Baguio city is the
summer capital of the Philippines. Americans took over this place in the
nineteenth century and developed it into a modern city. It is at an altitude of
4,900ft and the weather here is much cooler than other places in the
Philippines. The temperature here ranges from 50F-70F and can get lower than
50F during December to February.
Limestone rock carved into a Lion's head (famous landmark in Baguio)
We visit Baguio every
year. Couple days of stay are enough to tour Baguio but we usually stay there
for 10 days or so just to explore the neighboring towns. It is also a gateway
to Ifugao and Sagada where you can see the hanging coffins, rice terraces etc.
There are many affordable hotels in Baguio; some Baguio hotels are under $50.
You can also rent vacation houses there for the whole family. Camp John Hay’s Manor hotel Baguio is our favorite.
It is in a great location and just a few meters away from Baguio Country Club and
Golf course. It has impressive architecture and very homely interiors. Their rates range from $125 up to $280.
Heavy rain
View from the room
Le Chef restaurant
Manor Garden
You can walk to the
historical Bell house from Manor hotel. It was built originally for American soldiers
in Asia as a rest house in 1903. During WWII, Japanese soldiers took over it
and used Camp John Hay as a concentration camp. Bell house was then used by
General Yamashita as his headquarter.
Relic of Camp John Hay's American roots
We always go to Mines
view Park whenever we are in Baguio. It is an abandoned mine used by the native
Igorot tribe. Now it is a tourist attraction. There are souvenir shops etc. all
over the place.
Souvenir shops
Lourdes Grotto is also
in our must visit places when in Baguio. It has a nice view of downtown Baguio.
It is a replica of the famous Lourdes Grotto in France. You will have to climb
252 steps before you reach the shrine. Ladies, wear those stilettos somewhere
else :)
Lourdes Grotto
During our stay in Baguio, we would sometimes drive around the neighboring towns. We happened to pass by this area in Tuba, Benguet where a sign about Colorado falls is. We never really made it to the falls, we just walked nearby and took pics because it was slippery. We thought it was totally lame (coz we didn't really know what we are looking at) it turns out the falls was further away. Too bad we didn't see it.
Sign on the road
This is what we saw when we decided to head back to the car.
Baguio is an interesting place and far from the chaotic city of Manila. Come and visit this February for the Panagbenga Festival (Flower Festival). Book a Baguio Tour Package at a reputable travel agency near you or explore the city on your own. You can hire a car to take you there or take a bus to Baguio from Manila. It takes 8 hours to get there from Manila by bus. The bus lines most preferred by locals are Victory Liner and Philippine Rabbit. The bus ticket cost around Php400 to Php450 (about $10).
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I wish I could visit Baguio again. Hay. nakakamis. Love your Blog :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. :) You should visit Baguio again soon!
DeleteSuch a nice place...never been there...anyway please check out my blog
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your comment. I just checked your blog. I like your posts about Philippine history. Happy blogging! :)
DeleteThis is a really informative post, thanks so much. We went to Baguio briefly in 1998 but didn't have enough time to see everything. I had no idea about Colorado Falls, Mine View Park, Bell House, although we went to the Lourdes Grotto and saw the rice terraces and briefly went around Camp John Hay. Probably one of those places where you really need to spend about a week to see everything. The Manor Hotel Baguio looks really striking, I would love to visit there next time.
ReplyDeleteMy wife told me it would be pretty chilly at night time when we stayed there, and I believed her but thought to myself "this is still the Philippines"... turns out I was wrong and it was colder (50's F) than most summer nights I experienced in the U.S.
You need to rent a car and drive around there to really appreciate the place. It is fun to discover some back roads and get to see a different view of the mountains. There's a hot spring resort further up going to Rice terraces, we haven't been there yet but I think its really gorgeous there. You should check it out. It really gets cold there especially in December-January. :)
ReplyDeleteHi!! Can I use two of your photos for a project? Thank you so much! Please email me back at shericaocbania@gmail.com :)
ReplyDeleteWould really appreciate it!
Sure go ahead.. :)
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