Showing posts with label Batangas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Batangas. Show all posts

March 13, 2024

Anniversary Staycation at La Chevrerie Resort & Spa

How quickly time passes and it is more than a year since we visited La Chevrerie Resort. So before I blog about Nawa Wellness Resort, I will share our anniversary staycation first at La Chevrerie Resort & Spa. This is the fourth resort we have tried in Anilao, Batangas; the first three resorts are Vivere Azure, Lilom Resort, and Solana Resort

La Chevrerie Resort & Spa is a 5-star resort in Anilao, Batangas, offering 13 rooms only to ensure privacy and exclusivity. And as expected the rate is expensive even though we took advantage of their promo. Don't forget that the “Discount is only offered to direct bookings via email or phone with the resort.” The Deluxe Room is PHP12,000 per night for 2 persons and an additional person is PHP4,000. 

PHP10,800 - discounted rate 
PHP4,000 - additional person 

My husband booked our room, a week before our stay, and full payment is required to reserve. We paid PHP14,800 via bank transfer and this rate only includes the following. 

* Accommodation in an air-conditioned room. 
* Welcome drinks. 
* Complimentary Set Breakfast for 3 pax. 
* Use of resort facilities (pool, bar and restaurant). 
* Privilege of Happy Hour every day from 5-7PM (50% OFF on all Alcoholic Drinks except Wines) 

For me, based on the rate, the price is already expensive since it only includes room, welcome drinks, and a set of breakfasts so I was really surprised na may bayad pa ang kanilang life vest. Sa tagal na namin nagtratravel, this is the first time na naencounter namin na may bayad ang life vest. It is PHP150 per day/per vest and we rented 2 life vests. 

Staycation at La Chevrerie Resort & Spa

Moving on, let me start reminiscing about our trip. Check-in time was 2PM so we had lunch before going to the resort but arrived before 1PM. You need to ring the doorbell because the gate is closed. After we parked our car, the staff was already there waiting for us and he helped us with our hand-carry luggage. 


Compared to the first 3 resorts that we have visited, hindi nakakapagod dito sa La Chevrerie Resort. You will reach the reception and your room in a few minutes, walang feeling na naghiking ka. Hehehe!


At the reception, we filled out a form and the staff informed us where the restaurant and spa were and the happy hour, dinner, and breakfast schedule. 

5-7PM - Happy Hour 
7AM - start of breakfast 
8:30PM - restaurant closing time 

It was not yet 2 PM so we stayed at the pool area while waiting for check-in time. The staff served our welcome drinks at the pool area which is calamansi juice. 


Deluxe Room 

Around 2PM, the staff gave us our key and we just went to our room. We booked a deluxe room which is 43sqm so it is spacious. The room has its own veranda and we have a pool view and a 270-degree sea view. 




The room smells fresh and looks clean. There was a complimentary coffee, tea, chocolate, and water but no teaspoon or stirrer so my husband went to the restaurant to ask for teaspoons. 


Bathroom 

Since the rate is expensive I was expecting na pang 5-star din ang mga toiletries but it was not. Although, they have a nice set of cleansing gel and shampoo but no lotion, toothbrush, and toothpaste na usually meron sa mga 5-star hotel or resort. No bidet too. 


Pool 

What you see on their website is what you get. This pool is just a few steps from our room. The disadvantage of staying near the pool is the noise. During our stay, ang ingay ng mga kids na nag-night swimming and inorasan ko talaga, 9:20PM na sila tumahimik. If the restaurant has a closing time, I hope maaga din sa pool.



Also, 5-star resort but I don’t see any pool towels and I have no idea where to get one since there is no staff near the pool. I did not bother to ask for one, buti na lang malapit lang kami sa room. Since there are only a few guests during our stay, hindi mo mafifeel na crowded. Ewan ko na lang kapag fully booked. 

Beach 

Medyo malayo yung katabing resort ng La Chevrerie Resort so even at the beach, may privacy ang guests. 



Aside from the swimming pool and beach, La Chevrerie Resort & Spa has a gym room, playroom, and dive center. They also offer other activities like snorkeling & BBQ lunch on the beach, kayaking, fishing, mountain trekking, and spa. 

Food Trip at L’Atelier 


We only stayed for one night so we only had dinner and breakfast. This is our favorite spot at the restaurant because of the view. 


Dinner 

For our dinner, we ordered Tonkatsu PHP480, BBQ Chicken Satay PHP280, Clay Pot Seafood Yee Mee PHP480, Rice and Soda PHP80. We also ordered one round of alcoholic drinks, nakalimutan ko na kung ano inorder namin, basta one beer, and one cocktail by the glass. Uminom for our anniversary celebration. Hehehe! 


Breakfast 

The breakfast is already included in our package and there are 3 choices, L’Atelier Breakfast Set, Asian Breakfast Set, and Filipino Breakfast Set so we ordered all the sets. 

L’Atelier Breakfast Set: Homemade bread with butter, Nutella, honey, and strawberry jam + Mixed Cereals with full milk or skim milk 



Asian Breakfast Set: Chicken congee and fried egg noodles with pork and green chive



Filipino Breakfast Set: Filipino Pork Tapa, Bangus, or Longganisa with Jasmine plain rice. 


Then each breakfast set includes the following:

Assorted seasonal fruits 
A choice of crepe, egg waffle, Belgian waffle, or eggs (boiled, scrambled,d or sunny side up) with ham 
A choice of orange juice or apple juice 
Brewed coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or soya milk 


Overall, we still enjoyed our short staycation at the resort because it was not crowded. So if you want privacy, you can add this resort to your option. 



La Chévrerie Resort & Spa 
052 Barangay Ligaya, Anilao, 
Mabini, Batangas, Philippines, 4202

March 06, 2024

What to Eat at Nawa Wellness

Nawa Wellness is a new eco-luxury holistic wellness destination in the Philippines. This resort opened its doors last January 24, 2024, but they are still on their soft opening. If you check their website, you will see their packages and the rate includes full board meals at Dalisay and massage or treatments. But I’m not into massage or any treatments so we decided to avail the room only which includes breakfast meal. 

A few days before our trip, napaisip ako about the food because we also stayed at The Farm at San Benito before and sa isip-isip ko baka vegan cuisine sa Nawa Wellness. Ayaw ko magutom. Hehehe! So my husband asked for the menu and I was so happy kasi hindi naman pala pang vegetarian ang kanilang restaurant, the downside is presyong The Farm at San Benito din ang food. 


Dalisay Epicurean Wellness Dining 


Lunch 

On the day of our trip, we had breakfast at La Creperie - Twin Lakes Tagaytay, and from there we traveled to Nawa Wellness. We arrived at the resort before lunch so before we went to our room, we already pre-ordered our meals. For lunch, we ordered Margherita Pizza PHP950, Quattro Formaggi Pasta PHP620, and Carrot Cinnamon Cake PHP190. 



When we got there, we only waited for a few minutes and they already served our meals. We loved their pizza and pasta; my son is not fond of pasta but he enjoyed the Quattro Formaggi. Actually, after trying their pizza and pasta parang gusto ko ganun na lang ulit sa dinner, ibang flavor naman. 




Snacks 


I was fortunate to participate Hilom and Likha activity so we had snacks during our painting session. My husband and son joined the “Meal Prep” activity so they had 3 smoothies. In addition, when they went back to our room they also received fruits for snacks so nabusog na kami. 

Dinner 

As I’ve said before, I planned to eat pizza and pasta for dinner but my husband disagreed and he said, anniversary celebration namin so mag Set Menu daw kami. One Set menu is PHP2600, which includes soup, salad, appetizer, main course, and dessert. Mahina kami kumain sa dinner so we only ordered two set menu and magshare na lang kaming 3. 


Come dinner time, busog pa kami sa mga snacks na nakain namin but we had no choice but to go to the restaurant kasi napaschedule na namin yung dinner. Good thing that we only ordered 2 Set Menu or else, masasayang yung ibang food. We ordered Set Menu B and Set D. 


Set Menu B 

Soup: Goddess Soup 
Salad: Edible Fern Salad (not available) 
Appetizer: Vegetable Tempura 
Main Course: Hainanese Chicken 
Dessert: Cashew Cream 






Set Menu D 

Soup: Spinach Soup 
Salad: Hummus Salad 
Appetizer: Fresh Catch Fish Ceviche Con Pico de Gallo 
Main Course: Beef Rendang 
Dessert: Carrot Cinnamon Cake 






Whenever they served the food, they always provided an extra bowl and plate for my son kasi nga good for sharing kami. Anyway, from soup to dessert, we enjoyed every bite, ang hindi lang namin naubos is yung Hummus Salad. Alam mo naman hindi kami magulay so si hubby lang kakain, tapos 2 serving pa. Hehehe! 

Our most favorite food is the cashew cream, it looks so plain pero nung natikman namin, nasurprise kami. It is cashew pero yung taste and texture niya, may similarities sa Good Shepherd Ube Jam. Sobrang smooth and creamy ng taste. Unfortunately, wala sa dessert menu nila. 

The chef even went to our table to ask about the food. Of course, we only have positive reviews, because from lunch to dinner sobrang naenjoy namin yung food. We went back to our room with a happy tummy. 

Breakfast 

Breakfast is part of our room accommodation so just like our lunch and dinner, we already preordered our food. We ordered Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict PHP310, Sweet Potato Rosti with Poached Egg and Smoked Salmon PHP430, and Ham and Cheese Quinoa PHP560

After our Breathwork and Meditation activity, we went straight to Dalisay Restaurant for breakfast. It was past 8AM so we were really hungry because we usually eat breakfast before 6AM. While waiting, they served 4 pieces of pandesal, I thought per person yun, hindi pala share na kaming tatlo. Hehehe!


For drinks, they only served coffee or tea and no other option for kids or teenagers. I just hope may milk, hot chocolate or juice man lang pero wala. Anyway, since sabay-sabay ang mga guests na nagbreakfast. Medyo matagal ang service. 

When they served the food, I was a little bit disappointed kasi ang konti lang pala ng breakfast nila. I ordered Eggs Benedict before at Cafe Voi La pero may kasamang salad and fries pa pero this one, dalawang maliit na serving lang talaga. 

Ham and Cheese Quinoa 


Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict 
Freshly baked English Muffin topped with applewood smoked salmon and poached eggs, coated in Hollandaise sauce with a dash of smoked paprika. 


Sweet Potato Rosti with Poached Egg and Smoked Salmon 
A crispy and sweet potato pancake topped with poached egg and smoked salmon.


My son finished his Ham and Cheese Quinoa and nagsisisi tuloy ako na sana yun na rin ang inorder ko. I won’t lie, my husband and I did not like our breakfast. Yung order namin ni hubby, same lang pala. The only difference is bread yung ilalim ng egg niya and yung sa akin is shredded sweet potato na ginawang nest at prinito. Yung sweet potato pancake na order ko, I was expecting na parang pancake na napapanood ko sa mga Korean Drama pero hindi pala, sa sobrang crispy niya, parang ayaw na ipakain kasi ganun katigas. 

I just let my husband ate my food, thanks to pandesal may laman pa tiyan ko. I was tempted to order Ham and Cheese Quinoa but I changed my mind kasi matagal nga yung service. 

I was looking forward to breakfast pa naman kasi ang sarap ng lunch and dinner namin pero nothing special pala. Anyway, since soft opening pa lang naman sila, I hope mag-improve ang breakfast meal nila. But overall, the service is good. 

February 26, 2024

18th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

This month, we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary and 21 years as a couple. Just like that, we’ve been together for 21 years already and that is almost half of life. Ang bilis ng panahon, parang kailan lang and ang tanda na rin pala namin. Hehehe! But I’m glad that we’re still together. 

My husband mentioned on his anniversary card that for the last 18 years, we shared both the happiest times and saddest times. And that is true because, for the last 18 years, he lost his grandfather, two sisters, aunt, and uncle while I lost my aunt, grandmother, father, and sister. During those times, we leaned on each other, and even without a word, we understood each other’s pain.


Despite the saddest times, we have a lot of happy memories. That is why, we also try our best to make time and celebrate our anniversaries because life is so short. There were a few times that we were not able to celebrate because I was not feeling well, he was out of the country, and when my grandmother passed away. 

Moving on, sharing our anniversary celebration this year. To be honest, if money is not an issue, it is so easy to plan but of course, since we had so many expenses for the last few months, need magbudget.

Our initial plan is to eat at the hotel because last month, my husband ate at Corniche and he said, if I want we can celebrate our anniversary at Corniche and we can take advantage of the 40% discount (credit card promo). I was considering that option but out of the blue, I experienced acid reflux for almost a week so I changed my mind. Sabi ko, hindi ko maeenjoy ang buffet kung wala ko gana kumain or isusuka ko rin. 

Then we went to the 31st PTAA Travel Tour Expo so we could check different promos but unfortunately, we did not see good deals. 

Breakfast at Cafe Agapita


We had a breakfast date at Cafe Agapita to celebrate Valentine’s Day and our couple's anniversary, I already shared our experience in my previous post. 



We were supposed to celebrate Valentine’s Day here pero late pala opening hours nila every weekday but fortunately, we were able to visit this restaurant on our way to Nawa Wellness. They are open as early as 7AM during weekends so we had our breakfast here. 

Staycation at Nawa Wellness

Since we did not score any promo when we visited the travel tour expo, my husband did his research then he discovered Nawa Wellness. It just started operating last January 24, 2024, and so far good reviews naman nabasa namin. We wanted to take advantage of the long weekend but unfortunately, fully booked agad so we changed our travel dates. 


We enjoyed our anniversary staycation at Nawa Wellness and this deserves a separate post. By the way, when we checked out, they already informed us na mag-iincrease na sila ng rates by March and I’m sure, mag-iincrease pa yan kasi so far naka soft-opening pa lang sila. Buti na lang nakapunta na kami habang mura pa yung rate nila. 

Wedding Anniversary Craft Projects 

I already shared my Valentine’s Craft Projects in my previous posts but here are the craft projects that I did for our anniversary. 



I used the Wedding Couple Card SVG, but I tweaked the design and I changed the “On Your Wedding Day” to Anniversary. I used the Wedding Gnome Couple for the second card. Lastly, I used the wedding truck SVG for our cake topper, I just replaced the flower with an "18" number, you can also find this truck on the Craft with Sarah website. 
Klook.com