Melo Villareal
Hotel Review: Anya Resort and Residences
(Tagaytay City, Philippines) Because I am a natural wanderlust, it takes some time for me to get used to staycations. My feet are always aching to walk around, explore, and snap photos. Despite my strong tendencies to go on an adventure, however, I immensely enjoyed my recent staycation in Tagaytay.
Although I am well aware that Tagaytay City is heaven for travelers like me. I know that there’s a lot of places to see like weekend markets, People’s Park in the Sky, and Sky Ranch Tagaytay, among many others but my stay in the alluring Anya Resort and Residences tamed the explorer in me.
About the hotel
This lovely boutique resort is located in the scenic Buenavista Hills Roads that gives guests the perfect, chill, Tagaytay climate feel. The lush 7.2-hectare property has nine residential buildings, 54 resort estates, 88 resort suites, and 126 luxury, full-service branded residences, two heated swimming pools, a fitness gym, an entire gardenscape, and yes, even a library, to explore.
It opened last year and is one of the three Philippine hotels listed in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Location
Anya Resort and Residences is sandwiched by major roads Tagaytay-Calamba road and Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, which connect to Nasugbu, greater Cavite area, Los Banos, and Manila. Therefore, it is highly accessible, but the busyness of the highway is kept away by the mere size of the complex.
Arrival experience
Our arrival in Anya Resort was unforgettable. The lined up bamboo which led to the resort gate, the cool feel of the air, and the hospitable staff at the reception were all perfect. Their lifestyle assistants immediately assisted us with our luggage, and while the reception was finalizing our check-in, we were given cold towels, a cold glass of Anisha, a calamansi and pineapple drink sweetened with honey and topped with mint leaves, and some classic, crunchy buchi.
The lobby had a high ceiling, giving the impression of huge space. Each corner was bright and classy, but you can still feel the close-to-nature atmosphere. Kudos to the architects and engineers who did a brilliant job.
My room
With a hotel included in a world-class brand of accommodation, I expected nothing short of perfect.
I stayed in a Junior Suite with a King-sized bed. I had a 40-inch Full HD LED TV all to myself, besides the gigantic and perfectly soft bed. Adding to the tranquil and elegant feel of the room is a hot and cold rain shower, a “his” and “hers” sink, and complete set of toiletries.
The highlight of the room is the veranda. It gave me a refreshing view of the pool, and there was also a mini garden to boot. No concrete roads, no noisy honking cars, and no pollution. Just life at its finest that soothed the traveler soul in me.
Food
This resort has three dining options: the café and bar Amra Deli, pizza, sandwich, and salad-serving Anila Café, and the poolside Samira Restaurant. Each of the restaurants is headed by Executive Chef Frenchman Jonathan Bauthiaux, and therefore has a unique menu with dishes cooked to heavenly standards.
During our first day, before heading to our rooms, we sampled some of their banana loaf bread and coffee. After that, since it was nearing lunch break anyway and we had nothing to do in our staycation, we proceeded to have our lunch in Samira Restaurant.
Our dishes were all so beautiful. And by beautiful, I mean both gastronomically and physically. Organic ingredients are freshly sourced, and this is very evident in the taste of the dishes.
The presentation of the dishes were so exquisite. I almost felt bad eating them. Even the plating was meticulously done. All of them were very, very, very Instagrammable!
Here is a glimpse of what we had for lunch:
Lobster Bisque. Php 590. A flavorful ravioli dish with Marignon, paprika, and cheese straws.
Brick Oven Pizza. Php 590. Completely different from fast food pizzas. No excess oil. Just a lovely, smoky piece of dough with mozzarella, eggs, and truffle oil.
Iberico Pizza. Php 780. Iberico Ham from Spain, its specialty. It went well with the parmesan cheese, Parma ham, and some rocket leaves.
Mozzarella di Bufala. Php 980. This simple dish of grilled vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto was my ultimate favorite.
Classic Bulalo. Php 850. After touring our taste buds in Europe with all that pizza and Spanish ham, we were warmly greeted back to the Philippines with a classic bowl of tender beef shank and crunchy, organic vegetables.
Cheese Mango. Php 290. For dessert, we had a nice slice of vanilla cheesecake—with mango instead of blueberry! A great Filipino twist.
That evening, before having our dinner, we had another gastronomic trip via their Tapas Happy Hour. Sometime last year, I had consecutive trips to Spain where I indulged in tapas and pintxos. It was a nice feeling reliving those days in Tagaytay. We had a great time, with unlimited access to selected cocktails and tapas, for just Php 850!
I was careful not to overeat during the staycation, but it was hard sticking to that promise. That following morning, we had an awesome buffet breakfast at Anila Café. The café being just a few steps away from my villa did not help with my attempt to curbing my diet.
There were plenty of breads, pastries, cheese, greens, and fruits, as well as Filipino breakfast classics like tapa, tocino, daing na bangus, sausages, and varieties of eggs and omelet. Alongside all these, we had a selection of salads, yogurts, freshly made jams, fruit juices, and hot chocolates. There were cereals, bacon, fish fillet, chop suey, pancakes, arroz caldo, donuts, iced tea… it would take me years if I dare complete this list.
For lunch, we gathered at the tapas bar. We sampled almost all their Tapas and we paired it with a nice wine. Although it took a while before we finally grabbed a bite because we had to take lots of photos for our Instagram feeds 🙂 Overall, our lunch was the awesomest of all the meals we had in the resort.
Facilities
Anya Resort was built with the intention to pamper guests. I was fascinated with their Borderless Library, which allowed borrowing of books to be brought to the pools.
The library itself was an art. There are tables under the bamboo, with the breeze of Tagaytay. It also served as a lounge with comfy chairs and board games.
They also have two heated pools, which complemented the garden and the overall relaxing atmosphere.
Final verdict
Besides the fact that I probably gained a pound or two during my luxurious staycation here, I have no regrets staying here. Room was spacious, the lifestyle assistants were very dedicated to us guests, and the place was just paradise. It was amazing how one resort can give you a full relaxation even if you just stayed for one day.
Anya Resort Tagaytay is located in Buenavista Hills Road, Barangay Mag-asawang Ilat, Tagaytay, Philippines with contact numbers 632 553 8888 and fax 632 750 1894.
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