Rose Bowl - Baguio

It's a very typical Chinese restaurant in the Burnham Park area with big dining tables with lazy Susans. It's quite expensive too, catering best to visiting big families who do not want to do without authentic Chinese cuisine.

Their fares are delicious, but really slightly too expensively priced to be worth it. The staff are warm, the service is prompt. The ambience is typical Binondo. In short, I doubt they offer anything new that you cannot have here in Manila. But of course, fresh produce from Baguio should be making their dishes better-tasting.

Tam-awan Village - Baguio

Tam-Awan Village - Garden in the Sky is around 10-15 minutes from Baguio City proper. It is literally built on a mountain so exploring the place would require some trekking (nothing strenuous, unless you're superbly out-of-shape).

Entrance fee is P20 for adults, P10 for children. I believe you can bring your own food there, just make sure to bring your trash with you when you leave. But please don't bring your own food because their cafe/restaurant serves food deliciously done at cheap prices.

The pinikpikan (native chicken that's kinda battered to become tastier) is very good, but you have to keep in mind that native chicken isn't as tender as the ones sold in supermarkets. We loved the few slices of ham that came with the lettuce/rice in their meals. The service was great, the staff warmly accommodating.







Artworks are sold there too. Check out the artist by the name of James Gambito (I think). The depth of his paintings are just so exquisite and perfect. And am not sure if you're not supposed to take pictures of all artworks or just those in specific places.






The cafe is also a souvenir shop so do browse around. It sells ethnic men's jewelry and accessories aside from decorative wooden figurines and other wall hangings as well.

Oh, one thing you MUST also do there is have your portrait sketched. It's only P100/person (P300 if you're a couple). The sketches aren't that great but it's a nice experience just the same. Plus, if you're lucky, or if it's down time in that area, there'd be more than one artist sketching you. And you get to keep all the sketches for the same price. Neat, huh?








Another MUST thing is to buy their uber--large chocolate chip cookies. It's P40 for three thin pieces but it's crumbly goodness like no other. And I tell you, I am not so easy to please when it comes to choco chip cookies. It's sold at their cafe.






One other thing that was worth going to Tam-Awan for is enjoying the fog enveloping the area. Now that is the Baguio cool you can't enjoy in the city anymore. There are authentic Ifugao huts there that people can stay in, and maybe we will try them someday, when our young isn't so young anymore.

Mile Hi Center - Camp John Hay, Baguio

Mile Hi Center is located inside the grounds of Camp John Hay, offering imported products at supposedly lower prices. We checked out the imported goods and don't think they're really priced cheaper there (although the dollar to peso exchange rate used in the grocery is lower at P41 then). Plus, we noticed that shops selling Buy 1 Take 1 stuff (like Skechers shoes) are actually selling the shoes at double the price.

Am sure there are good buys there though, if you know where to look.

We tried the Mile Hi Diner... and the verdict is, better eat at the 50's Diner if it's fries and burgers you're looking for. The fare and price, and service, weren't bad though. But it was pretty so-so.

Hotel 45 - Baguio

Where to stay in Baguio is not a problem. There are many rooms for rent, transient homes, inns, and hotels there. Depending on your budget and requirements, you can expect to pay as little as P500/person or as much as P5,000/room.

But if there is only two or three of you, a transient home may not be your accommodation solution. Although most require around P500/person only, most houses are good for four-six people and they'd require that you pay for the minimum number of people. And if you don't have plans of cooking your food yourself, stoves and pots and pans aren't really amenities you should be paying for.

Anyway, hubs' engineers often stayed at Hotel 45. The older one is just along Session Road but this new one is nearer SM (as in walking distance) and just behind Bloomfield Hotel.

We didn't reserve any rooms and just inquired at the desk. The smallest/cheapest available is the Family Room (good for three) at P1,600/night. I got upset with the staff of Hotel 45 when we were checking in because they said we needed to wait for an hour since they were still cleaning the room. That was okay with us (since most hotels check-in time is really 2:00 PM)... but we ended up waiting for the room at their lobby for more than two hours! Turned out, they only have one cleaning crew and a lot of people checked out at lunch time. Given that we were so tired from the journey to Baguio, I was really hopping mad that the Manager did not have the wisdom to get more people to help clean the rooms, and that the staff was so delusional in their judgment. We could have used the time to check out other hotels and got to rest much earlier.

But that was the only glitch.

Our room was clean and inviting. We never used the aircon though and just opened the window a little and used the electric fan to have the cool Baguio air circulate in the room. There was also hot water (for bathing) and we were provuded with towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap. There's also cable TV.


the reception desk


the lobby con dining area


what the hotel calls "matrimonial bed" is a queen-sized one


the other bed, single


the CR

Their rates are already inclusive of breakfast, which is the tapsilog kind (choices include tapa, ham, longganisa, corned beef, hotdog and one other) and coffee. If ever you stay here. make sure you sample their longganisa which hubs really loved.







The real advantage of staying here is that you get to enjoy some quiet but aren't far from the restos and night life and convenience of shops because it's really just walking distance from SM and Session Road. I'm not quite sure though if they have generators in case of power outtages but am sure you can ask them :)

Hotel 45
Bagong Bayan St., Brgy. Salud Mitra
Baguio City
(with country and area code) Tel. #: 63-74-4466306; 3042963
Cell #: 0917-7008805

Baguio Good Buys

The common pasalubongs from Baguio are the walis tambo (broom), choco flakes (the best of which is the Mikasan brand), ube jam (best brand: Good Shepherd... and do try their other jams), peanut brittle (best brand is also Good Shepherd's), silver jewelries/accessories (Ibay's at Mines View), Ifugao arts and crafts and produce.



To be more specific or a little different though... do consider the following:

TIRA-TIRA
At P10 per pack, you have your sugar needs already covered. Plus, it's a childhood favorite that you don't see a lot of anymore. Buy it from stalls at Mines View Park.




CHOCO DROPS
At P35/ea or 3-for-P100, you get Tollhouse goodness at a fraction of the cost. I'm not sure how similar products sold at supermarkets cost though. I'm also not sure if these are sold at the Baguio market because it is not sold at Mines View. We bought these at the stalls at Strawberry Farm and these are supposedly a product of La Trinidad.



BUTTER OATS
All gobbled up before anybody had the chance to take pictures. Anyway, at P80 per jar, it's a healthier (and cheaper in the long run) giveaway to friends and family. It tastes a lot like lengua de gato, you know, those light and buttery thingies that just melt in your mouth? Too bad we only bought one jar at Mines View. I think it's highly likely they're also sold at the Baguio Market.


CHEAPER PRODUCE BY THE BULK
Buy in groups so you can buy by sacks at the market. Or better yet, head to La Trinidad's Stawberry Farm and Trading Post (around 15 minutes away from Hotel Veniz on a good day). Trading Post is really where Benguet's produce are delivered before these are taken to the Baguio market. Talk about fresh!







But you have to make sure that you buy produce last because they might not keep well, given that Baguio isn't that cold a place anymore and the heat in Manila makes everything wilt in an instant. We made the unfortunate mistake of buying produce a day early and ended with broccoli that was already yellow by the time we got back to Manila.

We were told that you get to pick your own strawberries at Strawberry Farm (sort of like apple-picking in the US). It may have been the practice before or it could be the rains puddling up the strawberry field when we went there but we didn't get to pick our own. We bought them off a stall at the farm so the biggest treat of having gone there actually was trying the strawberry-flavored taho, which you can also sample at Mines View. Oh, and I just drooled at the site of all those nicely-green lettuce there.










FURNITURE
Towns leading to Baguio already sell a lot of wooden furniture, mostly for gardens and yards. They also sell huts and gazebos with all those chopped-trunk tables and chairs where workers make sure to retain as much of the original wood as possible to give the pieces their unique appeal. But if you're looking for real furniture, like dividers and dining tables and wonderfully-carved doors and exquisitely-designed shelves, then it's Marcos Highway for you. All kinds of wooden masterpieces, whether it be mahogany, pine, molave, narra, acacia, and teak outdoor furniture, they have it. These shops also offer the usual Buloys and masks and horses that are all too common in souvenir shops. I couldn't take a picture of any of the shops though because it was raining when we were going down and Marcos Highway is a very tricky road to navigate, given its sharp twists and turns.

Good luck with the Cordillera region's forests though.

BREASTFEEDING COVERS
Or shawls for those who are not lactating. You can find them anywhere and everywhere.

50's Diner - Baguio

50's Diner is always listed as one of the best places to dine in Baguio. And it's really worth every penny considering that its fares aren't that expensive (if you're used to Manila prices).





The cheapest way to treat yourself without spending so much money is to order any of the steaks they offer. These already come with soup, salad, dessert and drink. This particular order only cost around P250:



Their sandwiches and burgers come in mightily humongous servings... the downside of which is, most of the huge bread slices only go to waste because patrons woould just finish the fillings/spreads.



A testament to how worthy of your visit the place is, my darling husband said that theirs is the best meal he's ever had. And I am married to someone not easy to please.

Cordillera Coffee - Baguio

When in Baguio and looking to immerse yourself in local flavor... head to SM (one of its sides) where a Cordillera Coffee can be found (I believe there's also one in Makati).

Nick told us he blogged about Cordillera Coffee already (maybe in his Baguio site) and the poor service they had, which was too bad because their coffee is really great. But that has greatly improved because when we went to their cafe, the staff were all just jumping to serve us.

Food service was prompt and the staff was really accommodating.






Tableya Cake, which isn't so moist but isn't as sweet as the Chocolate Cake

Oh My Gulay

Looking for a place to dine in Baguio?

Head to the 5th floor of the La Azotea building along Session Road. Oh My Gulay is a haven of vegetable and pasta fares (the most meat in the menu I saw were ham and bacon garnishes) in an environment made beautiful (and surreal) by local artists.

There is an entrance fee of P20 per person. Shoot to your heart's content, because the place is just filled with artworks. Plus, if you're lucky, you can even meet Kidlat Tahimik himself (and his sons).

There are no elevators though, so the trek up sure is something for those living sedentary lifestyles.


really nice nook to appreciate the City and enjoy the cold night air


the menu


OH My Gulay Salad


a friend's son sizing Kidlat Tahimik up


Service is good but the kitchen closes at 9 PM. There's usually a show or impromptu party though. I liked the Oh My Gulay salad and the Chow Mien Noodles (?). Hubs' didn't like his Pasta Meztizo much though.