Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
Balay da Blas
10 Giron St
T
077 770 4389,
W
balayda
blas-laoag.com.
A charming option, with superb-value
warm and welcoming rooms decorated with antiques and
colourful paintings. The larger family rooms also have a
kitchenette, and there's a pleasant leafy seating are
a in the
courtyard as well as an excellent restaurant attached.
P1200
Fort Ilocandia
Brgy 37 Calayab
T
077 670 9001,
W
fortilocandia.com.ph.
Built in 1983 and hastily completed
for the wedding reception of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos's
youngest daughter (see below), this expansive resort aims for
classic elegance rather than modern chic. It's set in 77 hectares
amid sand dunes and pine forests; amenities include a golf
course, swimmi
ng poo
l, paintballing, hot-air ballooning and
a driving range.
P7000
Hotel Tiffany
General Segundo Ave at M.H. del Pilar St
T
077 770 3550,
W
hoteltiffany-laoagcity.com.
This
motel-style place has tried for a 1960s US theme, with
mellow polka dot and stripy themed rooms and an
attached American-style diner serving cheeseburgers
(P65) and mil
kshake
s (P79). The lobby wi-fi reaches some
of the rooms.
P1170
Java Hotel
General Segundo Ave, 55-B Salet
T
077 770
5996,
W
javahotel.com.ph.
A pleasant option in a stone
building with thatched roof, with tastefully furnished
rooms featuring modern amenities. There's a swimming
pool, tennis court and gym
, and a
n airy restaurant serving
good Filipino dishes. Wi-fi.
P2400
3
EATING, DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Cock House
F.R. Castro Ave
T
077 772 3079.
Laoag's
only nightlife venue hosts bands from all over the
Philippines, playing an eclectic mix from rock to R&B. The
atmosphere is generally laidback, with customers enjoying
the show as they sip a beer (P60).
Daily 8pm-2.30am.
Papa Pau's Diner
Rizal St at D.M. Castro Ave
T
077 771
5185.
There are two dining areas here - an a/c interior and
an outdoor area with benches and colourful chequered
tablecloths, shaded by a bamboo roof. The speciality is
nanay's binalot
, pork, beef or milkfish served with rice
and egg, wrapped in banana leaves (P80).
Daily
10.30am-10.30pm.
La Preciosa
Rizal St
T
077 773 1162,
W
lapreciosa
-ilocos.com.
Considered to be the best restaurant in town,
with an emphasis on Ilocano cuisine. Bestsellers include
dinengdeng
(vegetable soup topped with grilled fish;
P195) and
crispy dinardaraan
(pork meat cooked in blood
sauce; P195). You can dine indoors or on the terrace;
there's also a café displaying a selection of cakes (P100).
Daily 9am-midnight.
★
Saramsam
10 General Giron St
T
077 670 3219,
W
balaydablas-laoag.com.
This cosy restaurant features
two welcoming dining areas with clusters of lamps,
wooden artefacts and shelves lined with beautiful oblong
demijohns. The menu offers creative Ilocano dishes with
Italian and Mexican influences; the
pinakbet
pizza (P145)
is a burst of fresh flavours, while the
mungo
with chipotle
sauce (spicy black lentils; P145) and the
poqui poqui
salad
(mashed aubergine with onions and tomatoes; P150) are
both exquisite.
Daily 6.30am-10.30pm.
DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange
There are plenty of banks along
Rizal, including BDO and BPI.
Hospital
Laoag General Hospital, Brgy 46 Nalbo, south of
town (
T
077 772 1108).
Internet access
Gym Carry, General Segundo Ave (P10/
hr; Tues-Sun 11am-6pm;
T
077 771 3840).
Police
Rizal St at Paco Roman St (
T
077 771 1026).
Post o
ce
There's a small post o
ce right by the City Hall
(Mon-Fri 8am-5pm).
Sarrat
Some 8km east of Laoag is the sleepy, pretty village of
SARRAT
, where the attractive
Santa Monica Church
hosted the wedding of Marcos's youngest daughter Irene in 1983.
Preparations for the wedding - a ceremony that cost US$10.3 million - involved
thousands of men remodelling the town and 3500 contracted employees renovating the
two-hundred-year-old church. Large parts of Sarrat were reconstructed, with houses
torn down and rebuilt in the old Spanish colonial style.
Marcos Birthplace Museum
National Highway • Thurs-Tues 9am-4pm • P30 • Jeepney from Laoag (hourly; 15min; P13)
Ferdinand Marcos was born in Sarrat on September 11, 1917, and his former home
has been turned into the
Marcos Birthplace Museum
. The ground floor displays
traditional Ilocano weaving instruments, while the first floor showcases Marcos
