There was a subtle lightness of being that came over me as I peeled my eyes off from my laptop and gazed out the window at the knotted phalanx of pine trees standing silently just across the road. From the front desk lobby down below, I can hear the soft hustle and indistinct chatter of hotel guests checking in for the weekend. The cool and brisk mountain climate permeated throughout the hotel interior and in the library where I was cozily sequestered in work. First time did I ever stay in a hotel that had a library.
Baguio has always been a sort of haven for me, a fancied and fond-of place of yearly summer outings with the family when I was a kid. It seemed like a lifetime ago when I was last back in this summer capital of the Philippines; when the world was turning about merrily and everyone had the leisure of being able to travel, unencumbered by the fusses and what-nots that a pandemic strains on everyday normalcy. During the past couple of years, plans and promises of seeing new places and revisiting old ones were quelled to nothing more than repeat excursions in-between rooms in the house. And as the world is now slowly coming to grips with the COVID pandemic, as if rousing from a rather bad stupor, it is finally nice to be back in the old familiar haunts. And it was moreover a particularly pleasant treat for me that for my recent summer stay, I was billeted at Grand Sierra Pines Hotel, an invitingly refined place that mixes laidback leisure with a contemporary elegance.
Grand Sierra Pines has about it a certain casual and collected temperament which adeptly straddles and balances between the quaint and the chic. Sprucely standing amidst pine trees at the hillside along the steady ascent to Mines View Park, Grand Sierra Pines cuts a striking figure in the Baguio skyline. Stylish and eclectically modern in its architectural flair, the hotel exudes a certain calmness and sense of seclusion, attributable perhaps to its location in the quieter quarters of Baguio City and along the not so busy and rather scenic Outlook Drive, where I would go out for some early morning runs.
Inside, you step into the lobby and promptly get a feel of familiarity – the Baguio that you expect. Cozy. Welcoming. Further in, you stand amidst a magnificent atrium and balcony, to and from which all spaces throughout the hotel open and connect, seemingly eliminating the distinction between indoor and outdoor areas.
There seems to be a unifying philosophy underlying the creation of the place – a philosophy grounded on a warm esteem for the ecologically sustainable, the culturally uplifting and the soulfully invigorating. It is a philosophy cohesively articulated in the hotel’s architectural design, in its features and amenities, and its graceful guest service.
The design of Grand Sierra Pines Hotel apparently has many stories to tell and boasts of imposing features, specifically to serve both aesthetic and sustainable purposes. Not only does the hotel’s form and visual elements intend to reflect the beauty of the mountainous landscape that encompasses it, but beneath its spectacle of sleek lines, lofty spaces, and smart modernity is a level of green architecture that not only gives importance and homage to the unique characteristics of the environment where it was built, but likewise responds to the people who use the place.
Environmental preservation efforts dictated Grand Sierra Pines’ architectural blueprint, emphasizing that no tree would be cut within the property. Thus, the hotel’s footprints were shaped around the existing pine trees, creating an asymmetrical massing structure and a multi-oriented façade. The building’s open space design allows for much natural light to flood throughout the hotel’s entire interior; while linking spaces, such as balconies, corridors and verandas, which connect the various hotel facilities, were designed to convey guests closer to nature outside. Its cascading roof sections, in addition to being reminiscent of the surrounding mountain terrain, also utilizes subtle slopes to provide ample solar exposure for the integration of solar cells.
Perhaps the hotel’s main architectural highlight is the tent-like roofing suspended high above the central atrium and main dining area. This semi-opaque canopy not only filters light for the common spaces below, but is an integral part of the hotel’s ingenious rainwater collection and harvesting system. Rainwater collected from the canopy is brought down a pair of pipes along the elevator shaft and into a reservoir in the hotel’s garden area where the water is filtered and recycled. Once treated, water is driven back into a cistern and is used by the hotel daily, thus freeing Grand Sierra Pines from heavily relying on Baguio City’s rationed water supply.
Such is the innovation and environmental consciousness that went into the design of Grand Sierra Pines that the hotel and its designer were collectively recognized as Architecture Honoree for the Haligi ng Dangal Awards of 2020.
I find it already quite unusual for a hotel to feature a library, but much more so to house a museum and art gallery. There is a genteel and cultured quality to Grand Sierra Pines that manifestly appealed to my introverted self. About it is a seemingly intelligent and curious spirit that appreciates and lauds aesthetics and the avant-garde; a spirit that somehow resonates with the fairly known regard for Baguio as a getaway refuge for the artists, the creatives and the freethinkers.
As much as the hotel subscribes to a bold, future-forward thinking in its design, Grand Sierra Pines likewise defers modest reverence to culture, history and tradition. Its Adkos gallery – the name meaning ‘decoration’ in the traditional Ibaloi language of the mountain region – hosts an impressive collection of artworks from various Philippine National Artists, such as Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Victorio Edades, Vicente Manasala and Hernando Ocampo. The gallery has also held dedicated exhibits of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal’s works and memorabilia, included in which were original editions of his El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere. And further lined up along the hallways just outside the gallery are contemporary pieces from modern-day artists, particularly from the Baguio-based collective known as PasaKalye.
“It goes with the branding of Grand Sierra Pines, which we really want our guests to experience,” Paula Olivar, Grand Sierra Pines’ head of sales and marketing, remarked. “If you want to get away from the hassle and stress of the big city life, you go to Baguio, the quieter side of Baguio. So, for those who love to read, you carry your book and spend some quiet time in the library. Also, you enjoy the different artworks of our National Artists if you love visiting different museums.”
Grand Sierra Pines certainly stands as one of Baguio City’s premiere hotels, exuding a composed lavishness that is both smart and cozy. Its 60 stately and well-appointed rooms afford guests some truly relaxing stays, while the hotel’s ever so gracious staff breathes warmth and heart into the place.
Dining here is likewise an exquisite experience, with The Atrium Lobby Café hosting the hotel’s daily breakfast buffet, and The Outlook Steak & Grill restaurant, offering a varied menu of exceptionally delectable Western dishes amidst an easy ambiance overlooking the pine trees.
But more than being decked with all the fine amenities and lavish trimmings that are staple to any other hotel of the same caliber, Grand Sierra Pines distinctively stands with an expressively avant-garde character. It’s easy to find a classy hotel wherein to stay, but it is not often that I get to meet one whose personality I just so easily jive with. True to its brand promise, Grand Sierra Pines redefined my Baguio experience.
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