A Dose of History: Ilocos Travel Diaries (Currimao)

In the few years that we've been traveling, I already learned to trust my instincts when it comes to choosing hotels for vacations and staycations. This is probably because I'm a self-confessed 'maarte' and I get really choosy when it comes to bedrooms and more importantly bathrooms. Hahaha! Since were also traveling on a budget and Vigan gets really pack so peak rates are on during summer, we decided to save during our first night in Vigan. We slept instead in a budget family room in Green R Hotel. Although it's pretty decent, I was still not comfortable with the place. But again, it's just because I'm plain 'maarte'. Haha!

The original plan was to stay in Pagudpod but the hotel rates are way over our budget so I had to patiently look for a second best option. Of course, as always when it comes to my instincts, the resort hotel I booked didn't disappoint!

We stayed in Playa Tropical Resort Hotel. Dubbed as the Bali of the North, the resort is located in the far barangay of Victoria in Currimao, Ilocos Norte. When I say far, it really is a very long ride from the suburbs. When we arrived at the place, I was blown away with the beautifully and romantically constructed hideaway. 

I reserved for us a double deluxe room. It was a spacious room good for 4-5 persons. The accommodation includes free breakfast for 2 and a two complimentary 15-min massage for guest which you may opt to avail in your own room or in their massage room. There is no wifi connection in our room though because their wifi is only located in commonplaces like the lounge and the floating huts.

Outside the main hotel building are the elegant floating huts, casa, a well-maintained garden and the infinity pool. Seating inside one of their floating huts, I can lay my eyes on the calm and gentle waters of the West Philippine Sea and have a breathtaking view of the sunset. We also had our dinner served by Cafe Amarra there. The food's a bit pricey but delectable, nonetheless. It was even served right on time. (Tip: Their sinigang na hipon and halo-halo are must-try!) The waiters were also courteous and attended to our needs even if they were a little under-manned.

 Sunset by the infinity pool 

In the morning, we took a dip in the sea and I loved the fact that even if it was not white sand, it's fine and the water is one of the calmest I've plunged into. Aside from the pool and the beach, the resort also offers spa and other services in Solana spa, which you can book at your convenient time. There is also a function hall (the structure in the photo below) that usually houses weddings and other events.

Older kids would also love the gameroom and playground for the little tots. Nathan practically spent the whole night in there just because he's afraid of water. Hehe.

To sum it all up, our short stay in the hotel was really relaxing and truly memorable. Will definitely come back again some other time, although probably not soon because we still have a lot in our itinerary in the next years to come. It's one of the best lairs in the North for couples and families. =)

Here's my final verdict:

Value for money:  3/5

Location:  3/5

Sleep quality: 4/5

Staff performance:  4/5

Hotel cleanliness:  4/5

Food/dining:  4/5

Playa Tropical Resort Hotel 

Brgy. Victoria, Currimao Ilocos Norte, Philippines 

(077) 670 1211 / 0917 5700223 

stay@playatropical.com.ph

A Dose of History: Ilocos Travel Diaries (Vigan)

It has been Kel and I's promise to visit a place in the country we've never been into. And for the past 5 years that we've been together as a married couple, I say we never strayed from our goal of reaching every Philippine island.

Five years ago, it has been serendipitous that because of Kel's work we were able to practically hop into 4 or 5 provinces in Mindanao-- from Davao to Pagadian. It was a truly fascinating experience seeing landmarks I only see in history books before like the Mt. Apo, Ma. Cristina Falls, Samal Island, etc. 

We've also been into most of the Southern tagalog and Central Luzon provinces as well as Baguio. We've been to Baler, Aurora last year and Boracay the year before that. So we both agreed to try a little more North. And after pinning our possible itineraries, Ilocos welcomed us most adoringly.

At first, Kel was a little unsettled about this trip probably because he will be driving us all the way from Cavite to Ilocos. But luckily, I was able to persuade my in-laws to accompany us. It was a good 10 to 11 hours of travel from Cavite to Vigan with a short stop-over somewhere in La Union. 

Disclaimer: We took 500+ photos during the trip so I just had to choose the blog-worthy or interesting ones based on my personal perception. :)

Day 1 of Ilocos trip

Welcome to Ilocos Sur!

We arrived at around 4 pm in the afternoon. It was really a long and tiring one. So a little tip for parents who wants to tag along their kids on land trip. Make sure to bring a lot of movies with you and/or install a lot of games on your phone or tablet to make sure they won't complain when they get bored. Haha!

Since we were with kids, our first stop upon arriving was the Baluarte in Vigan. It is an 80-hectare terrain which was Gov. Chavit's "gift" to the people of Vigan. It's more or less an animal sanctuary and a free space for people to make a livelihood (located just outside and in the entrance of the zoo). Entrance is FREE for everyone!

Hello there, wilds!

 

The children can also ride on their mini calesa for free! 

I noticed that a few cages were already empty. Sadly, the place hadn't been really kept well. Some animals, they say, already died.

Some more pictures..

Atop the hill was Governor Chavit's then rest house where he let celebrity friends stay over long weekends. Take a peek at it's golden facade and mahjong themed gate. =D

We ended our day with a sumptuous dinner at the famous Cafe Leona in Calle Crisologo, Vigan. The restaurant is located right in the heart of Vigan City and you cannot miss it because it is just right on the corner. It took its name after the popular Ilocano poet Leona Florentino who also happens to own the house where the restaurant was built.

You may opt to eat inside the building, which is airconditioned, or in front, which is the busy street of Calle Crisologo. We chose the latter.

The restaurant offers a mix of Filipino, American, Japanese and European cuisines. We ordered carbonara and spaghetti (not in the pictures below) for the kids. And because we cannot let the day pass without savoring on their finest Ilocano cuisine, we ordered the infamous Ilocano bagnet, longganisa and poqui-poqui (also not in the picture). Disclaimer: I apologize for the quality of photos. The lighting is not really good because we preferred to eat on the streets so the children can play while waiting for the food to be served.

Well, I personally found the bagnet lacking in crispiness. But the longganisa was really good, just the right amount of saltiness. Overall, the food were all appetizing and dining was gratifying. I've got one tip for travelers, though. They serve the foods a little slow so this is definitely not the place to eat for impatient people, like me. Haha! The service needs improvement.

Up next: Day 2 of Ilocos Travel Diaries

BREAKTHROUGH: Castles in the Air turns 2 + My Blogversary Giveaway [Closed]

It has been a good two years since I first started my humble blog. What originally started out as a personal blog slash contest junk became my public comfort zone. My husband and friends would frequently ask me, "So anong nakukuha mo dyan?". And I would effortlessly answer with, "Self-actualization". Hahaha! But seriously, I cannot find any other sound answer than probably that. I am more than happy that I get to document my life through blogging and at the same time share my story, adventures, and the like to everyone.

Anyway, if you have been a faithful reader or even just a follower, you would know that for the past years I've been celebrating milestones, basically blog anniversary and year-enders with giveaways. I guess there's still a lot of sponsors, these days, so much willing to give or maybe lady luck's always on my side that I am able to share with you guys some good stuff through them. So what better way to celebrate another milestone by giving back to you guys. 

For the past weeks, I've worked hard to share with everyone my grandest giveaway yet on my blog. Yes! You've read that right. This is my biggest by far. 

Two (2) lucky winners will get the chance to take home a loot of the following awesome prizes. Let me first take you to a tour of what's in store for the winners.

1) Bracelets and trinkets from Beads For Keeps 

2) One (1) iPhone 4/4s and Two (2) Samsung s3 cases from Dexter Ian Photography

3) One (1) Php 1000 and two (2) Php 500 worth of E-gift certificates from Mom and Me Bows

 

4) Two (2) Fiber supplement packs (includes a thermal lunch bag, C-lium 30's sachet and 3 C-lium 50's capsules) from C-lium 

5) Two (2) Ride-all-you-can tickets from Fun Ranch

6) Personalized scents and beauty bar from Sophia Love PH 

7) A set of doodle notebooks and a canvas bag from Happy Poppy Shop

8) A gift pack (contains Ooh-la-lash Mascara, Subtle Shine Girl-Next-Door lipstick, Re-everything Cream Primary treatment sample, Cosmeceutical Booster GC and Inskin Magazine + discount coupons) from VMV Hypoallergenics Philippines  

9) A pair of shoes of your choice and size (depending on availability) from Shoes by Kai

 

10) Two (2) Free make over GCs worth 3k each from PAC Philippines

 

11) An 80 piece day to night Palette from Lipstick All U Can

12) A phone case of your choice from Paperplanes Manila

13) Php 5000 worth of GCs from Racks PHL

14) Two (2) Php 1500 worth of gift sets from Barenaturals Mineral Cosmetics

Set 1 includes Bikini and Underarm Salve, Peeling me softly spf 80, Herbal Wonder Cream, Natural pink- lip and nipple gel spf15, and Seaweed Beautifying and Contouring Mask 

Set 2 includes Hair Mask, Lulur Scrub, Body Butter, Concealer, Cheek tint and Solid BB cream 

15) One (1) Traveler's gift pack from Mustela Philippines

16) Two (2) sunblock sets from Beach Hut Sunblock 

17) A pair of IVA shades (in purple) from Fly Shades

18) One (1) Smitten for baby Kangaroo Organizer and accessory scarf

Grand Prize

(2) Beads for Keeps Bracelets

(2) Samsung daisy cases from DIP

Mom and Me Bows E-GC worth Php 1000

(1) Fiber supplement gift pack from C-lium

(1) Ride-all-you-can ticket from Fun Ranch

Personalized scents from Sophia Love PH

Gift pack from VMV Hypoallergenics PH

RACKS PH GC worth Php 2000

Set of doodle notebooks from Happy Poppy Shop

A pair of shoes from Shoes by Kai

Set 1 Gift set worth Php 1500 from Barenaturals 

Make over GC worth Php 3000 from PAC PH
A pair of IVA shades (in purple) from Fly Shades 

(1) Beach Hut SPF36 Clear Spray Sunblock 180ml and Hair & Scalp Sunblock
 (1) Smitten for baby Kangaroo Organizer

1st Prize

(2) Beads for Keeps Bracelets

(1) Phone case of your choice from Paperplanes Manila

Mom and Me Bows E-GC worth Php 500

(1) Fiber supplement gift pack from C-lium

(1) Ride-all-you-can ticket from Fun Ranch

Soap bars from Sophia Love PH

RACKS PH GC worth Php 2000

Canvas bag from Happy Poppy Shop

Set 1 Gift set worth Php 1500 from Barenaturals

80-piece palette from Lipstick All U Can

Make over GC worth Php 1500 from PAC PH
(1) Beach Hut SPF36 Clear Spray Sunblock 180ml and Hair & Scalp Sunblock
(1) Smitten accessory scarf

Consolation Prize

(1) iPhone 4/4s case from DIP

Mom and Me Bows E-GC worth Php 500

RACKS PH GC worth Php 1000

Trinkets from Beads for Keeps

Make over GC worth Php 1500 from PAC PH 

(1) Traveler's gift pack from Mustela PH 

(1) Beach Hut SPF36 Clear Spray Sunblock 75ml

For a chance to win these wonderful prizes, simply follow the mechanics below. Mandatory entries should be strictly followed so you won't get disqualified. Contest is open to Philippine residents only.

Mandatory rules  
1. Like the Facebook pages and following Polvita (my friend's blog) using the Rafflecopter App below. 

2. Leave a comment below with the following details:

Name:
Email Address:

GFC profile name:
URL of your Facebook profile:
Twitter username:
Instagram username (Please indicate if you followed the sponsors or not):
City/Town of residence:

Optional entries (Remember that the more options you do, the more chances of winning.):

1. Using the same Rafflecopter application, follow the Twitter accounts of the sponsors.

2. Tweet about the giveaway or share it on your FB page. You can do this once a day. 

3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect, Twitter and Instagram. (Note: Unfollowers will be disqualified in my future giveaways so please be fair.) 

4. Follow the Instagram pages of the sponsors to gain more entries.

 Beads4Keeps

Cliumfibre

Sophialoveph

VMVHypoallergenics

ShoesbyKai

Pac_ph

Lipstickallucan

Paperplanesmanila

Barenaturals

BeachHutSunblock 
iloveflyshades
Smittenaccessories
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE WINNERS!

Mona Verdida  
(Grand prize)

Luningning Arabiran  
(1st prize)

Joselma Rom Gumapac 
(Consolation prize)

Congratulations to you guys! Please wait for my e-mail on how you can claim your prizes and do respond within 48 hours. Thanks to everyone who joined!

The 3 winners will be announced on this same blog post and my twitter account. I will also notify them via email. Failure to respond to the email notification within 48 hours will invalidate the win. 

For Metro Manila and Cavite winners: Winners should claim their prizes from me personally. I will advise you of the time, date, and venue in the email notification. Strictly no shipping for MM and Cavite winners so please don't haggle with me. 

For Northernmost and Southernmost Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao winners: Items will be shipped via Xend. A flat rate of P250.00 (for the grand and 1st prize) and P100.00 (for the consolation prize) must be deposited to my bank account to cover the shipping cost. The prizes are quite bulky and may exceed 1 kilo. Anyway, the amount you have to pay for courier will surely be worth the prizes.

And just before this blog post ends, I would like to acknowledge these generous sponsors and people who have made this giveaway possible: Ms. Sheen of Beads for Keeps, Mr. Dexter of Dexter Ian Photography, Ms. Eufrocina and Herminia of Mom and Me Bows, Ms. Cathy of C-lium Fibre, Ms. Ana of Fun Ranch, Ms. Roma of Sophia Love PH, Ms. Abby of Happy Poppy Shop, VMV Hypollegenics PH team, Ms. Sheryll of Shoes by Kai, PAC Philippines team, Ms. Jessie of Lipstick All U Can, Ms. Alexangela of Paperplanes Manila, Ms. Joy of RACKS PHL, Ms. Aislinn of Beach Hut Sunblock, Ms. Lami of Barenaturals Dermaceuticals, Ms. Roberta of Smitten Accessories and the Fly Shades Team. THANK YOU so much for all your support! =)