Baguio trip on a budget: 8,000 pesos can afford you a 2N/3D board and lodging for two + transpo money + date money+ shopping

Just recently, my Martin and I spent two nights and three days in the City of Pines known as Baguio City. It is located ~244 km north of Manila and its elevation is ~1,500 masl. This high elevation is responsible for the cool climate of Baguio throughout the year. It was my nth time in Baguio and Martin's second. We had a budget of PhP 8,000 for this trip and it covered everything, including our date money and a bit of shopping. In fairness, dalawang buwan namin pinag-ipunan tong budget na 'to! Haha! Tipid tipid lang kung may opportunity. This can actually be lessened if you eat just the right amount and not stuff yourselves, like what Martin and I did, haha!


Here's the gist:

Expense	Budget
Fare (two-way via Victory Liner air-conditioned bus with stopovers)	920.00/person x 2 = 1,840.00
Accommodations for two persons	600.00/night x 2 = 1,200.00
Food (five FULL meals + drinks good for two persons + street foods)	2,300.00
Movie at SM Baguio (we watched two movies)	130.00/person x 2 x 2 movies = 520.00
Transportation (going around Baguio in FX for three days)	750.00
Shopping money (we shopped at Baguio’s night market)	600.00/person x 2 = 1,200
Taxi fare from Victory Liner Pasay to our homes in BF	190.00
Total Cost	8,000.00 for two persons (~USD 230)

Getting there:
We boarded the bus via the VICTORY LINER Pasay Terminal. Each ticket costs PhP 460 (455 for the ticket and 5 for insurance). Buses leave every hour so you need not worry whether or not you guys shall push through with the trip. There will be three or four stopovers (I cannot remember because I was asleep during some stopovers) for the duration of the 8-hour or sometimes 7-hour trip, depending on the route of the bus. Some traverse the SCTEX; others the traditional roads, which take longer.

Upon arrival at the Baguio Victory Liner terminal, we immediately purchased our departure tickets to ensure we are going to be seated together. Plus you can already calculate how much money is left for you to spend during your Baguio tour. Buses in Baguio Victory Liner leave every 20 minutes. So again, guaranteed you can go home the same day you planned to go home.

Tip: I suggest you book or buy your tickets in advance to be SURE you will be seated together. If you'll just peg your hopes on being a chance passenger, more or less you'll end up seated separately on the 8-hour trip. Also, VERY IMPORTANT to be 20 minutes BEFORE the departure time stated in your ticket. Martin and I arrived at EXACTLY the time written on our tickets and we were NOT allowed to board anymore since they've already accommodated the chance passengers. We ended up being chance passengers ourselves and waited for two hours in the long line of chance passengers.

Where to stay:
We stayed at a house which have rooms for rent located at Angels Hills Rd., Lourdes Subdivision. It will cost you PhP 60 taxi from the house to SM Baguio. It cost us PhP 600/night for two persons. The room was equipped with a queen-sized bed with foam mattress, two pillows, and two blankets; a table and chair; a rack to put your bags; and a wooden cabinet with hangers. The bathroom was equipped with a heater (of course) and the toilet and bath both have partitions--- something that I'm very particular with. The sink is situated between the toilet and bath area.

The rooms have wood panels and flooring hence you can be sure of a warm stay for the night. It's not a fancy place to stay in but it is decent and clean enough, and affordable for a two-night stay. Trust me when I tell you that it's decent enough.

The best part about this house is that it has a well-equipped and structured kitchen, complete with refrigerator, stove, cutlery, pots and pans, knives, and two industry-strength/size sinks. You can cook your meals and dine al fresco. But if you feel chilly, there's also a foyer where a dining table and chairs are set up. It also has other rooms that can accommodate four to six people. We've stayed there during field works but I forgot what the room looked like and how much it costs. You have to buy your own ingredients and condiments to cook. Luckily, my boyfriend is an expert chef and has provided us with sumptuous meals throughout our stay.

If you are interested in booking, text me at 0918-9231765 and I'll give you the number of Manang Priscilla, the caretaker of the house. I cannot explicitly post her number here. This is somewhat a "secret" place to stay in Baguio because of its cleanliness and affordability. :)

What to cook:
Here's what my boyfriend cooked for us (see photos). Our total expense for our food was ~2,000 pesos. That includes five meals already. Five HEFTY meals with wine and soda and condiments. When there were leftovers, we bring it along while going around the city.

For Day 1 breakfast, Martin cooked nuggets and we had buttered rice. We used buffalo wings sauce as dip.
For Day 1 dinner, we had buffalo wings, vegetables (romaine with tomatoes), and buttered rice plus soda and wine
For Day 2 breakast, we had a myriad of longganisa (bought at SM Supermarket), red egg with tomatoes, fried rice, romaine, and pineapples (takot kami magutom e, haha!)
For Day 2 dinner, we had shrimp curry and bagnet plus curried rice and pineapple with condiments and soda and wine
For Day 3 breakfast, we ate hotdog, bacon, and eggs for breakfast plus vegetables again and pineapple and fried rice. There were plenty of hotdogs left hence we took them with us during our going home trip.

Where to go:
I know that while at Baguio you should go visit the sites worth visiting, right? Well, I think the most noteworthy place we've been to is the BenCab Museum. It's capable of overwhelming your senses with delight. The place's architecture is perfect. The museum's artifacts, sculptures, paintings, and exhibits were designed to wow you that you just want to take a photo with every piece. The garden at the back was well sculpted and it's so relaxing you wish you could spend a night in that place.
Tip: It would be better if you could tour the place with a docent. It's free. But gratuity is greatly appreciated. There are not so many sign boards for you to read that explains the pieces so if you tour it on your own, you will be missing quite a lot of information about the items there.

This was taken Ben Cab Museum's cafe. Such a nice and refreshing ambiance.

Since Martin and I are movie lovers, we cannot resist watching movies in SM Baguio. It's only 130.00 pesos per person for one movie! Way cheaper than Metro Manila prices of PhP 220.00 per head. Plus, the film itself is clear with great surround stereos to give you that complete movie experience. And the seats are nice too!

Another irresistible place to go to is the Baguio Night Market located in between Session Road and Burnham Park. It opens at around 9PM and you can shop there until 2AM. It's also an ukay-ukay sale but this one is waaaay cheaper. At one time, I bought three blouses for 20 pesos! And you know what are their brands? Ann Taylor, Gap, and Massimo Dutti. All originals. But second hand items though. But I checked the integrity of the fabric and they can still be worn a few times before totally disposing them. At one time I bought four blouses for 100 pesos and they are all branded (again): Banana Republic, Isaac Mizrahi, Talbots cardigan, and H&M. And the fabric is just fabulous! Silk with Lycra, viscose, and cotton mixes!

Photos were mostly taken at the Ben Cab Museum (we actually have a gazillion photos there), SM Baguio balcony, Don Henrico's Session Road branch, and during one of our dinners in our first Baguio visit.

We also walked around Baguio's famous Session Road. On our first visit, we dined at the original Don Henrico's branch. Quite pricey but at least we get to eat their first outlet. Don Henrico's by the way is a Filipino brand. We also ate the very yummy shawarma of Solibao restaurant, also located at Session Road. Walking along this street at night can be relaxing and nostalgic and you get a feeling you're in another country. The shop's architecture is reminiscent of vintage American shops lined up in a boulevard. Session Road is also walking distance from SM Baguio.

Martin and I heard mass at the Baguio Cathedral. It was jam packed but I was lucky to have been ushered into a seat by a kind gentleman. Martin however, stood by my side along the aisle. The priest's homily wasn't that engaging though and the architecture and sculptures and murals were satisfactory, but not stupendous relative to other cathedrals in the Philippines.

When we bought pasalubongs, we went to the Baguio Public Market, situated below Session Road.

There are other places to visit such as: Mines View Park (this is so overrated), Good Shepherd, Baguio Botanical Garden, Burnham Park, The Mansion, Wright Park, Camp John Hay, PMA Camp, and other tourist-worthy places. But we didn't bother to visit these perhaps because we were running low on funds, and visiting these attractions require money, haha!

Author's recommendation:
What makes Baguio romantic is probably the cool climate. There are very few places in the Philippines where it's cold kaya sa Baguio patok sa takilya ang hug hug at kapit tuko sa braso ng jowa. It's also a good place to take romantic strolls around the forested areas of Camp John Hay and Wright Park kasi HINDI KAYO PAPAWISAN habang naglalakad, hahaha! Si Martina pa naman, wagas kung magpawis. It doesn't matter where you are in Baguio, it doesn't matter if you won't be able to visit the tourist destinations, but what's MOST IMPORTANT (in my opinion) is just being TOGETHER and observing the sights and sounds Baguio has to offer. :) Okay na yun, solb na, feeling ibang bansa lang ang peg! Malamig kasi hindi katulad sa Manila na mainit at feel na feel at amoy na amoy ang polusyon. :) And also, take AS MANY PHOTOS as you can. So you can document your memories. Unfortunately for Martin and I, we're not much of a photographing couple, haha.

During our visit to the museum, there was an exhibit of artist couple Plet Bolipata and Elmer Borlongan. This exhibit I'm sitting on is Plet's.