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COMMUTER'S GUIDE
To Baguio, Around And Back

Departure: Victory Liner Cubao Terminal.
Stops: 3 stops
Departure Time: 3 a.m. onwards, with a bus leaving every hour.
Travel Time: from 6-8 hours, depending on traffic. Longer, if travelling during peak season (summer, Holy Week)
Arrival: Baguio City Victory Liner Terminal
Cost: Php 270.00 one-way


***FX taxis are abound in Baguio City, and operate differently from Manila FX cabs. FXs in Baguio are private once a passenger or group of passengers board the cab. Flag down rate is Php 20.00 and Php 1.00 per succeeding tick of the meter. Popular destinations could be reached via taxis or jeeps plying different routes.

Departure: Baguio City Victory Liner Terminal
Stops: 2-3 stops
Departure Time:
Travel Time: 6-8 hrs. depending on traffic. Longer, if travelling during peak season.
Arrival: Victory Liner Cubao Terminal (passengers with handcarried luggage may alight along the way, i.e. EDSA)
Cost: Php 275.00 one-way

TRAVEL REVIEW
Concorde Conundrum
C. Pascual

I've been going to Baguio since I was a wee babe and my recent trip, hosted by my friend's dad, afforded me a stay in
one of Baguio's more popular hotels.

The Concorde Hotel is a four-star property, located inside the Europa Center compound, a modest 149 room hotel. As you go inside, one is greeted with the warmth of dark-wood interiors, faux log finishes and the smiles of the hotel personnel. The ground floor of the hotel is compact, where the lobby, piano bar and restaurants are all connected by narrow passageways, which, in this case gives a cozy atmosphere to an otherwise chilly climate. From the lobby, guests can marvel at beautiful paintings and wood carvings depicting the Ifugao way of life; the piano bar; and a graceful wrought-iron covered elevator capsule with soft green lights on its ends. Our room was at the third floor, and the first thing that ran through my mind on our way to our room was that I'm in a maze. The hallways are quite narrow, just enough for a medium-sized person and a piece of luggage to pass through. The floor, though is made of beautiful dark-wood planks varnished and waxed to perfection. You wonder how many acres of forests they had to go through to construct the place.

We stayed in a Superior Room with a verandah overlooking Baguio's sloping skyline, good for 3 people. The room is a bit on the small side, as my room mates suffered bruised knees from bumping on the edges of the bed and chairs. The room is furnished with one double and one single bed, with a pull-away, so a maximum of 4 people can lodge comfortably in one bedroom. A small television set is provided for minor entertainment, and basic furnishings such as a closet, a small dresser, a coffee table and provisions for coffee or tea are present in the room. You would have to ask for additional blankets if you're not used to cold evenings, which was what we did during our stay there and extra blankets were promptly sent to our rooms, albeit mostly moth-eaten.

Hot and cold water are supposed to be part of the hotel amenities, but on our first night there, I very nearly suffered hypothermia owing to the fact that the hot water tap did not work. My roomies have to ring up the front desk to send hot water to our shower.

A word of caution: the hotel's owner has a great liking for dogs and it's not unusual to see a rotation of healthy, adorable labradors sunning themselves in the parking lot (leashed to metal posts), but come nighttime, the owner's kennel, located at the back of the property, sounds like a horror movie soundtrack with all the howling and barking. It's loud enough to rouse guests on the same side of the building.

The saving grace would be the kind hotel staff (if you ignore the stoic, unsmiling porter) and the piano bar performers, a blind couple. The man plays good piano while the woman sings. She sounds amazingly like Ella Fitzgerald.

Needless to say, I was pretty much disappointed with our accomodations. Even if The Concorde is rated as a 4-star property, it doesn't quite match up with the standards of similarly-rated properties in Manila.

Concorde Hotel is located at The Europa Center, Legarda Road, Baguio City