The Philippines has one of the longest lockdowns documented during this pandemic, and to be honest, it's getting frustrating. I've spent two birthdays on lockdown, but I'm thankful for the one I had this year because I at least had the chance to connect with nature, breathe fresh air and enjoy some peace and quiet. This trip was one of the best I've had during this pandemic, I mean, not like we've had a lot. But it's definitely one that I needed--physically, mentally and emotionally.
I didn't really plan on going anywhere because God knows how crowded most places are lately even if we're being told to stay at home. But one Sunday afternoon while I was mindlessly scrolling on Facebook, I saw my friend's photo--it was atop somewhere high with majestic views of the sunset and the mountains. And they had with them a dog. I've had Chewy for about 6mos now (Chewy is my beagle), and I feel sad because she hasn't seen the outdoors. The most outdoor she's had is our backyard and the garage--which is just tragic for an active beagle really. I also just want to take her places and let her see the world. So I told my fiance to look it up and book us a stay.
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| Photo from Camp Sandugo's Facebook Page |
THE PLACE
When we arrived at the parking, we were a bit clueless where the camping grounds were because the road wasn't paved, it was dusty and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. Turns out the parking are is also their pick-up point. We brought a pick-up truck with us but we didn't realize the path going to Camp Sandugo was a rough road, also quite popular among bikers, but a road we didn't want to risk our car on hehe. But thankfully when we called our contact person, there's a pickup service ready to take us to Camp Sandugo. The ride was definitely rough, and Chewy was very nervous the entire time because it's her first off-road adventure but she had fun nonetheless.
Camp Sandugo is a spacious, vast piece of land in the mountains surrounded by trees and luscious greens. According to some of the staff I spoke with, Camp Sandugo is a popular destination to bikers and campers alike. Upon entering the Camp, we were greeted with the 'reception' area aka kitchen aka bar. There's a lovely dining spot in the camp grounds too which is why they have a pretty extensive kitchen.
Campers can choose to avail of Camp Sandugo's tents and other materials, or bring their own. You can also opt for 'Glamping' which is what we availed since we had a dog and she can't be quite handful since she's one energetic pup. In total, there are 3 glamping sites. They also have tents already setup and grounds available for people who want to pitch their own tents. Comfort rooms are available and a cooking area is also ready for people who want to cook their own food. We actually had a grill right beside our tent to it's quite easy to get our grill on. The charcoal isn't free but it's readily available for purchase.
We were quite amazed with our glamping site because we had an entire deck all to ourselves. On the deck was our tent with folding beds, a fan, chairs and tables for dining and a grill. When we got there, we immediately setup Chewy's playpen. While the camp grounds were spacious, it was also slope-y and we didn't want to risk having her roll in those mountains because I tell you, she's a rowdy pup lol. She loves her playpen anyway and was comfortable. Check-in is at 2PM while checkout is at 10AM. We arrived at around 3:30PM in the afternoon so the heat was quite scorching but thankfully the deck had covers that would eventually be removed when the heat wasn't as bad.
For the Glamping Package we availed of, it was priced at P2,500--comes with a tent, beds, toiletries, blankets and pillows! The package also comes with free breakfast. Everything else, you have to pay for. In our case, we ordered more food and had to pay for charcoal so towards checkout we paid an additional P650. May seem a lot, but we did order a lot of food too hehe so I think it's justified.
THE FOOD
Even if we brought our own food, we couldn't resist but try some of what they have to offer. Upon arrival, we immediately ordered a Mango shake and Pork BBQ, something light to quench our hunger and thirst. The boyfriend then ordered a meal after even if we were set to grill hotdogs that night lol. He said the food was good. Camp Sandugo also offers local craft beer and other refreshments. Upon arrival, we were also presented with quite a huge cooler which was like our personal mini bar. It has alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. We're good with the alcoholic drinks so we just got a couple of gatorades in the morning which we also had to pay for.
Overall, it was an amazing weekend spent nurturing myself through nature's energy. If there's just one thing they can improve on probably the noise over at their dining area. As mentioned, aside from the Glamping and Camping sites, they also have a restaurant that caters to customers visiting the camp. During our visit, it was already 9PM and the noise was pretty disruptive even for us not even close to the dining area. But aside from that, I really couldn't have picked a better place to have spent my birthday.
Ochi is a twenty-something Corporate Trainer who loves to cook, take photos and videos of her food, eat and travel. On weekends, she's either drunk or snuggling in bed watching her favorite crime drama. 
