On the road to Pagudpud: Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

This is going to be a short post as a visit to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Burgos Town, Ilocos Norte would only require less than an hour of your time, as there is really nothing much to do in an old Spanish era light house other then take scenic photos, selfies and usies.

I boarded a Cagayan-bound bus headed north in one of the bus terminals at the back of the Laoag Provincial Capitol building. This was in the early afternoon after I checked out of Tiffany hotel.

The lighthouse is located in the northern town of Burgos approximately an hour (by bus) from Laoag. Note that the bus will just drop you off as entry by heavy vehicles is prohibited.  I read in most travel blogs that there are tricycles that will take you to the lighthouse.  Unfortunately, none were to be found when I got off the bus during the off peak month of July.

Merge to the west (Right if you are coming from Laoag)
 once you see this sign on the Pan Phil Highway

The distance of the lighthouse from this road sign is actually not that far; it is probably a quarter mile walk on a slightly uphill access road.  The only problem when I started walking was that it started to rain when I got off the bus.  Good thing some friendly Pinoy tourists on a pick-up truck arrived around the same time and asked me to ride with them.

The place was practically deserted that rainy afternoon.  Had it not been for the group on a pick up truck, I would have been the sole guest of the light house.  A stoic old man serves as the lighthouse's caretaker though.

It was raining so the view at the top of  the tower wasn't that great.  But I think a sunset view here would have been awesome given it faces west where the sun sets.

Well it is just an old light house so don't expect fancy rooms and corridors for your social networking posts. It may not be a major tourist destination, but this Cape Bojeador lighthouse is definitely worth a stopover if you are doing an Ilocos Norte road trip.

Good thing this Pinoy group was also headed north, so they offered me a ride to the town right before Pagudpud.  Thanks strangers!

Laoag, Ilocos Norte

The city of Laoag in Ilocos Norte was originally supposed to be my jump off point to Pagudpud, the "Boracay" of the northern Philippines.  I did not want to take the 12 plus hour ride to Pagudpud so I decided to just fly (45 minutes only!) to the nearest airport in the Ilocos region, then take a less than 2 hour bus ride further north to Pagudpud.

But while researching Laoag, I learned that it offered also other nice tourist spots that are easily accessible.  I reckoned I would be able to explore Laoag City proper since my flight would be arriving early afternoon.  Then prior to heading out to Pagudpud the following day, I would still be able to explore the nearby towns such as Paoay. 

Laoag Airport also had this nice touch wherein there's a free shuttle ride from the airport to most hotels located in Laoag City proper.  Just let the driver know your hotel destination. This feature is not that common in most Philippines towns with the exception of the country's biggest and most touristy cities.

I did not make any advanced hotel reservations so I just chose on Google maps a small boutique hotel with decent TripAdvisor reviews (3+ above).  The hotel was also within walking distance of most of Laoag's tourist attractions.  It probably won't matter to travelers seeking genuine Ilocano cuisine, but the hotel is  less than a 5 minute walk from a Jollibee(north) and a Max's Restaurant (south)

Hotel Tiffany Twin Room

Please note however, that this hotel, which has  multiple floors, does not have elevators. I was ok with my 4th floor room, as I felt I needed the exercise in preparation for trekking and hiking mountains.  But for elderly, young kids and the young but not so fit, you may want to request a lower floor room.

Pinoy readers, spot the tabo in the hotel bathroom

It was also just a few blocks from the Provincial capitol building of Ilocos Norte.  This area is within easy walking distance of other Laoag tourist destinations, such as the Sinking Bell Tower and the Tobacco Monopoly Monument,

Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol Building

Ilocos Norte has been historically a major Tobacco producing region especially during the Spanish era. Hence, just across the Provincial capitol, you will find a towering monument for the Tobacco Monopoly.

Tobacco Monopoly Monument

As with most Philippine towns, the main catholic church is located quite near the town's seat of power.

St William Cathedral of Laoag

While the Ilocos Norte region is known for having hundred year old Spanish churches, Laoag's pride is the unique church structure known as a Sinking Bell Tower.

Sinking Bell Tower

The photo below shows what used to be the main entrance of the Bell Tower. Nowadays, even a small child will find it difficult to enter given the the tower has sunk so many feet into the ground.

Bell Tower entrance now closed

The Spanish era bell  tower is also near a more recent SM Hypermart which you may visit in case you need go on a supply run.

The Old and the New

Laoag also makes it also easy to navigate to the other tourist towns of the Ilocos region.  The sign above is for the northern destinations while the photo below is for the southern destinations.

I have not visited most of the nearby attractions given my limited time, so I will most probably explore further this region if I get to visit the Philippines again.

C Boutique Hotel Baguio

I was browsing Deal Grocer website this week when I saw post -summer discounted deals for C Boutique Hotel in Baguio   I availed of a similar deal last July for a suite so this post will be featuring that stay.  In case some of you might be planning of going to the Philippines' summer capital (Baguio!), this blog post may prove some helpful.

Since my friends backed out at the last minute and the coupon was expiring in a few weeks, this July 2013 trip became a solo adventure.  My last trip to Baguio was in 2012 and I did not get to visit some of the places I wanted to see, as I was travelling with a group.  This would be an opportunity for me to review this relatively new boutique hotel and take photos of other Baguio spots.

View from the loft

Another view from the loft

The suite has a loft with bed which can probably sleep 2 kids or 1 adult.  Hence, the coupon for the suite can sleep  the maximum allowable of  adults and 2 kids comfortably.

The bathroom was nice and clean enough for that price point.  However, the water pressure of the shower was weak though.  I am not sure if I can fault the hotel for this as Baguio has always been known for the scarcity of water especially during the April-May summer season.

The hotel also has a small cafe adjacent to the registration area near the entrance.  There are not a lot of eating establishments within the immediate vicinity which was composed mostly of residential houses.

The Deal Grocer deal came with breakfast coupons good for 4 people.   Good thing that the hotel staff were nice enough to allow me to use all coupons.  So I used 2 for early breakfast and 2 for early lunch.

Before you judge and brand me as a ravenous glutton, please note that like most Filipino restaurants, C Hotel's serving sizes were quite small compared to the typical servings in the US.

Bonuan Bangus

For my first breakfast, I had the Bonuan boneless bangus (milkfish) meal, a specialty from Pangasinan, a neighboring coastal province.  It was quite good unlike the fresh fruit platter which I ordered as my second coupon.  It was not that bad, but the fruit slices still included  the bland tasting parts of the pineapple and the watermelon.

After I came back from an early norning shoot of the nearby sights, I was hungry again so I used another coupon to order a shredded beef tapa meal.  I found it not as tasty as the bangus meal though.

I just give the last coupon to the friendly hotel staff prior to checking out from the hotel at 12 noon  I then proceeded to Mines View Park which I last visited in 2005.

C Hotel's cross streets

Finally, one more nice thing about C Hotel is that it is equidistant from both Mines View Park (northwest) and Wright Park (southwest).  Both can be reached by walking from the hotel in 15 minutes.  You can also board the jeepneys that ply Gibraltar road, which is 3 to 5 minute walk from the C Boutique Hotel.