After the sunrise hunt at Sagada’s majestic Kiltepan Viewpoint, it was finally time for a hearty breakfast.

Having no meal yet since getting up at 4:30am (all the stores in Sagada it seems open in time with the rising sun), I was eagerly awaiting this part of the tour. A quick drive down the viewpoint and into another snaky one-lane dirtroad and we’re at the Rock Inn & Café.

The place looks really promising. A flowered trellis path leads visitors to its simple wooden doors, the kind that your grandma’s place might have. Walk through it and you will be greeted by the cozy sunbathed wooden interiors of Café Bodega, Rock Inn’s restaurant.

Diners can choose to either eat inside or go al fresco off the side of the restaurant. In the garden adjacent to the outdoor eating area is a bonfire hut where staying guests can enjoy a fiery night of stories, roasted marshmallows and burnt hotdogs.

Had I booked earlier, I would have preferred to stay at this place. Their accommodations range from Php450.00 bunk quarters to Php1,800.00 executive rooms. They can also lodge groups up to 18 persons large on their attic, costing guests just Php250.00 per head.

Their food was okay, nothing really earthshaking, but decent enough. The staff however, was either just too harassed because of the number of visitors because of the holidays, or was just really not into smiling.

The place was originally an orange orchard before being converted into a bed and breakfast for weary Sagada travelers. Guests can even join plucking oranges from their four-hectare farm should they chance to visit during the picking season. It is said that Rock Farm produces really good ponkans, Washington naval oranges, and persimmons.

Hidden from the road and being surrounded with nothing but the sounds of nature, lush greeneries and craggy rock formations, Rock Inn and Café is get-away within a get-away place like Sagada. The place looks like a real good place to unwind after a day’s hike and spelunking. I will definitely be back, unsmiling resto staff notwithstanding.

       Rock Inn & Cafe
       Address: Rock Farm, Batalao, Sagada, Mountain Province [2km before Sagada town proper] 
       Telephone: (0920) 909-5899 | (0920) 902-8608
       E-mail: rockfarm_sagada@yahoo.com
       Website: www.rockfarmsagada.com