With the throngs of people making short weekend trips out of the city to dine on the fresh salad greens, freshly baked bread and homemade pasta sauce, Sonya’s Garden has become a Tagaytay prime tourist attraction.

Garden Salad Sonyas Secret Garden

But what others have yet to discover is the secret of Sonya’s Garden. Along a sloping pebble path at the far end of the restaurant is a wooden gate that opens to an English style garden with flowers in different hues, wildly growing. The gardens are not manicured and landscaped, but are lovingly cared for by hand.

This is Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast. A nature haven that welcomes you with serenity, rather than opulence and luxury; where you are greeted by wind chimes daintily rustling in the breeze and birds chirping in the background.

Twelve different cottages are nestled in this garden. Some are hidden within the landscape while some are nestled in various corners of the greenery. All named after herbs and built to have the same relaxing effect, none of the 12 cottages have a TV, an aircon or radio. Frivolities of the modern world such as these would only disrupt the balance of nature so carefully maintained here.

While no two rooms are alike, the mostly white interiors set against the colorful Murano chandeliers hang from the high ceilings and provide a contrast of hues and light. Everything comes together fluidly and languidly into huge bay windows with cheesecloth curtains that let in air and sunlight. Well-worn books which have been obviously enjoyed by many, personal mementos and family antique pieces serve more as mere accent pieces; they exude a nostalgic feeling of home.
These surroundings make Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast the perfect place to do absolutely, deliciously nothing. And that doing nothing can actually be an art form.

Sonya Garcia, founder and owner of Sonya’s says, “Our guests come here for a multitude of reasons. Some come to bond and rebuild relationships with those close to them. Some come for the solitude of the peace and quiet. I would like to think that the atmosphere offers a sense of tranquil solitude rather than lonely isolation.”

And in throngs they come

Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast has drawn many writers and artists who need solitude. They come here to let their creativity run free and without interruption. The garden has secret little sitting nooks where one and think and simply enjoy being with their own thoughts.

Mothers come with their daughters to treat themselves to a “girlfriend” bonding weekend, doing the things that girls like to indulge themselves in like feasting on the scrumptious food, lounging around and perhaps getting a massage. Sonya’s signature massage—a combination of Shiatsu and Swedish massage done with lightly scented virgin olive oil—unwinds tired knotted muscles. Kicking back and loosening up always gets women to talking, and this allows mothers and daughters to really know each other outside of their biological relationships, as individuals, as friends.

Friends come in groups to celebrate. One guest at Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast celebrated her 18th birthday by bringing in her closest friends and renting a cottage for a slumber party weekend.
And of course, there will always be the couples who are drawn by the enchantment of Sonya’s. The garden’s main walkway is lit with lanterns, bathing the garden in a warm glow at night. The atmosphere unmistakably is simple, classic, old-fashioned romance. This walkway leads to the main dining room where you can enjoy a candlelight dinner while being serenaded in kundiman songs. On your walk back to your cottage, you can stop and watch the fireflies dancing in the moonlight, casting a magical twinkle in the trees. Sonya herself can tell you that many marriage proposals have resulted from watching this dance of the fireflies.

Indeed, there are many discoveries to make about oneself and others at Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast, where you can allow yourself to lay back and enjoy the art of doing nothing.