28/02/2024
SotoGrande Hotel Baguio is perhaps one of the newer hotels in Baguio. That being said, it means that it is located a few kilometers from the city center. The location is both a hit and a miss depending on your intention. Personally, I like it. Being far from the center means it has more land to work with. As such, rooms are bigger than the older buildings around Burnham Park. It is either a redevelopment of what was initially intended as a 2-Tower Condo complex, or was intentionally done as such. With that, interiors of the room resembles studio type condos with cabinets replacing where the kitchens would have been.
Rooms, as mentioned are bigger and you get a balcony. If you can, I suggest you request a room facing the mountains rather than Tower 2. Surprisingly, toilet has a tub but it is not really intended for a comfortable soak. But it will suffice if you are a vertically-challenged person. Power outlets are numerous. Two between the beds and about 2 more at the working table. These are of the universal type plus it also has USB, VGA, and HDMI connections. If they are working or not, I did not get to test.
Breakfast is okay but not that great. Choices varied only for two days. On my third breakfast, it was exactly the same as on my first day. Choices are typical Filipino breakfast of tapa, tocino, tinapa, daing, dilis, etc. Soups are variations of arrozclado, champorado, and ube champorado. They also serve Strawberry Taho. Dinning area is rather big already but they also setup tables outside for a more refreshing and cooler breakast experience.
It also has a spacious lobby with a bar at the side so groups have enough space to work with without bothering other guests.
Parking, parking, parking. This is probably the best feature of this hotel. It has a huge basement parking that never did get full when I was there. Compared to other others who have limited parking space or have large parking but placed outside, here you have peace of mind that you will have a slot and that your vehicles are safe and secure.
Internet is also fast. It reached 70mbps download and 30mbps upload during my testing. Sadly, both Globe and Smart struggle to reach my phone.
Service is bad for me. If you do not put the "clean my room" sign they will never enter the room, which is a plus for safety. However, this also meant that they will not refill your consummables such as water, coffee, soap, shampoo, etc. I tried calling the lobby but they never answered.
Location is almost in front of Teachers Camp's main gate. This is along Leonard Wood where if I am mot mistaken at least three jeepney routes (Tiptop, Maria Basa, Minesview) pass through the area. Taxis are also common. So leaving the car in the parking and commuting to the city center can definitely be an option to save you the trouble with traffic and difficulty in finding parking. Walking is also an option for the more adventurous ones.
Overall, I liked my stay here and will be one of my top choices whenever I go to Baguio in the future.
