After departing Carles, Iloilo just after sunrise, we rolled into Capiz, a province known for its abundance of seafood, an hour before lunch. Since we spent a lot of time learning about local traditions at Capiz Ecology Park and Cultural Village, we reached our next accommodation in the middle of the evening already.
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| Nicely designed rooms |
Greeted with a pitch-black surrounding and the cuckoo noises of nature, I dismissed the place as a modest lodging set in the middle of nowhere. After we were assigned our own rooms, our group chat was flooded with reference to “horror movies” because of the peculiar vibe brought about by a lounge chair present in each room.
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| Capiz shells-inspired ceiling fan |
It didn’t help that upon stepping out of the balcony, a shadow of a large tree revealed before me. I resisted taking a look at what kind of tree it was for fear of seeing a giant mystical tree-creature known locally as a kapre. In a province also known during the olden days as haven of aswangs — Philippine folklore’s most famous malevolent creature, I decided to do my exploration of the place at sunrise the next morning.
A Haunted An Enchanting
place
Buoyed by fear from our group chat conversation, I immediately fell asleep turning my back from the red lounge chair. I awoke before sunrise eager to check out the surrounding of the place. Based on the sound of nature the previous night, I expected lush greens and gardens all over the property.
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| Pretty gardens everywhere |
It turned out to be better since the property is hidden inside a forested area covered by beautiful towering trees. As I make my way on foot to the breakfast area located a couple of hundred meters away, I passed by a variety of plants and various shrubberies.
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| Would have love to have time for a dip |
Fresh air and more nature melodies serenaded me on my walk. The fear of the previous night was quickly replaced by enchanted fascination. Aptly named, Istorya Forest Garden is indeed a place with a lot of stories to tell.
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| First on the breakfast buffet |
The buffet breakfast came with fresh eggs, tapa, fried danggit, corned beef, stir-fried veggies, and an array of local kakanin with brewed coffee and hot tsokolate drink.
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| One of the private villas |
As this is the tail-end of our Panay island exploration trip, we only had a night to spend here leaving us with only an hour to explore the whole property. A slight downer, I know, as I would like to know more about the other untold stories of Istorya Forest Garden.
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| Inside the events hall |
Our running tour of the property took us to the swimming pool livened with plants and trees, the events hall with local inspired aesthetics and the one-bedroom villas with its own private gardens.
Totally opposite from my first impression when we arrived the night before, the enchanting appearance of Istorya Forest Garden during the morning instantly endeared the place to myself. With its countless charming corners, vast outdoor space, quaint interior, and secluded location, I see myself staying here again next time I find myself in Capiz.
