Michi Photostory

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

One way to get into airport lounges is to apply for a credit card with this benefit. This is why we were able to stay at MIASCOR but we deactivated our credit cards because they did not waive our annual fee. Since we are not frequent travelers naman, we don’t need that credit card. 

A few months ago, I received emails and text messages from my bank about “credit card application” and hindi ko pinapansin kasi may credit card na naman ako. But last month, out of the blue, niresearch ko yung credit card benefits and I found out na may FREE AIRPORT LOUNGE and no annual fee pala. 

So after one week of contemplating, I finally gave in and filled out the form online and crossed my fingers na umabot yung credit card sa biyahe namin kasi usually, 15 business days. I was so happy when I received my credit card in less than a week. And because of that, nakapagstay kami sa PAGSS Premium Lounge before our Manila to Melbourne flight.

And the good thing about this credit card is I can bring one companion pa. We paid for an additional person since we are a group of three. The rate is PHP1,500, not bad na rin kasi ganun din naman magagastos namin kapag kakain sa airport. But I told my husband na mag-apply na rin siya ng credit card na may lounge benefit.

Upon arrival, I just showed my boarding pass and credit card. I was advised that the lounge was full so we went to the extension lounge. This is my old blog post about PAGSS Airport Lounge at NAIA 1 where my husband stayed using his Mabuhay Miles benefit. 

When we entered the room, the place is already crowded and akala ko nga wala na kami pwesto pero may other side pa pala and luckily, maluwag pa. The choices on the buffet spread are limited compared to Mabuhay Lounge but it was fine with us since we only needed to eat snacks.

We also requested instant cup noodles and ice cream. We only stayed for 2 hours and already went to our boarding gate. Another security check pa kasi sa boarding gate.

Time passes very quickly and after several days, it was time to say goodbye to Sydney, Australia. Our last day was our flight to Manila, Philippines so we woke early to prepare for our afternoon flight. 

Since it was our last day, I cooked our leftover ham and hotdog and we need to eat and drink all the complimentary breakfast like the bread, fruits, milk and juice, para walang sayang. 

We check out at Hyde Park Inn around 8:30AM and we arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport three hours before our flight. Unfortunately, all check in counters were still closed, as in we didn’t know where to fall in line, nagkahalo-halo na yung pila ng mga airlines to Manila. Our flight was 12NN and past 10AM na kami nakapagcheck-in and because of that, sobrang nagmamadali kami. 

Immigration is via Smartgates so you just need to scan your passport + facial recognition and that’s it. My son and I were able to pass through Smartgates but my husband needs to go to Manual Passport Control Counter because for some reason, hindi nareread passport niya doon sa Smartgates. After that, we went straight to our boarding gate just to make sure kung malapit ba or malayo and if we still have time to eat. 

My husband went to “The House”, this is the complimentary lounge of Philippine Airlines at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. He just ate here and we will meet na lang ulit sa boarding gate. 

My son and I just ordered the boxed meal at KFC, the meal includes Original Tenders, Popcorn Chicken, Fries, Mashed Potato and Drink + additional drink. Food is around 22AUD. PHP800+ na yang isang meal. 

After eating, we went to Think Sydney and Pharmacy to buy some souvenirs before going to the boarding gate. Nagmamadali pa kami pero delayed naman pala flight namin. Tapos, boarding took a long time pa because we need to ride bus. 

After 8 hours, we were back to Manila. End of vacation and back to reality.