Azalea Residences Baguio City: A Launch Point For More Baguio Attractions

The second day looks so good from where I was. We were slowly enjoying our  breakfast buffet in TRADISYON, Azalea Residences Baguio's flagship restaurant. Their dishes mostly comprise Filipino comfort food and I did enjoy my plate as you can see.

Don't be surprised because I like local sausages and I had to taste two different ones during breakfast. I also had 4 eggs with this, all super well done on a separate plate. What diet? Even if you're just inside the hotel, a stay cation would be fine.

After breakfast, we ventured 30 minutes to the north and found ourselves in the midst of the Strawberry Fields of La Trinidad, Benguet. Some of us did engage farmers via strawberry picking, and vegetable harvest since they've got the crops alternated in the farm. After the long hours walking and picking strawberries, we went to the hills of Bahong La Trinidad to see how cut flowers and roses were picked.  

We had lunch at Jewel Igorot Restaurant at Bontoc Road in La Trinidad Benguet. I super loved the Sinigang na Bagnet which is air dried pork meat boiled in Tamarind based broth. They also got their own version of Buttered Chicken, served us Chopsuey and a bountiful Fruit Platter for dessert. Their interiors were more or less, eclectic. From hand me downs, antique china, sculpted drift wood figures, wooden bunk chairs, it felt like my own grandma actually owned the building. I bet the prices are dirt cheap, but really the Sinigang is really good. Perhaps when I go back to this place, I'll order that again.

Azalea Residences Baguio fixed up a tour that felt like the Amazing Race for us later on in the day. I was partnered with 4 different bloggers whom I don't know much about on that trip. They gave us 500 bucks and difficult clues so we could go to the other landmarks that made Baguio what it is today. Honestly, I already gave up right from the start but these gals kept their hopes up for me and went on our way. Would you believe we won and even had a few hours lead over the other teams. It was fun and amusing, the adrenaline rush kept kicking in. Thank you to these gals, Team #WalangForever won!

We started at 4pm and arrived at the hotel around 5:17PM. We're the first to win this ever! LOL

Then to celebrate the win, we had dinner and drinks at 2600 Gastropub over at Upper General Luna in Baguio City. It's a little new and quite established a following by the locals. If you wanna hook up, hang out and everything in between, 2600 Gastropub also has some pretty good food offered. It's bar food upscaled, some American as well. 

It can fit around 50-80 people. The bunk chairs are preferred. The walls are lined in neo industrial wall treatments, like pvc pipes painted on so it would look like steel. The backdrop's pretty much brick. 

I had the Tequila Crispy Porklets and Grilled American Ribs. It was nice to have bite sized portions of the Porklets but I felt the ribs was just okay as it probably may improve with a little more barbecue sauce or basting after a dry rub. Heard some good news though about the Bacon on their menu because they say it's divine! Maybe that's another reason to go back to this place when I'd be back to Baguio...I'm sure I will.

The night was still young so we went to the Night Market in Harrison plus nearby Session road for a little shopping. Bought a few things to fill up my half empty bag and turned out a little funny now because I returned the next day and bought more. Now, I had to buy another bag because there's no space anymore LOL. It's my first time to go thrift shopping so I got a little out of control I guess, but that's always a good thing

It's good because it was very near Azalea Residences Baguio and almost all the cab drivers know this place. So if you're in Baguio, you'll really never run out of things to do when you're in Azalea Residences. It's a great launch point when you plan to go to any point of Baguio City and nearby Benguet. You wouldn't feel alienated, like this is your second home. I think I could let you know more places to go in my next article, stay tuned for that! All our tours by the way was arranged by Azalea Residences Baguio City, so if you don't want to go through the trouble of making an itinerary let their experts handle it for you. As you can see, we had fun!

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW

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Azalea Residences Baguio City

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Weekend Group Getaway with Azalea Residences Baguio City

Had the chance to visit Baguio again. This place has its own charm. The people are warm and friendly, you've also got so much food to choose from and if you've got Azalea Residences Baguio as home, you'll learn so much more about the place, the culture and how to keep environmentally responsible whilst conducting huge businesses. 

Azalea Residences Baguio is cozy, no frills, a non air conditioned building too. They can keep it that way because of the climate in this part of the country. They also systematically placed fans in rooms so you won't feel hot at all while you're inside. I like it here.

We had dinner at Kalapaw, a small community restaurant that serves authentic Ilocandia dishes. I had the Pinakbet which is stewed vegetables in shrimp paste and pork rind. It was nice but I find the other dishes mediocre at best. It's a buffet, so it's up to you if you want sheer volume over other restaurants. As they say, you get what you pay for.

We also stopped for coffee at Cafe by the Ruins Dua which is their second branch out of 3. I asked for their best seller so this is what I got.

This is their signature Ruins Coffee and their premium croissant. The coffee had different notes on it, probably stirred by the amount of cinnamon or cardamom they had in it. The other breads were good too. Still, the coffee is worth a try.

This is their Ensaymada and Cinnamon Roll. It was a little dry, not as fresh as we expected. Maybe because it was already night time and they baked it in the morning. Still worth the visit though, just for experience sake. I could laud them on the interiors though because they've got art installations as lighting fixtures. Pretty as your next girlfriend. 

Then we went thrift shopping that night at Harrison Road where they had unbelievable deals on factory surplus shirts and thrifted products like bags, shoes, coats, jackets and toys. I also had the chance to eat my fave street food since they had them on both sides of the street. It was an amazing night to start our first day in Baguio City. 

We went back to our home in Baguio which is Azalea. I had a great night's sleep and prepared for our trips the next day. We loved every bit of it. 

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW

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For more information about their hotel:

Azalea Residences Baguio City

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8 Awesome Reasons To Travel North Luzon Now!

 

Now I'm no travel expert but I guess I'm a person hard to please. When it comes to traveling, sometimes I don't like places that I go to because it's too far, too crowded or the food sucks. Traveling North Luzon made me think about how this place is a little under appreciated, so I'm going to list down a few things that makes this an awesome travel spot for those who haven't done it yet!

1. The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)

Photo Bocaue Tollgate from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Luzon_Expressway)

It's easy to travel North now because the North Luzon Expressway made traveling faster and more efficient. The roads are perfect for long drives because it's maintained properly. The tollgates have EC cards which you can get prepaid so you don't have to queue. Compared to regular roads that can take you several hours to go to the north, this will cut the travel time enormously. The view is also spectacular and just needs a short turn to go to towns along it. It made everything freaking easy, I suggest you come along with friends so you can save up gas and toll fees. It'll be worth it!

2. The Festivals

7107 International Music Festival

If it's a FIESTA made for  a town's patron saint or a FIESTA made for thanksgiving, or a full pledged Music Festival with International acts no matter what genre it is, the North Luzon provinces are full of it! Our country is at least celebrating one fiesta per day, now imagine that done all throughout the year! This is the Philippines so we make it BIG!

3. The Old Churches

 

There's nothing even greater than seeing and believing in Churches as the house of God. For those who are religious, you'll be surely blessed by visiting these century old or more churches to renew faith and learn a little more about the country's history as we are around 80% Roman Catholic. You'll meet the locals in and around towns that are centered in these areas. The architecture, the details of the walls are all heavenly... surely it's something that should be seen!

4. Some of the World's Best Beaches 

You can have a view worthy of postcards even without leaving the island of Luzon. The spectacular beaches of Pagudpod of which some remains untouched and has got less commercialization just spells paradise. It's also windy up here so the Windmills of Bangui can get you electricity and supply the great part of the province without the need for other power sources that's nature friendly and safe. The water is cold while the weather is hot, perfect combination to relax in a hammock tied between coconut trees and have a beer on hand. Isn't that the perfect summer?

5. The Food

Taking a guiltless pleasure on some of the most unnoticed dishes in the country like "Dinengdeng" (Local Vegetables in Grilled Fish broth)  or the oh so crunchy "Bagnet" (Deep Fried Crispy Air Dried Pork) which is so good. Aside from that, they've also got Ilocos Empanada done in so many ways from Vigan to other cities in this province. The famous Vigan Longganisa also is the best thing for breakfast in the country. I could have kilos of this in one sitting and still want more. Do not hesitate to taste this and more when you visit the region. 

6. Cheap Accommodations

Azalea Residences Baguio City

North Luzon has varied rates for accommodations. You can opt for hotels or huge residences like this one or get cheap ones in bus terminals. You can also opt for transient homes in the suburbs for better chances to meet locals too. Just stay nice and friendly as they will return the smiles back at you. They are ample enough for those that are just passing by or to spend a few days in these provinces. It's a good thing to immerse yourself in the culture and live with the locals so you can experience what it's like in the North Luzon path. Some are cold, some humid, but all in all a spectacular place to be in when in the lovely cities you get lost in. Everyone speaks a little or more English so it's not a big deal to say you've got language barriers.

7. Vigan Vies for 7 Wonder Cities of the World

 They have now been able to get into the final 21 cities and they are vying for the final 7. Vigan has got lots of history. They have some of the most picturesque cobbled stone streets and tourist spots not seen in any Asian country. To learn more on how to vote for them, please read my article here.

8. NLEX "Tara Na Sa Norte!" (Let's go to the North!)

Going to the North is definitely one thing that anyone should try when in Luzon. Now it's going to be made even better as they'll showcase deals in travel, accommodation and their products in one venue right here in Manila. From July 25-27, 2014 they'll set up shop at the Glorietta Activity Center in the city of Makati. There will be over 100 vendors offering the best hotels, products, restaurants, small and medium enterprises from the best in the region on these dates. This is put up by the Manila North Tollways Corporation and co presented by the Department of Tourism Regions 1, 2 and 3 plus the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). This is also supported by Ayala Malls, North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Clark Development Corporation, Maynilad, PhilHydro, Cebu Pacific and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. 

Now if that isn't enough reason to go to the North of Luzon, I don't know what will!

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Tara Na Sa Norte!

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