Prime living at Camp John Hay

For families looking for a place to spend quality vacation time and those who are planning to spend vacation on a more permanent basis — more popularly known as retirement, Camp John Hay in Baguio is fast becoming the destination of choice. Real estate properties inside the former US rest and recreation resort have attracted locals, as well as foreigners, since it was opened to the public in the late 90s.

Best sellers are the Camp John Hay Manor and Suites Condotels; elegant residential homes such as the Country Homes and Forest Cabins; and the Residential Estates Lots where buyers can build their own dream house. All of these are available on a long term lease and a first come-first served basis.

Camp John Hay Unit owners cite the resort’s peacefulness, relaxing atmosphere, clean air, and security as the main reasons for their decision to purchase real estate properties in the area. "Inside Camp John Hay, it still feels like the Baguio I knew from my childhood. Majestic pine trees, fresh air — everything is still there," says Orlando Velasco, a retired US marine who had lived in the US for 20 years. While traffic and pollution have become major concerns for Baguio residents, in Camp John Hay, these problems are non-existent.

The Camp John Hay Condotels such as the Manor, and the Suites are the hot picks of buyers because of their affordability and special benefits. The Camp John Hay Manor has a total of 189 units while the Camp John Hay Suites has 278 rooms. These Condotel facilities have three kinds of Units: the smallest unit — a Studio Unit has an average floor area of around 40 square meters; a One-Bedroom Suite with an average floor area of around 80 sq. m.; and the biggest, a two-bedroom Suite reaching a total floor area of 145 sq. m. The Camp John Hay Manor, which is now on its fourth year of operations is (almost) always fully booked especially during peak seasons like the Christmas Holidays, Holy Week and the Summer Season. As Unit Owners of a Camp John Hay Condotel, they are given 30 complimentary room-nights annually; maintenance and bills are taken care of by the hotel operator; and also enjoy the benefits of profit-sharing for the 15-year hotel operations. After that time period, unit owners have the option to either continue joining the pool of hotel rooms for another 15-year hotel operation or use their Units as private residential rooms.

There are also Estate Lots where buyers can construct their dream house from among the country log designs or create a new design with Camp John Hay’s Master Architect, RRPayumo + Partners. There are 49 lots scattered in prime areas in the whole Camp; the smallest is around 400 sq. m., while the biggest is around 1,300 sq. m. Prices range from P4 to P16 million based on Special Price tag of P9,500 per sq. m. on cash transactions, and as much as P12,500 on terms. These Estate Lots have either a perfect view of the golf course or embraced by the lush pine forest of Camp John Hay.

Residential homes such as the single-detached Country Homes located in the vicinity of the golf course and near the golf clubhouse and the Forest Cabins — medium size duplex units located in Scout Hill are also available. The Forest Cabins are two-story duplex units each with an attic has a gross floor area of 150 sq. m. ranging between P9 to P10 million.

For more information about Camp John Hay properties, you may send your queries to [email protected] or [email protected] or call Direct Lines 637-6966, 687-4484; Trunkline 637-0100 locals 8003 & 8004. You may also visit www.campjohnhay.com to see the list of available properties.