Showing posts with label Ilocos Sur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ilocos Sur. Show all posts

July 29, 2025

Hotel Luna Vigan Ilocos Sur

Let me continue my North Luzon Road Trip series, and this time I am sharing Hotel Luna. When my husband told me that we would be going to Vigan, I suggested Hotel Luna for our accommodation. I heard and read good reviews about this hotel, and it is one of the popular hotels in Vigan. 


Hotel Luna is a restored mansion, and it is the first Museum Hotel in the Philippines. It is the home of rare masterpieces of famous artists in the Philippines. They have two hotels, one is Hotel Luna and the other is Hotel Luna Annex. 


Hotel Luna Annex is cheaper, but it is a block away from the main hotel where the restaurant, gym, pool, and museum are located. We chose Hotel Luna, and the staff suggested a Double Queen Deluxe room because the room is good for 4 people. 

But we booked 2 rooms: 1 Standard Queen and 1 Double Queen De Luxe. To confirm the reservation, 50% down payment is needed via bank transfer or Gcash. 


We arrived late in the evening, so check-in was smooth at wala naman pila. These were our rooms, and I was surprised when I saw the bathroom; it is translucent and has no lock. Also, the hotel has a modern toilet, tinalo pa yung ibang hotel sa Metro Manila.





Hotel Luna offers the usual room amenities like fridge, cabinet, coffee and tea, hair dryer, bathrobe and etc. There is a water dispenser on each floor, so no need to buy bottled water. For toiletries, they provided hand soap, shampoo, and body wash. I requested for room slippers since wala ako nakita sa room. 



The hotel has free wifi, but weak signal inside the room, so mas okay tumambay sa restaurant, lobby, or swimming pool if you want a good connection. Even our own mobile data has a weak signal inside the room. 


Hotel Luna has a gym, swimming pool, museum, and 3 restaurants. They have Azotea, Comedor, and Chula. Buffet breakfast is part of the room package, and since we were satisfied with their food, we only ate at the hotel. I will share our food trip in a separate post. 


What I like about this hotel, it is located in the heart of Vigan, so we can explore the different tourist spots in the area by foot, calesa, or tricycle. The room has complimentary use of an umbrella so rain or shine, dinadala namin. 


Overall, we enjoyed our stay here; we liked the room, food, and service. Our only complaint is, medyo madilim lang sa room kasi konti yung windows. 


Hotel Luna
V. Delos Reyes cor. Gen. Luna Street,
2700 Vigan City Ilocos Sur Philippines
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July 16, 2025

3 Days in Vigan Ilocos Sur

Thirteen years ago, we had a four-day trip to Laoag, Vigan, and Pagudpud with my late sister’s family. At that time, we booked a flight because we are not fond of long driving and were lucky to score a PHP12 Seat Sale via Cebu Pacific. It was a good deal because, as far as I can remember, our airfare was cheaper than the bus fare. 


We visited the majority of the tourist spots in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, so I never thought that we would be back again. But last month, we had a chance to do a North Luzon Road Trip. We started in Alaminos, Pangasinan, and from there, we traveled to Vigan.


Traveling from Pangasinan to Vigan is not a problem, kasi smooth lang yung road. I checked our ETA and thought, “Maabutan pa namin yung Lightshow at Plaza Salcedo,” but I was wrong because 30 minutes before we reached the hotel, it started to rain. 

Wrong timing talaga kasi gabi na, ang lakas talaga ng ulan, hindi na visible yung daan at may baha and first time ni hubby magdrive sa Vigan so hindi niya kabisado yung road. I was so scared at that time, feeling ko nga final destination na. Sobrang dasal na lang talaga na makarating kami ng safe. 


We’ve made few stops kapag may nakitang gasoline station, kaso yung first gasoline station namin na pinuntahan, bigla nagbrownout kasi may pumutok na poste sa tapat. Toink, so scary at madilim. Thank God, after 1 hour and 30 minutes, we finally arrived at Hotel Luna.

Hotel Luna 


Hotel Luna is our accommodation for two nights. It is one of the popular hotels in Vigan, so this deserves a separate post. And dahil nagustuhan na namin yung food dito, we ate breakfast, lunch, merienda, and dinner at the hotel. Hindi na nagtry sa iba, 

DIY Vigan Tour 


As I mentioned before, we already visited Vigan, so in my mind, there is no need to rent a van or book a tour. Makakapasyal pa rin kami kasi walking distance naman yung ibang tourist spots, and we can just ride a tricycle if we want to visit other places. But in the end, yung tricycle driver na nag-offer na itour na lang kami and we grabbed the chance na. 

Walking Tour in Vigan 

On our last day, we ate an early breakfast so we could explore Calle Crisologo without the crowd. Ang hirap kasi magtake ng pictures kapag ang daming tao. Of course, we bought some native delicacies before going home. Good thing na maaga din magbukas yung ibang stores. 



We checked out early because we planned to eat our lunch at the Thunderbird Resort in La Union, Hindi ko na-feel na 3 days kami Sa Vigan kasi late check in and early check out. If I count the hours, 50 hours lang kami, but it is better compared sa first trip namin na day trip lang.
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July 09, 2025

North Luzon Road Trip

Summer vacation is already over, and just like that, we’re back to school. No more holidays, so it is time to reminisce about our past adventures, and I’ll start with our North Luzon Road Trip.

It’s been years since our last road trip; we went to Pangasinan - Baguio - Sagada and last month, we went to Pangasinan - Vigan - La Union. 


We live in South Luzon, so our usual stopover is Pangasinan. My in-laws live in Pangasinan, so we always visit them before starting our tour. For a change, we did sleep there and decided to stay in Alaminos, Pangasinan. 

Alaminos, Pangasinan 


This was a last-minute trip, so we had a hard time looking for accommodation. But my husband found Laylow Villas. We stayed here for one night before we traveled to Vigan. 


Vigan, Ilocos Sur 

It's been 13 years since our last visit to Vigan, Ilocos Sur. I remembered I booked a flight because I don’t like long travel, but things have changed, sa dami na ng expressway, hindi na matagal ang biyahe. But because of the rain, sobrang tagal ng biyahe namin from Alaminos but thank God we arrived safe. 


With our recent trip, we only stayed at Vigan and chose Hotel Luna for our accommodation for 2 nights. I’m traveling with my mom so we had a DIY Vigan Tour and ang dami na rin nagbago. I will share that in a separate post.


San Fernando, La Union

On our last day, I’ve been searching kung saan magandang magside trip sa La Union. I’ve been checking different tourist spots, but in the end, we went to Thunderbird Resorts. We ate lunch here and discovered na pricey pala sa resort na ito. Hehehe! 


We did not stay long since malayo pa biyahe namin pauwi. Four days is too short; we were tired but happy for a new experience.
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February 03, 2017

4 Days Trip in Vigan, Laoag and Pagudgpud with Kids

Five years ago, we were able to visit Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. It was my long-time dream to visit Ilocos but it was so far. At that time, my husband doesn’t like long driving and he said if I wanted to visit Ilocos mag-eroplano daw kami. So when I saw the P12 seat sale of Cebu Pacific, I immediately bought tickets.

 To make our life easier, I rented a van for this trip. At first, I was not sure if we can tour Laoag, Vigan, and Pagudpud in three days but surprisingly, we were able to do Laoag, Vigan and Pagudpud in two days though it is like an amazing race trip. We had three kids in tow but no one complained. 

Sharing with you our 4 Days Trip in Vigan, Laoag and Pagudgpud with Kids 

 Day 1: Off to Laoag

 We stayed in UKL Ever Hotel for three nights, its a small hotel which is near the market and walking distance to some tourist spots. They fetched us at the airport for free. Since we had an evening flight, we just slept after check-in. 

 Day 2: Laoag and Vigan Tour 

 Laoag 

 We started our tour as early as 7:30AM; we visited La Paz Sand Dunes, Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino, Malacanang Ti Amianan, Marcos Mauseleum,  Batac Photo Gallery, St Augustine Church (Paoay Church), and Juan Luna Shrine.

Vigan  

 We ate lunch at Cafe Uno in Vigan. After our hearty lunch, we went to Pagburnayan Jar Making, Crisologo Museum, Syquia Mansion, Vigan Loam Weaving, Baluarte, Bantay Church and Bell Tower and Calle Crisologo.  

Baluarte is the only zoo that we have visited that has no entrance fee. So if you have kids, don’t forget to include this in your itinerary. 

 Day 3: Laoag and Pagudpud Tour

Laoag to Pagudpud

 We started our tour at 8AM, we went to Sinking Bell Tower, Marcos Museum, Salt Making House, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and Bangui Windmill. 

We enjoyed our stay in Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, Kapurpurwan Rock Formation, and Bangui Windmill. 

 Pagudpud 

 Of course, we will not miss the opportunity to see the Patapat Viaduct. 

We just took a photo at Agua Grande then we went to the Blue Lagoon. You will see these tourist spots on your way to the beach, Timmangtang Rock, Bantay Abot Cave and Dos Hermanos Island. We did not stay long in Pagudpud beach because it would take more or less 2 hours to get back to our hotel. 

 Day 4: Laoag Walking Tour

 On our fourth day, we bought pasalubong in the market then we started our walking tour. We visited the tourist spots near UKL Ever Hotel while waiting for our flight. St. William Cathedral, Tobacco Monopoly Monument, and Provincial Capitol. We ate lunch at La Preciosa then we rode a tricycle to Museo Ilocos Norte.  

 Do not leave Ilocos without buying their famous pasalubong such as chichacorn, longganisa ilocos, bagnet, shirt, salt, garlic, onion, bangui windmill magnet, keychain, and display.  

 We enjoyed our Vigan, Laoag and Pagupud trip even though we experienced some mishaps after the trip.  


 P.S. Regarding the rented van, check the details below. 

Contact Glenn
Mobile numbers: Globe: 09163343432 Smart: 09395356959 09202749259
Email: luckyguy_joo@yahoo.com luckyguyjoo@gmail.com
Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/luckyguyjoo
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February 12, 2012

Food Trip in Laoag, Vigan and Pagudpud

1. UKL Ever Hotel – we’re lucky that our room accommodation has 2 complimentary breakfast. (sulit!) The only problem is we only have 4 choices; tapsilog, hotsilog, longsilog and tocilog. Our favorite is longsilog and tapsilog. Extra order is P80. 

Since we had an amazing race tour, we did not go out for dinner; we just ate at their restaurant. Our favorite is breaded porkchop P120 and fried chicken P120.

2. Café Uno – in Vigan.

 We ordered pinakbet plain, pinakbet with bagnet, sinigang na baboy, grilled bangus, chicken inasal, plain rice and bagoong rice (rice, bagoong, kangkong, salted egg and tocino). They have big servings so we keep on ordering rice just to finish everything. We all love the food, I’m not fond of vegetables but I like their pinakbet. Price is affordable, for a group of 8 people, our bill is only P1k+.

3. Irene’s Vigan Empanada – they all ate empanada in Vigan except me, not a fan of empanada. P35 per piece.

4. BergBlick Restaurant in Pagudpud, can you believe that there’s a German restaurant in Pagudpud. We were supposed to eat at Evangeline Resort but they could not accommodate us because they are expecting 100 guests and we could no longer wait because it was past 1PM already so we ended up in BergBlick Restaurant. 

 We ordered a fish platter, Ilocandia express, sinigang na fish (I can’t remember the name) and crème brulee for dessert. The price is a little bit expensive for a group of 8 people, our bill is P2k+. Our favorite is the fish platter.

5. Jollibee – in Laoag for snacks.

 6. La Preciosa in Laoag, we ordered diningding, lengua estofado and mocha sansrival. Hubby and son enjoyed their diningding, he even said “sabaw pa lang ulam na”. I always love lengua estofado and La Preciosa did not fail me.

 My son liked his mocha sansrival but La Preciosa best seller cake is carrot cake. I got to taste it because my sister’s friend gave me a slice. They have big servings and the price is also affordable, for a group of 3 people, our bill is only P500+

Like I said, La Preciosa carrot cake is their best seller and I even see some people at the airport who have boxes of La Preciosa cake but I still prefer mocha sansrival because I am not fond of carrots. I enjoy the cake but I have to remove the shredded carrots. 
pabaon from my sister's friend
7.     Street Food

 Food photos are not complete; blame it on our hungry stomachs.
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February 10, 2012

Baluarte


As promised, I will create a separate post for this. Baluarte is the only zoo in the Philippines that has no entrance fee (as far as I know). They say that it is not just a zoo but a wildlife sanctuary wherein visitors can interact with animals. It is open every day from 7AM to 6PM.

At the entrance, you will see the small horse-drawn carriage called “tiburin”, the rides are free but of course “manongs” are expecting the tip. I know that it is free but my husband who’s not reading my itinerary asked manong if we can ride the “tiburin” and if it is free. Then manong whispered, tip lang po. 

 I do give tips but I dislike when people are expecting them. Anyway, we rode the carriage and he brought us to the camel, took some pictures and he dropped us off at animal encounter shows.

Hubby was so active at that time and he always volunteers. Well, time to shine. After the animal show, you have a chance to take pictures with their tiger, P50 per picture. If you use your own camera, P20 per shot.

We stayed for less than two hours and then we went to Calle Crisologo.
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February 09, 2012

Day 2: Vigan Tour

After our lunch at Café Uno, we started our tour in Pagburnayan Jar Making. If you are going to Vigan do not miss this place, it’s really nice to see how they mold and shape the clay into jars, vases and pots. It looks so easy but I know that it’s difficult.



Crisologo Museum: donations only.


Syquia Mansion: P20 entrance fee, another place that you should not miss is Syquia Mansion. Dami ko natutunan dito, if there’s no tour guide I will not appreciate it because I’m just seeing old furniture and pictures. But because there’s a tour guide, I understand and appreciate each piece of furniture and house details, things that I have not learned in History class.


Vigan Loam Weaving – I’ve seen this before in Baguio.


Baluarte no entrance fee, I’ll make a separate post for this.


Bantay Church and Bell Tower: donations only


And our last stop Calle Crisologo, it is included in my top ten places that I want to visit. You can ride kalesa, P50 for one round (isang ikot lang). We’re here past 4PM and hinintay talaga naming gumabi para sa picture. 


End of our tour
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February 06, 2012

Pasalubong from Ilocos


chichacorn, longganisa ilocos, bagnet, shirt, salt, garlic, onion, bangui windmill magnet, keychain and display

Just came home from our vacation trip and here are some pasalubong that I bought in Laoag, Vigan and Pagudpud. 

 We loved this chichacorn, kinakain na rin namin ito during our travel kaya konti na natira. 

 Bagnet is ok lang, nothing special yung nabili namin sa market. 

 For the longanisa, medyo disappointed ako sa nabili ko sa palengke, I liked the taste of the longganisa na breakfast namin sa hotel. 

 Update: My husband went back to Ilocos last March 2015 and I asked him to buy longganisa but the taste is ok lang. Saan ba ang best supplier ng longganisa?
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