Many entrepreneurs begin by identifying a market opportunity. For Sonya Garcia, however, the journey that eventually led to Sonya’s Garden started from something more personal: a growing realization that the life she was living no longer matched the life she wanted.
Before building one of the country’s most recognizable countryside destinations, Garcia worked in banking at Philippine National Bank. Yet despite the stability and prestige associated with corporate work at the time, she quickly felt disconnected from the environment.
“I was working in a bank,” Garcia recalls. “I was in PNB and I could not balance my books. So I would ask my seatmate, ‘Balansihin mo nga ito, baka i-lunch kita bukas.’”
Behind the humor was a deeper sense of dissatisfaction.
“I was not happy being there,” she says. “It was not for me. It was not my cup of tea.”
Many entrepreneurs experience this tension early in their careers. A profession may offer security, but over time some individuals realize that their personality, interests, or values are fundamentally mismatched with the structure of corporate life. In Garcia’s case, the dissatisfaction was not merely about work itself—it reflected a broader desire for a different pace and environment.
That perspective became clearer when she began accompanying her husband during his overseas assignments.
“My husband was assigned at that time to several places like London, Germany, and San Francisco,” Garcia says.
Discovering a Different Way of Living
Living abroad exposed Garcia to lifestyles very different from the urban corporate environment she had known in Manila. The most transformative experience came during the years they spent in England.
“Then we were transferred to London, where we stayed for five years,” she recalls. “That’s when I discovered the garden.”
Garcia became fascinated not only with English gardens but with the broader way of life surrounding them. She observed how homes, hospitality, and nature were integrated into everyday living.
“I saw how the English lived, and I was inspired by them,” she explains.
One concept in particular left a strong impression on her: the English countryside bed-and-breakfast.
“That’s where I learned about the English bed-and-breakfast.”
Unlike large hotels, bed-and-breakfasts offered something more personal and intimate. Guests interacted directly with hosts, meals often felt homemade, and the experience centered on warmth and environment rather than scale or luxury.
After London, Garcia and her husband continued living abroad, spending several years in Hamburg and later in San Francisco. These experiences broadened her understanding of hospitality and reinforced her appreciation for slower, more nature-oriented living.
When she eventually returned to the Philippines, she realized she no longer wanted to pursue the conventional corporate path.
“When I came home, I thought of putting up a Filipino bed-and-breakfast,” she says.
At the time, this type of hospitality concept was still uncommon locally. But for Garcia, the idea was deeply connected to the kind of life she personally wanted to build.
“With this, you have an engagement with the guest,” she explains. “I get to meet them, and they become my kindred spirit.”
This philosophy would later become one of the defining characteristics of Sonya’s Garden. Unlike highly commercialized hospitality businesses that prioritize volume and efficiency, Garcia envisioned a space centered on connection, conversation, and experience.
Recreating Her Grandmother’s Garden
Even before formally leaving banking, Garcia had already started searching for land outside Metro Manila.
“Before I resigned, I had already started looking around, and I found this place,” Garcia recalls.
She began visiting the property regularly from Parañaque, gradually developing it little by little.
“I would come back and forth from Parañaque, spending weekends or a few days here,” she says. “I was so happy planting and growing.”
The property itself was initially undeveloped.
“There was nothing here then,” Garcia recalls. “I planted three flowers until they grew and spread all over.”
What started as a small personal project slowly evolved into something much larger. Garcia eventually began growing vegetables and encouraging visitors to interact directly with nature.
“I would tell them, ‘You can harvest your own food,’” she says.
This hands-on connection to food and the environment reflected another belief that shaped the business.
“I was really into nature and believed in using only what was good for the body.”
Long before farm-to-table dining and wellness tourism became trends, Garcia was already building a concept centered on organic produce, fresh ingredients, and countryside living.
Much of her inspiration came from childhood memories of her grandmother’s garden in Capiz.
“I bought it because I wanted to recreate my grandma’s garden in Capiz,” she explains. “Kasi doon ako pinakamasaya.”
Rather than simply creating a business, Garcia was trying to recreate a feeling of comfort, peace, and emotional connection associated with those memories.
“And instead of feeling depressed, I felt so happy because it reminded me of my grandma,” she says.
Over time, the property expanded far beyond the small garden she originally envisioned.
“But of course, I exceeded it,” Garcia recalls. “I did more than just a small garden.”
The story behind Sonya’s Garden illustrates a form of entrepreneurship rooted not purely in financial ambition, but in lifestyle design and personal meaning. Garcia did not initially build the business by chasing trends or analyzing market data. Instead, she built an environment that reflected the life she personally wanted to live.
Ironically, that authenticity may have become the business’s greatest strength. By creating a space grounded in genuine passion for nature, hospitality, and wellness, Garcia ended up building a destination that resonated deeply with thousands of visitors looking for the same sense of escape and connection she once searched for herself.
