Glimpses and Glances: The Manor

(Note: This will be the first of a series of posts I will be making on Baguio-related topics. Please do watch out for the other posts in the coming days.)

For the long weekend, my family and I decided to go on a road trip up north to Baguio City, known as the City of Pines and also the Summer Capital of the Philippines because of its cooler climate, even during the summer. People from the lowlands flock to this bustling city of over 300,000 to escape from the heat and unwind. From Manila, it is a 5-8 hour road trip depending on traffic conditions and the number of stopovers along the way.

Around this time last year we also went to Baguio for the Undas long weekend, and stayed at The Manor Camp John Hay. We loved the place so much that we decided to stay here again this year, and once again we were very impressed, as it was a stark contrast to the hotel we stayed in during a trip to Baguio in 2007. Well, let's just say that hotel almost has the same name as that city in Italy known for its canals and gondolas.

After an exhausting 8-hour road trip (we left home at around 5:30 a.m.), seeing this was such a welcoming sight.

The lobby was already decorated for Christmas. The last time we were here (which was around the same time last year), they were already decorating for Christmas. I guess they don't really decorate for Halloween.

A welcome drink, a cup of hot Calamansi Tea with Honey, was offered to us as we were checking in. This somehow helped relieve the headache I got during the trip.

Our Deluxe Room, with a view of the sprawling garden. This room is similar to the one we stayed in last year (but slightly more expensive at P6,000 per night), though our room last year had a view of the forest--which looks pretty creepy at night, so I don't really go out to the balcony after dark. The garden view is a lot less creepy.

The hotel's occupancy rate was high during the long weekend. Parking, though, wasn't really a problem, since there is a large parking lot shared by guests of The Manor and The Forest Lodge which is located right next to The Manor. There is a security guard assigned to look after the cars who takes note of the guests arriving and departing.

We haven't even fully settled down when we heard a knock on our door. We were offered more of their Calamansi Tea with Honey and some mini cakes for us to munch on as we got some rest. We weren't offered this during our stay here last year.

The hallway which we would pass by to get to an elevator which I refer to as the "secret elevator" since it is rarely used, unlike the two elevators near the Le Chef restaurant which can get quite congested. The "secret elevator" is also much closer to our room so we prefer to use that one.

The Manor covered in fog during the night...

...and day. Seeing all this fog is such a rare sight in Metro Manila.

It is such a strange sight to see a manghuhula or a fortune teller at this hotel. It's pretty amusing, though.

The hotel's restaurant is called Le Chef. They have a dress code in effect (i.e. no wearing of shorts and flip flops), though they seem to be more lenient during breakfast time. We tried out their breakfast buffet on our second day, which cost us P500 per person. Despite the price, the restaurant still gets pretty crowded anyway--luckily we had our breakfast early that day so the restaurant wasn't as crowded yet.

They have a wide selection of food. Seen here are just some of them. The items here on my plate include bacon, chicken embutido, mashed potatoes, fish fillet, and canton guisado.

I loved the canton guisado and the mashed potatoes so much that I helped myself to more. You can also choose from different kinds of bread and pastries. Seen here is a cherry danish which I found to be really good.

I also helped myself to a slice of banana bread and a blueberry danish which I also loved. I was already too full to eat anything else after this!

The garden area is so peaceful. It looks really good all lit up at night, too. There is a gazebo at the garden with rocking chairs where you can stay when you just want to relax and lounge around for a while.

The Philippine-American Friendship Garden, with statues of Abraham Lincoln and Manuel Quezon seated on chairs facing each other.

The American flag is raised alongside the Philippine Flag to remind us of Camp John Hay's American background. Camp John Hay, or John Hay Air Station, was used for rest and recreation by American soldiers during the American colonial period.

My Verdict

The Manor at Camp John Hay has managed to impress me once again. Their level of service is remarkable. The staff never fails to make the guests feel important, and their attention to detail is noteworthy. Even the smallest of gestures are certainly enough to make a lasting impression. Last year, I was already very impressed by the service, but they have managed to take it up another notch this year. The rooms, too, are well-maintained, and breakfast at Le Chef is excellent.

Still, though, I wish they would do something about their internet connection. The lobby seems to be the only place where WiFi connection is decent, and we've already had the same problem last year. This is a minor issue though, and I hope they do fix this.

I'm definitely looking forward to our next visit (whenever that may be)!

The Manor at Camp John Hay

Camp John Hay, Baguio City, Philippines

www.campjohnhay.ph

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheMANORCampJohnHay/info

Twitter: @themanor_cjh

For the last weekend of the sem break, our family decided to go on a road trip to Baguio City, known as the "City of Pines", and dubbed as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", due to its cooler climate. We were booked for three days and two nights at The Manor at Camp John Hay, a 177-room hotel located right within Camp John Hay, a major recreation attraction which was previously a hill station used by the United States Armed Forces until it was formally turned over to the Philippine government on July 1, 1991.

On our last trip to Baguio in 2007, we stayed at a different hotel, which was conveniently located right smack in the center of Baguio; in fact, Baguio City's kilometer zero marker is located just right across the street from that hotel, and major attractions such as Burnham Park and Session Road were just a short walk away. As part of our itinerary for that trip five years ago, we dropped by The Manor at Camp John Hay to buy raisin bread at the hotel's restaurant and bakery called Le Chef, which a lot of people say is a must-try.

When we first set foot at The Manor on that day five years ago, we knew that we just had to return to Baguio and book a room at this hotel. It was certainly a far cry from that hotel we were staying in at that time--it was certainly much more luxurious and definitely cozier; the surroundings were much more peaceful and relaxing since the hotel was located at the "quiet side" of Baguio. There weren't any honking jeepneys and cars to bother us as we try to get some sleep at night (unlike that other hotel).

And now, five years later, we decided to return to Baguio, and this time, we did stay at The Manor, and it was certainly an experience we would like to have again in the future. This blog post covers our stay at the hotel--read on and enjoy!

The hotel facade

The hotel as viewed from the garden

We stayed at a Deluxe Room, with a forest view. Guests could also choose to stay in a room that had a view of the garden.

The room we stayed in was actually really nice, though it would take a while to get over the fact that the rooms here do not have air-conditioning. But then again, this hotel is located in Baguio after all, and an air-conditioner isn't really needed. All you have to do is just open the balcony doors (but close and lock the screen door for security) or windows (if your room doesn't have a balcony) and you're good to go.