Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! I know it's been a long time since I've written another blog. I just couldn't find time to write one in the past weeks. Today, I thought of writing while waiting for my brother to arrive home and we again will go out later on to hand gifts to our business partners then buy foods in the evening for Noche Buena.
Last week, I went on an overnight vacation at Baguio City (a.k.a. The Summer Capital of the Philippines) with my mom, brother and his friend. Actually, I should be doing the overnight vacation with my friend but she wasn't available on that date so we agreed to reschedule it on another day or maybe next year.
I have lots of things to write about my very short vacation, and I think the first thing I should be writing about is the place where we spent the night because a shelter to rest is very important when traveling.
The Babs Place Baguio Transient Room
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Babs Place building.
My family and I stayed at Babs Place Baguio Transient Room or simply "Babs Place" for our overnight vacation. This was suggested by my friend after searching on the internet a few weeks ago while planning for our trip to Baguio, and we were supposed to stay here. Even though she can't come with me, our supposed to be itinerary became my family's too. I suggested this place to family and they liked it almost instantly.
Babs Place is located at Hillside near the arch of Brgy. Gabriela Silang in Baguio City, province of Benguet. As written on its Facebook page, it says that it is just 6 minutes away from the Victory Liner bus station. Some of the rooms are studio type and can accommodate 2 up to 11 pax. Prices range from Php 250 to Php 350 per pax. Solo travelers can also rent the room all by themselves, though rent price is higher than usual price bracket. Check in is at 12 noon and check out will be at 11 a.m. the next day.
What's more amazing is that each room has its own bathroom and kitchen. You can also use the kitchen utensils and appliances for free although you should adhere to their policy, "Clean as you go." If you fail to follow this rule, you will be charged a fine of Php 250. And just in case you forgot to bring a towel, you can rent one for Php 50. Smoking area outside the room and if caught smoking inside the room, you will be penalized by Php 200.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
A no smoking sign inside the room.
You can ask for a room reservation through their Facebook page. Although they advise that you send them a text message or call them at the mobile number posted on the page so they can easily accommodate you. A down payment of Php 300 within 3 days after reserving should be done through a bank deposit for you to confirm your reservation.
Staying at Babs Place
We stayed at Bab's Place last December 17 until 18 and luckily we still got to reserve a room two days before our planned date. My brother reserved our room through text message and was told that we could just pay the whole fee upon our arrival.
Fast forward to December 17. We rode a taxi to take us to Babs Place which costed about Php 65 for the fare. We arrived four hours late from the check in time since we left home at 2 in the afternoon, but it was all good.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
The Barangay Gabriela Silang arch. I hope you can see it. The Babs Place owner is also the man in white shirt on the right.
Arriving in front of the Brgy. Gabriela Silang welcome sign, there was a man waiting at the stairs of the building which I assume was the owner of Babs Place, if not, then probably the caretaker. He curiously approached us if we were the ones who will be staying at the transient house. I guess the purpose why he told my brother beforehand to send him the plate number of the taxi we were riding on was to easily recognize us. But I guess my brother had forgotten to inform him. (Lol)
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Beds where we slept. Sorry for our messy stuff.
The owner welcomed us then led us straight to our room which was located at the second floor and familiarized us around the unit. Four beds welcomed us upon entering the room. Meanwhile, the kitchen and bathroom were located downstairs. He told us about their clean as you go policy too. And he also mentioned that there is a store just across the building where we could buy things and foods. Of course, he had us pay the rental before leaving us in our room. We were charged Php 350 pax since it's peak season.
Before I enumerate the pros and cons, let's do another fast forward to December 18, the day we checked out. We checked out a few minutes before 10 a.m. and my brother who is in contact with the owner was told to just leave the door key on the table in the balcony. But after almost a minute, the owner showed up to personally get the keys. He thanked us for staying at their transient house and wished us to enjoy the rest of our itinerary.
Pros and Cons
PROS:
Cheap
The very first thing people would look for when deciding for a place to stay is its price. Babs Place offer their room for a very affordable price of Php 250 to 350 per pax. For a cheap price, you get a good place to stay in Baguio City. This is the reason why more and more travelers like staying here.
Kitchen
For a cheap price you also get a kitchen area for you to cook when you don’t feel like eating outside. There are mugs, plates, cooking utensils, two burner gas stove, and the most important kitchen appliance to every Asian home, the rice cooker! We weren’t able to cook and use the kitchen very much since we’ve been always out but having a kitchen on a transient room is sure a nice thing. Not even some hotels have kitchen in their rooms. So if you’re looking for a room which comes with a kitchen, I highly recommend Babs Place.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
The kitchen with my photobomber brother.
Clean
We all want a clean place to stay and I’d put a check mark for Babs Place on that. In my own observation, I haven’t noticed any insect like cockroaches, spiders, etc. There were no rats nor lizards as well. The whole building is actually clean although there was just an ashtray on the table in the terrace area which was filled with cigarette butts and it leaves a tinge of unpleasant smell. My sense of smell sucks and the smell is not much of an issue even to my family as well, so it’s just fine.
Looks New
A new and pleasant looking room would surely attract travelers. In all fairness, the entire building looks new and comfortable to stay at. Walls were fully painted, floors inside were tiled and gravel floor was used outside. It doesn’t look super brand new but it sure does look new. I hope you get my point. (Haha)
Spacious
The room that was given to us was actually good for 11 people. There is a beautiful door by the kitchen area which leads to the other 7 beds. Of course, the door was locked because we don’t need it anyway. I’d say the whole unit was spacious for four people though it might get a little crowded for 11 people.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Such a very colorful and cute stained glass door.
And take note, there’s a television, wifi (television and wifi are only available on their studio type rooms) and electric fan too! But you won’t need the fan anyway because the weather is cold.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Do you think you still need to use an electric fan in Baguio City?
View
Honestly, I am satisfied with the view I can get from the balcony. Yes, friends! There is a balcony to laze around and a view of some mountains and houses built on the cliff. Seeing the houses on the cliff always makes me amazed and anxious. (Lol.) But since we’re just on the second floor, our view also consists of electrical posts and wires. Again, I wouldn’t complain about this unless I’m staying on a high class hotel like the Baguio Country Club. Some hotels don’t even have a balcony, so why do I have to complain?
(image source: Katsanslimites)
View from the second floor balcony. Cable wires panorama. Just kidding!
Friendly
I must say the owner of Babs Place is kind, and that is important. We all want to be greeted and treated with kindness, right? I’m sure Babs Place will continue to get positive reviews not only because of the place but with how they treat their guests.
CONS:
Transportation
It says, it’s six minutes away from the Victory Liner bus station. I thought it was a 6-minute walk, but it turned out to be a 6-minute ride. I blame myself for not reading well. (Lol.) Anyway, going to Babs Place is not a hassle although it may take you a few minutes to wait for a taxi when you want to go to the city proper. The transient house is also far from the main road and I believe one would give up walking the inclined streets.
How about jeepneys?
The owner said there is a jeep station if you just continue walking down the street but my mom would rather ride a taxi so we have no choice but to wait for one. If you’re okay with jeepney then there will probably no problem with transportation but if you want a taxi then you have to wait for a few minutes.
No Heater
Surprise! Bab’s place bathrooms has no heater! You read it right. This is really a turn off but don’t worry because they have an extra large kettle for you to boil water! Filipino style, indeed! However, a bathroom with a heater is better especially when you’re in a city like Baguio.
No Toilet Flush
Another surprise! This got us a little disappointed because you have to use a "tabo" or dipper to pour water to flush it. It’s disappointing but it’s not much of a bother for me. The toilet is clean anyway and it has a bidet spray! (Haha.) But no toilet flush is still a disadvantage.
Narrow Bathroom
The bathroom has little space but just enough for you to move around. There’s a telephone shower too. But I chose to take a bath with the dipper because there’s no heater.
Narrow Stairs
The stairs going down to the kitchen and bathroom is a bit dangerous especially for older people and kids. It's also dangerous for tall people because they might bump their head on the concrete while going down. Thank goodness I’m short!
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Stairs leading to the kitchen and bathroom. Be careful!
Noise
I must say the place is peaceful and quiet at night but it gets a little noisy at dawn around 4 a.m. onwards. The sound of the roosters and dogs plus the vehicles passing by the street is distracting.
(video source: Katsanslimites)
View from the balcony plus roosters crowing, dogs barking and vehicles passing by.
Mirror
I must add this to the cons list and I wish this is the only room that has this kind of mirror. The mirror reflects a distorted image. It’s hilarious but a little sad because you can’t properly see yourself. My mom called it, “the lying mirror.”
BONUS
On our last day at Babs Place, my mother had a little conversation with the owner while we were waiting for a taxi to pass by. We learned that there are a total of 7 units in the building and he is planning to construct another transient house beside the existing one. But he said getting a building permit is very difficult. (Baguio City is a mountainous area and government is strict when it comes to allowing construction of houses and buildings)
He also mentioned that his transient house is popular with travelers from the southern part of the Philippines especially those from Visayas. He told that he even receives calls from travel agencies sometimes. And as much as he wanted to accommodate them all, he only have limited units.
A Funny Story
(image source: Katsanslimites)
See the arrow on the side? Yup, that's where it happened. Lol!
Here’s a funny story before I give my final judgment for this house. When we returned to Babs Place around 12:30 in the morning I never expected for dogs to be still roaming around. I lead my family upstairs to our room and when I got to a corner just in front of the unlighted stairs leading to third floor, I noticed two dogs wrestling on the dark. I could hear their breaths and got no time to hide because their attention was already on me upon seeing them. They hastily ran down towards me and I freaked out so much that my feet got glued on the ground. I shouted as I thought the dogs would bite me.
I felt embarrassed after because the surroundings was very quiet and it turned out that the dogs just went down to greet me. They’re actually friendly and cute dogs! My family was laughing at me and said luckily my scream wasn’t that loud to awaken the neighborhood. (Lol.) The dogs even followed us in front of our room and when my mom said it’s already late and they have leave, the two dogs immediately obliged and prancingly went out. I was looking for them in the morning before we left but they were nowhere to be found.
Verdict
(video source: Katsanslimites)
A little tour at some areas of our room. The balcony, stairs, and kitchen.
Babs Place is a good place to stay if you are looking for a decent room with a cheap price. If you are okay with a bathroom without a heater and toilet flush then I this place would do. Plus, you get a private kitchen too. Overall, Babs Place is a must try for travelers who are on a tight budget or for the travelers who don’t want to spend so much money for a hotel.
And since I'm talking about a review of my stay at Babs Place, here's a querlo chat about comfort in hotel.
Thanks for reading!
✧ Katsanslimites
