Baguio on a Budget 2018

Wondering how much to spend for your Baguio trip? You can actually spend less without settling for less as long as you have travel buddies to share the expenses with. Below is the summary of our itinerary/expenses during our Baguio Trip.

ITINERARY

Day 1

• 11:30PM   -  Off to Baguio
• 4:30AM    -  Breakfast at Good Taste
• 6:00AM    -  Mass at Baguio Cathedral
• 7:00AM    -  Camp John Hay
• Butterfly Sanctuary
• Cemetery of Negativism
• Liberty Loop
• Bell House
• Bell Ampitheatre
• Secret Garden Walk
• 10:30AM  -  Snacks at Choco-late de Batirol
• 11:00AM   -  The Mansion and Wright Park
• 12:00NN   -  Minesview Park and Good Shepherd
• 1:00PM     -  Lunch at a Restaurant outside Minesview Park
• 2:00PM    -  Check in at Cafe Caridad
• 7:30PM    -  Dinner at Pizza Volante in Session Road
• 9:30PM    -  Night Market at Harrison Road

Day 2

• 7:00AM   -   Breakfast at Chowking (just a minute walk from our Transient House)
• 10:00AM   -   Check out at Cafe Caridad
• 10:30AM   -   Early Lunch at 50s Diner Session Road
• 12:00NN   -   Tam-Awan Village
• 1:30PM   -   Baguio Market
• 3:00PM   -   Meryenda at my Uncle's house
• 7:00PM   -   Off to Cubao

So far, we're able to make the most out of our trip and we didn't had a hard time travelling from one tourist spot to another because the taxis are everywhere. There are still a lot of tourist spots to visit but there's always a next time.

For the expenses:

so for less than P2500, you'll get to tour around several tourist destinations and eat at several local restaurants in Baguio. If you want to buy some pasalubong, an additional P300-P500 in your budget will be more than enough.

DIY Baguio Tour 2018

After three years, we were finally able to visit Baguio again and I'd say this time, we're able to make the most of our trip.

In this post, I'll be sharing our itinerary during our 2-day stay. Before our trip, I already planned the places we'll be visiting that's why  we didn't have much idle time there.

It's already past 11PM when we arrived at the Victory Liner Terminal in Cubao (the one located beside Grand Prix). i was actually planning to take the 11:55PM trip but since they have a bus departing at 11:30PM, we rode that one instead. There's not much people travelling at night so everything was smooth. I only spent 5 minutes in their ticket booth and in no time, we're already being boarded. The fare is still at P455 (Student fare is P356).

We didn't mind the zig zags and the long travel time since we're all sleeping during the 5-hour trip.

Upon arriving, we went off to Good Taste to have our Breakfast. The taxi fare from Victory Liner Terminal to Good Taste is P50 and there are a lot of taxis waiting outside the terminal so you could easily hire one. The generous serving of their delicious Buttered Chicken made sure that we'll be full during our city tour.

After taking our Breakfast, we walked all the way to Session Road to attend the mass in Baguio Cathedral. We're just in time for the 6AM mass.

After the mass, we went off to Camp John Hay. The taxi fare from Baguio Cathedral to Camp John Hay is P70. The Bell House is still closed and the guard said it opens at 8AM so we just explored around. We took photos in the Liberty Loop first, then went around the Cemetery of Negativism. Then we went to visit the Butterfly Sanctuary. There is an entrance fee of P70 and for that price, you'll get to have unlimited photos with the Butterflies. I think that's overpriced but we paid it anyway for the experience. At exactly 8AM we're already walking towards to entrance of the Bell House and they're already open. We paid an entrance fee of P60 each and for that amount, you'll get to visit the Bell House, the Bell Ampitheatre, the Secret Garden, and the Trail. We spent an hour and a half roaming around, taking pictures and appreciating the place.

Our next stop after the Bell House is Choco-late de Batirol. Our taxi fare costed P50. The place is hidden behind trees and it's cozy but Instagrammable.Since all of us are still full from our heavy Breakfast, we opted to just try their Hot Chocolate. I loved their Baguio Blend. It just has the right amount of sweetness unllike the Choco Mallows. We spent 40 minutes in this place before we went off to Wright Park.

From Choco-late de Batirol to Wright Park, the taxi fare is P50. We took pictures in front of the Mansion first before roaming around Wright Park. Just outside the park, there are a lot of vendors selling strawberries and grapes, and Strawberry taho. Inside the park, there are stalls selling souvenirs and pasalubong so I was able to buy my kids tshirts. There are a lot of empty picnic chairs and tables so we're able to rest there and had some snacks.

It's already past 11AM when we left Wright Park and headed off to Minesview Park. The taxi fare to Minesview Park is P50. There are also a lot of stalls there just outside the park selling pasalubongs but we will still visit the market tomorrow so I will just buy my pasalubongs there. We took the stairs to go to the View Deck and since the place is so crowded, we just left after a few minutes and walked all the way to Good Shepherd. At around 12:30PM, we're already walking back to Minesview Park but I was disappointed when I learned that there's no 50s Diner there contrary to what I read in Google so We have to settle in one of the carinderias. We're all done by 1:30PM so we headed off to Cafe Caridad in City Camp Alley where we'll be staying.

At Cafe Caridad

Everyone's really tired after a half day tour so we all went to sleep right after checking in. We woke up at 7:30PM already and we're all hungry so we took a taxi to Pizza Volante in Session Road to have our Dinner. Fare is P50. It's already past 9PM when we finished our Dinner so we just walked to Harrison Road to check out the night market. After a few hours of going through all stuffs and cheap finds, we're all tired and went back to our transient.

The following day, we're still tired from a lot of walking during our first day so we just bought coffee from 7 11 and went back to our room. It's a good thing everything we need is just a few minute walk from our place.

After checking out at 10AM, we walked all the way to Session Road again and took our Brunch in 50s Diner. Finally, we're able to dine here and I'd say it's the best I've ever had in Baguio. After eating, we're supposed to be visiting Bell Church but since it's already past 12NN, they're already closed and will open again at 1:30PM. We visited Tam-Awan Village instead and it's not really for me since I haven't fully recovered from my knee surgery yet. The fare is P90. I was challenged by the trail but I survived even though I almost faint  because of my acrophobia (fear of heights). I loved the paintings displayed in their gallery and I'm hoping to buy a masterpiece or two in the future.

After visiting Tam-Awan, we finally headed off to my favorite place in Baguio, the market. The fare from Tam-Awan to the market is P90. After buying pasalubongs, we went to my Uncle's house and spent the afternoon there and come evening, they accompanied us to the terminal.

It's another great experience for us being in Baguio and I'm already excited to visit next year.

Family Day in Baguio - June 2015

It was 2008 since I last visited Baguio and I felt mixed emotions to see that it's very different now. It doesn't have the laid back ambiance that it used to have before. It lost its simplicity but in spite of that, the city still didn't lost its charm and beauty.

It was June 12 and we didn't have any plans earlier that day. My mind is set to just taking a beauty rest for the whole week that I was on vacation leave but then, Hubby texted his brother who happen to be here in Manila for a week long leave too and asked if he wants to go to Baguio. After exchanging a few text messages, our trip was set. I searched online for possible accommodations but all inns are fully booked during that time because of the long weekend. We don't want to spend a lot in fancy hotels so we just decided we'd find a transient house once we're there.

By 7PM, there were no tickets in Victory Liner and Genesis available for reservations anymore while in Dagupan Bus Line, they're on a first come, first serve basis but we don't want to be travelling early in the evening since we don't have any hotel reservation and we don't know where we'll be staying until morning so, we just agreed on catching the 11PM bus. It's a good thing that Hubby's sister went to the terminal earlier since they were able to get us a van that will take us there. Fare is P600, a bit pricier compare to bus fare of P420 but the trip is smooth and fast since the driver took the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). It's expensive to go that way since you have to pay three toll fees (NLEX, SCTEX P218 then TPLEX P218) but if budget's not a problem, it will be better to take the expressway. We left Cubao by 12MN and took the usual 6-hr trip to Baguio in just 4.5 hours so we arrived earlier than expected. It's a good thing that my Uncle and his wife are already awake at that time so, as soon as we're at the terminal, I texted my Uncle to ask how we can go around the city but instead of giving me instructions and tips, they picked us up from the terminal right after we had our breakfast.

After an hour of looking for a place to stay, we were finally able to get a transient house. It's a unit inside a building just beside Golden Pine Hotel. It has a living area, kitchen, dining area, 2 large bedrooms, and a decent comfort room and it only costed P3500.

We only rested for an hour then by 9AM, the van service arranged by my Uncle arrived to pick us for our city tour.

The driver is also the owner of the Starex and he said that we're the second group of tourists that hired the van. We can see that it's really new because the plastic covers are still intact. We paid P2000 for the 8-hr city tour. It's supposed to be P2500 but my Aunt and Uncle haggled so we were given discount. I created another post for the details of our city tour which can be found HERE.

It's just 4PM but we're already tired so we asked driver to take us back to our unit so that we could rest for a bit.

Everyone's tired but happy but our day didn't end there. I woke up at past 10PM and I asked Hubby if he wants to check out the Night Market since there's one just a few steps from our unit. We went there and I didn't expect to see a lot of things are being sold there but mostly Ukay ukays. I checked out things I can buy for pasalubong but there are just key chains and scarfs. After we reached the end of the night market, we went to eat street foods. I bought Dinengdeng and Rice for just P35 (the taste is just okay for the price) while Hubby bought Shawarma for P50. After eating, we went back to our unit to fetch his brothers since we passed by some bars there and thought we'd drink a bottle or two. We're already late because his brothers were already out when we arrived so, we just decided we'll walk to Session Road. I felt sad to see that it's already different from what I can remember. Before, there used to be old restaurants and thrift shops but now all we saw were fastfood restaurants. There's even Starbucks along Session Road. Oh well, nothing's really constant. I was expecting to feel nostalgic but instead I felt disappointed. And so my day ended with disappointment and a bit of sadness because I have a lot of happy childhood memories in Baguio which seem to have disappeared with those old buildings and shops.

The following day, Hubby and I walked down the market to buy pasalubongs after our morning jogging in Burnham Park. We happened to pass by a Korean Street Food stall. We tried out Gimari. It tasted like the Vietnamese Spring Rolls and it's good. Then we went back to our place to pack our things. At exactly 12NN, we left the unit and went to SM to have our lunch. It's jam packed but we're able to get seats at Dencio's.

We had our pictures taken there and after that we went to the bus terminal just beside SM. The Saulog bus left at 4PM and we arrived at our house at 10PM.

The trip is very tiring but it's worth it. Next time, I'm hoping to visit Banaue and Sagada, and maybe Ilocos and Batanes but for now I need to save a lot for those trips. LOL

Puerto Princesa (Part 2) - Honda Bay Tour

Puerto Princesa (Part 1) - DIY City Tour 

After we had our breakfast, our Tour Guide, Kuya Rodel arrived to take us to Sta. Lourdes Wharf, the pick-up and drop-off point for Honda Bay Island Hopping. He agreed to take us there and back to Tres for P500.

Japanese-style Breakfast at Tres

On our way to the port, we dropped by a shop to rent some snorkeling gears (P150/set) and a waterproof camera case (P350). It's a bit pricey compared to those shops on the pier itself but it was explained to us that the gears are being sterilized before they are rented out so I guess it won't harm to shed a few extra bucks for hygiene.

At the wharf, Kuya Rodel assisted us in getting a boat. He gave us a list of what we need to pay. It includes the rental for a small boat (P1300) and Environmental fee (P80/pax)

This is an outdated rate. The entrance fees already increased.Pandan P125, Starfish P50, Pambato Reef P50, LuLi P60

We head off to Pandan Island first. It's my favorite among the other islands we visited. It's called Pandan Island because the Pandan Trees are abundant here.

Pandan Island

Underwater View

I enjoyed this place very much because you can see fishes swimming even in the shallow part of the beach. Fish feeding is also allowed so we brought some bread crumbs while snorkeling.

We didn't brought any packed meal so we spent our lunch here. It's pricey but we don't have any choice. Other islands don't have restos or stores where you can buy food.

Our lunch: BBQ (P20/stick), Steamed Talaba (P300/order), Rice (P20/cup)
Table rental is at P300

Fresh Buko at P25

At 1PM, we head off to Starfish Island. There's not much to see there but it has some cottages where you can take a nap. But who wants to nap on an Island Hopping Tour?

Starfish Island

Next destination is Pambato Reef. This is where the snorkeling gears are needed because you will not see the view underwater without them. I was too afraid to snorkel here since the water they said is about 40m deep but our boatman guided us. He had us hold on to a rope while pulling us around.

Floating cottages in Pambato Reef

Our fourth and final destination was the LuLi Island. It's called LuLi which is short for Lulubog-Lilitaw since the island is not visible during high tide. We're so tired already after arriving on that island so we just rested and waited for the boatman to take us back to the wharf.

The overall experience was great. It's something that is really worth-trying in Palawan

Puerto Princesa (Part 1) - DIY City Tour

My husband and I went to Puerto Princesa last January 2013. We didn't really know what to expect since it's both our first time to visit the city. 

A few weeks before our "three-day Palawan getaway", I booked a room for two nights at Tres Pension House for P2500 via Agoda.com. It's much cheaper if you will book with them directly since the room only costs P1100. The price includes complementary breakfast for two and airport transfer.

So, after arriving at the airport, their van is already waiting for us outside.

We arrived at 9AM and they don't allow early check-in, so we have to wait until 1PM.

The receptionist asked us if we have any itinerary for the day. We said we'll just have a DIY city tour so she immediately called Kuya Rodel, an accredited tour guide to take us around. The usual charge for a half day city tour usually costs P600/head if arranged by a travel agency, but with Kuya Rodel, we only paid P600 for a whole day tour.

Tres Pension House - Reception Area

Shoes are off limits here

My husband with Kuya Rodel

If you plan to have a city tour in Palawan, You may contact Kuya Rodel directly on his cellphone 09092128096

Here are the places we visited:

On our way to Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (Prison without walls)

Entrance to Iwahig Prison

It's called Prison without walls because the prisoners can freely roam the farm.

This used to be the Souvenir Shop

Balsahan Pool inside Iwahig Prison

Crocodile Farm

Mitra's Ranch

Baker's Hill

We had our lunch at Baker's Hill. Price ranges from P200-300

Butterfly Sanctuary

Palawan Museum

Immaculate Conception Church

Plaza Cuartel

Baywalk

Some of our destinations have entrance fees from P10-150 but I think they're all worth visiting.

At 5PM, we're done with the tour so we were brought back to Tres.