Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Warm welcome at Sonya's Garden during this pandemic

 


"If you lose everything you own, how much are you really worth?" -- Sonya

This question is worth asking especially during the ongoing pandemic. A good place to ponder that question is Sonya's Garden that offers quiet time and rest.



They call their philosophy "the art of doing nothing." Quite simply, the place is a beautiful garden that invites the soul to immerse itself with the flowers, bees, and cicadas. 


In fact, the first thing they tell you when you arrive is to anticipate the cacophony of noises, most especially those coming from cicadas.

"Tibicen Pruinosa - Any of a family (Cicadidae) of homopterous insects which have a stout body, wide blunt head, and large transparent wings and the males of which produce a loud buzzing noise usually by stridulation...."


We arrived at the height of the summer heat and the temperature was manageable even without air-conditioning, especially at night.


Most rooms are provided with mosquito nets and electric fans. This is one place that thrives without air conditioning that is so much in vogue during the pandemic.


Another Sonya's Garden hallmark is the bread shop and of course, fresh salad from the garden.


Sonya's Garden still serves fresh salad daily. 


The greens come from their own lettuce farm.


They also sell fresh produce in the vicinity. You may purchase available fruits or herb plants.


Sonya's Garden offers buffet lunch or buffet dinner options to in-house guests plus breakfast.


The buffet menu that costs P750 per person can be availed by day visitors. It has not changed much over the years. 

At the moment, however, food is served directly from the kitchen and not arranged as an open buffet (based on our experience).


One unexpected surprise during our visit was called the river tour that was actually a trek towards this cold mountain spring water pool that was so refreshing!


We arrived at Sonya's Garden feeling tired. We were rejuvenated with our short commune with nature. We hope to visit again someday. Thank you Sonya's Garden for giving us a warm welcome :)