Make Anya Resort Tagaytay Your Next Destination

“It’s beautiful here Mom!” My seven-year-old daughter squeals as our car enters the driveway to Anya Resort and Tagaytay. Merely an hour and a half hour’s drive away from the city, we reached our weekday destination with ease. Warm smiles greet us as we alight from our vehicle. At the lobby, we are handed warm towels and refreshments. My kids have each taken their own comfortable spots in the lobby couch, happily sipping their drinks. It’s going to be one fun weekend, I can tell!

It takes two golf carts to bring us to our garden suite. Our lady driver points to the pool as we pass it. “The pool is 4 feet deep across and is open until 10 at night. It’s also heated so the guests can enjoy a dip or swim at any time of the day.”
We’ve stayed at many resorts and hotels around the world but our ANYA suite takes the top spot for being the biggest and coziest. With a small kitchenette (with microwave oven and ref), a very spacious living room with ceiling fan (if the AC gets too cold for you), and a welcome fruit basket, our first steps into our temporary abode upped our excitement. Totally unexpected is a framed picture of myself on top of a shelf. Talk about making a guest feel extra special!
A thoughtful birthday greeting made from greenery is laid out on the king size bed. The bedroom opens up to a veranda where one can just lazily sit and mull about anything. My daughter is turning all sorts of knobs in the extra large bathroom. I make a mental note to enjoy a warm bath in the tub before sleeping.

Dining at ANILA poolside. Anila is a Sanskrit word meaning stone. Other dining options include Samira (wind) and Amra Deli (mango tree).Dining at ANILA poolside. Anila is a Sanskrit word meaning stone. Other dining options include Samira (wind) and Amra Deli (mango tree).

We’ve stayed at many resorts and hotels around the world but our ANYA suite takes the top spot for being the biggest and coziest.

An hour later, the kids and I make our way to the poolside at ANILA, one of many dining choices in the boutique hotel. My teener and young girl are very picky eaters so they took their time in ordering. We had chicken, pork and shrimp adobo and for his own, my son finished off a steaming bowl of arroz caldo. Both gave the food excellent reviews. And to my surprise, our heavy and delicious fare costs less than PHP 900.

SAMIRA is Anya’s fine dining restaurant and that night I attended the launch of its new menu. The six-course sit-down dinner which consisted of an assortment of crackers and pastries (amuse bouche), lobster bisque (starter), Chilean sea bass (fish), Australian beef wellington (beef), Vodka watermelon basil granite (refresher) and tiramisu (dessert) were all prepared by Anya’s resident executive Chef Jonathan Bouthiaux. The dishes garnered glowing reviews from all the diners. Select wines were also served with each meal which made the evening of wining and dining even more pleasurable. According to ANYA’s GM Mikel Arriet, it used to be that the average cost of dining per person in Samira was PHP 1200. With the new menu, the cost is even lesser. Great food, good wine, at the perfect place to celebrate any occasion– yet another reason for making Anya your next destination.

To complete the urban getaway experience, you can book a massage at the spa, spend time reading at the well-appointed library in the main building or work up a sweat at the gym.

The next day as we were leaving the resort, my driver said, ”Ma’am tumingin ka sa likod. Nagbaba-bye sila” (“Ma’am take a look at the back. The people are waving goodbye.”) And sure enough, the people of Anya were waving to us long after we lost sight of them.

It’s been three weeks since our first stay. We’re on our way back tomorrow to celebrate my 19^th wedding anniversary. For us, it seems that soon cannot come soon enough. See you all at ANYA!
ANYA Resort Tagaytay is located at Buena Vista Hills Road, Barangay Tolentino, West Tagaytay, 4120 Cavite. Call 02 6571640 for reservations.
With a pocketful of glitter,