Baguio City, The Philippines – Strategically located at the top of Session Road, the heart of Baguio City’s central business district, is a small space,  where a beautifully designed hotel is standing – the G1 Design Hotel. The 3-star establishment is shaped in such a way that it is able to maximize daylight and natural ventilation.

To us Filipinos, Baguio City has always been a major tourist destination. Gor this reason, the city has become a hotspot for development. Moreover, the city’s ideal cool climate and the region’s unique culture, both indigenous and modern, have continually influenced the design of some buildings.

With the influx of more contemporary ideas in the city’s recent overall architecture and culture, one might think if Baguio’s identity still stands out despite thriving between two timelines – the past and the future.

I have read that G1 Lodge aims to strike a balance between modern and indigenous concepts with the incorporation of both familiar local and borrowed ideas. I want to believe that G1 is able to do that form of infusion as evidenced by the hotel’s design.

The hotel’s lobby showcases an undulating ceiling to which a part of its interior walls serve both as an extension and a contrasting element of the exterior and the lobby (and cafe’s) interior.

G1 Lodge’s have various rooms to choose from. Most of which has a small terrace with a view of the city. The design of each room, I’d say, is minimalist and straightforward with all the basic amenities provided.

The Raincoat Coffee is G1 Lodge’s in-house cafe located in the same floor the hotel lobby is (5th). Their cafe shares the hotel’s beautifully designed interior. G1, through their cafe, offers a breakfast buffet for in-house guests and walk-,in diners at a function hall at the 6th floor of the hotel.

The cafe’s menu offers a pretty wide variety of food and drinks. Personally, I super love their strawberry macchiato from among their drinks and the dark cloud cookie grom among the desserts I’ve tasted. Another must try is their kamote soup which is really good. However, the waffles with fruits, is meh and quite of a letdown. As much as I love cream cheese, I don’t like it on waffles. I still prefer the classic whipped cream. The buffet breakfast, on the other hand was pretty decent despite not having many food options.

So, if you are looking for a conveniently located hotel in the city of pines, G1 Lodge is a perfect place to stay in Baguio. It is close to Sessio Road, SM mall, the Baguio cathedral, the Baguio City public market, parks like Burnham Park and many more tourist spots in the city.

Address: G1 Lodge Design Hotel, #2 Leonard Wood Rd, Baguio City, Benguet 2600