A Quick Weekend Trip to Baguio

Baby’s age: 8 months

We love how Baguio is extra cold in January. We were there for a wedding and to revisit this place that I’ve always been weirdly fond of. To sum up our trip, these are the things I loved most about our first visit with Summer.

1.       The cool weather

The first week of January is generally much colder than the rest of the year. Summer always liked the cold and would sweat like crazy even inside an airconditioned room. While in Baguio, we could tell how much she loved it because she slept most of the time – when we ate in restaurants, while we were resting in our hotel room, while strolling around. The little girl and the cold is a match made in heaven! 

2.       Dressing up in layers

It is always fun to dress up in layers. It’s even more fun to be able to eat more because the bulges will not show. I was excited to see Summer in cute bonnets and footwear. She was also finally able to wear the many fleece sleepwear we got as gifts.

Since we brought our own car coming here, I did not have to worry about packing light. I brought all her cute clothes and accessories.

3.       The nostalgic walk along Session road and it’s side streets

However crowded and chaotic it may become, part of Baguio’s charm is that familiar walk along Session Road. I have such fond memories of this since childhood all the way to being with Russ as a young couple. I was to be there as a young family.

Traffic in Baguio has become crazy and parking along Session Road can be tough so depending on where you are going, I think it would be better to just ride a taxi and leave the car at the hotel.

One thing I never noticed in the past was that Session Road is not stroller friendly. I cannot remember any ramps that we passed by or used. We had to fold our stroller and carry Summer many times. It would be more useful and convenient to just bring a carrier. If stroller is the only option, better bring a lightweight stroller.

4.       The Manor

There are many new hotels and accommodations in Baguio that we are yet to try. For this trip, we stayed at The Manor. It is more expensive and more isolated than the other places but it undeniably remains to be grand and charming. The room was huge. The many counter space and the mini kitchen was very useful to us especially for washing and drying the bottles. I thoroughly enjoyed using the coffee press while Summer took naps. We enjoyed walking around the garden and looking at the clouds while waiting for the sun to rise.

5.       The food

Baguio is one of the destinations to visit for those looking for a gastronomic retreat. Just like in Manila, there are so many choices of restaurants offering different cuisines. We have tried as many as we could. One of the downsides of travelling with only two adults is that we only get to try so much. My favorite eats for this trip were:

Vizco’s Strawberry shortcake. It was fluffy, with right balance of sugar and cream. It was perfect for our coffee and tea.

Good Taste restaurant is one of the busiest and most interesting restaurants I have ever tried. The affordable prices and fast service aside, what really made its mark on my mind was the dining experience. It felt like dining in an eatery or canteen, absolutely no frills. It was such a hit among locals that there were so many people inside the massive dining hall and on the waiting area. The best way I can describe it is the feeling of being a chance passenger in a bus station during the Holy Week rush. The upside of travel with only two adults is that we get seats much faster that the bigger groups. I have not really seen it being mentioned in the recommendations online but their cream puffs and egg pies are both cheap and delicious.

6.       Ili Likha Village

From session road, we entered one of the side streets leading to Ili Likha Artist Village. This is sort of a sister building of Oh My Gulay. I wanted to see this because I had missed this stop during my past visits. It was smaller than I imagined but still very interesting. The structure was definitely stroller friendly. We left our stroller at the first floor and walked our way up. I had doubts about the structural integrity of the building. We were extra cautious while walking around because it was so easy to miss a step on any of the gaps. If you are visiting with young children better hold the kids close.

Most of the stores were already closed when we arrived at 8:00pm. We were lucky to still be able to buy a bowl of Balbacua which was what we came here for. To sum it up, it was a bowl of soup. It was steaming hot and which was comforting during the cold night such as our visit. The little girl looked somewhat curious about the soup but more curious about the many things she could see around.

7.       Bencab Museum

I’ve had many attempts to visit Bencab Museum. I just did not have the chance to do so in each of them. For this trip, because we brought our car, I made sure I’d make it there.

Coming here was such a great idea. I fell in love with theeir structure that let in a lot of light and air. It is an element that I want to have in my future home. The view was amazing. Museums are my thing and I wish it will eventually rub off on Summer. It is not stroller friendly and we needed to carry her up and down the stairs. We were not allowed to do the 30-minute hike because of the baby.

Traffic going back was terrible and the baby got bored but the trip was worth it.

8.       Our easy drive to Baguio and back home

The best part of this trip was that Summer slept almost the whole time during our drive to and from Baguio. We were able to chat a bit and I was able to rest and nap so I had the energy to take care of her when we arrived. This is something parents of travelling families always hope for.