Baguio 2024! All the pet-friendly places we went to + how much we spent for 5 days!

Two weeks ago we went to Baguio for a quick getaway (5 nights, I knowww, bitin! haha) and man did we miss it! Especially that Manila heat is proving to be unbearable for weeks now! Since we got Koomi we haven’t been able to go on staycations as much because it’s more expensive to bring a pet with us plus there’s not much options for pet-friendly hotels around. But most importantly, we just couldn’t find the budget anymore lol.

This trip was special for a lot of reasons, the most important one being it’s our first time to bring a car (at least for me this was a milestone). It was my longest drive ever at 264kms! I only drove on the way to Baguio and my husband drove around the area and back to Manila. We have always commuted by bus going up but since we have a dog it’s difficult to use public transpo and get around on taxis.

We were hesitant to bring our 8-year Toyota Vios because we think it’s too old. It’s a matic car with a decent 1.3L engine with manual modes so the only issue really is with the driver (me) lol. But after asking a car group about tips on driving up to baguio with the car that we have, I gained confidence and became pretty excited about the trip!

Turns out it was a great ride. 3hrs out of the 4.5hrs we were on the road were spent on the expressway which was mostly smooth. After exiting TPLEX, we gassed (??) up and stretched a bit at Shell TPLEX Rosario before starting the ascent. Our full-tank was halved by the time we had to climb.

We checked-in at an Airbnb at Bristle Ridge Condo. It’s a DMCI property and it’s pet-friendly! It’s almost like we didn’t leave home cos the amenities look the same except it’s 10deg cooler lol. We were fantasizing about this before, teleporting our unit to different places so we didn’t have to travel and nest haha. How I’d love for that to be a reality lol.

Anyway, I’ll start making lists now hehe

The route

Pretty straightforward coming from Metro Manila.

ESDA -> NLEX -> SCTEX -> TPLEX -> Marcos Highway -> Baguio!

Between Marcos Highway and Kennon Road, the former is what everyone suggested we take because Kennon is usually closed and open only to locals, and when it rains it’s more dangerous.

They say Marcos Highway has wider roads because it’s what trucks and buses use. You’ll be sharing the road with them so there could be a slow down in some parts. But I realized after driving up that trucks are usually very kind to private vehicles, they would give way and give you a hand signal when it’s safe to pass them. The buses are more aggressive so be careful around them!

We left home 9:30AM and arrive 2:30PM. So that’s 5hrs with one stop, following the speed limit ah!

Gas | ~₱4,500

Initial full tank – ~₱2,000

Consumed half a tank traversing the expressways.

Top-up at Shell Rosario TPLEX – ~₱1,200 (half-tank)

Consumed another half-tank going around Baguio

Top-up heading back to Manila at Shell Rosario TPLEX – ~₱1,300 (half-tank)

When we got home we still have around half-tank left so our actual consumption is really just 1.5 full tanks for the whole trip.

Toll fees | ~₱1,200

To be safe, load up your Easytrip (for NLEX and SCTEX) with ₱700 and your Autosweep (for TPLEX) with ₱500. That 1,200 is enough for going back and forth Metro Manila.

Airbnb | ~₱17,500

We stayed here for 5 nights and it was great ♥

We’re a party of 2 adults plus Koomi our dog and we paid around 3.5k/night.

Koomi loved running around the roof deck ♥.

All the pet-friendly places and restaurants we visited

• Lime and Basil Thai Restaurant
• Located at Outlook Ridge Condo (another DMCI property hehe
• Spent ~₱2,000 here

• SM Baguio
• You can hang-out by the stairs at the sunset terrace
• Most restaurants have outdoor seats where pets are allowed
• Buffalo Wings and Things – spent ₱500 for merienda
• Chaya Japanese Restaurant – spent ~₱3,300 for dinner

• Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna
• Love the view here! And the laaamb dishes ♥
• Spent around ~₱2,800 for lunch

• Mines View Park for souvenirs
• Entrance is ₱10/adult, dogs are free
• Careful of one of the St. Bernards cos one is agressive towards dogs. Honestly though, nakaka-awa sila tingnan. They’re not fun to pet. And we feel like the “agressive” one was actually barking at other dogs for help huhu.
• Spent around ₱4,300 for pasalubong (strawberries, ube jam, shirts, and music boxes) because everything is overpriced here haha.
• Strawberries are small during this season, according to the ates they’re normally big during December to March. Still sweet though!
• Good Shepherd Ube Jams are sold out easily in the morning because the vendors hoard them and sell them with a huge margin sa baba. Unfortunately we’re not morning people so 450/jar na yung nabili namin nung hapon. Original price is 350/jar.

• Choco-Late de Batirol
• Had a lovely lunch here!
• Spent ~₱1,300

• Camp John Hay Picnic Area
• Loved walking around here! Lots of dogs too! Most people bring picnic stuff cos the tables in the park are not free and you’re not allowed to sit on the stumps. There are some wooden benches though. 🙂
• Parking is available but they’re mostly parallel slots

• Mangiamo Ristorante Baguio
• One of our favorite Italian restaurants!
• It’s at Giraffe Boutique Hotel which is also pet-friendly
• Spent ~₱2,000 for dinner

• Lola Joe’s Bulalohan and Kambingan
• It’s one of the restaurants at Mine’s View na may Kambingan so we ate here!
• The adobong kambing was so good!
• Spend ~₱680 for lunch
  

Grand total – ~₱43,000 for 5 nights

I think it’s not bad for 5 nights considering we ate out a lot?! I already included the grocery items I bought in preparation for this trip. You know… chips, eggs, bread, some canned goods, snacks, rice, coffee, etc hehe. That’s maybe around ₱2,000.

Hopefully we could stay longer the next time around cos I swear sobrang bitin pa kami ang init sa Manilaaaaa!!!! I wanna go to other parks and Baguio market too!

Celebrating my unemployment

I don't really know how to write this post but I just have to say last week was one of the most memorable weeks of my life as I spent my last day at the firm "partying" with my officemates and spending the rest of the week in Baguio (our favorite place) to rest, mostly eat, in celebration of my unemployment haha.

Here's my Weekly Monotony!

✱ Last daaaayyy

August 23, 2022! Booked the lifestyle room and enjoyed the whole night just eating, singing, and occassionally attending to issues hahaha last day na nga eh may humahabol pa. I have the sweetest teammates, they really took note of my favorite foods and endeavored to have them available for our small salu-salo! I had planned to order Frankie's for everyone but the weather was so bad that day and most of the stores closed early. Even BPI closed early and I was supposed to run an errand with them argh. In the end I got wings from Buffalo Wild Wings haha sarap naman!

Anyway. Sobrang natouch ako. My friends got me cheesecake, Mama Lou's pizza, Amber's spaghetti and palabok, and mooore! Huhu sobrang daming food. Red and Henry gifted me a new phone case too huhu! And Camille got me SAMOSAS kami lang mahilig sa Indian food HAHAHA it was so good I hope more people would appreciate Indian food it's THE BEST!!!

White & Case will always have a special place in my heart. It's the first time I felt this comfortable in a company. Like I said, I could retire here. I really appreciate this day a lot, the effort it took for my friends to come in despite the stormy weather! The fooooood and the overall thoughfulness. I will never forget you guuuysss huhu. We're not complete in this pic but you're all in my heaaart hihi ♥

It was a delight having to experience our lifestyle room din! The Grand Videoke HD is the bomb! The sound system is perfect, we have mic stands, a big ass TV, there's even a PS5 but we just really want to sing hahahaha I love it! ♥

But all things must come to an end. After surrendering my stuff napaisip ako kung tama ba tong desisyon ko hahaha oh well, too late! HAHAHA

✱ Baguiooooooo

We love Baguio so much we keep coming back. The last time we went there we stayed a week at an AirBnb and tried to live "locally" as in not like a tourist. We bought groceries, I cooked every day, and worked like usual. In the afternoon before my shift starts we go out and explore, one spot a day, then come home right before it rains. Okay we did touristy stuff din pala haha. But everything worked within our schedule so it was perfect.

✱ Giraffe Boutique Hotel

This time is different. We booked at a hotel and just planned to eat all day everyday lol. At least I did. Jeckie went to an MMA gym haha. We've been eyeing The Manor at CJH but it just never went within our budget haha maybe next time. We stayed at Giraffe Boutique Hotel through a friend's reco and we loved it! I'll give it an 8/10.

We got a Superior Room that's 3.5k per night so not bad! It's beautiful, spacious, I love the colors. Just look at this ♥

I specifically requested for a room with a lot of windows but I didn't realize it meant getting the corner room that's right beside the road and the outdoor garden. You know what that means. Noise! Our first night was terrible because it was very noisy outside, if it's not the dogs barking, it's cats literally fucking around. And very early in the morning as the restaurant kitchen bustles I could've cried at the painful sound of cutleries clanking and of people talking and going about. We also had a cockroach incident. Could've soundproofed the room better but I don't really know what that entails. 

Besides the noise, privacy was also an issue. I requested for windows because I wanted better lighting and ventilation but I didn't realize we were facing a very busy part of the hotel and people kept walking past haha. In the end we had to keep the curtains down the entire time. So much for the view right.

But that's just on the first night. The succeeding nights were better, it's not always noisy and even when the curtains are drawn it's always cold hehe. So yeah, despite the noise and privacy issues, overall we stll had a great stay. Will write in detail on a separate blog post. :)

✱ Mangiamo Ristorante Baguio

I think the best part of the hotel is their restaurant, Mangiamo. It means "let's eat" in Italian ♥ 

If you are to stay in Baguio, you must try dining at Mangiamo. They serve delicious authentic Italian food that is so much worth every penny. Probably the best Italian we've tried. The chef is Italian too. I think we ate here two or three times. I recommend the following: 

• Mangiamo pizza - so freaking good, has truffle and ham, best pizza ever!!!
• Tagliatelle w/ truffle cream sauce - if you love truffle, this is a must!!! It's not on the menu but is usually on the board
• Mushroom soup - okay we love mushrooms. This is so legit, filled with wild mushrooms, not salty, not too creamy just pure mushroom soup goodness. 
• Caesar salad - if you love a garlicky caesar dressing this is lovely 
• Tiramisu - argh just typing it down makes me crave for it
• Apple pie ala mode - just the right serving! Perfect to cap off your meal 
• Prosciutto crudo e melone (parma ham and melon) - my goodness this is delicious! We loved prosciutto wraped mango when we we first tried one in Bora, but wow I love this melon one more! ♥

Now that I've started with the restaurant roll call, next up!

✱ Visco's

Everybody loves Visco's strawberry shortcake but have you tried their restaurant offerings? It's delicious!!! Especially their fried chicken. Reasonably priced too. 

I got the original fried chicken and Jeckie got the honey mustard one. We both enjoyed it. The chicken actually reminds me of Ellen's fried chicken in UPLB. And the gravy is buttery. Love it! ALSO, the ceasar salad on the side is delicious. Must try!

✱ Overtones Ito Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant 

Aaahh Jeckie's friend recommended this to us. Like Vizco's, you can find this along Session Rd., between Sizzling Plate and Pizza Volante. There's a small entrance there that's easy to miss because it's just a narrow entrance that leads to a flight of stairs. So don't miss it! 

I ordered Chirashidon, a favorite, and it's delicious! There's salmon, mackerel, octopus, UNI, tamago, crabsticks, etc., and lots of rice I couldn't finish. Besides the uni I also loved the squid wrapped nori. Super delicious! Jeckie got the wagyu sirloin. The cut was pretty thin so for medium rare it quickly turned to well done. So maybe next time get it rare? Teriyaki sauce is delicious! My iced mocha too!

There weren't a lot of people dining in so I'd say this one's a bit underrated. It's also a bit pricey for something along Session Rd. hehe

✱ Grumpy Joe

We though we're being careful with our restaurant choices so we went with one that's highly recommended by the internet. There was a line when we got there. We were 9th. We looked at the menu and everything looked promising...

... until my first order came. The corn chowder soup. It doesn't look too bad but the mound of grated cheese on top made me wonder, they use this type of cheese? I mean for a restaurant of this level I was hoping they'd opt for something more refined. Did we just fall into the hype?

Uhh yeah. Cos everything that was served after was underwhelming. The ony thing overwhelming is the serving size.

• Corn chowder soup - it was okay for 85 pesos but the mound of quickmelt was a bad precedent of what's to come
• Spicy buffalo wings - not spicy, not buffalo. Had we ordered barbecue glazed chicken wings we would've enjoyed this, but we didn't so it turned out disappointing. 
• Grumpy Joe special burger - oh this one will make you grumpy. So here's a burger, with a thin and dry patty, a pineapple slice that's thicker than said patty, ultra thin pickles, some cucumber slices, and caramelized onions siting right in the middle of the pineapple slice. There's also lettuce and a slice of fake cheese. Sauce? Maybe, I couldn't sense any. Did Joe make this when he's mad? Cos it shows. It's an abhorrent attempt at an aloha burger. Jollibee is laughing its ass out. The fries on the side however, tastes great! 
• Greek salad was so so, I don't get why this is marked a best seller
• Five cheese pizza - this was supposed to be a bestseller but the moment I tasted quickmelt cheesefood (apparently they use Eden) in there, I was defeated. I mean it tastes okay. But it's not 5 cheese delicious. Eden cheese isn't even real cheese. Yellowcab's 4 Cheese is much better. 

So much for the hype. I think this is okay for big families with kids in tow. Jeckie says it's elevated school canteen food. Harsh but totally apt. I think kids would love the food here. But foodies? Beware. 

✱ Oh My Gulay

Hmm. Located along Session Road at La Azotea Building, you have to climb 6 flights of stairs in order to get into the restaurant. It's on the 5th floor but there's another flight when you get to the restaurant entrance so yeah, siguradong gutom na gutom ka na pagdating mo sa taas haha. Obviously this is not for the physically challenged. The place is a visual feast. A museum slash nature sanctuary. It's like a mini Tam-awan Village! They serve vegetarian food so I know not to expect too much. 

We both got sisig. Which I regret. Jeckie seemed to love it. But to me it's just tastes like scrambled eggs. The sliders were disappointing too. Patty too dry. Remind us to stick to originally vegetarian dishes next time like eggplant lasagna, vegetables samosas, salads, humus, etc, and not converted meat dishes because I swear, they never come out as good.

I ordered pumpkin soup but it took too long to come out so I just cancelled it. I also ordered mango crepe but they gave out peach crepe so I had it remade. They must've rushed my order because the crepe was still hot when they served it. Consequently the mangoes got warm so it's not a good experience. They probably thought to compensate by drizzling extra chocolate syrup but heck they went overboard haha.

I'm not happy with this experience but I'm willing to try again, definitely with a different dish. 

✱ Lemon & Olives Greek Taverna

Finally got to try this! I'll tell you right now, this one's worth the hype unlike Grumpy Joe haha.

We ordered special lamb chops for two which came with L&O Salad, Poikilia, and lemon pilaf rice. Ordered hummus, plain yogurt drinks, and I got me some Turkish coffee (which I realized isn't my cup of tea lol).

Just looking at the photos already makes me wanna come back! 

• L&O Salad - absolutely delicious. Everything was balanced. I loved the peaches. It reminded me of Go Salad's Sweet Caroline except they use honey lemon vinagraitte instead of honey balsamic. It's sweet and tangy and my goodness I could eat this all day.
• Lamb chops - lamb is an acquired taste. I had to eat a lot of lamb dishes to realize how delicious it it. And this one is great.
• Hummus - simple, savory, creamy, garlicky, tangy. It's so balanced I love it.
• Poikilia - an appetizer plate. There's pita bites, sausages, and cheese sticks. I love this spread. Everything tastes good, specially the cheeese!!!

Aaaand that's it for my Baguio food diaries! I already wanna go back cos there's still so much we wanna try! Despite Grumpy Joe haha, I think this is still one of my favorite vacations! 

I'll be starting with my new job on Thursday so wish me luck! ♥

[Review] Ahmad Brothers Cafe at Labsan/Yandoc St., Baguio City

Ahmad Brothers Cafe is one of the restaurants my husband and I tried on our short vacation at Baguio.

We had a hard time looking for this place, but it was well worth it. From our place at Megatower Residences, we decided to walk all the way to their location at Legarda road, after all Google Maps said it's just a 20min walk. But wth, we got lost and pissed off at the throng of people flocked over at Session Rd. (read: Panagbenga Festival). Eventually we just hailed a cab and got dropped off around Giligan's. According to Google Maps, it should be at the same building, if not beside it.

It wasn't there. 

Imbyerna. We asked around, and finally one of the guards said Ahmad has moved to a new location. He told us it was walking distance. So we walked. But not before calling the establishment to confirm their existence. Thank God for Google (the same Google who led us to a wrong location), I was connected to one of their staff who texted us about their actual location. It's only 450m away from their old spot. Great!

And so we walked. As of writing, their current address is at Labsan St. cor Yandoc St, Baguio City. You can always confirm at their mobile number 0908-740-7284 or their landline number (074)-244-7292.

We found Ahmad Brothers Cafe tucked at the lower levels of Hotel Caterina. At this point in my Indian food loving life, I learned not to care about restaurant interiors. As you can see, nothing fancy here, but it's a big enough eatery offering Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. 

We saw a couple of Arab looking kids ordering a plate of what looked like chicken tandoori with rice. And you know the drill, if you see foreign people eating their local food in a foreign country, the place must be legit.

And so we ordered the usual.

Vegetable samosa - ₱65

I super love this! It's a different kind of samosa, the wrap is made of something like lumpia wrapper, and the dip isn't the usual tamarind and mint-chutney. It's garlic sauce haha.

Chili Pakora - ₱80

Another great item from their menu. The chilis look super payat but I assure you they taste perfect, specially with their cheese dip. Jusko and ₱80 lang syaaaa. (for comparison, Chili Pakoras at Naan cost ₱150).

Chicken Masala - ₱240

Aaand our main dish. I know it looks like Adobo, the sauce is brown and there are large potato chunks too. It looks so far from the Masala we know. But the taste? AMAZING. Walang kwenta tong food blog na to, basta masarap - amazing yan. Try nyo na lang. The sauce isn't that thick but the flavors are all there. The spices really get to you. I love it.

We also ordered Sweet Lassi (₱70) and it was, again, amazing. I can't believe we're drinking super cheap Lassi that's also super good. Huhuhu. Goes to show that food in the metro is ridiculously overpriced. And their beef shawarma? ₱70 lang diiiin!

We tried to order Naan bread but didn't have any, they served us with pita bread instead, the one they use for shawarma. Okay lang naman hahaha.

Our bill went just a little over ₱600. Not baaaaad for two Indian food gluttons!

Location and contact

Address: #1, Yandoc st. corner Naguilian rd. Baguio City, Philippines (basement of Hotel Caterina, just beside Justice Hall)

If you're navigating via maps/waze, use the one pinned at Labsan st.

Operating hours: 9am to 9pm (Mon - Sat) and 11am to 9pm (Sun)

Contact number: (074)-244-7292

Facebook: Ahmad Brothers Cafe

[Review] 50's Diner at Session Rd., Baguio City

50's Diner serves your favorite comfort foods at very affordable prices. Chicken, steak, spaghetti, shakes, ice cream, name it, their menu is filled with satisfying platters that won't break your wallet! This certain branch is located at the 4th floor of Porta Vaga Mall, Session Rd. It's walking distance from SM Baguio and Megatower Residences (where we were booked) too. During the time we visited, the place was packed with people because it's Panagbenga Festival, but we didn't have a hard time getting a seat because they have lots haha.

The ambiance is very casual, and the restaurant stayed true to its theme. Neon tube lights give the place a retro glow, and the checkered floor just adds more to the 50s vibe. Don't forget the vintage movie posters!

Now onto the food! It didn't take long for us to get served, I got myself a mocha shake, mushroom soup, and one of their fully loaded meals - Guys on the Hood.

50's Mocha (₱ 100)

Guys on the hood - a combination of pork chop, chicken, spaghetti and homemade bread pizza. Served with rice and buttered vegetables. (₱ 165)

My plate was overflowing! Jeckie, on the other hand, ordered steak. Of course.

Fillet Mignon - served with soup, salad, ice cream, and iced tea. (₱ 320)

Don't get your hopes up with the steak though. Jeckie requested for his steak to be cooked rare, and had to repeat it three times because the waiter kept on repeating his order as either well-done or medium rare haha. But alas, his steak came out well-done. Well-done koya in taking our orders! It wasn't such as deal breaker though, their steak still tasted delicious, and for its price we just had to let our rare order go hehe.

And our final bill -- ONLY ₱ 650! The menu prices are all VAT inclusive and they have NO SERVICE CHARGE. It was soooo sulit. If you see yourself dining here don't forget to give them a good tip! <3 Definitely eating here again!

Check out their menu

Airbnb stay: Megatower Residences at Baguio

When we decided on a whim to go to Baguio, the first thing I wanted to settle before arriving is accommodation. Of course. Something clean and simple, affordable, and near SM Baguio. Being near SM is comforting because I know they've got it all for me lol. Since we're arriving the next day, there weren't much options that fit our budget, but thank God I found one at Megatower Residences. The room is spacious enough, clean, no hideous furniture, and it's walking distance to SM Baguio. Just right.

When we touched down at Baguio, I was in constant communication with the host. But when we arrived at the condo building, things started to get worrisome. I couldn't contact her. She wouldn't respond to my messages. Her phone cannot be reached. We didn't travel six hours and paid 4k just to get scammed. I double checked her Airbnb profile, and was alarmed to realize that the unit had zero reviews. Why the heck didn't I check that?! We inquired at the lobby guards, saying we were booked at Unit 1B-51. They said that they didn't receive any key for turnover. They asked for a name. I can only give the first name of the host. Finally, they decided to accompany us to the basement to check the room if someone's there. Maybe the signal is poor. Maybe the host is busy. Maybe. When we were about to board the elevator, a miracle happened. THE HOST RESPONDED AND SHE'S ABOUT TO GO UP NA DAW. 

JUSKO! And that ends our stress. Poor signal is the culprit. Next time I'm not booking a basement unit anymore.

Anyway. Here's our room. 

Spacious enough for two. Bed mattress isn't that thick though and doesn't seem sturdy. To be honest, the room looked underwhelming compared to the Airbnb photos. But it's clean enough so it's okay.

Ref, kitchen, dining, check!

TV is very small and they forgot to provide us with the remote control. Too bad, sayang cable! There's wifi but it's not fast. Keri lang. We tried downloading a universal remote control app, but apparently none of our phones are IR equipped. Whatever happened to that feature?! 

Kitchen counter is small. There's barely enough room for cooking, but kebs, we weren't gonna cook anyway. I love the deep sink and the pull-out spray kitchen faucet! 

The CR is nice and clean as well. Glass-enclosed shower, yehey! 

The room kinda feels stuffy, understandably so because it's at the basement. Yun nga lang, will take note not to book basement units anymore haha. It's too dark in the morning, I'm not used to it! LOL I need my sunshine haha.

We got the room for around ~2,000/night, after applying my Airbnb credits. Not bad for us. :) Will probably book at Megatowers again, but definitely not at the basement next time hehe. :D We really liked the place, it's near SM baguio, bus terminal (to Manila), and the ground floor of the condo has a convenience store, pharmacy, eatery, and bakery. Perfect! Pluuuuus, there's Victory Church on the next block so we didn't miss out on service that weekend. :)

Still not on Airbnb? Man, you're missing out on tons of beautiful and affordable accommodation! If you want to sign up, please do so using my referal link so we'll both get free travel credits! Yeyy!