Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Services
All of the accommodation options in Tabuk that
we review offer free wi-fi. You can withdraw cash at the
PNB and DBP banks in the barangay of Dagupan, and Land
Bank and Rural Bank in the barangay of Bulanao.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
TINGLAYAN
Luplupa Riverside Inn
Luplupa
T
0915 283 7885.
Easily the best place to stay in town with rustic parquet
floors and simple rooms with wooden shelves, a stool and
table. On the first floor there's a little lounge area displaying
a lovely collection of l
local ar
tefacts. No hot water, but staff
can boil some for you.
P500
Sleeping Beauty
Poblacion
T
0927 943 2163.
Named
after the nearby mountain, which is shaped like a female
figure, this place has five colourfully painted rooms with
cherry-red tiled floors. There's a small communal area and
a restaurant upstairs. The owners also rent
out a
few rooms
on the other side of the bridge in Luplupa.
P400
serving local and international dishes. Rooms vary consider-
ably - some are spacious, clean and tidy while others are in
disrepair - make sur
e to tak
e a look at a few before settling
in. Wi-fi throughout.
P1050
Golden Berries
San Juan
T
0927 213 5422,
W
golden
berrieshotel.com.
The owners here process, grind and
package locally grown coffee beans on the premises - you
can buy the finished product at the hotel's little shop. The
rooms in the “old” building are a bit tired; those in the
“new” block at the back are more comfortable with modern
amenities. There's
also a
restaurant, although the food is
less than average.
P1100
Grand Zion
National Highway, Purok 7, Bulanao
T
0916 373 4366,
W
grandzionhotel.com.
Tabuk's most
upmarket hotel features spacious, tastefully decorated
rooms in an airy building resembling an alpine lodge. There
are pleasant gardens at the back with an inviting
swimm
ing
pool, and a restaurant serving an array of dishes.
P1950
3
TABUK
Davidson Hotel
Provincial Rd, Bulanao
T
0917 579
7110,
W
davidsonhotel.com.ph.
One of Tabuk's better-
equipped hotels, with a pool, gym and a good restaurant
Ifugao province
Landlocked Ifugao
province
is characterized by spectacular rugged terrain, lush forests
and verdant river valleys dotted with tribal villages. A number of Ifugao communities
still wear traditional dress, although you'll have to trek to remote villages to experience
authentic tribal life. The Ifugaos are a proud people who have preserved their ancestral
past, largely because they managed to sustain resistance during the Spanish colonial
regime, which, as in Kalinga, failed in subduing the highlanders. The highlights of the
region are the spectacular
rice terraces
, handcarved in the mountainside more than two
thousand years ago and now designated by UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site
.
Banaue
It may only be 300km north of Manila, but
BANAUE
might as well be a world away,
1300m above sea level and far removed in spirit and topography from the beaches and
BANAUE'S STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN
The
rice terraces
around Banaue are among the great icons of the Philippines, hewn from the
land two thousand years ago by Ifugao tribespeople using primitive tools, an achievement in
engineering terms that ranks alongside the building of the pyramids. Called the “Stairway to
Heaven” by the Ifugaos, the terraces would stretch 20,000km if laid out end to end. Not only
are they an awesome sight, but they are also an object lesson in
sustainability
.
The terraces are on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and they will not last forever if they are
not protected. They have always been subject to constant deterioration, due to erosion,
imperfect irrigation systems and the actions of earthworms. Following a shortage of young
people to help carry out repairs - rice farming held little allure for many of them,
understandably tired of the subsistence livelihood their parents eked from the land - strict
measures have been taken in recent years to protect and revive the paddies, and young
farmers are slowly returning to work in the fields.
