Our PMA Fieldtrip

 

My boys have always been fascinated with men in uniform, with my youngest wanting to be a soldier.  What better way to fuel their dreams but by bringing them to the primary military institution in the country.

 

So in our last Baguio vacation, we found ourselves on a field trip with the kiddos to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

 

 

PMA grounds has been kept pristine clean and refreshing.

 

 

Picture perfect playground with the most relaxing of atmosphere.

 

 

 

One of the highlights of our PMA trip are the model tanks and helicopters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a bit saddened my boys did not get to see marching cadets. Although we did manage to take glimpses of cadets walking in unison - good enough, hopefully next time we will strike lucky. 

 

 

TIPS:

(a) Drop by the souvenir shops and buy PMA shirts and PMA trinkets for cool "pasalubong".

(b) Visit the PMA webpage and read its history to get better appreciation of your trip.

(c) Head off and check the PMA Museum, it may be small, but still worth the visit. 

(d) PMA is very strict on traffic rules.   Remember to cross the street using the  pedestrian lane and maintain car speed while driving.

(e) Don't wear slippers as these are not permitted inside the academy.

 

Forest House Bistro and Cafe Baguio

 

I had to make sure, that we get in, the famous Forest House Bistro and Café this time!  The last uneventful visit, when we were refused entry (since I underestimated the place and forego reservations) - was truly a bad experience. 

 

I called up Forest House and confirmed a dinner table for four. 

 

We came a little early for dinner and it was a good thing, since parking is limited and could be a nightmare if we came a little later.

 

The place was half full when we came in.  The place is intimate and nicely decorated in cottage-country home motif and lovely eye candy trinkets all over. 

 

There is a small veranda outside,

but view wasn't as terrific as I thought.  

 

 

We ordered the house specialties from L-R/T-B, Forest House wine sauced chicken, mini burgers with fries, fettuccine carbonara and baby back ribs.

 

VERDICT

AMBIANCE - Homey and relaxed, however, I was disappointed with the view. I was expecting more.  BenCab's Café Sabel has by far a more superior view and would choose Café Sabel on the basis of view alone.

 

STAFF - Nice and attentive, but service is quite slow.

 

PRICE - On the expensive side. 

 

FOOD - Good, but not exceptional.  The carrot cake that we ordered was perfect with our Forest House coffee.

 

Next time, we would probably be back for an afternoon coffee or tea, with one of their yummy deserts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revisiting Azalea Residences

 

We were so pleased with our previous stay at Azalea, so a repeat stay was an obvious no brainer.  We were back for the 2nd time for a quick last minute vacation before school officially opens.

 

I got a 1 bedroom loft via Agoda.com.  I think it was a very good deal that came with buffet breakfast. 

 

I was half-awed to see how spacious the room is.   The room is 45sq m.  It has a bedroom with a queen size bed and a sofa bed in the living room (sleeps 4 comfortably). The place is so big it can fit probably another 2-3 single beds more.

 

The room also came with 2 LCD TVs with cable (however, I find the channels were very limited) and DVD players. 

 

Like the previous room we stayed in the last time, there is a working kitchen and dining area with full size refrigerator, microwave oven. 

 

Unfortunately, the 1 bedroom loft does not offer a view.  The windows were small and too high.  Not much natural lights comes into the room. I actually find it too dimmed.  Would have loved to get a view and some fresh Baguio air.

 

 

The bathroom is clean, but has a wet wood smell.  Complimentary toiletries were just okay. Hot water was, however, near impossible to get. 

Having said that, this place is still perfect for travelling families who would like to save a few bucks by cooking their own meals instead of outside dining.  Huge rooms at very reasonable price.

TIPS: Bring lots of DVD movies for the kids to watch as the cable channels were limited. 

Matutina's Seafood House and Restaurant (the real deal)!

If you are looking for an authentic Filipino dining experience in Pangasinan, I suggest a stop over at Matutina's

(skip the annexes and head to the original branch; we were at  Matutina's Annex I branch last time and we were a bit disappointed).

 

The main branch is beautiful. It's ceiling is adorned with exquisite capiz tile chandeliers. 

 

The restaurant has an outdoor seating next to a small but lovely garden and an indoor air-conditioned room for those who would like to escape the summer heat.

We wanted to keep our orders simple (since I over ordered in our initial visit - for sharing orders are quite big and we were not very hungry, and decided on their breakfast viands).

From L-R, T-B we ordered (a) 2 sets boneless bangus; (b) turon (with generous portions of  saging and langka); (c) complimentary bukayo sweets; and (d) 2 sets longsilog  (not in picture is our pitcher or brewed tea and coffee

Our orders were all spot on.  I especially enjoyed the boneless bangus and turon (yummy). Ambiance is way, way better here than at the annex. Staff here were very amiable and attentive as well.

 

We will definitely drop by the Original Matutina's again in our North Luzon adventure!

 

Le Monet Hotel - Our Family's Best Find Hotel at Camp John Hay, Baguio

To officially end summer, my husband and I decided on an impromptu last minute Baguio escape. I turned to the ever reliable Agoda.com for hotel promotions and found the perfect place for our rendezvous, the Le Monet Hotel.

 

The Le Monet Hotel is located in touristy Camp John Hay (CJH).  It may be troublesome to stay here if you will be using public transport, but CJH remains to be the best place to be at, when in Baguio. 

 

The surrounding pine trees and forest, cool climate and serene environment is what I have always loved about this city.

 

It's location makes Le Monet a more reasonably-priced alternative to expensive Camp John Hay Manor.

 



From L-R; (a) Flat TV with very good movie and children channels; (b) Our veranda with forest view; (c) Mini bar (prices not as expensive as I first thought); (d) Two huge twin beds which can fit a family of 4 comfortably


The hotel is spic and span and beautifully scented too. The carpet, linen and curtains looks newly washed.

We stayed in a deluxe twin with a forest view veranda (perfect for a cup of hot coffee or cocoa). I find the room quite small, but it has everything we needed for a comfortable stay.

From L-R Bathroom is immaculately clean (a) Separate shower with good hot and cold water; (b) A plus TV inside the bathroom, which my kiddos grew very fond of; (c) Toiletries (not much to say)  

It is truly a beautiful hotel and we love that it has a heated pool (I don't know any other hotels in Baguio with a heated pool).  Seems a bit zany, but my boys enjoyed swimming in Baguio.

Crazy boys swimming in cold Baguio City (remember to inform any of the attending staff ahead of you plan swimming so that they can pre-heat the pool, before diving in) 

Le Monet is indeed a perfect alternative to expensive Camp John Hay Manor.

 

 

 

Marooned in Mabilao Pangasinan for 3days and 2 nights

... the good kind of stranded...

 

I knew I should have just booked a night, I don't know what pushed me to reserve two.  Our trip was on a Holy Week and the resort was a little off the poblacion, so there was very little happenings. 

 

But it was okay, it was fun bonding with my kiddos, who obviously doesn't mind we weren't doing anything so long as we were together (I so love these boys)!

 

We stayed at Happy Ripples Resort, in the far away Magbilao Pangasinan, booked via Agoda (which is how I would normally book hotels). Do keep in mind that this is a basic resort and not a luxury hotel.  For the price we paid (with free breakfast),  this resort is actually a very good find! 

 

Happy Ripples is located right next to the beach, it was perfect for my sand addicted kiddos. The sand, although not powdery white like Boracay, was fine enough for early morning or late afternoon  barefoot (even for my boys) beach strolls.

 

 

• We were welcomed to a studio room with two double beds (fits four medium size adults comfortably). The place was decent and clean, however, there were no standard toiletries offered (just soap and shampoo).

• Beds were just okay, none of my boys complained (but then my boys are cowboys, and I am a queen, so I felt much better using my own linens. It was good I brought one). I think they were so tired with their beach frolicking they automatically shifted to sleep mode, right after they went to bed.

• Electricity was a bit of a problem, fluctuates every now and then affecting the air-conditioning (will not cool in the afternoon, but it was very cold at night - so it was again just okay since we were out beach bumming day time).

• There is a TV in our room, but no cable. Reception was also poor we only get two channels (hahaha)!

• Pool is small, but I think just right for a resort with only 10+ rooms. 

 

 

  Cell signals (Smart, Globe and Sun) were bad from our room, but works well from their view deck, were you get perfect view of the sunset. 

 

 Food was not superb, but was good and plenty. 

 We could take our meal anywhere in the resort we wish, we would almost always have it up the view deck of course.

 

The fact that there only limited rooms was great since there were not very many people. We were there on a Holy Week and were so happy we have the beach stretch just to ourselves (and a very few others) unlike the resorts nearby, swarming with people and hawkers.

 

A 3 days hiatus from gadgets and computers.  

It was just the beach, each other and our  imagination.

  

This resort is perfect for some peaceful family bonding time.

 

P.S. The waves in this side of Pangasinan gets really rough.  I do not recommend for families with very small children. 

 

 

Happy Ripples Beach Resort is located in

Mabilao, San Fabian, Pangasinan.

Landline: (075) 560-2076;  Mobile: 0918.529.6979, 0943.709.1667; Email: happyripplesresort@yahoo.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 
 

 

Ridgewood Residence Baguio (our little Camp John Hay Manor)

 

I was on a hunt for a last minute decent, but affordable hotel accommodation in Baguio on a Holy Week and saw this small boutique hotel via Asia Travel.  Ridgewood Residence's price was perfect for our budget.

 

There were mixed reviews (both good and bad) in the net, but given the price (which was a major consideration) and the difficulty of looking for an alternative hotel on a Holy Week, I don't think I can really be choosy now, can I? 

From Top (L-R), (a) Ridgewood signage, (b) hotel view form the drive way, (c) Ridgewood's walk-in garden and (d) my boys cozily seating by the receiving area.

From Top to Bottom (L-R), (a) clean basic bath, (b) generous toiletries supply and (c) my youngest doing his famous bed test :P 



From L-R (Top to Bottom), (a) Dining interiors, (b) buffet breakfast set-up, (c) fresh fruits and (d) my boys ready for breakfast 

Ridgewood Residences is akin to a mini-Camp John Hay Manor (CJHM) in looks.  It has a rustic ambiance to it, transporting guests back to the old Baguio I used to know. 

This hotel is tucked a few minutes away, Baguio City proper.
This may be difficult for those, without personal transportation (although taxi is not at all difficult to find), but for us, this was an opportunity to really get to enjoy Baguio's beauty away from the crowd and pollution.   

The hotel also has one of most attentive and amiable personnel, I have met, which gives the feel you are staying in your own vacation home.

The choices for the complimentary buffet breakfast were limited, but these were very delicious (well, the fact that breakfast was served by cordial staff spelled the difference).

If you are looking for cozy-homey hotel in Baguio City, Ridgewood Residence may be the hotel for you.

Ridgewood Residences is located at #17 Julian Felipe St., Brgy. Lualhati, Baguio City. 

For inquiries you may call their Manila Office at (632) 299-6411 or through mobile (632) 299-6411.


Notes: 
(a) The deluxe room may be a little small for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids, I would suggest you get an extra bed or book a bigger room.

(b) The rooms are not air-conditioned, but you wont need any (just open the veranda windows and feel Baguio's magic).