Ilocos Norte: City of Laoag

An hour from the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is the City of Laoag where the St. William’s Cathedral can be found. It was built by the Augustinian Friars way back almost four centennials ago to replace the wooden chapel.

This church was already destroyed by a hurricane around 1640s, earthquake in 1706 and a burnt by fire last 1843 but there were no remarks can be seen anymore since it was already restored and re-created like a new one.

Also, we stopped by the Sinking Bell Tower which is just located few steps from the cathedral. It is called “sinking” since it is literally sinking ¼ inch every year due to earthquakes and soft soil foundation. The main entrance to the tower is noticeably different from the others since one must step down the mini stairs and bow their heads just to get inside the tower.

We also passed by the Museum of Ilocos Norte, Tobacco Monopoly Monument and the Provincial Capitol of Ilocos Norte. These three spots can be found around the plaza slash rotunda of Laoag City.

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Tobacco Monopoly Monument is just behind the Museum of Ilocos Norte, the Sinking Bell Tower is near the St. William’s Cathedral which is also located near the plaza. If you’re still having a hard time to look for this spots, just look up and look for the Mcdonalds sign. The Cathedral is just behind it.

City of Laoag is a 1 and ½ hour car ride from either Pagudpud or Vigan and approximately 10 hours from via bus or 1 hour from Manila.

How to get there:

From Manila or Pasay, ride a Partas bus to Laoag. Or just ride a plane via Airphilippines or Cebupacific.

Ilocos Norte: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Just a few kilometers from the town of Bangui is the humble town of Burgos, which is 35 kilometers from the City of Laoag.

From the main road, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse can easily be seen from the top a hill known as Vigia de Nagparitan. This is said to be the highest lighthouse in the Philippines since it approximately measures 17 meters tall from a 160 meters high hill.

We really thought that we’ll be having a hard time to climb this lighthouse, but we actually found ourselves on the foot of the main tower without a sweat. It is very accessible to all travelers; the only hard part in climbing was its steep stairs.

The South China Sea view from the top was truly breathtaking.

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The place is very old, so be careful with your steps. Also, the wind from the top of the lighthouse is really strong, so I suggest ladies not to wear miniskirts or kinky dresses.

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is more than 3 hours from Tuguegarao City Cagayan, an hour from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, 2 and half hours from Vigan, Ilocos Sur and is 9-12 hours away from Manila.

How to get there:

From Laoag, follow the northwestern coastal national highway that is commonly used going to Ilocos to Cagayan provinces until you've reached the town of Burgos. There’s a sign at the right side directing the entrance to the lighthouse.

Ilocos Norte: Bangui Windmills

We left Pagudpud early in the morning to continue our Cagayan-Ilocos trip and our first stop for our third day was at the famous Bangui Windmills.
Well, just a day ago we were just looking at it from afar at the Saud Beach and now we have a closer encounter to these 15 turbines of 70 meters high from the ground.

This was a project of the Marcos clan to help reduce the greenhouse effect that cause global warming. These windmills which are found to be the first windfarm here in the Philippines is said to be the biggest in the Southeast Asia that it actually provides 40% of the energy needed in Ilocos Norte.


A trip to Pagudpud will never be at its best without visting and taking lots of photos of these windmills. It was just so wonderful and very pleasing to the eyes that we even jumped for joy when we finally stepped on the Bangui Bay where these turbines are footed. It was one of the spots in Ilocos that we can’t forget. We were so lucky to see the windfarm since not everyone is given a chance to travel and see this kind of creation.


We were truly inloved with these turbines, and so we found ourselves buying wooden miniatures of these jumbo windmills which only cost a hundred and fifty pesos (P150).

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Though these windmills can be seen from afar at the main road to/from Laoag, the main rocky street to the Bangui Bay is just so hard to find, so when planning to go there make sure to ask the locals for the right directions.

Bangui Windmills is more than 3 hours from Tuguegarao City Cagayan, an hour from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, 2 and half hours from Vigan, Ilocos Sur and is 9-12 hours away from Manila.

How to get there:

a. From Tuguegarao, ride a GMW or Florida Liner bus to Laoag, Vigan, or Abra, and drop off at Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

b. From UST Manila, ride a Florida Liner or RCJ bus to Pagudpud or to Cagayan via Pagudpud, and drop off at the Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

Ilocos Norte: Saud Beach

Saud beach, known to be the Boracay of the North – just less the loud sounds and wild parties, is where we stayed in Pagudpud. Actually we stayed neither beachfront nor in the internal resorts. Since we were not able to get an accommodation near the beach (despite my full effort in researching and booking), we stayed at Sarabo Resort just before the main street to the famous Saud Beach.

We took some rest first before heading off to the beach and as we got there, we were surprised to see that crowd is not like the one we expected – like the big volume in Bora. The touristy part only was near the small resorts and since we stayed at Saud Beach Resort, we were away from the other vacationers.

Saud Beach Resort is the best place to if you’d like to stay in Saud beach. Though the food and accommodation is pricier, the comfort and privacy it gives is far from the others.

Well there are a lot of things I love here in Saud Beach. The sand, just like the one in Blue Lagoon, it’s not really white but has a very fine quality, so we were able to stroll around the beach barefoot. And did I mention that Saud beach has a wider and longer sand stretch than Blue Lagoon? Yes it has so anyone can do a lot in the shores. Also, I love the sunset view here in Saud – really romantic! Well, some says that since Blue Lagoon is not facing the open sea due to its half-moon shape, there are times that sunset is hardly can be seen cause it is blocked by the mountain cliffs.

What’s more lovely in this beach is that it is overlooking the Bangui Windmills. I love both Blue Lagoon and Saud Beach, but maybe next time I should try to stay in Blue Lagoon too. Post Its: There are lot of resorts and transient houses near Saud Beach, so it’s best for the budget conscious travelers.Pagudpud is 3 hours from Tuguegarao City Cagayan, 1 and half hour from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, three hours from Vigan, Ilocos Sur and is 9-12 hours away from Manila.

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Pagudpud is 3 hours from Tuguegarao City Cagayan, 1 and half hour from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, three hours from Vigan, Ilocos Sur and is 9-12 hours away from Manila. Also, there are lot of resorts and transient houses near Saud Beach, so it’s best for the budget conscious travelers.

How to get there:

a. From Tuguegarao, ride a GMW or Florida Liner bus to Laoag, Vigan, or Abra, and drop off at Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

b. From UST Manila, ride a Florida Liner or RCJ bus to Pagudpud or to Cagayan via Pagudpud, and drop off at the Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

Ilocos Norte: Maira-ira Cove (Blue Lagoon)

We still haven’t moved on with the panorama beauty of Patapat Viaduct, here comes another main tourist spot of Ilocos Norte aka Blue Lagoon.

This beach is known for its uniquely half moon shape, crystal clear water, off white grainy sand and the serene ambience it offers that will keep tourist from the city’s hustle and bustle life.

Since it was a Holy Week, the local government took advantage of the expected number of visitors that will come to see and experience this hidden beach, wherein they asked for a twenty pesos entrance fee for each person whether resort guests or just a typical tourist that will just take some moment in this pristine beach. The fee wasn’t really bad; proceeds will go to the development and construction of the road from highway to the main resorts since at that time it is was still rocky.

We totally fell in love with Blue Lagoon, the view and atmosphere was spectacular! It was just too bad that even three months ago we couldn’t get cheap accommodation that is good for our family. Yes, resorts here, like the Hannah’s Resort and Kapuluan Vista Resort, are more expensive than the ones in Saud Beach. And so after taking some time in Blue Lagoon, we headed off to the more touristy beach of Saud.

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In choosing between Saud Beach or Blue Lagoon, if you like crowds then Saud is the best choice but if you prefer to stay away from noise and want some privacy well Blue Lagoon is the excellent choice. Also, I noticed that there were more water activities in Blue Lagoon, like surf boards, kayaks, jetski, and banana boats.

Pagudpud is 3 hours from Tuguegarao City Cagayan, 1 and half hour from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, three hours from Vigan, Ilocos Sur and is 9-12 hours away from Manila.


How to get there:

a. From Tuguegarao, ride a GMW or Florida Liner bus to Laoag, Vigan, or Abra, and drop off at Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

b. From UST Manila, ride a Florida Liner or RCJ bus to Pagudpud or to Cagayan via Pagudpud, and drop off at the Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

Ilocos Norte: Patapat Viaduct

Patapat Viaduct, the fourth to the longest bridge here in the Philippines, was our landmark that we have already left Cagayan Valley and finally arrived at the charming region of Ilocos.

This 1.3 kilometer bridge that connects the Maharlika Highway from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to the Cordillera Mountain Range of Cagayan was mainly built last 1975 to minimize the landslides occurrences in the province; yet years passed it has been remarked to be one of the main tourist spots in Ilocos.

Lots of cars, buses and as well as tricycles – rented by the commuting travelers were found stopping by the edges to take some good photos of this bridge and its spectacular view of the Pasaleng Bay.

Just a few meters after the picturesque Patapat Viaduct is the abandoned Korean Vessel that is threatened to spill off its hundred tons of crude oil to the unspoiled beaches of Pagudpud. We were really saddened by this especially when we noticed that lots of political ads were posted in this spot yet no one’s making an action to remove this wrecked ship.

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Patapat Viaduct is 3 hours from Tuguegarao City Cagayan, 1 and half hour from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, three hours from Vigan, Ilocos Surn and is 9-12 hours away from Manila. Note that from Laoag it is farther than the famous Blue Lagoon.

How to get there:

a. From Tuguegarao, ride a GMW or Florida Liner bus to Laoag, Vigan, or Abra, and drop off at Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

b. From UST Manila, ride a Florida Liner or RCJ bus to Pagudpud or to Cagayan via Pagudpud, and drop off at the Pagudpud's Baduang Market.

Cagayan: The Waterfarm and Cagayan River

Just before we leave the beautiful land of Cagayan, we passed by some churches and some remarkable spots in the town. In the middle of our trip, just the perfect and the most scenic time to watch the picturesque sunrise in the mountains of Sierra Madre, we found ourselves stopping by the well known restaurant named The Waterfarm, found along the road to Ilocos Norte.

This eatery is not just a typical hang out place for it features unique theme from its exterior to its interior design. We were astonished with its motif for its store filled with antiques and vintage memorabilia from its ceiling down to its floor. The view from the rear side of the store is an outsized fish pond where you can ride a mini Bangka to go around the lake-look-a-like man-made pond of the Waterfarm restaurant.

Likewise, the food served, like my tapsilog, was delecatably yummy! We were told that the meat of tapa is neither pork nor beef. It was surprisingly a meat of carabao sliced into thin cuts then marinated in their own secret recipe. It was really delicious and worth recommending.

What’s more exciting on our trip to Ilocos is that we were able to see the Cagayan River which is undoubtedly the longest and largest river here in the Philippines. We stopped by a bridge that crosses the river, and gladly took some pictures on it. The water level of the river was said to be shallow since it was highly affected by the severe drought caused by El Nino in the province