YES, the strawberries dipped in chocolate do not lie. I was back in Baguio last month (October), this time for a three-day stay at Azalea Residences along Leonard Wood Loop, Brgy. M. Roxas, in the City of Pines. I was with my favorite travel mates, my husband Raff, of course, and Philippine Star’s Lualhati Fausto, who had Fernan Nebres, Gillian Gacuma and Lester Hallig with her, and we had good company in Manila Bulletin’s Maan Pamaran and blogger Alex Dizon.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Baguio is my favorite childhood vacation place, and I wouldn’t miss going up to this mountain hideaway every time there’s an opportunity to. Well, I’ve actually visited Azalea Residences a few years ago, met its GM Elisa Escobar and the very solicitous hotel staff, and the experience was so enchanting that I truly welcomed this second opportunity to be a guest of the first all-suite vacation residence in Baguio. This time around, I made no special requests for the duration of our stay, except for a shoot of plated dishes prepared by Azalea’s new executive chef, David Griffins, for the magazine that I work for, FLAVORS Magazine. But I was surprised to find out Ms. Elisa and her very efficient staff took care of everything to ensure that we had not just a pleasant stay but a really enjoyable and pleasurable stay.
Unlike the last time, the group went up to Baguio in two batches. Hatty, Fernan, Gillian and Lester left on Thursday night (October 3, 2013), while the Azalea van picked up the second batch – Maan, Alex, Raff and me – Friday morning (October 4, 2013), so Hatty’s group arrived at Azalea early Friday morning, and our group arrived later afternoon of Friday.
DAY 1 – SURPRISES, SURPRISES
The pleasurable experience began the minute we stepped out of the Azalea van that picked us up all the way from Manila. Walking up to Azalea’s reception area after alighting from the van, I was approached by a very dapper looking young man, Eddon ‘Ed’ Fajardo, who turned out to be a duty manager of Azalea. He didn’t ask me who I was. He assumed who I was. “Miss Dolly,” he called, then introduced himself and escorted us straight to our room, while there was somebody else assigned to take care of Maan and Alex.
How could he have known who I was?, I thought to myself. Did I have the name “Dolly” written all over my face? Once in the room, when he asked me to fill out the guest information form for formal check-in, I found the answer to my question.
“Now I am meeting you personally, Miss Dolly. In the past, I only saw you judging in the HRT Weekend culinary competitions over at the Baguio Country Club. I competed before, Ma’am, when I was still a student at the University of Baguio,” Ed said.
Boom! But what memory this young man had!
Anyway, he left us to rest for a while after informing us that Hatty’s group was out on a city tour arranged by the hotel and that our group would be having dinner early at Tradisyon, Azalea’s main dining facility. That is where we’ll meet up with Hatty’s group, and the activities would be joint from then on.
The room, as before, was spacious and comfortable. Since Azalea was an all-suite residence that renders the full services and amenities of a serviced apartment, we were housed in a deluxe suite that came complete with a queen-sized bed with imported bed linens, a living area with a lovely sofa and flat-screen TV with cable connection, toilet and bath with hot and cold water, dining table with chairs, and a mini kitchen with induction cooker, refrigerator and dining utensils, coffee and tea making facilities. Our room also had a balcony, which looked out to the façade of the hotel.
Unlike other hotels, Azalea actually encourages its guests to buy stuff from the market and cook in the room. Guests can even make arrangements to have the chef come over to the room and cook for them. But most guests opt to simply order in-room dining or go down to Tradisyon on the ground floor and have a nice, comfy and delightful meal there.
Knocks on the door, and Raff rushed to open it. The hotel staff had a plate full of chocolate dipped fresh strawberries and some chocolate truffles on hand, and it was a much appreciated and welcome treat. We both said ‘thank-you’ and started working on the strawberries as soon as the hotel staff left, giggling like kids as we enjoyed each bite. We had it with the fresh fruit platter that we found in the room when we got there.
After resting our weary bodies and then freshening up for dinner (I sneaked in an hour or so of writing while Raff watched TV), we went down and had a good early dinner. There was an ongoing Mongolian Buffet promo at Tradisyon, so a part of the buffet area was laden with 12 sauces, 13 vegetables, six spices and condiments, and unlimited beef, chicken, shrimps, squid and egg. Ed would tell us that the Mongolian Buffet promo is actually on at the coffee shop for dinner every Friday and Saturday, and it’s priced at an affordable Php180 per person. It’s a steal, considering that diners can have unlimited servings, and premium items, such as fresh mushrooms, meats and seafoods, are available for the taking.
Chef David and his executive sous chef Dennis Chua were preparing special dishes for our dinner, Ed said, but we could partake of the Mongolian Buffet if we wanted to. Well, we all did. We assembled our own Mongolian bowls, and the chefs cooked it and served it to us at the table while Chefs David and Dennis prepared what we were really having for dinner: Teriyaki Salmon, Oyster Cake, Mapo Tofu and, for dessert, Baguio Berry Fresh Leche. We still devoured them even after downing our own Mongolian all-in-one rice or noodle meals. I had noodles in my bowl.
After dinner, Ed got us all into the van and brought us to North Haven Spa along Ferguson Road in Baguio and treated us all to a massage, courtesy of Azalea. Most of them had the Tal-Talad-Tad (price: Php595), the indigenous body massage of the mountain, relaxing through gentle and soothing strokes that calmed the nerves, improved circulation and reduced stress to promote healing and well-being. I went for the Dagdagay (Php395), the traditional foot massage of the Mountain Province using runo sticks to stimulate the soles of the feet to restore a sense of complete balance and harmony in the body. I’m a sucker for foot massage, and I was totally satisfied by the Dagdagay treatment.
What a relaxing way to end our first day in Baguio! So we went to bed that evening with a relaxed mind and body. Especially after feeling really pampered, finding a “Sweet Dreams” note and a pack of freshly baked Choco Chip Cookies and Chocolate Crinkles on the dining table when we got back from the spa. Little details like this by Azalea made us feel really special.
DAY 2 – BUSY, BUSY
Breakfast the following day was at Tradisyon, which had a cool and casual dining atmosphere, especially during the day. Instead of the usual Brewed Coffee, I asked for a cup of Cappuccino, and the waiter gladly obliged. He came back with my cup of Cappuccino in no time at all, served at the right temperature, and it even had latte art on it.
There were so many choices on the buffet spread – Fresh Garden Salad, Sotanghon Soup, Congee, Garlic Rice, Baguio Longganisa, Pork Tocino, Daing na Espada, Corned Beef, Danggit, fresh fruits, an Egg Station to have your eggs prepared the way you want them…
I assembled a small bowl of Chicken Congee and then had a little Garlic Rice with Daing na Espada, stir-fried vegetables and Mushroom-Tomato-Cheese Omelette and had a full and hearty breakfast. The waiter even served platters of sliced fresh fruits at the table, and everything was perfectly set for a busy day ahead.
After breakfast, Ed toured us around the hotel and we took pictures of the different room categories, which are being offered in packages: the Family Fun Package for the whole family in a 2-Bedroom Suite; the Romantic Retreat Package for couples in a Deluxe Suite; and the Group Getaway Package for groups of 10 in a 1-Bedroom Suite. We also got into the Presidential Suite, which is an awesome two-level unit equipped with three bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a bar with kitchen facilities, and a digital fireplace in the living room.
Then we got into the Azalea van again and off we went on a city tour that took us to BenCab Museum, where we actually met the famous BenCab face-to-face and had pictures taken with him; had a simple local Baguio lunch at Balajadia Restaurant in the area of the city which they called Slaughterhouse, visited Easter Weaving’s Weaving Room to check out how Cordilleran weaving is done and then proceeded to its store to pick up some items to purchase. Next stop was Chocolate de Batirol in the grounds of Camp John Hay where we sat down to enjoy freshly made Tsokolate Eh made with a batirol and molinillo, which we had with Bibingka, Turon and Suman. Last item on the city tour itinerary was a visit to Baguio Deli at the Mile-Hi Center of Camp John Hay. The place used to house Everything Nice Bakeshop, but Everything Nice has since relocated to a newly cuilt commercial area of Camp John Hay and the owners of Everything Nice decided to turn the vacated place at Mile Hi into a souvenir shop for Baguio and Cordilleran products, such as Balatinao Mountain Rice, Peanut Brittle, Choco Cornflakes, Organic Lemongrass Syrup, Baguio Garlic Longganisa and even Ilocano specialties that include Bagnet, Vigan Longganisa and Poque-Poque. (*Separate posts on these places will be made on flavorsoflife.com.ph.)
Back to the hotel, dinner was the next item on the agenda for Day 2. Again, Chefs David and Dennis overwhelmed us with the plated dishes I requested for shoot. We had a fun time taking pictures of the Chicago Pizza (mushrooms, Hungarian sausage, green bell pepper), Baguio Longganisa Pizza (studded with Baguio longganisa), Sicilian Pizza, All-Beef Burger, Southern Fried Chicken, Bagnet, Oyster Cake, Soda Stir-fried Mussels, Corned Beef Hash, Flying Dragon Tilapia, Western Breakfast (hash-browns, two sunny side up eggs, bacon, Hungarian sausage and watermelon), Baguio Vegetable Salad with Walnuts and Strawberries, and Strawberry Shortcake with Cream Cheese Filling.
Afterwards, we laid out everything on two square tables combined into one and served the food buffet style. This time, GM Elisa Escobar, the busy bee that she was, got to join us for dinner.
“The menu of Azalea has evolved into one that includes food items we think people would love, gearing it towards holiday comfort foods, since Baguio is a holiday destination year-round. This means local Filipino dishes from the North and international fares such as pizzas and Mongolian buffet. Soon we will be introducing more local Baguio food into the menu, including Chicken Pinikpikan and Dinakdakan,” explains Chef David Griffins.
After dinner, we all headed for our respective rooms to unwind and then get our stuff ready for our trip back to Manila the next day. But we weren’t leaving until after we’ve made one last trip to the market for fresh produce.
DAY 3 – OFF TO THE MARKET
Day 3 began with a sumptuous breakfast at Tradisyon, just like the day before. Raff and I were the first ones down, next was Maan, and then the rest followed. I had a cup of Cappuccino again and, just as I was amazed with Ed’s memory when I arrived at Azalea, the waiter surprised me with his own sharp memory. I didn’t have to say “Cappuccino, please,” because he already said it for me. “Cappuccino, Ma’am?” I only had to smile and say yes. Pretty smart people Azalea has!
I had soup this time, with fresh fruits and a little salad, then a Mushroom-Tomato-Cheese Omelette. Hatty ordered two stacks of pancake, one topped with banana slices and whipped cream and the other topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream with a sprinkling of blueberries, for everyone to share. Both looked awesome in pictures and tasted just as good, especially with maple syrup.
Drizzling a bit, the group headed for the Baguio Market for the pasalubongs that we had in mind. I asked Ed if we could go to the Hangar, where everything is a lot cheaper, and he brought us there. I bought kilos upon kilos of carrots at Php14 per kilogram, cucumber and red beets. The cucumber and the red beets were kinda expensive, even at the Hangar of the Baguio Market, but they were definitely a lot cheaper than in Manila. I also made a quick stop at the fresh flower section and bought a bunch of colorful mums for my dad’s crypt. I wouldn’t go back to Manila without fresh flowers for my dad.
With a bunch of fresh cut flowers on hand, I braved the drizzle that had started to fall over Baguio City that morning, and Raff and I half-ran, half-walked back to the van, which was parked in the carpark next to the Baguio Market, and waited for the others to come back with their own “loot” from the market.
Once everyone was present, we headed back towards Azalea Residences, where we did last-minute packing of our stuff and rushed back down to Tradisyon for a quick lunch before embarking on our trip back to Manila. There were platters of Pinakbet, Salmon with Broccoli and Bagnet on the table. I devoured the Pinakbet and Salmon with Broccoli and “snobbed” the Bagnet, as usual, not because it wasn’t good but because I leaned more towards fish and seafood than red meat. I was sure the Bagnet was good because everyone else, except Raff, “crunched” on it. The crackling sound was so tempting that I swear I could have given in to the temptation had I not had such strong and stubborn resolve not to eat Bagnet, Lechon, Crispy Pata and Lechon Kawali ever again.
Then it was time to say good-bye once again to our friends at Azalea, especially Ms. Elisa and Ed, who had been so helpful and solicitous he had become a good friend. They sent us off with boxes of mini bundt cakes, which we happily accepted as we climbed the van, sat back and relaxed. It was a smooth trip back to Manila.
(Azalea Residences is located at Leonard Wood Loop, Brgy. M. Roxas, Baguio City, 2600; with contact number (074) 442-8888. Its Manila office is located at 2/F, PGMC Bldg., 76 Calbayog cor. Libertad Sts., Mandaluyong City; with telephone numbers 532-3737 and 532-0521.)
