My most recent travel was a month ago and it was in Baguio City. Since I haven't been there in such a long time, I began searching online for affordable places to stay in. We considered a few places, looking at a couple of hotels, and then those hotels were sold out on the dates we were going.
Since the other places we were considering were already sold out, and we did not want to break the bank as it was only gonna be a couple of nights, we decided on this place and hoped for the best.
We arrived in Baguio City at 5:30 in the morning, freezing at 13 degrees Celcius. Before we could go anywhere, we needed to drop off our bags. So we booked a Grab taxi, which took 20 minutes and we were there.
We arrived there around 6 o'clock, and the front door was padlocked. We did not want to disturb their rest, so we waited for a few minutes, until one of the staff arrived and they opened the doors. They apologized but we said it was not a problem as we did not want to disturb anyone so early in the morning. The thought just crossed my mind though, God forbid that there would be a fire, would it not be difficult for the staff and guests to run out of the building if the door is padlocked at night?
This is the side of the place with its name, quite unassuming, pretty old, and painted orange, hence the name. It has parking space for 4 cars, and the place is quite nice.
And this is the front. So when we arrived, we just stood on the front steps for a few minutes until somebody came along. The place is located on 20 F. Gomez St., lower P. Burgos, and it is very accessible indeed. Baguio City center is about 15 minutes walk away if you're willing to walk. And also, the wifi works, even inside the rooms!
This is the sitting area, where they have a fireplace, and they light it upon request. We requested that they light it on our last night, and we enjoyed it until the fire died down. My brother and his son joined us that night, so we seated and a staff kindly offered to take a picture of our heads as we enjoyed the fire.
The fireplace without the heads. It was nice being able to relax in front of the fireplace, and it reminded me of my time in New York 2 years ago as we lit the fireplace in the countryside as well.
This is the couch that we sat upon in front of the fireplace. It is quite spacious and comfy looking, so we just sat there, talking for almost an hour or so, just relaxing in front of the fire after we had our sumptuous dinner.
This is the sitting area at the lobby, and this is what you see when you first enter. The check in area is on the other side of this place. The sun was reflected, so the quality of the picture is not very good.
There is an entryway from the seating area by the lobby, and it leads down to this. More places to relax, perhaps even have barbecues if there is an event of some kind. It was nice, the place maximized, and roofed, to keep out the rain and the sun during the day.
In between the outdoor area and the lobby is this place, where you can enjoy some drinks in the evening, or just a place to relax when you don't want to go anywhere else. There is lots of fresh air, the place is quiet, so one can relax fully.
This is the dining area, and it is behind the fireplace. There are a few tables set up, and since breakfast was included, we had our breakfast in this place. Their coffee was brewed Sagada coffee, which was quite nice. Breakfast on the first day was longganisa with fried rice, and the next day we chose the daing na bangus with fried rice as well. They also had a choice of continental breakfast if one wanted it.
From this vantage point the place looks a bit spacious. It gives you a homey feeling, not pretentious, the decor simple and unassuming. The various teapots on the wall was very nice.
This again is the sitting area in the lobby at night, without the glaring sun. The wood flooring also gives it a homey atmosphere.
This to me, is the highlight of the place, aside from the fireplace. On one side are books, novels, which I'm sure is available for guests to borrow and read, but who has time to read when everyone is out gallivanting?
Not sure if this is driftwood they used for the furniture in this are or they just designed it as such so as to look charming. Either way, it was a nice touch.
The whole area is quite clean, and they have several rooms available. Family room is available, as well as dorm type rooms with a shared bathroom.
The heaters in the bathroom was very small, so it could barely heat up the water. The warmest it could get was the temperature of the coldest water we get here in Manila during the -ber months. Still, we had to take a shower so we just braved it, at least it wasn't icy cold!
The highlight of the stay was this. We arrived there on the day of my birthday. Without my knowledge, my niece contacted the staff beforehand and asked them to prepare a surprise for me.
So since we arrived early morning, and it was not yet time to check in, we just left our bags and roamed around. After lunch we returned, and upon arrival, most of the staff were seated at the seating area. Upon seeing us enter and do the check in, they all left and went inside.
After checking in, the staff offered to take us to our room. Two male staff escorted us, and before they opened the door, one of them knocked on the door opposite our room, which I found odd. Then they used a key to open the other room, and they signaled that I should go in. I went in and all of the staff who left when we were checking in were there, holding a cake and singing happy birthday!
These balloons were scattered all over the room and I cried for joy of course. I really was not expecting any kind of surprises. The only other time I was surprised like this was when I was in Bali, Indonesia, and my boss arranged a surprise for me as well and the entire staff of the restaurant where we were having dinner in came out to sing the birthday song as well.
I thanked everyone of the staff for the very nice surprise, but most of all, I thanked my niece for making the effort to prepare it. She made my day, and she pulled it off with flying colors!
I highly recommend this place as a place to stay if you are staying for a short time. The staff is very helpful, and willing to organize surprises if you are planning one, plus it is very affordable.
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