Photographed by Geric Cruz
The Country Place’s Socorro Rojas Baylon, who is more fondly known as Mrs B, knows Baguio like the back of her hand. Here, the hostess lists down her recommendations for a weekend well-spent in Baguio.
Arriving at The Country Place feels like coming home.
In this three-story mansion on a hill, guests stopping by are greeted by easy mornings with an expansive view of Baguio’s colorful patchwork of houses. It’s as if time stands still sitting by the couch and the fireplace, and the only marker of time is the occasional blanket of fog that sleepily rolls over the homes on colder days at the quarries.
Socorro Rojas Baylon, or Mrs. B, as everyone else calls her, is the host tending to the whole space. She is a cousin of the residence’s owners. No wonder The Country Place feels like home to its visitors—it’s because it is home to Mrs. B, too. She still remembers spending her childhood summers playing there as a young girl. With more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, giving her a sharp eye and a charming, no-nonsense personality, Mrs. B felt like the right person to entrust with the care of the houses and its current staff.
Mrs. B knows the mansion’s history well: she’ll tell you about the little cave she found as a kid while exploring the garden, her collection of food magazines she shares with her guests and even the homeowners’ penchant for traveling (as told through the colorful collection of matchboxes displayed in the game room).
While staying inside the residences is a vacation in itself, a cup of coffee with Mrs B can also illuminate the rest of the city for those still learning to navigate the sprawling hills. She knows where the best spots are, so after a weekend at The Country Place, Vogue Philippines has listed down Mrs B’s recommendations for a weekend well spent in Baguio.
Narda’s Handwoven Arts & Crafts
It gets chilly during the foggy mornings in Baguio. Mrs. B suggests bundling up in the vibrant scarves, ponchos, and shawls made by Narda’s Handwoven Arts & Crafts. The business was a project of Narda Capuyan that first started in La Trinidad back in 1972. Now, it is being inherited by Narda’s daughter, Lucia Catanes, who is proud to keep the Ikat weaving tradition alive.
The Ikat tradition is an intricate craft that involves preparing threads with a resist-dyeing method before weaving. In Narda’s line of products, this results in warm pieces dyed in elegant pastels or vivid earth tones.
Canto Bogchi Joint
This restaurant nestled inside an old heritage house at the corner of Kisad Road is one of Baguio City’s proudest homegrown restaurants. Starting off as a humble food joint in the city, Canto, owned by husband and wife Carlo and Dimples Blanco has slowly become a staple destination for local tourists looking for good eats.
They specialize in Filipino comfort food made from ingredients sourced fresh from local farms. Last November, they released a special menu inspired by Cordilleran cuisine: adapting traditional food like the smokey Etag into contemporary fare.
Philippine Treasures
Philippine Treasures is a craft and ornament shop that started out selling souvenirs in 1972. Today, it is an award-winning company that exports home decorations and a personal favorite of Mrs. B when it comes to decorating The Country Place’s residences.
What gives each Philippine Treasure piece its charm is the use of natural materials. Pine cones dusted with glitter, seashells tied to a lace doily, and magazine racks carved into varnished wood add a touch of warmth to any space thanks to their handmade quality.
Foam Coffee
Mrs. B has spent much of her time getting to know the cafés and restaurants in the city, trying the new places that pop up before the local tourists even find them online. Foam Coffee is one of her most recent recommendations to visit.
Inspired by Japanese aesthetics, the Legarda branch of this café is a two-floor space designed with minimalist interiors complemented by maximalist decor and art toys referencing pop culture. Visitors recommend trying their donuts and coffee at the Zen space on the lower floor.
The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
On a shelf rests a guestbook with a record of all the people who enjoyed their stay at the countryplace. Flipping through it is much like flipping through these residences’ memories: of great meals spent indoors or quips to reference inside jokes made with Mrs. B.
One guest particularly thanks Mrs. B for leading them to The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto sitting on Mirador Hill, a short walk away from the residences. If you can wake up early enough in the morning, Mrs. B suggests spending a peaceful minute sitting by the shrine before you leave the city.
