Last summer, I received an invitation to blog about The Manor and Forest Lodge in Camp John Hay, so when I decided to go to Baguio City to chill before I finally get back to work, I made it a point to visit this attraction. I thought that was a great opportunity to share my experience to the public — to give them an idea what to expect if ever they will visit the place.
Whenever we go to Baguio, ever since I was a kid, we always visit here, that’s why I was too excited to go there and get the chance to dicover and explore so I can share it to the world. The view was still as relaxing as before, but as a traveller, I have considered few, but important things. I do NOT own a car, that’s why I use a cab to travel. Expect to have higher fare when going to CJH and worse, you need to have a very long walk in order for you to explore the different attractions there. It is advisable to at least have your own car/service when going there. We waited for eternity and had a loooooong walk before we finally got back to our hotel.
Our first stop was the Bell House. When I was a kid, I’ve been there and all I knew then was that the had a great significance to the lives of the Americans who lived here, but honestly, i don’t know about the details. Since it is open to the public, I think the visitors should be educated about this place. The info written there is not enough– people won’t spare much of their time to read those. As we explore the place, I find it creepy, just like the way I felt when I was in the Teacher’s Camp.
We decided to take a walk and looked for a rest room because my daughter wanted to take a pee. At last, we found a restroom in the abandoned building, seemed abandoned, but you have to pay (I forgot if we paid P2 or 5).
While we were walking, hoping that we can go to the new shops where we can buy imported goods, we easily got exhausted and all we wanted that time was to go to the hotel and rest. I saw The Manor , a hotel that I considered when I was looking for a place to stay in Baguio– the building is already old and creepy. The price per night was also not practical, and I made the right choice of sticking with Microtel because staying in CJH it’s too far from the other attractions in the city. You won’t be comfortable unless you have your private car/service. I actually didn’t enjoy going there– I was bored to death. Instead of going to SM to dine, I just opted to stay inside the hotel and had room service to feel comfortable.
Note: I came back just this December 2016 with my co-teachers and son. We were six and cabs won’t let you ride if you are in a group of more than four. Luckily, we had the cab but our 3 friends waited for more than an hour and they weren’t able to get any cab. They just walked from CJH to Victory Liner (near Microtel Baguio). It was indeed a horrible experience for them and I was thankful that we were able to get the ride or else we could have experienced the same 🙁
TIPS FOR THOSE WHO WILL GO THERE:
1. Make sure to have your own service/car so you’d be able to explore the whole place. Prepare your P2k to P3k. Most of the taxi drivers ask for P350 per hour.
2. Try the picnic grounds with your family and friends. This is a cool and inexpensive alternative for having lunch with your family.
3. Do not expect much–as there is nothing new (except for the few stores), but still boring. Because we didn’t have our own service, we weren’t able to go to different stores. I would really like to go to the Duty Free Shop to buy some stuff.
4. Consider booking other hotels (closer to the other attractions). I highly recommend the following hotels: Microtel Baguio and La Silvina Hotel in Outlook Drive.
I personally don’t recommend this place especially if you are with senior citizens or kids.
