Thursday, March 10, 2016

Good Dress Up When In Baguio. ELENABLOG

My post is a bit late for the Valentines Season but I'm still posting this to show you how Baguio has developed to be more urbanized and a place where we could enjoy different tourist spots and Baguio's signature cool breeze.


We booked a deluxe trip to Baguio in Victory Liner prior to our date of departure. We wanted to ride the bus because its more relaxing, and we wanted to spare ourselves from complicated directions since we're not familiar with the road. We left Manila at midnight and it only took us 4 hours to reach Baguio. We arrived in Baguio early in the morning around 4am. We went straight to our hotel to check in our things and went out to find food. Luckily we found a quaint bakery that also serves hot coffee. We went back to the hotel to rest a bit and went out again to eat real breakfast.

We ate breakfast at Cafe by The Ruins. The place was full so we waited for our table. The wait was worth it because they serve exquisite breakfast food. 

Beef Tapa
They serve these meals with fruits, coffee/juice, and your choice of egg.

Longganisa




After eating breakfast we strolled around Baguio and find ourselves at Burnham Park.


We got on a boat that only costs P100 per hour. All of us were able to get in one boat. 





We went back to the hotel to check in, rest for a while, freshen up then went out again to eat dinner and catch the night market.


We dropped by SM Baguio first to see the cityscape.



The night market started late night. A lot of ukay ukay and tiangge were there plus my favourite part?  The street food! They have a lot of the usual street food (barbecue, hotdogs, isaw, isaw baboy, betamax, chicken feet and chicken head), they also have congee, balut, penoy, shawarma, tonkatsu (yes yummy and affordable katsu), peanuts, rice in a box and many more! Believe it or not I had 2 penoys and 5 barbecues plus a cold cup of coconut juice. Best midnight snack ever! LOL


Our day ended after our trip to the night market. We went back to the hotel for a good night sleep. Amazing how our room is not air-conditioned, the windows are closed but the room is real cold. 

The next morning, we were up early for our scheduled Baguio City tour! The tour is just 3k including the gas. Quite cheap for the four of us plus the trip lasted the whole day and we have a packed itinerary. 

Our first stop was The Bencab Museum.  I really wanted to go here so I insisted that this should be our first stop. hehe 

The museum was full of different artworks by different artists. They have ethnic wooden sculptures, abstract artworks, modern art, contemporary art, nationalistic art and erotic art.


Besides the amazing artworks, this museum has an amazing view!















Talk about an amazing view huh? hihi

The museum has a cafe too!

After the BenCab Museum, we went to the Diplomat Hotel. This is one of the most haunted places in the Philippines. Good thing we went there in the morning! The place is owned by Dominican priests before. Even though we went there in the morning, the wet feeling and coolness inside the Diplomat hotel can be obviously felt.







Our next itinerary was the Grotto. Its a high place that requires climbing up the stairs and reaching the chapel on top to pray.

The chapel was very calming and homey because it's made of wood and the sun rays are peeking through the glass windows. 


Our next stop was the Laperal House. Another haunted house in Baguio City. It was formerly owned by the Laperal clan many decades ago. To maintain the grand house, it was turned into a Bamboo museum.




It was told that the owner died by slipping on the front yard of the house. Creepy right?


I could still imagine how classy the house looked like years ago even if its all dirty and old now.


We went to the Botanical garden before eating lunch to buy pasalubong and of course admire the nature of Baguio City.


Best part? eating lunch! haha We had Thai food for lunch at Ketchup community. Its right next to Wright Park


Wright Park

Our last itinerary was The Manor at Camp John Hay to make our reservations for Valentines Dinner. Good thing they were still able to accommodate us.



We went back to the hotel to rest and get ready for our dinner. 


Dinner was scheduled at 7pm and we were just on time. Quite lovely how the hotel was arrange perfectly for Valentines.


My dashing date :)

For the appetizer, we had 3 choices.  I chose the Tiger Prawn Salad.

Tiger Prawn Salad

Salmon Carpaccio
For the second course I chose the Seafood Pot Au Feu.

Escargot and Mushroom Bourguignon

For the main course, I had U.S. Black Angus Tenderloin Medallion.

U.S. Black Angus Tenderloin Medallion

Baked Lam Rack Subisoisse
For the desert I had Red Velvet Molten Cake a La Mode.

Red Velvet Moten Cake a La Mode

La Presa Strawberries

Vanilla Panacotta

Julian and Ila


The romantic ambience was exquisite! They have a band playing jazz and mats and pillows on the grass. Its one of the best Valentines dinner I've ever had.


What is a dinner without the wine?


This was our last night in Baguio. Our stay was splendid because of the tour, the weather and the Valentines dinner. I advise that you arrange hotel bookings and transportation prior to your trip especially if you're planning to go to Baguio during peak season to avoid unnecessary change of plans.

Do write down if you have questions at the comment box below!

XOXO,
NICOLE

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Good Dress Up Clean and Contemporary. ELENABLOG

Lightweight trench coats or soft trench coats were a thing since Spring 2015 but since I started wearing it I realized how functional and stylish it was to own one. 

Unlike the usual winter coats, these coats doesn't require cold weather, you can wear it day and night, cold or not, perfect for our tropical weather. Lightweight trench coats instantly transforms any outfit to make it look more contemporary.



Wore this outfit to my trip to Ben Cab Museum in Baguio City last weekend. The combination of the  cold weather and bright sunlight is amazing. This outfit gave me the comfort that I needed for the whole day.



If you're following me on instagram, you would know how I love wearing outfits in neutral colors. about 75% of my closet are mostly black, white, grey, denim and taupe/nude. These colors just looks so clean, modern and classy.

I opted to wear a pair of flats and jeans because I know that its going to be a whole day trip.

lightweight trench coat, mock neck top, high waisted jeans and flats from FOREVER 21 | watch from MICHAEL KORS

sunglasses from SUNNIES BY CHARLIE





 It's been 3 years since I last went to Baguio and I must say that the city improved a lot in terms of tourism. A lot of restaurants and tourists spots were established that's going to make your visit in Baguio worthwhile. I'm going to tell you more about my Baguio trip on my next post!

Photography by Raymond Tagle Jr.

snapchat & instagram: nicooolesantos

xx,
NICOLE

Monday, December 7, 2015

Good Dress Up Blogger Quiz Night at Wingman. ELENABLOG

It's my first time to attend a quiz night at a restaurant! Answering a lot of questions requires a lot of eating as well right? LOL This is one of the most fun and interactive food event I've ever attended. Eating delicious chicken wings and answering unusual questions is a really good combo!

Wingman is one of the newest wings place in town! They offer different flavour of wings, burgers, fries, sandwiches and mouth-watering desserts! They're newest branch is located at UP Town Center, Katipunan.

The first thing that I noticed is the restaurant's interior. As a Visual Merchandiser by day, this is always the first thing that I notice in a shop/store. When I saw the interior, I knew why it was called WINGMAN. The store is filled with everything connected with aviation and chicken wings! Smart!



I've mentioned in my past posts how I maintain a healthy diet and body but I think no one can resist a huge plate of fried everything! Shoe string fries, potato wedges, curly twists and onion rings with a yummy dip? Hell YEAH!


We were instructed how the quiz night goes. While we're listening, they keep on serving food which causes a huge distraction! HAHA Their food look sooo good.


We ordered 5 different flavors of wings, Classic Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, Honey Garlic, Moroccan Chermoula and Wing dela Cruz. My personal favourite even in other wings place is the Garlic Parmesan but after trying out different flavours in Wingman, I had a new favourite! The Wing dela Cruz is their Filipino flavoured wings, it tastes like Adobo! We all love Adobo so I think you guys would love it as well. The Moroccan Chermoula is something new and I've never tasted something like this before and I must say that it tastes good as well! :)


We're the Team Jetsetter! At first I thought the questions that will be asked that night are just easy ones but I was so surprised how difficult the questions were. I learned a lot from this quiz night!


Photo by Matt Lee


So here's our team multitasking, taking photos while answering questions! #bloggerduties

Photo by Matt Lee


Honestly, writing down this post makes me want to eat wings again. These photos reminds me of how good they are!


Besides their delicious wings, they also serve one of a kind desserts! We tried Deep Fried Snickers! The vanilla ice cream and fried snickers go really well together!

Photo by Matt Lee
TEAM JETSETTER!! :)


Overall, the Bloggers Quiz Night at Wingman was awesome! Even though we didn't get to answer all the questions right and got the lowest score HAHAHA we still enjoyed our flavourful wings!!! 

Definitely going back to Wingman for our next set of wings and maybe a round of drinks? Do try Wingman if you're near the area! 

To know more about Wingman, visit their social media accounts:

Instagram: @wingman_ph

XOXO
NICOLE