BAGUIO DIARIES: Azalea Residences, Boomer, and Strawberry Picking at Benguet

Today, I will take you guys to Baguio through this wanderlust post. It's been a wonderful and ultra relaxing vacation, and I can't wait to go back and pick more Strawberries in Benguet! Oh, did that Strawberry- picking thing interest you? I'll muse about that later on! :)

We stayed at Azalea Residences, the newest hotel (and one of the premiums in the area) in Baguio City. It's located just behind Teacher's Camp. 

It's quite easy to miss because it's situated at the inside part of Leonard Loop, albeit its location is very convenient as it is near the center of Baguio City. You can also book the hotel for a period of time and under Time Sharing conditions.

Click READ MORE for the rest of this wanderlust entry!

The room we got is good for 5-7 people. If I'm not mistaken, it's only around P9,000.00++ for 3 days and 2 nights-or was it per night? Ah! I'm bad at prices so please just check Azalea Residences' official website for the rates. :)

Living room

Pantry with mini kitchen. Azalea allows their guests to bring in food so if you don't like the idea of splurging on restaurants, bring something to cook or go to SM Baguio and buy some raw food. Hmmm...cooking in a place other than your house sounds like a fun idea! I'll definitely keep that in mind if ever we'll stay here again in our next Baguio visit. :)

Main bedroom

Single bedroom.

No airconditioning in this hotel-only vintage ceiling fans everywhere. 'Tis okay because it's very cold at night that you'd have to turn off the fans!

Wifi is pretty fast, our rooms and the entire hotel area are very clean, and service is great. The bathroom (which I'm very particular about whenever I stay in hotels) is very simple: It's not like the ones you'll see in 4 or 5- star hotels, but at least it's clean!

Here are the highlights of my trip:

I WANT THIS DOG!

I know, I know, visiting and taking a pic with the gigantic St. Bernard at Mines View Park is so cliche, but I just had to as I rarely see St. Bernards in Manila! The original St. Bernard of Mines View is Douglas, but he's dead now-he was replaced by Douglas Jr., his son. This cute mutt, by the way, is not Douglas-his name is Boomer, the neighbor of Douglas, according to the owners. FYI, there are four St. Bernards in Mines View now. :)

Vintage Starbucks at Camp John Hay! It is inspired by the American bungalow houses of the 40's.

And look! A chimney! Looks to me, this Starbucks branch was once a house and converted into a coffee shop-it's very cozy inside!

And before leaving for Manila, we dropped by La Trinidad, Benguet's famed Strawberry farm. It's a 30-minute ride from Baguio, and people flock here to experience the super fun Strawberry- picking activity.

The real Strawberry fields forever!

It's a huuuge land of Strawberries plus other vegetation namely Bell Pepper and Lettuce. You can also go Lettuce- picking and Bell Pepper- picking if you wish. 

Just a tip to all salad lovers: Take advantage of the Romaine and Iceberg lettuce here because they're organically grown and three huge bouquets cost P50.00 only!

Foraging and farming, #LikeADonya style

The actual Strawberry area is a 5-minute walk from the entrance. Strawberries are P350.00/kilo. You can either do the picking yourself or ask one of the farmers to do it for you. Foraging ain't easy, but I'd suggest you do it yourself for the experience! :)

Voila! My harvest! I may not seem like it, but I was once a farm kid. I spent a good part of my childhood in our house and farm in Laguna, and I'd always help out our farmers during the harvesting season. (And I'm missing it, actually. :p) Needless to say, I'm good at this haha!

My 2-month supply of pure Strawberry masks! LOL!

So I hope you enjoyed this post, and hope you got some useful insights on what to do and where to go in your own Baguio trip. If you know of other interesting activities to do and amazing places to visit in Baguio, share them in the comments section below! :)