My first visit to Baguio was back in 2009 during the celebration of the Panagbenga Flower Festival. I was with a group of friends and had challenged myself with a 1000-peso budget throughout our stay. We stayed in a cheap hostel, ate at cheap eateries, commuted mostly by public transport and shared the expenses for taxis, which are also cheap in Baguio. I almost conquered the dare until our last hours in Baguio but the lure of fresh strawberries, jams, wines and other souvenirs were too much to resist so I exceeded my budget a bit and didn’t succeed with the challenge.
Eurotel’s Lobby
I haven’t been back to Baguio since except when in transit to Sagada and Benguet so I was so ecstatic when I got an invitation to join the Baguio Bliss Bloggers’ Event organized by Eurotel. This time it was an indulgent and pampering Baguio escapade replete with cozy accommodation, a relaxing spa massage, satisfying food trip and a free city tour. It was the perfect treat for me after spending the previous 3 days tutoring my student non-stop for his term exams.
Our Suite Room
Together with fellow bloggers and the hotel’s marketing team in Manila, we left Eurotel North Edsa early in the morning to check out the latest addition to its chain of hotels at the Summer Capital of the Philippines. After a quick stop-over at the Lion’s Head Monument along Kennon Road, we finally reached our destination around noon and were welcomed warmly by its staff. After the brief introduction, we were assigned our rooms for the next 2 nights. I was assigned a suite room together with mommy blogger, Jennifer of Marriage and Beyond.
Pipe-in music started to play as we entered our cozy suite and true to its European theme, our room has the Leaning Tower of Pisa on its wall. It has a 21”inch LCD TV mounted on the wall but we were so busy we never even got the chance to use it. A few minutes later, we were joined by Gay in our room, another blogger currently based in Baguio. We used to just chat online and it was nice to finally meet this pretty Pinay in the flesh. After getting settled and an hour of girl talk, we finally joined the rest of the group for a sumptuous lunch at the hotel’s in-house restaurant.
Later in the afternoon, we had some free time to explore the city on our own. Most of the sights in the city are walking distance from the hotel but we went to the Baguio Cathedral using the hotel’s shuttle service. From here, we followed the footsteps of Melo and Gay along Session Road, towards SM Baguio and finally to Oh My Gulay where we had some refreshments courtesy of Melo before heading back to the hotel.
Eurotel’s Rooms
Euro Suite 1
Euro Suite 2
Our day was capped by games and videoke session at the hotel function room that lasted past midnight. The food and booze were flowing while Joseph’s comedic talent entertained us in between the belting of tunes.
With the rest of the group in one of the hotel’s Function Rooms.
The second day was spent seeing more sights around Baguio. After our sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel, our first stop was at Baguio Bell Church. It has beautifully landscaped gardens, pagodas and intricately adorned arches and walls. From here, we headed back to Oh My Gulay for lunch and tried their bestseller pastas and salads.
Baguio’s Bell Church
The rest of the afternoon was spent at Tam-Awan Village, a reconstructed native village resembling the traditional village in Cordillera. It also features an art gallery, a souvenir shop and a café where we had an afternoon drinkie and some deserts.
Tam-Awan Village
Our next stop was the Strawberry Farm at La Trinidad Benguet about thirty minutes from the city. The vegetables here are even cheaper than the ones at Baguio Market. Even though they were bulky and heavy, I couldn’t resist buying the cheap broccoli and cauliflowers as well some fresh strawberries. We also stopped at Good Shepherd Convent for its deliciously smooth Ube Jam. Good thing they have a small shop near its entrance although the main shop was close already.
Foggy Baguio
The highlight of our second day was our night out at D Camalig Comedy Bar and the relaxing aromatheraphy massage at Eurotel’s fantastic Spa de Soleil. It was an hour of rhythmic massage that combines the techniques of Swedish, Shiatsu, and Thai. What a way to end end the busy days we had in the City of Pines. It was a stark contrast from my first visit to Baguio where we stayed at a cheap hostel along the noisy Session Road. It was indeed a blissful Baguio event!
Eurotel Baguio
#123 Abanao Extension, Bgy. Rizal Monument
Baguio City 2600 (Near City Hall)
For Reservation Call: (072)444-EURO
Central Reservation: (02)355-0000
Website : www.eurotel-hotel.com
Thank you Ivan, Joseph, Ana and the rest of the staff of Eurotel Baguio for providing us a pampering Baguio escapade. Thanks also to my fellow bloggers, Melo of OutofTownBlog.com, Jennifer of MarriageandBeyond.com, Iris of Pinayads.com, Jen of SexyNomad.com, Gay of PinayTravelJunkie.com, Montsch of Yipeemedia.com, Jonel of LetsGoSago.net for sharing unforgettable moments with me.
Oh My Gulay! haha. parang yan ang nagiging tambayan ng mga PTB pag pupunta sa Baguio as per Gay’s recommendation. Si Baby Luna din ang isa sa mga tourist attractions. haha
Sayang talaga di tayo nag-abot, Claire. There will be more times
Korek institusyon na sya talaga, 3 years ago naligaw pa kami kakahanap ng Oh My Gulay na yan. Anyway, marami pang next time:) who knows sa Oz pa tayo magkitakita.
What an opportunity you had to be with other bloggers whom you just had a chat on http://www... And Baguio is just indeed one of the must visit places in Philippines for its cool temperature, strawberries, broccoli and cauliflowers… I love eating all these! Thank you for sharing your..;)
yep, Baguio is indeed a great alternative for beaches during the hot summer months not just because of its cool temperature but the plethora of things it offers
what a nice hotel. it looks pretty expensive. pati un painting sa walls ang ganda =)
Midrange lang ang price, an alternative if you want to indulge a bit without paying the price for a 5-star hotel.
What a posh way to EB with other bloggers!
As I’ve told Gay, Eurotel doesn’t quite have the same rep here in Manila, but this one in Baguio looks really nice and inviting.
You also posted photos of places in Baguio I haven’t been to, like Tam-awan Village and the Bell Church. After all these years of going up to the City of Pines, there are still more places I haven’t explored! Time to go back yet again and stay at Eurotel (ok ba sa plugging?).
hahaha. thanks AJ, it was actually my first time as well to visit Baguio Bell Church but Oh My Gulay has always been my favorite destination since my first visit a few years back.
Ang ganda ng Eurotel dun ah! Ang akala ko sa Eurotel talaga eh parang.. umm.. mga Sogo ganun? Di pala? =P
hahaha, dapat siguro kumuha sila ng bagong endorser, yung wholesome para marevamp totally and image
Sino kaya pwede?
sayang tlaga I missed this! mukhang ang saya! kasama nyo pala si Jen eh.
Oo nga, akala ko talaga sasama ka, excited pa naman ako sa bonding moments
wow….ang ganda ng place…never ko pa natry sa baguio ang magcheck-in sa ganung type ng hotel….hehehehe…puro budget trip kasi trip ko…cguro next time masubukan nga pngbumalik ako ng baguio….thanks for sharing…^_^
Last year din lang yan nag-open kaya mas lalo mo ma-eenjoy, bago pa lahat ng facilities lalo na yung spa
Sayang talaga di nakasama si Gael! Hehe. Di ko pa sya nakakatravel
Oo nga eh, di rin pala natuloy yung lakad nya nung time na yun.
Claire ang ganda! I thought the lamp on the bathroom looked rad. Do they sell it? =p
Yep at yun talaga ang kinuhanan ko ng picture instead of the sauna and spa, not for sale though
Hi Claire, reading your blog and recent experience in Baguio City made me more interested to visit the city again.. I have been thinking of places to visit and Baguio came to our mind since transportation is very accessible there.. What trigger my interest also is the ‘Oh My Gulay’ place you went with your friends.. Hope you don’t mind sharing where is that place and also what other great places we could visit in Baguio City..
Thank you so much! More Power and God Bless!!
Sure, I’ll posting separate entries of attractions in Baguio soon. Feel free come back for details and more pictures