Frequently Asked Questions
Updated 11/13/2024
When should I make my reservation?
As early as possible! While we do our best to accommodate emergency or last-minute requests, Doane Rest is a busy ministry. When possible, we do ask that you make your reservations at least 48 hours in advance so we can better serve your needs and ensure that your cottage is prepared for your arrival. Additionally, as we are not a hotel, but instead a self-supporting, private religious guesthouse ministry, we cannot accommodate “surprise” arrivals.
Please do not arrive without a reservation.
How can I submit my reservation?
Can I visit with my non-Christian guests?
Doane Rest is a private religious non-profit. As such, we can legally only serve Christians, this being in accordance with Philippine law. If any reservations are made in violation of this policy, we legally cannot honor them as a private religious non-profit. Additionally, any existing reservations will be cancelled immediately and all future reservations will be blocked for reservations knowingly made in violation of this policy.
Drivers, photographers, etc. included with your group who are staying overnight must be Christians. They are adults, and as such, must adhere to our policies.
Are there other standards you have for Christian guests?
In order to ensure Doane Rest continues to be a safe and restful environment, and as a religious retreat center, we do not allow guests to visit who are living in an open lifestyle of sin, such as drinking to excess, smoking cigarettes (something damaging to our bodies which are temples to the Lord), and homosexuality. Additionally, we do not allow any individuals to visit who have criminal records, especially those involving children.
As a private religious guesthouse, Doane Rest retains the right to deny entry to whomever it sees as not in line with our religious beliefs and policies.
What denominations do you accept?
Doane Rest is a place set aside as a place of rest for those with a faith similar to ours at Protestants. The most important aspect of our faith is our belief in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, one with God, and Him being the only way to Heaven, with us trusting in His finished works as our personal Savior.
With this being the case, we cannot serve those currently part of the Roman Catholic church, Anglican church, Mormon church, Jehovah’s Witness church, Iglesia Ni Cristo, or Quiboloy followers, among others. We bear no ill-will towards individuals from these groups, but we cannot accomodate them for any reason. There are many hotels and transient houses in Baguio that can alternatively serve you if you are from one of these groups.
If your missionary organization or church holds to our core beliefs, we welcome you to visit! Please contact us if you have inquiries.
Are pets allowed?
Since Doane Rest serves a variety of guests, for allergy and solitude reasons, we do not allow pets. Service dogs are welcome; please inform us if you have a service dog you will be bringing. No service caribao (or service animals other than dogs), please.
For security purposes, Doane Rest does have a vaccinated outdoor guard dog. He is safe with children, but please, do not feed him.
Finally, Doane Rest does have vaccinated, friendly outdoor cats to help keep pests down. Please, do not bring our cats or dog into your cottage as a courtesy to other guests. Guests who secretly bring pets will be permanently blocked from visiting Doane Rest. If you are highly allergic to cats or dogs, please let us know before you arrive.
What do you mean by "cottage maximum capacity"?
All of our buildings are from the 1960s, built in the vintage style of Baguio before–wooden buildings with wooden floors and wooden walls. As such, in case of a fire, local fire codes for wooden buildings mandate that our cottages can only have a maximum number of people overnight. For instance, Cottage 3 can have a maximum of 4 adults and 2 children.
Please do not ask to put more people in a cottage than its maximum capacity allows.
Can extra people sleep in our car or tents?
As much as we want to accomodate as many people as possible, the atmosphere of the place will not be restful if we have more people than our cottages can accomodate staying overnight. Our policy is that all guests staying overnight at Doane Rest must be accomodated inside our cottages.
I submitted my reservation request. Now what?
Please wait. Once you submit the Reservation Request form, you will receive an automatic email confirmation of your reservation being submitted. This is not a confirmation of you having a reservation; it is simply a copy. Within 48 hours, you should receive an email from us regarding your booking request.
Submission of a reservation request does not mean your reservation is confirmed.
Can I cancel my reservation or change my reservation times?
Yes, to a certain point. “No-calls/No-shows” are highly discouraged. Doing so hurts the ministry here, while also preventing others in need of rest from staying here. If something has come up which is keeping you from staying with us, please contact us as soon as possible.
In the event that your arrival will be delayed or cancelled, please also notify us at least 48 hours in advance. We will try to accommodate your changes if we can do so. During peak seasons, delayed arrivals without contacting us may cause your reservation to be cancelled.
Does Doane Rest require a deposit?
For family groups using only 1 cottage, we require a donation deposit of 1 night’s stay to confirm your reservation request. For groups using more than 1 cottage, we require a donation deposit equivalent to 50% of your requested stay.
This donation deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. Please clear any changes with us before you arrive; changes not cleared with the manager prior to arrival may result in you not being allowed at Doane Rest in the future.
Can I arrive early or check-out late?
Yes, only if you have contacted the Manager and he has approved your request. Normal arrival/check-in is at 1pm (and before 9pm) at the earliest and departure/check-out is at 10am at the latest. This is so we can serve as many guests as possible. If you would like to arrive early or check-out late, please talk with the manager. Additionally, we will need to ask for at least an extra half-day’s donation to cover our ministry’s extra utilities for this adjustment.
Please do not show up early or plan to depart late without talking with us first.
When can I arrive to check-in?
Our normal check-in time is 1pm or following (until 9pm at the latest). For late arrivals, especially those who have not been here before, you must arrive before 9pm. This allows other guests to rest, along with giving our staff and management time to get their needed rest. If you would like to arrive by 9am at the earliest, you may do so, but you must contact the Manager for approval. For early arrivals, we do request an additional half-day’s donation.
To prepare your cottage in the best possible way, 1pm is our normal arrival time.
Can I arrive/depart on Sunday?
As Christians, we want to keep Sunday as a time of rest. Therefore, Sunday arrivals are not allowed. Departures on Sunday are welcome, and they can be done either before or after church. Late check-outs are by 3pm on Sundays and have no extra donation amount. Please meet with the Manager before Sunday if you will be departing on Sunday and settle your donation.
What donation methods do you accept?
To offset the costs of your stay and maintain the facility, Doane Rest accepts the following donation methods:
- Philippine Peso cash
- Philippine Peso check (made out to “Association of Baptists for World Evangelism”)
- Philippine Peso bank deposit (sent to BPI, “Association of Baptists for World Evangelism,” 4041-0116-91)
- GCash or PayMaya (plus a 2% fee for us to get the donation converted into cash). We recommend sending GCash or PayMaya donations to our BPI bank account instead.
- USD cash (change will be given in Philippine peso cash)
- USD checks (plus a $5 fee which we must pay for depositing USD checks)
- USD online (plus a 5% fee which we are charged for accepting online donations) sent through here. Please select “Guest House” and note that your donation is being sent for Doane Rest.
What clothing should I pack? Is it cold there?
More info about the local weather can be found here: AccuWeather – Baguio City Weather (external site)
We do have laundry facilities for washing your clothes, along with dryers and clotheslines. Please don’t hang your clothes on fences or railings.
Can we request firewood for our cottage?
Yes, you may! For a small donation to cover our costs of getting firewood, we can deliver 1/4, 1/2, or 1 load of firewood to your cottage. Please request firewood at the time you make your booking. If you need firewood before 8am or after 5pm, our staff may not be available to get you firewood.
Our provided loads of firewood are as follows:
- ₱175 for 1/4 load (good for 1 night; about 1/12 cord)
- ₱350 for 1/2 load (good for 2 – 3 nights; about 1/6 cord)
- ₱700 for 1 whole load (good for 4 – 5 nights; about 1/3 cord)
What do I do when I arrive?
Please push the doorbell to alert our staff of your arrival, then please wait momentarily for us to open the gate. We will get to the gate as quickly as possible. If no one comes after ringing the doorbell twice, there should be a rope for a bell. Please ring that and wait for a moment.
If you are arriving by taxi, please have one of your group go back down with the taxi to open and close the gate for the taxi.
What is Doane Rest like?
Each of our seven cottages and apartments has a fully furnished kitchen with a gas stovetop and oven, refrigerator, microwave oven, dishes, pots, pans, and utensils. All cottages and apartments have hot and cold running water. Most cottages have a fireplace except for our smallest cottage. All bed, bath, and kitchen linens are provided. For more information and pictures showing our cottages and other amenities, please visit the Amenities page above.
Outside, we have beautifully landscaped gardens, a gazebo, bench swings, a half basketball court, a grass soccer/volleyball play area, swings, curved slide, glider swing, climbing bars, and a sandbox available for fun and enjoyment. The Meeting Hall has a fireplace, table tennis, and shuffle board, and the Library has a variety of Christian books, along with some board games.
Pack ‘n Plays (3) and high chairs (1 high chair, 2 booster seats) are available in limited number. Please request extra equipment you need when you Book your cottage.
I'm arriving/leaving on my coding day. What do I do?
1 or 2 = Monday |
3 or 4 = Tuesday |
5 or 6 = Wednesday |
7 or 8 = Thursday |
9 or 0 = Friday |
There is a route to Doane Rest that you can use on your “No Drive Day.” A map of this route is available here.
Do you have WiFi at Doane Rest?
Yes, we do. We have 2 ISPs with fiber connections to give you maximum reliability. However, we cannot guarantee our connections will always be perfect. Please let us know if you have any problems with the WiFi during your stay.
Do you provide meals?
Unfortunately, we do not provide meals. However, all of our cottages do have fully-equipped kitchens, so you can prepare exactly what you would like. There are also many food and grocery delivery services in Baguio. You may view those options here on our food page.
As a courtesy to guests visiting after you, because of its strong odor, we ask that you do not cook fried fish (daing) inside your cottage. Also, please do not cook turmeric or other foods that may cause stains on our kitchen utensils. Cooking foods such as these may result in you not being welcome at Doane Rest again.
Do you have laundry facilities?
Yes, you can do your laundry here. We have self-serve washers and dryers available. Please ask our staff if you need assistance.
Do you have recommendations for other accomodations?
In the case that Doane Rest isn’t the best location for you, we do know of some Christian transient places in Baguio. You can contact Pastor Geru Sardina at 910-667-4077, Sheryl Chantal at 921-983-2703, or Janice Jimenez Sena at 920-968-8089 and hopefully they can help you. Finally, Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary, PBTS, has guest facilities. Here is a link to a Facebook post with more info:
Other Important Notes
Alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, and tobacco products are strictly prohibited on the premises. Any use of these while on Doane Rest’s grounds will result in immediate eviction from our premises and revoke your ability to stay at Doane Rest in the future. Please do not bring anything to Doane Rest that is not in keeping with a godly testimony.