Love Istorya
One of my favorite films growing up is Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, with its impressive images of towering plants and lush foliage that you leave awash with wonder and awe at God’s handiwork. Just like the movie, Istorya Forest Garden has towering lush trees and verdant surroundings. It was a quiet mango orchard of Magdalena Bediones Bermejo, filled with family memories. Her dynamic son, Jun Bermejo, turned it into a place where family members could gather, celebrate, and come back to.
In 2019, Istorya became an events venue with love — grounded in heritage, warmth, and togetherness. Today, the estate boasts eight hectares of land with three villas and 23 superior rooms that have been described as world class, elegant, functional and cozy. It now also provides a farm-to-table experience, where food is made with fresh local produce.
“We help them create an itinerary based on their group’s preferences, pace, interests and travel goals” says Cheska Bermejo Almalbis, GM of Istorya. More than a resort, Istorya is a home for stories.
The resort seamlessly blends its surrounding history, embedding their heritage into the smallest details. At Cafe Blanco, the chairs date back to the early 20th century, while the flavored bricks forming the wood-fired oven were reclaimed from a historic sugar central in nearby Iloilo. Each Superior Room showcases floral accents and scenic prints drawn from early Philippine literature. Add to that, an authentic calesa from a bygone era charmingly serves as a nostalgic selfie spot, providing guests with a picture-perfect moment.
Istorya has courts for the current hit sport pickleball, badminton, and tennis, along with an exquisite swimming pool that turns into an al fresco cinema at night. Here, guests can enjoy a show or two from their favorite Netflix flicks, sip cocktails to the sounds of live acoustic entertainers, and partake in aqua Zumba or high-energy aerobics under the stars. Biking around the area is also a great treat.
The Angkan Room, which literally means “clan” or “family lineage,” is a lifestyle museum that reflects the pastime of Filipinos decades ago — from playing and praying to painting, crafting, and storytelling, it reflects how leisure made up most of the people’s daily routine. There are relics of age-old memories and traditions, putting visitors in touch with the past generations.
Cuisine, inspired by our historical events, are novelty experiences. Panaderia Istorya offers a selection of breads and decadent pastries served warm from the oven: buttery cheese rolls, crisp cookies — all perfuming the air with delectable aromas. Cafe Blanco serves Filipino classic favorites like binagoongan and crispy pata as well as Asian specialties like chicken curry, spring rolls — all filling the stomach with comfort and indulgence. Their pizzas are cooked from a wood-fired brick oven, offering a flavorful experience of arugula, cheese, and pepperoni that blend perfectly. While Capiz is known for its seafood, at Istorya, it is more about the freshness — every dish is prepared on a daily basis and served at its finest.
Embracing a farm-to-table philosophy, Istorya is soon launching its much-anticipated Campana Nipa Spirit — a “happy traidor,” playfully named for its unexpected kick that elevates after a shot or two. This unique spirit is distilled from nipa palm, harvested fresh from Istorya’s own plantation, ensuring a pure, locally crafted experience straight from the heart of the Panay River. Extremely fine yet very strong, it gives a whack that does not leave behind any biological hangover but just the lovely sound of warm laughter, deep conversations, and even stories leisurely shared under the starlit Panay sky.
Istorya has won accolades, especially for its Sunday Brunch Buffet, which has drawn patrons from Panay, Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, as well as Bacolod and Cebu. On a seasonal basis, the brunch buffet features diwal shellfish, a curated selection of uga or dried fish and shrimp, comforting batchoy, and beloved local delicacies like nilupak and inday-inday. Filipino favorites, such as kare-kare, caldereta, and the signature dinuguan, are expertly prepared to eliminate any gamey aftertaste.
The dessert buffet features a heavenly selection of old-fashioned kakanin, such as sapin-sapin, puto and sticky rice filled with ube, jackfruit or coconut, together with a variety of fresh, seasonal fruits. The bakery’s flaky cheese rolls, fluffy dinner rolls, crunchy cookies, and other heavenly pastries exude mouthwatering aromas. There are more delightful treats to discover, like bottled bacalao in olive oil or Istorya’s bottled tuyo or tabagak.
The grand function room evokes elegance reminiscent of Gone with the Wind — from the ornate staircase to the sophisticated flooring and décor, it exudes beauty relived again and again. With the additional function rooms and garden venues, each event is set amid draped lush greenery offering the perfect backdrop for memorable gatherings.
True to its vision of being sustainable and nature-friendly, Istorya utilizes a one-million-liter concrete water tank to capture rainwater so that the property has a constant and generous supply of water. All water sourced in the estate is thoroughly filtered, evidencing Istorya’s strong sense of being environmentally responsible without losing comfort and luxury.
Istorya is a narrative of passion for luxury and nature, crafted by a couple and their daughter in the heart of a rustic town. Their vision, together with the late Arch. Rosalio “Boy” Restubog, was to create a haven that indicated high-end living together with the soothing beauty of nature. Its breathtaking beauty embraces you, making every moment spent there feel like you’re in a sanctuary — a place where the outside world fades out, leaving you with nothing but pure, unadulterated joy.
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For more information and booking inquiries, email reservations@istoryaforestgarden.com or call 09178559307.
