. It is considered a dining destination led by Gallery by Chele’s Spanish Chef Jose Luis Gonzalez. My husband already tried Gallery by Chele so I had high hopes that we would have a special meal to be remembered. 

Samira by Chele was launched in year 2022 with the goal of “We want our guests to have a journey, and experience colorful flavors inspired by many traditions around the world. Grill and fire in a modern contemporary dining experience.” 

On the day of our wedding anniversary, from our home, we traveled to the wellness sanctuary in less than an hour. We were the first diners but we chose the al fresco table para may view. 

Samira by Chele Gonzalez offers an a la carte menu, a Grill Experience Set Menu, and 6- Course Set Menu. We chose the Grill Experience Set Menu for PHP2,995+ per person. But we were informed that there were four viands that were not available, naubos daw kasi yung stock nila nung Valentine’s Day. Waah! Gusto ko pa naman itry yung Grilled Iberico Pork Satay Skewer. 

Anyway, this was our menu during our visit. They printed and changed the menu on our table. 

Spanish Chorizo Takoyaki 

Chorizo Pintxos 

Bacalao Bunuelos 

Grilled Tiger Prawns 

Baked Brie with Pancetta Tesa 

Pan Seared Citrus Salmon or Churrasco 

Grilled Chicken Paella Valenciana 

Cheese Ice Cream, Grilled Strawberries 

We stayed in the restaurant for about two hours and we enjoyed good food, experience and meaningful conversations. I don’t regret choosing Samira by Chele Gonzalez for our wedding celebration because it is worth the splurge, time, and drive. I appreciate the pleasure of slowly eating the food. And they also gave us a complimentary anniversary cake. 

I brought my own cake topper too. The font I used is Billion Dreams

Read: A Toast to Love at Tiger Leaf Asian Cuisine 

 

G/F Anya Resort, Buenavista Hills Road, 

Barangay Mag-Asawang Ilat, 

Tagaytay City, Cavite 

Contact: 0998-955-3630

Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok Hotel was the 6th accommodation that my husband has tried in Bangkok. It is a 4-star hotel located in central Bangkok. It is near Skytrain Station, restaurants, and shopping malls like Amarin Plaza, Big C, and Platinum Mall. 

This hotel is about 25 kilometers away from Suvarnabhumi Airport. They do not provide shuttle service but they have alternate transportation for THB1,800 per way. Their company arranged their round-trip transportation. 

This hotel offers 314 contemporary guest rooms and 2 suites. The room is equipped with a working desk, couch, mini fridge, and coffee/tea maker. 

The bathroom has no bathtub. 

Since this was a company event, my husband just stayed inside the hotel for four days, so they ate breakfast lunch, and dinner at the hotel. 

The complimentary buffet breakfast is served at MoMo Cafe. It is an all-day dining restaurant that offers Thai dishes and international cuisines. The restaurant is open from 6:00 AM-11:00 PM. My husband enjoyed his breakfast and according to him, their buffet spread is much better than the other hotels he had tried in Bangkok, with more food choices.

This hotel has a fitness center, outdoor pool, and spa but my husband was not able to visit these amenities.

Read: Where to Stay in Bangkok Thailand 

155/1 Soi Mahadlekluang 1, 

Ratchadamri Road, 

Bangkok, Thailand, 10330 

Tel: +66 2-690-1888

So for now, I will just share my birthday cake topper projects. 

This design is available on Cricut Design Space, easy to cut and assemble. 

I made these two cake toppers using my favorite font Birthday Verygood font. 

These two cake toppers are for Senior Citizens so I used black and gold cardstock. The font is Billion Dreams. 

So I told my husband na maggrocery na lang kami pero kumain muna kami bago maggrocery so we dropped by at Evia Lifestyle Center. We walked from the parking lot while contemplating where to eat. There are so many restaurants and we already tried some of them. We already ate at Teppanya, Italliani’s, and Mama Lou’s. 

Umabot na kami sa dulo and we decided na itry namin yung Tiger Leaf. In my mind, I would just order from the All Day Breakfast but the staff informed us about their “A Toast To Love” promo and I told him, sige, pag-isipan muna namin. I quickly scanned their menu to check the price range and after a few minutes, we told the staff that we would avail of the promo. 

While waiting, I observed the restaurant and this reminded me of Cafe Voi La and I discovered na group of restaurants pala sila; Cafe Voi La, Tiger Leaf, San Sebastian, Another Story, Dumbo Smoke, Rustika Asian Urban Kitchen, and The Cheesecake Fairy. So medyo, nawala yung worry ko na baka hindi okay yung steak kasi may Dumbo Smoke pala sila. Also if you compare their menu, may mga similarities. 

Fresh Spring Rolls 

Cream Corn Cob Soup 

Asian Salad 

NY Striploin served with lyonnaise potatoes, buttered baby carrots, French Beans and finished with a rich port wine sauce. 

Creme Caramel 

Red Sangria 

The restaurant was not crowded so we had a good table and the service was fast. They immediately served the Kropek and Red Sangria. 

When they served the food, we were really surprised because of the huge servings, kasi yung ibang restaurants na may set menu ang konti lang ng serving parang sampler size. But this one, hindi kami tinipid. Also, tig-isa talaga kami ng food so hindi ko na kinunan yung plate ni hubby since same food lang naman. 

Actually, Fresh Spring Roll pa lang, nasarapan na si hubby so sinabi talaga niya nung bumalik yung waiter na masarap yung food. The waiter informed us that their chef is from Chiang Mai Thailand.

Since I’m not fond of vegetables, my husband ate 2 Fresh Spring Rolls and 2 Asian Salad, while I ate the 2 Cream Corn Cob Soup. 

When they served the main dish, the steak was not thick but I already knew that I could not finish my plate so take-out ko yung half nito so I have space for dessert. But my husband was able to finish his steak. 

We already asked for the bill when they served the dessert. Feeling namin nafood coma na kami sa dami ng kinain namin or nahihilo na sa Red Sangria. I’m not into alcohol drinks, tumitikim lang kaso sayang bayad sa Red Sangria kaya inubos ko. Hehehe! 

Overall, we were delighted with our unexpected Valentine’s Date at Tiger Leaf kahit hindi nakami nakapangdate outfit. Nakat-shirt and shorts nga lang si hubby. We enjoyed the ambiance, food and service. Ang bilis ng service nila, as in, walang matagal na waiting time, pagkaubos namin ng meal, naseserve na agad yung next. 

And because of our hearty meal, nakalimutan na namin maggrocery, umuwi na kami after kumain. Hehehe! 

Daang Hari Road, Almanza Dos, 

Las Piñas, Philippines

I was contemplating if we would have a weekend getaway or food trip. Pero kung weekend getaway naman, wala na ko maisip na puntahan na resort. I even checked the list of exhibitors of the recent PTAA Travel Expo baka may magandang puntahan pero ayaw ko naman pumunta sa travel expo because I still can’t forget our last visit kasi kaya tinamad na ko. 

For the past few years, we celebrated our anniversary at Chateau Hestia, La Chevrerie Resort and Spa, and Nawa Wellness Calatagan. And now, I realized that I haven’t shared our Anniversary Staycation at Nawa Wellness so let me do a throwback post. 

Nawa Wellness is a new eco-luxury holistic wellness destination in the Philippines. Before kasi, when we say wellness resort, The Farm at San Benito ang naiiisip natin but now, meron ng ibang option. My husband just inquired and reserved our room via their Facebook Page and to guarantee the reservation, 100% deposit for the first night is required. 

Calatagan, Batangas is not that far but we still traveled early because I wanted to eat Breakfast at La Creperie - Twin Lakes. Then after our breakfast, we went straight to Nawa Wellness. This was the third resort that we visited in Calatagan, Batangas. We have tried Golden Sunset Resort and Stilts Calatagan before but only for a day trip. 

On our way to the resort, we were surprised na may harang, so need pala namin magbayad ng Ecological Fee. I thought sa San Juan, Batangas lang ito, meron din pala sa Calatagan. The small booth is about 15 minutes away from Nawa Wellness so kaya pala hindi namin naexperience sa ibang resorts na bandang unahan. 

PHP30 - Adult 

PHP24 - Senior, PWD, and Children 

A few days before our trip, the staff asked for our arrival time and my husband said, 11AM but we arrived at 9:30AM, sobrang napaaga. When we got there, we realized na one-way pala yung daan so mahirap kapag may kasabayan kaya pala they asked for our arrival time so they can prepare.