Showing posts with label Calatagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calatagan. Show all posts

June 26, 2025

Father’s Day Getaway at Ybonita Farm and Villas

Last year, we only watched a movie to celebrate Father’s Day; this year, we had two celebrations. First, we had Fishing at Caylabne Bay Resort with my in-laws, and for my family, we had a Staycation at Ybonita Farm and Villas.


Actually, when we were at the Palm Beach Resort, we already discussed this trip and the only question lang is, saan kami pupunta? So in our family group chat, we are just sending suggestions, and I suggested the Ybonita Farm and Villas. It just so happened na lumabas siya sa newsfeed ko, and I saw their Group Getaway Promo. And nagkasabay pa nga kami ng sister-in-law na nag-inquire about the promo. 

Group Getaway Promo for PHP36,999 

Overnight stay at Yvatan Villa 
Sandbar Tour (Balsa rental fee only) Balsa Entrance fee, Balsa Parking Fee not included 
Binalot Lunch for 10 pax (Boodle Bilao) 
Dinner Set Meal 
Bonfire and S'mores Kit 
Plated Filipino Breakfast (Special Homemade Longganisa, Danggit, Egg, Fried Rice, and Freshly brewed Kapeng Barako) 

Additional person is PHP2,800.

For our family outing, we usually book a resort or private pool, so I told them, parang okay na rin yung package since may Sandbar Tour and Bonfire. There is also a free animal feeding activity at the resort. We’ve been to different farms na rin, and I already blogged about them except the South Farm in Panglao, Bohol. I will share about it when I post our 4 Days in Bohol series. Ybonita Farm and Villa is the recent farm that we visited. 

South Farm Panglao Bohol 

We booked this promo for 11 people, and to confirm the booking, full payment is required within 24 hours. They also added an Ecology Fee of PHP30 per person. I sent my proof of payment and valid ID. When we visited Nawa Wellness Calatagan, sa kiosk kami nagbayad ng Ecoclogy Fee.

Three days before our trip, I sent them the guest list, our preferred schedule for activities, and the menu for lunch and dinner. 

Sand Bar Tour - 10AM 
Animal Feeding 4-5PM 
Dinner - 6-7PM 
Bonfire - 7:30 - 9PM 
Breakfast - 8AM 
Secret Garden Slot - 8-10AM 

Our first activity is Sand Bar Tour, so I told them that we would arrive between 10-11AM. The first group arrived before 10AM, and we arrived after 10AM. My mom told me na nakalagay na daw sa van nila yung lunch, so in my mind, wow, on time sila. 

Sandbar Tour 9-3PM

One staff member guided us to our Sand Bar Tour. We arrived at the Hava Resort. We paid PHP50 per person for the entrance fee + PHP100 parking fee per car. Upon arrival, we filled out the Balsa Manifest Form, and after several minutes, off we went to our Balsa. The balsa has a life vest for each person.

Sandbar Tour Rate:
PHP4,500 for 10 persons
PHP350 extra person



On our way to the sand bar, we had lunch na rin kasi 11AM na, and we were a little bit disappointed when we saw the food. We paid for 11 people, but they only prepared for 10 people. Sa amin pa lang kulang na yung rice, drinks and utensils, paano pa kami makapagshare ng food sa boatmen. Good thing na may dalawang pack yung Ensaladang Mangga, and I brought cake so may nashare kami na food sa kanila. Actually, the vegetable on my invoice is Pinakbet, so I was surprised when I saw Ensaladang Mangga. 

Boodle Lunch (PHP650 per person): Chicken Adobo or Grilled Liempo, Pinakbet, Grilled Fish, Rice, Dessert, Drinks



If ever you avail this package, make sure to bring your extra utensils, paper plates, or if you want na magkamay, yung disposable gloves. Wala din kasi serving spoon yung packed food nila. I was thankful that we had paper towels and wet wipes na dala. 


Moving on, after eating, we started swimming na. I had no idea na ito pala yung Little Boracay in Calatagan na popular online. It was funny because hanggang dito marami nagtitinda ng food, drinks and souvenirs. We only stayed for 2 hours and went back to the resort for check-in. 


Upon arrival, the staff directed us to our villa. They allowed us to check in 20 minutes before 2PM. I already submitted our guest list online and ID, pero pinasulat ulit sa logbook nung staff, and picture of my valid ID. 

Yvatan Villa 





Here is the Ybatan Villa, inspired by the houses in Batanes. We’ve been to Batanes na rin, so may similarities nga yung design. There is a water dispenser, a TV, a radio for communication, and wifi. The rate is PHP 21,505 for overnight. 

We checked the towels and toiletries, and kulang ulit, so we requested for towel and pinarefill namin yung empty shampoo and body wash. After that, I messaged them to inform them that we paid for 11 people and only received food for 10 people. We received an apology and were given two options, one is a refund, and the second choice is to add items na lang daw. 

I chose add items na lang pero I am not sure kung may na-add ba na extra pansit and smores kit since may pansit canton naman kami talaga sa menu and hindi ko rin alam kung ilang smores kit ba ang binibigay sa group getaway promo nila. Also, there is free wifi but it is not working and ilang beses na nila inayos pero magkakaroon saglit then mawawala ulit. So yung movie bonding na mga pamangkin ko, hindi na nangyari.

Animal Feeding 

Animal Feeding is at 4PM and is free of charge. 


Dinner Set Menu 

We always eat early dinner, so we expected na 6PM talaga yung dinner since may bonfire kami na 7:30PM, but we started eating na past 7PM. Our menu is Bulalo, Kaldereta, Crispy Pata, Buttered Shrimp, Pancit Canton, Rice, Soda, and Leche Flan. 


Slow yung service because the staff travel from the kitchen to our villa back and forth, hindi ito malapit ha. So sana may transport service yung staff para hindi sila hirap magpabalik-balik. 

Bonfire and Smores 

After dinner, we informed them about our bonfire, and the staff advised us na sabihan na lang daw kami kapag ready na. We started our bonfire at 8:30PM, so we have marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. Quiet hours are from 10PM to 6AM, so we only have less than 2 hours to enjoy the experience. 2 Smores Kit yung nareceived namin.

PHP450 - Bonfire with Smores Kit (good for 3 pax) 




Breakfast 

Breakfast is 8AM, and we’re thankful that it was on time. We had longganisa, danggit, egg, fried rice with coffee or juice. 


Secret Garden Pool 

Yvatan Villa has no private pool, but we can visit the Secret Garden to try their dipping pool. Lulubog ka lang talaga. Hehehe!We only stayed until 10AM so we could check out early. 


Overall, we still enjoyed our Father’s Getaway at Ybonita Farm and Villa. Kahit kulang yung food and late nagstart yung dinner and activities kasi mabait naman ang mga staff and masarap ang food. Memorable yung Balsa and Bonfire experience. 

February 13, 2025

Anniversary Staycation at Nawa Wellness Calatagan

Since last month, my mom always asked me where we are going to celebrate our wedding anniversary and I always say, hindi ko alam baka kakain lang kami sa labas. And now February is here and we still don’t have definite plans. 

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. 

Ecological Fee

PHP30 - Adult 
PHP24 - Senior, PWD, and Children 

Anniversary Staycation at Nawa Wellness Calatagan 

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. 


The guard asked us to wait while the staff are preparing, so dahil napaaga kami hindi pa sila ready. They have a “Welcome Ritual” for all the incoming guests pala. So may pausok and sinabitan din kami ng lei. 


At the reception, they served our welcome drinks and gave us a brief introduction about the resort, activities, restaurant, and others. We already paid for our accommodation but there is a PHP6000 cash deposit. 



Check-in time is 2PM so we were surprised when the staff informed us that our room was already ready. Yes, early check-in. Before we went to our room, we ordered our lunch. The place is not that really big, pero sumakay pa kami ng service on our way to our room together with our butler “Jaspher’.

If we need anything, we can just message our butler so yung mga order namin na food, paschedule ng spa and activities, sa kanya kami nag-iinform. 


Escolta Room (Superior Room) 

As of this writing, I checked their website, iba na pala name ng rooms nila. So I was assuming yung Escolta Room namin is under Superior Room. Last year they had packages but since I’m not fond of body treatment or massage, I told my husband na Room with Breakfast lang kami. Escolta Room is PHP5,600 for 2 persons and PHP2,000 for extra person. 

This is the room. 


The bathroom is small. 


There is a water dispenser, gazebo area and small swimming pool in this building so pwede na kung ayaw mo maglakad ng malayo para sa malaking pool. 




For our food, you can read the “What to Eat at Nawa Wellness” post. I shared on this post what we ate during lunch, dinner, and breakfast. 



My husband and son also availed of the Banana Body Wrap, PHP2,600 per person and it is only 45 minutes. My husband said, “Okay lang” so nanghinayang yata sa PHP2,600 niya. Hehehe!



Nawa Wellness Activities 

Prior to our visit, I thought we would just eat and rest at Nawa Wellness so I was really surprised that they offer activities too just like our experience at The Farm at San Benito. 

7AM Guide Walk 
7:30AM Breathwork 
9:30AM Mandala 
3:15PM Meal Prep 
4PM Hiking 
6PM Reiki 

Make sure to book in advance because slots are limited. We were not able to experience the Reiki kasi fully booked na. 

There are also paid activities. During our trip, there was “Hilom and Likha” and I was lucky to try this activity. The activity is from 3 to 6PM, so I did not join the Meal Prep and Hiking activities.



For Meal Prep, the chef taught them "how to make 3 kinds of juices using cucumber apple, watermelon, banana, turmeric juice, honey and lemon". 


For Hiking, nakakapagod ito, 250 steps daw yung inakyat nila. Buti na lang may free bottled water. 


The following day, we joined the Breathwork and Mandala Activities. 



After the Mandala activity, we went home already. Overall, we enjoyed our short weekend getaway. The service is good from the reception, restaurant, and all the staff na makakasalubong mo. 


Nawa Wellness 
Brgy. Bagong Silang,
Calatagan Batangas

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. 
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