Family Vacation: Baguio Day 2

Our day started with breakfast at the hotel, where I had the yummiest peanut butter ever! I asked the waiter about it and he said it was made by the hotel kitchen staff. I wanted to buy some but they don't sell it. So sad! It really was the yummiest I've tasted. Oh well, I must think of what it would have done to my hips had I been able to take home some.

We went back to our rooms to relax and planned to regroup at the lobby for lunch. Did I mention that my mom got three rooms that are beside each other? So we were able to hear when my sister and her family had arrived, just in time for lunch.

We drove up to Mile Hi Center in Camp John Hay to eat at Little John's. However, the traffic there was bad and the parking was closed so we had to park further up the hill. The reason the parking was closed? It was because PNoy was scheduled to drop by that afternoon. Ngek! I once read about (and basically shrugged off) the inconvenience brought about by his advance party in establishments that he would be visiting. I didn't realize it was this bad. I mean, seriously. It was peak tourist time in Baguio! And it was not as if he dined there or had a meeting or something. He just visited the shops! Ai-yo! No disrespect meant but I think it was just too over the top.

The cordoned off parking area with lots of police and PSG around

Anyway, we dined at Mile Hi, a sort of throwback to the 60's American bistro days. The food wasn't all that yummy, and it wasn't priced reasonably either. We basically just had a long and leisurely lunch-merienda there.

It was mid-afternoon when PNoy arrived to visit some of the shops. My parents brought Ally closer to PNoy and actually got a photo with him. Me, I stayed at the resto, but I did get to see him from afar. I also got to see Rico Blanco (who looks a lot like Christian Bautista in my opinion) and Leo Valdez.

This was my view

PNoy up close and personal

We went back to the hotel after our long lunch to prepare for our 6pm family dinner at Hill Station, a fancy fine dining restaurant where Mama chose to have her birthday dinner at. The place was packed! And, as Mama was a bit chummy with the owner, we found out that aside from being fully booked (for the night we ate) by Dec 15 (we were there Dec 28), the owner also had to turn down PNoy's cabinet staff's request for the president to have dinner there. Wowzers, right? It was the place to be, I tell you. Aside from us (ahem, ahem), also dining there that night were Sen. Bongbong Marcos and his family (group of 30 pax, I think) and food blogger JJ Yulo. Anyway, the place was both homey and fancy, and the owner was very much hands on with running the place and entertaining her guests. She was a very charming hostess indeed! I liked the vibe of the place. There was a bit of a wait for our orders though, which was understandable given that it was full. But the food was worth the wait. I ordered the Moroccan spiced baby back ribs (very tender and oh-so yummy) and Jojo had the lamb. Sorry I don't have photos of our food. We were quite hungry by the time it was served to us, so taking a photo was the last thing on our minds! Entrees were upwards of Php400 each but the food was excellent. No wonder the restaurant is in the Miele Guide and has been listed as one of the best restaurants in the Philippines. I tell you, sulit sya. Their desserts were yummy too. We tried the Death by chocolate and the Chocolate lemon tart, both I love and highly recommend. 

love the hanging drapes and the Christmas decor

SMB - Sofia Macias Battung  

Family picture taking after dinner

We all headed back to the hotel after our long and relaxing dinner. Ally was in high spirits (quite possibly due in part from the chocolate dessert) so she obliged us with a mini photo shoot just outside the resto and again once we got back to the hotel. She is truly a funny little girl. I have no idea where she learns these poses and they are definitely not from me! Such a precocious little girl, no!

Impromptu pictorial at the poorly lit parking lot

...and outside the hotel

...and at the hotel lobby

Well, that was all we did on the second day of vacation - eat, rest and eat again. I should be concerned but I'm not! Vacations are supposed to be this relaxing!

Hill Station
Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Road
Baguio City
hillstationbaguio.com