Where to Stay in Baguio: Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay

It's been years since we've last been to Baguio. We stayed at The Manor the last time we visited, which was almost a decade ago, and I was still pregnant with my youngest then. I don't really know why we took so long to go back, but it could be because there was a time in the last decade that I had 2 car seats and a booster seat in the family van. That doesn't make for fun road trips, noh. But now that the SCTEX and TPLEX are operational, and I'm done with car seats and booster seats, travel to Baguio is much more tolerable.

A pregnant me with my 2 girls in Baguio during our 2004 visit. How tiny they used to be!

My tummy is still not showing, but I think I'm around 4-5 months pregnant already that time. The Manor garden still looks the same, noh? In fairness, ako din, I still look the same after a decade. Teehee!:)

* * *

Last summer, my side of the family went to Baguio together. We know that we wanted to stay somewhere in Camp John Hay so that we can enjoy the relaxing Baguio atmosphere and the fresh scent of pine trees. We were choosing between The Manor and its sister hotel, Forest Lodge. But the one thing that we were definite on is that it has to be inside Camp John Hay.

We wanted to be surrounded by pine trees... lots of it!
Baguio is highly commercialized already in some areas that sometimes it feels like Manila. 

We don't want any of that because that's what we were going away from, di ba? 

When my sister booked four rooms for our entire family at Forest Lodge, she convinced everyone that she made the right decision by sharing that Forest Lodge share the same management with The Manor, and some of the amenities were shared, too. The rooms were much newer since it is still a relatively new establishment, plus room cost was also definitely lower.

Superior Room

This is how our Superior Room looks like. It is worth every money at less than P3,000.00 a night. The room is spacious and had two queen beds in it. My husband and I, and  two younger kids stayed in this room comfortably.  While J stayed in another room with 2 of my sisters.

It has a writing desk, LCD TV, and a sitting area.

The room also comes with a mini kitchen. It's just really a small sink, mini ref and a small counter area with the usual complimentary water bottles which are re-stocked daily, cups and saucers, an electric kettle and a mini-ref.

The bathroom comes equipped a hot/cold shower, an adjoining dressing room with a hair dryer, iron & ironing board.

Because this is Baguio, most hotels do not offer A/C. The rooms are fitted with celiling fans, instead.

One-bedroom Suite

This is how the one bedroom suite looks like. My sister got this with the idea that everyone can gather here at night to play board games before heading to our respective rooms.  There is a small dining table, and a living room with LCD TV.

The bedroom has 2 queen-sized beds, and is separated from the living area by a door.

The mini-kitchen can actually be a working kitchen as it has a microwave oven. The generous counter area is also perfect for families who are traveling with infants and toddlers. I'm just thinking sterilizers, and other baby necessities.

My parents and brother got the one-bedroom suite initially, but the unit given to them was actually a loft. Because of their age, my parents did not want to go up and down the stairs anymore, and the hotel couldn't provide a one-level suite for them being that the hotel was fully booked, they just requested to be transferred to a superior room instead. The photos shown above are from a one-level suite beside our room taken on the day we checked-out.

* * *

The Forest Lodge sits right beside The Manor, and has very similar features. It even shares the beautiful garden with Manor, which can be accessed by a hidden pathway.

The garden is as beautiful as I remember it.

We took this time to take some family photos. J wanted to "direct" our photo shoot, kailangan "fierce" daw. It took several tries before we could get our "fight" faces on... 

This is more what J was thinking... channeling Taylor Swift in Bad Blood daw...

As for me, I still wanted a traditional family photo of all of us smiling for the camera.

Shempre, the bookworm cannot be stopped. While J was busy directing our poses, this li'l girl stepped aside to read. Haay!

* * *

The cool Baguio weather even encouraged my kids to do some early morning run. They really planned to do some running so they packed their running shoes and shorts, and woke up early for this.

Running a trail as beautiful as this doesn't need that much convincing!

To know more about Forest Lodge:

Webpage | Facebook 

FOLLOW ME!   

   

Seda Nuvali: Where to Stay for A Nuvali Staycation

Sometimes, the busyness of the holidays can get to us. For the days leading up to Christmas,  I was busy meeting with friends for holiday lunches during the day, then off to do the school rounds right after, then prep dinner for the family as soon as I get home.  To make matters worse, I was tensed because I was also in a rush to finish buying, wrapping and tagging all the gifts for the teachers ,classmates, school staff, etc. Whew! All that did not make me a pleasant mama in any way! :(

That is why when I got an invitation to have a staycation with my entire family at Seda Nuvali on the weekend before Christmas, I quickly accepted.  I knew I needed the quick break to shake off the stress and the grumpies.

Just look at our room in Seda Nuvali! Nakaka-tanggal stress, di ba? :) When I got the confirmation of our stay with them, I checked online how the rooms look like, I just knew this would be a perfect staycation!

{via}

Family Road Trip Safety Tips + Fuel Saving Tips

Taking a road trip is always a fun time for my entire family, especially for the kids who look forward to taking such trips.

We've taken the kids to several road trips already - to Pampanga for a food trip, Anvaya Cove in Bataan, to Baguio, to Acuatico in Laiya, Batangas, to Tagaytay, to Villa Escudero in Laguna, and a lot more that are not documented in the blog.   It is important that we ensure safety first so that no one will miss out on the fun. Just recently,

1. Go for a tune-up.
Make sure your car is in good working order and have your tires, battery, motor fluids, and everything else checked by a professional. Nothing ruins a trip's happy vibe more than a stalled car.

2. Get a good night's sleep.
You have your entire family in the car with you; their safety is in your hands. Enough said.

3. Pack for the trip.
Have each of your child pack items to keep them entertained for the long car ride. My kids are old enough already to take long car rides, but they still need some items to make the trip enjoyable: Oreos, sunnies, magazines, playlist of their favorite songs and earphones, of course!  We do not want arguing over which song to listen to.

4. Study the route.
Print out your map or look it up in Waze. Waze is such a big help to me for city driving. Whenever I have to go somewhere, I most often check Waze first for what route to take.  So far, it hasn't disappoint yet.  C also used it for the time he took the kids to go camping with him.

5. Assign seats.
You know your kids better than anyone, and you know who are likely to get on each other’s nerves one hour into the drive so do your best to avoid that by sitting them apart. Yes, sit them apart, even if they seem to get along well during the early part of the trip.  Magkakainisan din eventually.

6. Be firm about seatbelts.
I constantly remind everyone to buckle up before we go. Seat belts will only work if they are worn properly. I’ve been involved in two road accidents already, and have a first-hand experience on why seatbelts are the first thing we should put on before we leave our driveway.

At some point in my the past, I had a booster seat and 2 car seats strapped permanently in our van. I am so grateful those days are over! But for those of you still with car seats, do check that your car seats are securely strapped before your trip.

7. Bring snacks to eat in the car.
My kids love to eat! For them, there’s nothing better than enjoying their favorite snacks while on a road trip.

During our recent Tagaytay trip, my mommy friends and I all met up at Shell along SLEX to fuel up and also to get our OREO snacks.

8. Take short breaks.
We usually stop to take breaks at gasoline stations.  We use this time to refill on fuel, take bathroom breaks and let the kids eat at the resto of their choice.

My husband is quite the nitpick when it comes to the fuel for our cars, he insists that we only use Shell Nitro+ because it turns out to be more cost-efficient in the long run. 

Breaks are also a good excuse to get down from the car to stretch those arms and legs... and chikka with friends! Thanks for the photo, Mish!

When we go out of town, it is usually C or the driver who takes care of navigation so I never had to worry about it. But during our recent Tagaytay outing with my mommy blogger friends, it was just me and the girls. Even if I've been to Tagaytay several times in the past, I wasn't that confident that I could make it there on my own. So I asked to convoy with my friend Didi of The Candishhh Tales.  Lucky for me, Didi also took care of printing out a map for me.

For a tsuper-mom like myself, being part of a car convoy during a road trip is safer as there is someone to look-out for me.  Big thanks Didi! I do not really notice design features of cars, but for the first time in my life I cannot tell you how comforting it was for me to see the daytime rear lights on Didi's Audi as I trailed behind it.  I did not have to look hard for it as we navigated the highway. 

Thanks to Shell for the full-tank of Shell Nitro+ Racing.  After going to Tagaytay and then driving back home the next day, I only used up about 1/8 of the fuel.

I loaded up on Shell Nitro+ Racing, and I guess my husband was right all along, it is more expensive but it really is more cost-efficient.  For fuel-efficient driving, get some good tips from Shell Fuel Saving Tips.

Till the next road trip!

FOLLOW ME!