Travelogue

Friday, January 20, 2012

50's Diner (Baguio)

50's Diner-- another resto in Baguio that you shouldn't miss.

It was (literally) a stone's throw away from PNKY.

We went there early, around 6:30PM as I've read in the reviews that the place is always full.

And it was! Even at 6:30PM. We were 5th on the waiting list when we got there.

From the name itself, the whole ambience of the resto was inspired by the 50s.

There were vintage music dics and a gallery of photos of 50s music legends.

According to our trusty guide and dear friend, a few years back, their food servers were on roller skates living up to the full 50s vibe. But I think with the increasing patronage, it would be difficult, more so dangerous, to carry the food on skates and wade their way though the hungry crowd.

That's me and my mickey mouse (the drink). Don't ask me why they name it as such. Lol.

I forgot what we ordered. Bad cheetah, I know! Hehe. Actually, I wasn't paying that much attention because I was so damn hungry that time. After our excruciating 30-minute horseback riding (more like praying for me than riding, as my horse was so playful and wanted to gallop), I can't wait to devour the food we ordered.

Cafe by the Ruins (Baguio)

We had dinner here on our first night in Baguio.

Cafe by the Ruins is one of the must-visit dining places in Baguio. It sits right across the City Hall.

Here's what we ordered:

When in Baguio, don't miss to try their fresh strawberry shake.

During our visit, there was a group of locals sitting around what seemed like a bonfire, minus the bonfire (you get it? Hehe). Actually, it was a place to set-up a bonfire, but on that night, there was none. Some of the locals were playing instruments, some were chanting. Others were dancing to the enchanting music that was produced.

I was curious on why it was named as Cafe by the Ruins. After googling, I found out that the 'ruins' they are referring to are the remains of this garden theater.

Cafe by the Ruins

Chuntug Street,

Baguio City

Philippines

info@cafebytheruins.com

Monday, January 9, 2012

PNKY Bed & Breakfast and PNKY Cafe

For our anniversary getaway in the City of Pines (Baguio City), we stayed at PNKY Bed & Breakfast. The budget traveller in us chanced upon this fairly great deal courtesy of Groupon- a 3D/2N stay at 45% off its original price. The deal comes with daily plated breakfast and a complimentary lunch (or dinner).

PNKY is located Leonard Wood Road, a perfect location to have a quiet and romantic vacation. It's situated just outside the heart of the city, but not too far if you want to enjoy the cool Baguio breeze while strolling at night. Commuting from one place to another proved to be very convenient as well.

We were booked at the Baguio Blue Room, which sits a king-size bed and a single bed. A family of four can be comfortably accommodated in this room.

I couldn't be happier with the room that we got. Everywhere I look, I see blue! I particularly loved the blue sky-clouds painting on the ceiling and walls. Like most establishments in Baguio, our room does not have aircon. Yet, come nighttime, we were freezing with the cold temperature. The already-thick sheets and comforter were not even enough to keep us warm.

PNKY is actually a house that was converted into a bed & breakfast inn. In the receiving area, numerous art works and nifty crafts are being displayed for sale.

A perfect place to enjoy the scent of pine trees.

Right beside the inn is their cafe.

Don't you just love how they made use of vintage maletas?

A romantic nook where we chose to have our complimentary lunch.

PNKY Bed & Breakfast

13 Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City

Email: reservations@pnkyhome.com

Contact No.: 0922-818-4247

Map:

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Higatangan Island

This was the next stop of our Naval trip leg. Higatangan Island is famous for its moving sand bar which stretches up to 200 meters to the sea.

We stayed at Higatangan Island Beach Resort, where we booked two rooms. One room (I think it's a Family Room) can fit up to 6 persons. Here's a little trivia: they only have electricity from 7pm-10pm. BUT, the powerful and mighty friend of ours, aka Honey Ang, was able to ask the resort staff to extend our electricity beyond 3 hours!

There were more than 15 of us in this particular trip, yet we booked only two rooms. The others set up tents on the resort's spacious garden. I actually envy them. The last time I slept inside a tent was more than 10 years ago.

Remember my love-hate relationship with ROCKS here? Well, this is the culminating part. We walked for God-knows-how-long-in-kilometers to see some interesting rock formations located on the other side of the island. We left the resort shortly a little after lunch.

The path was mostly deserted save for a very few huts or houses. We passed by this cute little bahay kubo.

Then there's light, este beach, at the end of the tunnel. Lol. I thought the walking would somehow end there. Boy, I was wrong. Good thing I am with my equally camwhore friends that we snapped pictures along the way to make the journey (to nowhere Haha) worthwhile.

This is the point where my feet raised the white flag. What we initially came out for was behind this huge rock formation. Sadly, I could no longer go on. But our camera did. Haha.

There's a little cove behind the rock formation. It's very secluded and private-- a good place to have some serious life reflections. Haha.

Since we were undoubtedly tired from our little adventure, we skipped the swimming part and just had some good conversation with friends until wee hours. We woke up the next morning to this beautiful sight.

We can't leave the island without having a good swim. We headed out to the sand bar and took a dip before packing our things. Again, I am not a beach person. But I'm not a fool either to let this experience slip my hand.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Honey and to your lovely family for welcoming us and giving us a trip to remember. Now the question is, WHERE TO next year? Do I hear Palawan?