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

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. 

Eight years ago, I suggested Hogs and Cattle Steakhouse and for our recent get-together, I suggested Guevarra’s by Chef Laudico so we could stay for 3 hours. This buffet restaurant started in 2013 pa, ganun na siya katagal but as usual, kapag nasa probinsiya, hindi natatry agad. Actually, I forgot about this restaurant, naalala ko na lang siya nung nagyaya yung college friend ko nung last get-together. namin.

Since we are a group of 16 people, we needed to make a reservation. I checked their calendar on their website pero walang weekend. Magchange na sana kami ng venue, good thing my friend called the restaurant and was able to reserve. To confirm the reservation, a 50% downpayment is required via instapay or bank deposit. 

Fast forward to our get-together, we left early para iwas traffic but surprisingly, walang traffic so ang aga tuloy namin. Quarter to 11AM, the staff announced na pwede na daw pumasok yung mga may reservation and they opened the buffet table 5 minutes before 11AM. For our group, two separate tables kami. Okay sana kung nasa isang room. 

Anyway, you need to wear a face mask before going to the buffet table and this is a managed buffet pala so kailangan ko pa sabihan na konti lang ang ilagay. Take note of the “Clean Plate Policy” - PHP100 for every 100-gram leftover. 

My friend paid for our get-together meals but looking at the buffet rate, I can say that it is budget-friendly compared to other buffet restaurants so it is not surprising na marami talaga kumakain. 

87 P. Guevarra Street cor Argonne St. 

1500 San Juan, Philippines 

0998 881 3200 

guevarrassales@gmail.com 

Lunch 11AM to 2PM = P879 

Maagang Salu-Salo 5PM to 7PM = P799 

Dinner 7:30PM to 10:30PM = P879 

Weekend Late Lunch 2:30PM to 4:30PM = P799 

Weekend Breakfast 7:30AM to 10AM = P599 

9:00am - 6:00pm