It’s the month of June and it has already been three months when we last visited Baguio in March. I was surfing through Facebook when suddenly I came across a Facebook Page of a popular hotel in Baguio which is The Manor. Weeks earlier, my girlfriend and I already booked a room at The Forest Lodge at a reduced rate as part of their promo. Since we want to distress, we feel like we deserve the best of the best and one thing tops our mind: The Manor. Seeing that The Manor is also offering rooms at a reduced rate, I can’t seem to resist the temptation of checking and booking a room so I contacted my girlfriend and told her that The Manor is offering rooms at a reduced rate then suggested her to check and decide if we push through with the booking. After one week of deciding, we push through with our booking and booked our stay on June 29 – June 30. Unfortunately, after a series of unforeseen circumstances, we planned that we will not push through with June 29 – June 30 and agreed to rebook our stay on July 20 – July 21. Luckily, rooms are still available on that date so we had no problem rebooking our stay. We just have to pay an additional 500PHP because the dates that we selected was not anymore part of the promo so we need to pay the room at a regular rate. By the time that we finalized the rebooking, we agreed that we will spend the majority of our time staying in the accommodation and dining out around Camp John Hay so that we can maximize our stay in The Manor. If you are a posh traveler planning to visit Baguio, The Manor at Camp John Hay is the place to be. I will share in this blog our itineraries and expenses to help you plan ahead.
Accomodation
If you are looking for a luxurious stay in Baguio, The Manor and The Forest Lodge are two of the best choices that you can have. Both hotels are located at Camp John Hay and near to each other. A pathway at the back connects the two hotels. Regular room rates for both hotels are expensive especially during peak season. Discounted room rates are offered during the lean season. It is best that you regularly check their respective Facebook page for their promo. We booked our room on the last week of May with our stay supposed to be on the last weekend of June but was eventually moved to the third weekend of July due to unforeseen circumstances. Take note that our booking does not include a complimentary breakfast yet however, you can avail their buffet breakfast at 880PHP per person. Breakdown of our expenses for the accommodation is detailed below:
The Manor at Camp John Hay
Room: Superior Room (Forest View)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/themanoratcjh/
Website: http://campjohnhay.ph
Capacity: 2 persons
Breakfast: Not Included
Expenses
Room Rate (1 night): 3,975PHP
Additional Payment due to rebooking: 500PHP
Total: 4,475PHP
Security Deposit Fee
Security Deposit Fee: 2000PHP
Note: Security Deposit Fee will be charged upon check-in and will be refunded upon check-out.
Bus Transportation
Since we are going to Baguio on a commute, we planned to have our trips booked through Victory Liner. Victory Liner has daily trips from Cubao to Baguio vice versa. For fares and schedules, click here. Prior to our trip, we our planning to book the 8:00 AM Cubao – Baguio trip however, considering that their route will be via either TPLEX – Gerona or SCTEX – Luisita, we decided instead to have our trips booked through Genesis Joybus. Genesis Joybus offers daily nonstop trips from Cubao to Baguio vice versa. Estimated travel time to Baguio via Joybus is 4 to 5 hours. For fares and schedules, click here. We booked our seats two weeks prior to our trip via iWantSeats. We were lucky when booking our trip to Baguio because seats are still available for 8:30 AM trip however, seats for the 1:00 PM return trip to Cubao were fully booked so we just drop by at the Victory Liner terminal in Baguio to buy tickets for tomorrow’s 1:00 PM Baguio to Cubao trip via TPLEX – Gerona. Estimated travel time via TPLEX – Gerona is 6 to 7 hours and there will be a stopover at Sison, Pangasinan and Gerona, Tarlac. Breakdown of our expenses for the bus transportation is detailed below:
Cubao – Baguio (via TPLEX – Pozorrubio)
Bus: Genesis JoyBus (Deluxe)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GenesisTransportInc/
Terminal Address: 704 EDSA (Northbound Lane), Cubao Corner New York St., Quezon City, 1109 Metro Manila
Time: 8:00AM
Fare: 720PHP
Reservation Fee (through iWantSeats): 30PHP
No. of Pax: 2
Note about JoyBus: Baguio trip through Joybus is nonstop. As first timers, we were surprised that it only took us 4 hours to reach Baguio. Trip does not include insurance.
Total: 1500PHP
Baguio – Cubao (via TPLEX – Gerona)
Bus: Victory Liner
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/victorylinerinc/
Website: https://www.victoryliner.com
Terminal Address: Utility Rd., Baguio, Benguet
Time: 1:00PM
Fare: 485PHP
No. of Pax: 2
Note about Victory Liner: Trip includes insurance. We spent longer hours in traveling since the bus entered TPLEX at Gerona exit and had two stop overs which is in Sison, Pangasinan and Gerona, Tarlac. It took us almost 7 hours to reach Cubao.
Total: 970PHP
Total Bus Transportation Expenses:
1500PHP + 970PHP = 2470PHP
Taxi Transportation
We opted to take Taxi as our transportation since it is the fastest way to take us from one destination to another around Baguio. We budgeted at most 500PHP for our Taxi transportation. Breakdown of our expenses for the taxi transportation is detailed below:
ZAX’S (Session Road) – Victory Liner Terminal
Victory Liner Terminal – The Manor
The Manor – Pizza Volante (Camp John Hay)
7-11 (Camp John Hay) – The Forest Lodge
Mile Hi-Inn – Victory Liner Terminal
Estimated Total Cost: 500PHP
Food
As always, there are many food options to choose from in Baguio. Upon are arrival , we drop by at the Baguio Cathedral then had lunch at ZAX’S which is known for their Chicken and Waffles although we had Kare-Kare, Tapsilog and Coffee as Brunch. The food is delicious and has reasonable price range. I suggest that you give this one a try when you plan on visiting Baguio. We had dinner at one of the well known restaurants here in Baguio which is Pizza Volante. We had two Rice Meals and one order of Pizza as our dinner. After dinner, we went straigh to FIC Ice Cream which is just a very short walking distance from Pizza Volante to have our dessert and then we drop by at Vizco’s to buy two slices of Strawberry Shortcake which the restaurant is known for. After buying our cake, we drop by at Coffee Stains to buy a cup of Coffee. Coffee Stains is located at the lobby of The Forest Lodge. Price range for Coffee Stains are reasonable and their coffee is good enough for your evening dose of caffeine. We ate our cake and drank our coffee in the room so we can maximize our stay. Early in the morning, we had our sumptuous buffet breakfast at Le Chef at The Manor. This is one of the best places to have your breakfast and prep you for the whole day. They offer a lot of dishes and beverages so make sure that you are hungry enough so that you can maximize their buffet breakfast. After our check-out at the hotel, we drop by at the Chocolate de Batirol to have a cup of Hot Chocolate. As of now, renovation at Chocolate de Batirol is still underway and they only cater orders as takeout. Breakdown of our expenses for the food is detailed below:
ZAX’S
Address: Door 4, Puso ng Baguio, Upper Session Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Estimated Cost: 600PHP
Note: The restaurant may not be cozy enough but their food is delicious and affordable. I highly recommend that you give this one a try when you visit Baguio.
Pizza Volante (Camp John Hay Branch)
Address: Ordonio Dr, Camp John Hay, Baguio, Benguet
Estimated Cost: 600PHP
Note: A restaurant of local origin, Pizza Volante is well known for their Pizza. You wouldn’t want to miss this when you visit Baguio.
FIC Ice Cream
Address: Ayala Techno Hub, Camp John Hay, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Estimated Cost: 200PHP
Vizco’s (Camp John Hay Branch)
Address: Ayala Techno Hub, Camp John Hay, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Order: 2 slices of Strawberry Shortcake
Estimated Cost: 250PHP
Note: A restaurant of local origin, Vizco’s is well known for their Strawberry Shortcake. You also wouldn’t want to miss this when you visit Baguio.
Coffee Stains
Address: Sheridan Dr, Camp John Hay, Baguio, Benguet
Estimated Cost: 250PHP
Note: Coffee Stains is located at the lobby of the Forest Lodge. This is their only branch as of the moment and they are a startup coffee shop. I’ve talked to one of their crew and the crew said that they are still searching for places to open another branch. I remember that they are including San Juan, La Union as one of their options. I highly recommend that you give this one a try.
Le Chef at The Manor
Address: The Manor, Loakan Rd, Camp John Hay, Baguio, Benguet
Order: Breakfast Buffet
Cost: 1760PHP (880PHP/Pax)
Note: This may be an expensive one, but this is one of the best places to have a buffet breakfast in Baguio. They offer a wide range of dishes and beverages so make sure that you are hungry enough before eating.
Chocolate de Batirol
Address: Igorot Park, Camp John Hay, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
Order: Hot Chocolate x 2
Cost: 240PHP (120PHP per Order)
Note: Chocolate de Batirol is one of the best places to have a cup of Hot Chocolate.
Total Food Expenses:
600PHP + 600PHP + 200PHP + 250PHP + 250PHP + 1760PHP + 240PHP = 3900PHP
Total Expenses
Accommodation: 4475PHP
Bus Transportation: 2470PHP
Taxi Transportation: 500PHP
Food Expenses: 3900PHP
Grand Total: 11,345PHP
Itinerary
Day 1 – Saturday
– ETD Cubao 8:30AM
– ETA Baguio 1:00PM
– Baguio Cathedral
– Lunch at ZAX’S
– Check-In at The Manor 2:00PM
– Rest
– Dinner 7:00PM
– Coffee and Cake 8:00PM
– Lights Out
Day 2 – Sunday
– Wake up Call 7:00AM
– Buffet Breakfast at Le Chef at The Manor 8:00AM
– Prep for Check-Out 10:00AM
– Check- Out 11:00AM
– Window Shopping at Mile-Hi Inn
– Chocolate de Batirol
– ETD Baguio 1:00PM
– Stopover at Sison, Pangasinan (20 minutes – 25minutes)
– Stopover at Gerona, Tarlac (20 minutes – 25 minutes)
– ETA Cubao 8:00PM
Gallery
I was not able to take pictures of the food we had instead, I’ll be sharing some of our photos taken at the Manor.
Tips
- Trips to Baguio through JoyBus easily gets fully booked so always plan your trip ahead and make an advance booking.
- If you book a JoyBus ticket online, make sure to arrive at the terminal at least 30 minutes prior to your departure so that you can have enough time to claim your tickets.
- Regularly check the Facebook Page of The Manor and The Forest Lodge for promos.
- Travel Light
Travel Diaries 