What's cool in Baguio

KARLA: Every year, we come up to Baguio after the busy holiday season to take it slow and relax. At the same time, we take a few days to do our annual planning for The Plaza. It has come to be one of our favorite working vacation spots. It must be the cool weather, fresh air and, most especially, the view of the fairway from the Baguio Country Club veranda.

This time, we went up with our team to do some restructuring and planning for this year. We heard that the newest place to check out in the area is Mt. Camisong, but we had afternoon planning sessions and barely had time to go around outside of the club. So we decided to reserve that for the next trip, hopefully when there is no work agenda. 

MILLIE: We were invited to dinner at Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna by childhood friends Mike & Cherry Meer who reside in the City of Pines. Together with Mike’s younger brother Ricky who was visiting from the US, we had a most pleasurable evening reminiscing days with our dads who were the best of friends. We munched on zucchini chips and feasted on spanakopita, a classic Greek savory made with phyllo pastry filled with spinach, feta cheese, and special herbs. Cherry ordered the L&O salad doused with their homemade honey lemon dressing, the grilled pampano with olives, caper,s and cherry tomatoes, and Mike’s all-time favorite grilled lamb chops! Making room for dessert, we all shared frozen Greek yogurt with kataifi, a special Mediterranean shredded dough made from corn flour and vegetable oil; a rich Baklava pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey and a Baklava cheesecake for a perfect meal ender.

KARLA: My driver, Paul, kept talking about this new attraction, a stone castle. So when we realized that we had gone through our work agenda, we actually had time to go check it out. We decided to make the most of our trip on our last day. My mom’s EA and HR, Ms. Marivic, and catering manager Ms. April got up early and headed to the Dragon Treasure Castle at 6 a.m. to maximize our time in the morning. It took us roughly around 30 minutes to get there from Baguio Country Club with the help of Google Maps. The registration area and ticketing are separate from the castle entrance. You will be given an option whether to take the shuttle or park on your own. I do suggest bringing your car and parking at the castle entrance to avoid the line waiting for the shuttles.

I’m pretty sure this stone castle was inspired by the show Game of Thrones featuring a medieval castle courtyard, towers, arcs, dragons, and artistic carvings. We spent an hour going around and taking photos at every nook and cranny of the castle even if it meant repeatedly going up and down sets of stairs. That being said, those with difficulty climbing steep ramps and stairs will not enjoy the climb. But to those who can, the view is quite something as well as the thrill of having photos taken in a medieval castle, which makes you feel like you are in Europe or, rather, in Westeros.

One of the upsides of going early in the morning since they open at 6 a.m. is that there are definitely less people on site, which gives you a clear shot without people in the background, no lines for the shuttles that will take you to the parking/registration area, and also less traffic to get there. However, the downside is, the attraction isn’t fully complete at this time. The waterfalls weren’t running and a number of dragons were covered. It seems like construction is not fully complete yet. They are aiming to finish just in time for the Panagbenga Festival this February 2026.

Every trip to Baguio, I make it a point to pass by the Baguio Public Market to bring home some vegetables, strawberries to enjoy at home and, of course, walis. I congratulated the market vendors on their win in saving the Baguio market and they were all happy for the support. After the market, we picked up Mom from the club and had brunch at Everything Nice in Camp John Hay, Ayala Techno Hub. 

MILLIE: It wasn't our first time to try this cafe as we have been great fans of their well-known cassava cake, always finding an excuse to have a snack there, and some bring it home as pasalubong. That day, we discovered their ube crinkles which were soooo yummy!

We were eager to try their all-day breakfast offerings and it was a toss-up having to decide on what to order. We ended up ordering everything nice, meaning their longganisa, beef tapa, gourmet bangus marinated with rosemary, all served with their special Balatinao rice. Balatinao rice is heirloom black rice from the mountain province. It is fibrous and will require soaking before cooking to soften the grains and allow them to become glutinous, making it easier to digest. 

We had come at a perfect time and truly enjoyed the cool air, the perfect weather, and the respite from the holiday hustle and bustle, now re-charged to carry on with the challenges of the New Year!

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Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna is located at 26 Outlook Dr S, Baguio, 2600 Benguet, walk-ins only. All-day breakfast at Everything Nice Cafe in Baguio-AyalaLand Technohub, Ordonio Dr., Camp John Hay, Baguio, Benguet. Visit the Dragon Treasure Castle at Block 8, Irisville Subdivision, Phase 2, Purok 20, Upper Irisan, Baguio City, Philippines.