The Farm at San Benito, Autograph Collection

Great service and treatments.

THE FARM of San Benito, Authograph Collection, Marriott Bonvoy The design of the place is nice, the walking trails are concrete and a good walking path. The staff seemed all nice and respectful. We are Marriott Bonvoy Titanium and Gold members in a group of 6. Upon check in for two nights, we asked for a room upgrade. We were told they were fully booked. Afterwards we tour the place on foot specifically looking for the spa which is a top priority feature we want to avail of. We are extremely disappointed with what we saw. The place was very untidy, the pool was not clean, there were algae and molds all around even in the steps of the pool. The bar beside the spa was dirty, there was a standing dirty water in one corner; the tables were dirty with chairs upturned. The massage cabanas outside by the pool seemed had not been cleaned nor the curtains replaced for sometime. When we asked for the infinity pool and hot tub which were listed in their website, we were told that those are pay for use only. We told them that the website did not indicate that there were charges. We went to check the restaurants. The restaurant seemed to have not been cleaned. The floor and furniture are dirty and dusty. Being very disappointed/disgusted with what we saw, we decided to cancel our two nights stay. We were told by the staff and the manager that we cannot cancel. Since it was already late to go back to Manila, we agreed to stay for the night but will check out the following morning. We were told that our payment will be forfeited. The manager then told us that he will move us all to a villa in 30 minutes. We were told to dial 0 and someone will answer if we need anything. After multiple times dialing 0 for 2.5 hours with no response, we used our cellphone to call their published contact number. The 4-bedroom villa was beautifully designed and well constructed. However when we opened the kitchen cabinets, there were termite tubes and spiders. Evidence that even the well constructed villas were not regularly maintained and not well-cleaned. On that line of villas, we did not see anyone occupying the other villas considering they said they were fully booked. There was no Lacking those small but important items which are usually standard in expensive hotels/resorts. The following night, we decided to just eat at their French restaurant. We made reservation for 6pm and requested for a menu since there was none at the villa so we can choose in advance what we will order. At 5:15pm, we decided to call for a service cart to bring us to the restaurant since it’s a bit of a walking-distance from the villa and the road was wet. The transport in the resort are buggy carts for 4 people. After multiple follow up calls, the cart arrived at around 6:45pm. 1.5 hours after our first call for transport and 45 minutes late for our dinner. At the restaurant, we asked for the menu. We were given a Valentine set menu for P4,000.00 or $65.00 dollars per person. We told the server we did not know it was a set menu and we were not told about a set menu when we requested for a menu earlier that day nor when the reservation was made. For a French restaurant, and for the cost of dinner, the food was very very disappointing. The lobster bisque was bland; the small Cesar salad had no taste that we asked for salt to give it some taste and the lettuce was wilted and soggy. The main dish grouper was the big disappointment for a P4,000.00 dinner - small sliced of a sushi-like preparation wrapped in black seaweed with about 4 to 5 very small pieces of fish. For a very expensive place ($311 per night, discounted), there are standard and acceptable high expectations.

I recently stayed at The Farm at San Benito with my daughter and our dog. We had a wonderful time and were very impressed by the beautiful resort grounds and the extensive facilities the property has to offer. I also chose The Farm at San Benito because it has recently partnered with Marriott International under the Autograph Collection Hotels and Marriott Bonvoy. The staff were helpful, polite, and very friendly. Service is definitely one of the resort’s strongest assets. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with welcoming smiles and warm hospitality. The check in was smooth and pleasant. There were welcoming snack with a note from the hotel manager on the desk which is a nice touch. That said, the resort does seem to have quite a bit of maintenance and quality control to keep up with. The room we originally booked had two broken curtains out of four panels. We spent about an hour watching the maintenance staff attempt to fix them, unfortunately without success. After a frustrating exchange through the Bonvoy app, the duty manager reached out and offered to move us to a villa. I really appreciated the manager’s swift response in addressing my concerns. The new villa was a stunning unit with a veranda and plunge pool. Although the hot water didn’t work, the fan was loudly creaking, and one of the curtains was also malfunctioning, it was still a beautiful place to stay and a significant upgrade from our original accommodation. The rest of our stay was truly wonderful. We visited most of the pools the resort has to offer and the 300 years old mango tree was absolutely stunning, a must visit. We tried three of their six restaurants, all of which were excellent. The resort food was quite expensive, especially considering there are not many restaurants nearby, but it was delicious and the ingredients were high quality. Despite all my cocktails were great, I also hope they will add more wine by a glass into the mix in the future. The breakfast spread was very good, possibly one of the best I’ve had in the Philippines, especially the local dishes. Special thanks to Maria at the front desk, who took great care of us and showed us several different villas. Now I have some good ideas for my next visit. I do hope the Farm takes these maintenance concerns seriously because at around USD 234 per night for a basic room and USD 468 for a villa with a plunge pool in the Philippines, everything should ideally function exactly as it is supposed to.

The Farm at San Benito was a great experience. All the staffs were amazing and hospitable. The massage, the food, all 10/10. Me and my family did enjoy. Garden to table concept, superb. Thank you so much. Will definitely come hack.

I had been wanting to visit The Farm at San Benito for years, so arriving with the expectation that it was now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection set the bar fairly high. Unfortunately, the reality was confusing and somewhat disappointing. The property feels caught between the original vision and the newer Marriott affiliation, and the result is that many areas feel tired and in serious need of renovation. The first room they tried to put us in honestly should have been taken out of service. It felt extremely run down and borderline condemned. We were moved, which was appreciated, but overall the accommodations are far below what most people would expect from anything associated with the Marriott Autograph Collection. That said, the staff are wonderful. Everyone we encountered was warm, kind, and genuinely helpful, and the wellness procedures themselves were very good. The acupuncture consultation raised some questions. My sister and I had the same treatment, and despite being very different health-wise, we were both told essentially the exact same diagnosis, which made the experience feel somewhat scripted. Another strange issue was the restaurants frequently being out of food, which seemed bizarre for a wellness resort. Several items were unavailable daily, and overall the food was mediocre at best, which was surprising given the reputation of the property. When I first arrived, I was honestly disappointed by how dilapidated and dated the property felt. But something shifted over the next few days. The peacefulness of the grounds, the jungle sounds, and the slower rhythm of the place slowly grew on me. By the end of the stay, I appreciated the serenity and natural beauty of the setting, even though the property clearly needs significant investment and remodeling. In short: Wonderful staff and a peaceful environment, but rooms that desperately need renovation, inconsistent food service, and a property that feels caught between old and new ownership. With the right updates, this place could be truly special again.

Since Marriott assumed management a few months ago, I strongly recommend avoiding this property for the foreseeable future. The resort appears to be having a major identity crisis. For over two decades, this was known as one of Asia’s premier holistic wellness retreats focused on Eastern medicine and detox programs. Now it seems Marriott is trying to reposition it as a conventional international luxury resort — and in doing so, they have stripped away much of what made The Farm at San Benito special. The employees, many of whom have been here since the property first opened, are still present and doing their best. They are warm, gracious, and clearly care deeply about guests. Their kindness and dedication remain the bright spot of the experience. Unfortunately, their hands seem tied by the current management and operational changes. I could list dozens of ways the property falls short — both as a Luxury Collection hotel and as a serious wellness retreat. But the bigger issue is structural… the property feels like it needs major operational and strategic changes in order to survive in its current form. Even the restaurants (which were once central to the property’s wellness philosophy) have already begun to feel the influence of Marriott’s more conventional hotel approach to food and beverage. Anyone familiar with large international hotel chains will understand what that means: highly commercialized menus and cooking styles that are far removed from the clean, therapeutic nutrition standards one expects at a wellness retreat. The staff clearly try their best to maintain the original spirit of the cuisine, but it feels like a losing battle. Guests can purchase specialized wellness meal programs at an additional cost, but at a place built around health and detox, nutritious food should be the standard (not an optional upgrade). Another reality that travelers should understand is the location. There is absolutely nothing to do in the surrounding area. This is not a destination resort where you can venture out and explore nearby attractions. It is roughly a two-hour drive from Manila, and there would be little reason to make that journey unless you are specifically coming for a serious wellness program. There are no meaningful tourism activities nearby, and children would have virtually nothing to do. Even adults would struggle to fill their days if they are not actively participating in wellness programming. Because of that reality, the property must succeed as a wellness destination. That is the only reason to come here. Marriott would be wise to double down on that identity and study models such as Hyatt’s Miraval Resort & Spa, which has successfully blended luxury hospitality with immersive wellness programming. Unfortunately, this property currently feels very far from achieving anything similar. It genuinely pains me to say this, because this resort once had an exceptional reputation. But today there is little luxury while still charging luxury-level prices. At the same time, the detox and wellness programs that originally made this destination famous appear to have been significantly diluted since the Marriott transition. One additional warning for prospective guests: the room photos and suite categories currently displayed on the Marriott website do not match the actual accommodations. The images appear to represent future renovated rooms or design prototypes. In reality, many rooms are dated and in very inconsistent condition. The initial room we were placed in was in such poor condition that it likely should have been condemned and would not be considered habitable by American standards. After raising the issue, we were moved to a much nicer room position described as an upgrade or courtesy. However, that framing felt disingenuous given how unacceptable the original room was and how dramatically it differed from the photos and descriptions shown online. We booked through American Express AMEX and ultimately had to switch rooms due to these discrepancies. While the staff tried to help, the issue stems from the way the property is being represented online. We also participated in a number of the medical and spa treatments during our stay. For the most part, these services were outstanding. While the treatments are quite pricey by Philippine standards, the practitioners generally delivered the promised outcomes and the therapists were highly skilled. Unfortunately, the medical facility itself shows clear signs of deferred maintenance and needed repairs on multiple levels. In addition, the medical and wellness services feel somewhat disconnected from the rest of the property, particularly when compared with the hotel operations and restaurants. Rather than feeling like an integrated wellness retreat, the experiences currently feel fragmented. As for the decision to brand this resort under Marriott’s Luxury Collection, there is currently nothing about the experience that resembles a luxury product. That designation feels like false advertising. If Marriott intended to reposition the property at that level, significant upgrades should have been completed first — even if that required temporarily closing the resort for renovation — before introducing the Luxury Collection branding. The transition to Marriott management appears deeply troubled at the moment. Until the property resolves these issues, I would strongly advise travelers to look elsewhere. You’ve been warned.

The atmosphere is quite nice, but this is the most expensive Marriott property in the country with by far the lowest standards when it comes to the rooms. Listing is inaccurate and what you see is not what you get. Handle fell off the shower. No bathtub as listed. Lower square footage than listed. Random storage closest filled with junk. Toilet paper holder fell off the wall. Stains on the sheet. Cracks in the ceiling. Random unused wires sticking out of the ceiling. Stained shower with ugly tiling. Do not trust the photos. Poorly maintained.

Peace full and quiet. Staff were very friendly and professional.

Room was a bit run-down.