A&D Travels - Ilocos Vacation Part 3 - Laoag and Vigan Tour and Our Last Day!

3rd day of our Ilocos Vacation! We woke up later than usual, we were a bit tired na haha. Again BOS and I took turns with our breakfast and kids. Good thing I brought cereals like Koko Krunch and fresh milk (our room has a mini ref) and plastic containers so they can eat in the car. This was our last day of tours! We went around Laoag City's famous landmarks and tourist spots before heading to Vigan for lunch.  

We stopped by Laoag Sand Dunes which our tour guide said to be the best sand dunes. R was bugging us to do another round of this, we said if we have time in the afternoon, we'll come back. But we weren't able to. Sorry R, we'll come back again to Ilocos!

We went to the plaza near Laoag City Hall, took photos then walked to the Laoag Sinking Bell Tower.

This is the Laoag Sinking Bell Tower, one of the famous local landmarks in Laoag. It is said to be sinking into the ground at a rate of an inch a year. We took a few photos and left to see Malacañang of the North and Paoay Church, also one of the famous tourist spots in Ilocos Norte.

We had a quick tour of the Malacañang of the North. I've been here twice, this was my 3rd time already. It's pretty much the same and it is well kept. They have clean rest rooms! We took a few photos, walked around then left na din for Paoay Church.

Paoay Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also a Baroque style church. I haven't been to many churches in the Philippines but this is one of my favorites from the ones I've seen and been to.

This is what it looks like inside.

These are famous buttresses found at the sides of the church. Paoay Church was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 1973.

After Paoay Church, we went to Baluarte ni Chavit. I didn't take photos anymore. It used to be so much nicer and well maintained. I don't think it is now... you can skip this from your tour, you won't be missing anything.

After Baluarte, we traveled for another hour to Vigan which is one of my favorite places in Ilocos. Old houses, old world charm, it's so rich in history and culture. We had lunch first at the Hidden Garden of Vigan, I also didn't put out my camera because I was saving my battery for later. Their bagnet was really good! After our filling lunch, we went on a Kalesa Tour around Calle Crisologo and the nearby museums. I forgot how much the Kalesa ride was, the rate was on a per hour basis.

Our first stop was the Provincial Jail of Ilocos Sur turned into an art center! This center is fairly new, it's clean and nice.

I can't imagine this used to be a prison jail. They turned it into a beautiful art center.

We also visited the Paburnayan and took silly photos. We didn't try making a jar anymore because it was just too hot that day.

We also visited the Crisologo Museum and passed by Syquia Mansion. I think it's nicer to tour around Vigan on foot. I wanted the kids to experience riding the kalesa that's why I opted for the tour. 

After the tour, we were so tired already that we went back home to our hotel in Laoag na and didn't get the chance to walk around Calle Crisologo anymore. I felt bad for not being able to go because I wanted to check out pasalubongs and Inabel... SO we went back the next day! After checking out at Vybe Hotel, we went straight to Vigan for lunch. We had lunch at Cafe Leona, which by the way, is very dirty. I'm so sad and disappointed how these establishments are not maintained given that they're a tourist spot. Are they maintaining that "old" feel because I felt that certainly but I don't know... Cafe Leona is one of the most recommended restaurants but it's really nothing special anymore. That or maybe we've had so much bagnet and pinakbet for the last three days that it didn't excite us anymore. Too bad I wasn't able to eat any kind of Ilocano empanada!

I was able to buy Inabel blankets and pillow cases! So happy but we haven't used them til now. Haha!

Our last stop before finally driving back home to Manila was the famous steel Quirino Bridge of Banaoang in Ilocos Sur which connects the towns of Santa and Bantay. The bridge spreads across the Abra River. This Old Quirino Bridge now serves as a tourist spot and a backup bridge. Cars can still pass this bridge however a new Quirino Bridge was built in 2007 and officially opened for vehicles in 2009. Pwedeng-pwede mag OOTD, family picture, jump shot dito! 

 This is the new Quirino Bridge. We passed this bridge going to Laoag but it was night time and we're probably asleep.

View from the Quirino Bridge. I was so scared I would drop my camera to the river because it was so windy! I wonder what's there at the end of the river.

And why on this angle, the water is green?? Haha! Final view before we left.

I couldn't leave Ilocos without buying pasalubong! I was able to buy bagnet and lots of chichirya from a pasalubong place at the highway. But my friend from Tuguegarao told me to check out Marsha's Delicacies for pasalubong and so we did! Mabilis ako kausap haha!

I got their Royal Bibingka, some chichacorn, and whatever I found yummy on their menu. Love the royal bibingka! Brought the royal bibingka to the Common Room Pop-Up the next day.

Our 3rd and 4th day was not as fun as the first two days. I think because it was so hot I didn't want to move so much. The heat made me tired, does that make sense? Haha! But it was still one of the most memorable family trips ever!!!

This pretty much where our trip ended. Kids were tired from the trip, kami din ni BOS. We had dinner at KFC in NLEX before finally heading home. 

You can read about Part 1 and 2 here and here. All about our hotel and tour is on the Part 1 of the blog. And if you have any questions, just send me an email at applesanddumplings@gmail.com! 

A&D Travels: Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar, Bagac Bataan (Part 1)

It's been 4 months since our trip to Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar and I haven't found the time to really sit down, write about it and sift through our photos until now. I just hope I can write Part 2 right after posting Part 1. Heehee!

Las Casas transports you back to the 18th century. If you love old houses, buildings and history, you will love, appreciate and enjoy staying at Las Casas! Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is located at Bagac, Bataan. It's 125km away from Manila and our drive took about 4 hours. We have been wanting to stay in Las Casas for so long but I heard that the rooms were expensive but the BOS said to go na while we can baka tumaas pa rates next time! Here's one of my travel/booking tip: always check your destination's hotel website for promos and special offers. Aaannd I got a really great deal! Since we stayed on weekdays, the rate was lower and they had a 50% off on the second night promo. Our room rate was Php6,000 which includes 2 nights accommodations, Heritage Tour, use of the pool and their facilities plus all tax and service charge are included already. Breakfast wasn't included though.

This is Estero de Binondo where we checked in and stayed. We stayed in a Deluxe Room on the second floor.

This is the lobby where we checked-in.

And these are my kids, our best travel buddies! We love traveling with them and now we're used to traveling with no yaya. Woohoo!

Traveling with no yaya can be practical. The kids are still free of charge and we can all still fit in a king-sized bed so I'm savouring them while they're small and don't need an extra bed or room yet! We stayed in a deluxe room with a king-sized bed complete with a TV with cable, complimentary coffee/tea and water, mini bar and small dining area.

There's nothing behind the curtain, it's actually a window but you can't really open it because there's no glass and it's really open and I wish there's a glass so it can stay open para may natural light sa room. It can be a bit scary if you aren't into the "old" world feel.

Mahirap din to take a photo because of the light in the room. Hehe!

This is our view from the window. Nice noh?

The bathroom was a bit dark and some of water pipes were exposed. I was going to say it was clean then I remembered there was hair on the bathroom floor drain. Ewww....

After settling down in our room, we went out to explore what Las Casas has to offer. To get to other the plazas, one has to take their jeep. It's free of charge! But sometimes, ang tagal bago may dumating na jeep. You can opt to walk naman and enjoy the scenery and the other houses.

Cobblestone street!

Our first stop was Casa Lubao, this is where the Entertainment and Game Room located and also the pitsop for the Heritage Tour. While waiting for our tour to start, we took the opportunity to enjoy the game room and so the kids would be away from their gadgets.

This is Hotel de Oriente, the very first luxury hotel in Binondo! You can also tour this hotel with a minimum fee. :)

Meet Unad! He was our tour guide, who is a very very good tour guide. We thoroughly enjoyed his tour, the way he explained things. Sayang lang I don't have much photos of the houses we went to because it was too dark.

This is Paseo de Escolta at night. The Heritage Tour is a must when you visit Las Casas. You'll get to know the unique story behind each casa. Taking the tour at this time can be a bit scary, if you are not a brave soul, take the tour earlier and for nice photos din! My photos are mostly dark and dim!

After the tour, we were all hungry na! There has three restaurants inside in Las Casas: Cafe Marivent (a Filipino-Spanish restaurant), La Bella Teodora (Italian Restaurant) and Cafe del Rio (pica-pica and snack bar). We tried La Bella Teodora on our first night.

Here's a little tidbit for you: The restaurant is also known as the Alberto Alonzo house or the Casa Biñan for it was originally owned by the family of Teodora Alonzo.

Complimentary bread which was freshly baked. Soft and yummy with butter!

Zuppa Di Funghi. BOS always orders the mushroom soup but he wasn't too happy about this.

I had the Eggplant Parmigiana which I enjoyed!

The kids shared a plate of Carbonara which was also okay.

For the pizza, we had the Quattro Formaggi. Their pizza was cooked in a brick oven which I expected to be good but the crust was too thin, I didn't taste much cheese too.

Verdict for La Bella Teodora? It was only okay. Nothing spectacular. I hope their food would improve because price point is a bit high too. Nothing below Php300! And as per from their website, Le Bella Teodora is currently CLOSED.

After dinner, we went back to our room to rest and explore more of Las Casas the next day. Our booking didn't come with breakfast so we opt to sleep-in and just go to Cafe Marivent when we wake up and just order their breakfast ala-carte BUTTT Cafe Marivent closes after breakfast and opens again for lunch. Eeeep! So where did we eat?

Yes, mahangin sa labas...

After we found out that Cafe Marivent was closed, we didn't wait for a jeep anymore, we decided to walk around and take pictures. This bridge is a replica of Jones Bridge in Manila.

This is Paseo de Escolta by day. There are a number of shops located here but they were mostly closed because it was a week day. But if you come here on a weekend, all of the shops are open and there's also a cultural show on weekends!

You can have your photos taken in complete regalia at Fotographia dela Escolta (only open on weekends).

And so this is where we had breakfast for two straight days, the Panderia!

Their Spanish Bread was good! It's what we ate. Haha! It's also their best-seller because it's almost always sold out!

They also sell local delicacies you can take home as pasalubong!

Eating tinapay under a tree! This was our spot, taking all the culture in!

Soaked this all in! Every time we go out of town, I always hope that my kids would remember the trip and where we took them. If not, there's always photos for them to look at. Heehee!

This is the Tranvia which was not operational yet. I wonder if it is now. I can't find information on their website. The kids wanted to ride this pa naman kaya picture picture na lang!

After going around and taking pictures, we went back to Cafe Marivent to check if they're already serving lunch because the Spanish Bread didn't stay very long in our tummies. Cafe Marivent serves Spanish-Filipino food but we ordered mostly Filipino food. We wanted to order Paella but you have to order it in advanced, sayang! :)

Pinakbet with Bagnet, Php590.

Pritong Manok sa Bagac, Php750.

My Bisayang husband likes Pochero, Php675, but I don't think this one passed his standards. Haha!

I wish I could say nice things about Las Casas' restaurants but I'm sorry but the food was the least of our favorite for this trip. There was so much fly while we were eating that we had to request for a candle. I hope they do something about this because I think this happens a lot because they have swatters on hand. :(

Ending the Part 1 here! More on the workshop tour and more of the casas on the next post!