Citylight Hotel in Baguio

Baguio has always been my favorite city in the Philippines. Baguio brings back childhood memories when my parents would bring me here and we would buy wooden toys and knitted sweaters. When I entered college, I studied in UP College Baguio and so the memories piled up that there are times I cannot bear to contain them anymore. Studying in Baguio has seen me grow from being a child to a young adult. Living away from my family became less dreadful because the fact that I am living in Baguio. It is the city that ushered my independence and has helped me a lot with regards to my self-confidence. It is where I met my dorm roommates who are now my lifelong friends. Baguio has seen me in aspects I myself did not realize I have in my personality. And even long after I left Baguio and pursued the rest of my college education here in UP Diliman, I always go back to Baguio just to reminisce and feel the cool breeze Baguio is well known for.

However, looking for a place to stay in Baguio has always been a hit and miss. Despite the fact that I always return, I do not have a particular hotel or BnB that I can always vouch for. I've stayed in so many hotels in Baguio but there's still none that I want to return to again. Anyway, for our most recent trip, we opted to stay in Citylight Hotel along Gen. Luna Road upon the recommendation of my mom.

Location wise, it is near the Katedral ng Baguio, and walking distance to Session Road. However, because the road is steep (as most Baguio roads are), it is quite inconvenient for a senior citizen, or parents with little kids to walk to and from the hotel. Hailing a cab can be quite a challenge especially during weekends. Because Gen. Luna isn't along the main thoroughfare, only a handful of cabs pass along it, and they most of the time have passengers.

Lobby is quite impressive considering Baguio hotel standards. It is spacious and welcoming and they have nice, new couches. There is free wifi in the lobby and free coffee and juice is overflowing.

The room that we chose is indeed spacious. Having stayed in hotels in Hongkong and Singapore, I am used to small rooms where you almost have no space to place your luggages. Citylight's rooms are huge, and the beds are, too! Upon booking, we know we are staying in a room with two queen sized beds.But upon entering, we find the queen sized beds can pass for a king-sized. The room is clean and new and they have not much decorations, which is a thumbs up for me. Faucet and shower are working, though a bidet could've been helpful. The only downside was that we were given a room with no view. And since it was only a second floor room, our windows, when opened, do not give us the fresh, cool Baguio air.

Breakfast buffet, I believe is one of the things this hotel is known for. They have a wide spread of choices and they accommodate walk-ins. Because of this, they hold the said buffet both in their in-house restaurant on the ground floor as well as on the penthouse. The ambience at the penthouse is far relaxing than on the ground, though.



All in all, it was a nice stay. It wasn't amazing, but yes, I would still recommend the place if you don't mind the walking. We found this out the hard way especially on our last day in the city, when we had lots of shopping bags and loads of fresh produce from the market with us and we couldn't book a taxi.

Convenient transaction with Grab Express

The past few weeks found me needing to send, receive, transport something without me going out of the house. And Grab Express has been very helpful with these errands of mine. The first time I heard about their service was when a friend had to send a package for me. She booked Grab Express from her place in Pasig and voila, the package has been delivered to me in less than 30 minutes. It only cost my friend P87 for the convenience! Because I was happy with the service and affordability, I booked Grab Express to send something to my child's school. The amount I paid was P56, which is only a few pesos short if I was the one who commuted and took the car going to the school. So happy with the politeness and reliability of the rider assigned to me, too. After those first two transactions, I have been using Grab Express on a more regular basis and I can say that I am one happy customer. :)

Keep it up, Grab Express!

Why I Love Mulberry Kids Preschool by Karla Borromeo

Morning of June 21





As I prepare our kids for their first day of school, I reminisce the time I was still searching for the perfect school for Tabby, our firstborn. Since it was the first, I want everything to be how I envisioned it to be. I was imagining that perfect school who will help me nurture our child to be the best he can be. To extend what we teach at home in school. I want the school to continue on my discipline at home. To make him polite, respectful, thankful, prayerful, sociable and of course smarter. To bring out the best of his abilities while showing empathy to his fellow classmates. I want him to stand up for what is right & apologize when he is at fault. I searched by asking my kumare Abi since her husband is with DepEd. I checked online feedbacks. I checked physically the schools & even asked for a few days sit in. I had several questions in mind which I also asked the heads of each school. My OCness & meticulous side of me showed & I admit it because I do not want to commit a mistake especially when it involves our child's education.




The schools I tried and checked out were all good. However, only one stood out. Why? I saw how the teachers were gentle yet firm with their students. I saw how they cared for each student. I saw how they loved each individual. I saw how they embraced the uniqueness of each student & believed that at the end of each day, the student learned something and the student is better than the previous day. I fell in love with Mulberry Kids Preschool because of that.

I was with Tabby everyday when he tried the summer class. I saw how he blossomed to become more independent and how eager he was to go to school everyday. I saw and learned too while I was there. I learned that it's ok for a child to resolve issues on their own without help from adults. I learned their creativity shows through play. I learned how vast their imaginations are when you talk with each child. I learned that at an early age, children know the characteristics of a special child, and they know how to accept & adjust to the special child's needs. Students in Mulberry Kids Preschool are taught not only how to be polite, respectful, thankful, prayerful, sociable and smarter. They are taught how to love and emphatize. They are taught to accept their peers as individuals with different needs and different personalities.




Now, as I prepare to bring our children (Thomas and Keandra) to school, I am happy and proud to say that Mulberry Kids Preschool has allowed me to stop searching for the perfect one because I already found them. I know my children are in good hands as I trek my own path in the corporate world again.

PS. Daddy Leo also concurred




Signed,

Mommy Karla, proud Mulberry Kids Preschool parent