Staycation and Chill in Baguio

My Girlfriend and I last visited Baguio on November 2019. After four months, here we are again enjoying the cool climate and homey vibe of the city. We had planned this Baguio Trip two months ahead and luckily we were able to score a deal with one of Baguio’s premiere hotel which is “The Manor”. We were able to book a room for two which is an overnight stay and includes a buffet breakfast. We lately realized that the date of our stay was supposed to be the last program for the Panagbenga Festival. Even though I lost count on how many times I’ve been to Baguio, I still don’t experience on what it feels like to be in Baguio during the Panagbenga Festival. Unfortunately, Panagbenga Festival was cancelled by the city mayor due to the outbreak of Novel Corona Virus. Since my girlfriend and I have been to Baguio three times already before this trip, we decided to maximize our stay in the hotel and tried out few of the best eats in Baguio.

Transportation

There are several well known bus lines that has trips going to Baguio but two of these well know bus lines are Victory Liner and Genesis. Going to Baguio, we were able to book a Regular Aircon Bus from Victory Liner while we were able to book a Genesis Joybus going back to Manila. Breakdown of the expenses are displayed below:

Cubao to Baguio
Bus: Victory Liner
Terminal: Denver Street, Cubao, Quezon City (Along EDSA Southbound Lane)
Fare: 485PHP/Pax
Time: 4:00AM
Route: NLEX – SCTEX – TPLEX via Urdaneta Exit (Bus will exit at Urdaneta and will travers the National Highway)
Stopover: Victory Liner Sison Bus Stop
Comments: If you want a traffic free and faster trips to Baguio without the option of Joybus, I suggest you take an early morning trip and this will take you to Baguio in 5 hours.

Baguio to Cubao
Bus: Genesis Joybus
Terminal: Governor Pack Road (Below SM Baguio)
Fare: 720PHP/Pax
Time: 4:00PM
Route: TPLEX – SCTEX – NLEX
Stop Over: None
Comments: If you want to have a premium point to point trip to Baguio, Joybus is the best option. The trip has no stopovers and has a portable comfort room inside.

Getting around Baguio
The best way to get around Baguio is to ride a taxi. Fare depends on your intended destination from your origin point.
Budget for Taxi (Approximately): 1,000PHP – 1,500PHP

Accommodation

If you really want to have a perfect staycation in Bagiuo, “The Manor” at Camp John Hay is the best place to be. The Manor is one of the Premier hotels here in Baguio with spacious rooms and a beautiful garden landscape that is best for unwinding. Another great spot at this premier hotel is their restaurant which is “Le Chef at the Manor” which provides an open view of the garden and the Cordillera mountains. In terms of their rates, it varies from time to time and it will be best to frequently visit their Facebook Page so that you get to check their prices and promos. As a piece of advise, they offer their lowest prices during the rainy season and the ber months (except for November and December).

Accomodation: The Manor at Camp John Hay
Address: Camp John Hay, Ordonio Dr. Baguio City
Rate: Rates vary depending on the season
Perks: Free buffet breakfast for 2 persons
Check-In Time: 2:00PM
Check-Out Time: 11:00AM

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Food

Obviously, one of the best things to do in Baguio other than visiting their tourist spots is to do foodtrip. Baguio has a lot of food choices to offer and i’m pretty sure an overnight stay would not be enough to complete the foodtrip bucketlist. On our overnight stay, we were able to try few of the well known restaurants in Baguio.

Cafe By The Ruins
Facebook Page
Address: 25 Chuntug St.
Order:
– Ruins Longganisa 340PHP
– Daing na Bangus 340PHP
– Kamote Bread 100PHP
Total Cost: 780PHP
Comments: One of the best places to have breakfast after an hour long trip from Manila

Canto Bogchi Joint
Facebook Page
Address: Kisad Road, Baguio City
Order:
– Grilled Chicken on Buttered Rice 230PHP
– Lomo Ribs; Half Slab 310PHP
– Panna Cota 110PHP
Total Cost: 650PHP
Comments: If you are planning to go here on a dinner, start lining up by 6pm since the the queue can get very long. Their Lomo Ribs is the real deal and not bad for their pricing.

Le Chef at The Manor
Facebook Page
As part of our stay in “The Manor”, we were entitled to a free buffet breakfast for two persons which starts at 6:30AM to 10:30AM.
Comments: Another place to have a breakfast because the buffet offers a lot of food choices. A good way to get your day started. If

Vizco’s
Facebook Page
Address: SM Baguio – In front of the grocery
Order:
– Ube Cake ( 1 slice)
– Strawberry Shortcake ( 1 slice)
Estimated Total Cost: 300PHP
Comments: After having our dinner at Canto, we dropped by at SM to buy essentials in the grocery then dropped by at Visco’s to buy a cake for our dessert. Vizco’s is well know for it’s cake products especially the Strawberry Shortcake.

Seattle’s Best Coffee
Address: SM Baguio Expansion Wing
Order:
– Cafe Americano
– Cafe Latte
Estimated Total Cost: 400PHP
Comments: We had stayed here for an hour while waiting for our trip back to Manila. The store is located beside the expansion wing viewdeck and you can have one of the best view while a having a cup of coffee.

Jollibee SM Baguio – Take Out
Address: SM Baguio
Estimated Total Cost: 400PHP
Comments: We had Jollibee as our on the go food on our trip back to Manila.

Other Things To Do

Since our check-out time was at 11:00AM at our trip back to Cubao is still at 4:00PM, we still had a lot of time to do something or go somewhere else. We had the privilege to go to Mile Hi Inn and do malling in SM Baguio. Mile Hi Inn, together with the outlet shops within the establishment are one of the oldest in Camp John Hay. Since I was a kid (Way back early 2000’s and there is no TPLEX and SCTEX yet), we always visit this establishment because of the overrun items being retailed. Prices are neither cheap nor expensive but you’ll always have the chance to score great deals. Another place that we visited was the newly opened expansion wing of SM Baguio. The expansion wing has a lot of food and shopping choices to offer plus it has one of the best view deck with an overview of the city, hills and mountains. We also visited this expansion wing after having our breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins since arrived early at still had a lot of time before our check in which is at 2:00PM. Lastly, we paid a visit to the “Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral” or commonly known as the “Baguio Cathedral”. The Cathedral is only a walking distance away from SM Baguio and the bus terminal.

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