Trip Planner: Ilocos Norte

I found this great website called Our Awesome Planet where they literally provide you with places to go and stop overs, but best of all, they give out great route plans!

Now I'm not so sure if this covers budget travelling, but you can check it out yourself by calling the establishments in those areas where you prefer to stay.

For first time road trip travelers, you're gonna love this one.

In college, I often heard that the best road trip was to travel the route towards Pagudpud - and for a good reason too!

Without further ado, here's the route plan in Ilocos Norte heading towards Pagudpud.

Source: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2012/04/pagudpud-infographic-your-awesome-journey-to-pagudpud.html

They even gave out tips about time management when traveling, stop over strategies, a list of the must-visit places and must-eat food in Vigan, and a list of the must-visit places and must-eat food in Ilocos Norte!

You really must visit this website to see the information - I can't give it all out here, else I'm facing the cybercrime law. *yikes*

Here's another Ilocos road trip map I found on the web. This one categorized the places via architectural, historical, special interest, beach, heritage, natural, pilgrimage and arts & crafts - a little bit of everything for everyone.

Source: http://www.tarabitab.com/blog/2010/09/19/a-road-trip-guide-to-northern-ilocos/

Good luck, go and just drive! ;)

How To Plan A Road Trip

I always found planning a road trip to be troublesome.

What? It's tedious, tiring and stressful - that's why I prefer road trips to be spontaneous and unplanned. Isn't it exciting to find the places you love by accident?

But it is wise to plan ahead. So if you're an obsessive compulsive *cough, cough - like me*, you'll probably want a guide so that you'll be able to maximize the experience.

Just Drive Philippines Road Trip Plan

1. Always have a map

Be it a virtual map, a GPS, or a physical map, it's always nice to know the directions and where the hell you're going.

2. Do the research

Call ahead for reservations for inns or hotels or motels or apartelles - whatever suits your taste buds. Just don't forget to estimate the time you're going to take travelling. Consider the time you take for stop overs also if your in to a long drive.

If your destination is near to home, then you can just look for routes, stop overs, gasoline station locations and the such - so that if ever you ran into an emergency, you're a well prepared camper.

IMPORTANT:

For health reasons, it's best to see what disease is endemic in the area. Take Palawan, Philippines, for example. If you're planning to go there, then you better get your Malaria shots first and foremost. Be cautious to everything that you do people. :)

3. Car maintenance


Before you hit the road, not only do you need a full tank of gas, but you also need to ensure that your car is in good working order. Peace of mind for you and your loved ones. Safety is always #1!

Check and change the oil, water, and other fluids. Check the tires - inflate them if needed. Replace windshield wipers and the whatnot.


4. Bring the essentials

Always have water, spare tire, and stuff you need to keep your vehicle running.

Commuting? Keep your money and other valuables in a SAFE place. Inside your bag, socks, underwear. You get it.

Keep your electronics charged - never forget this!

5. Travel on a budget

Well since we're talking about money, it's a good idea to plan around your budget. There are many budget travel plans you can follow since there are a lot of reputable travel bloggers around nowadays - you just have to search around the web for the best one that fits your criteria.

Budget travel tips:

The plans will most likely include a place to stay in, but be warned - if a contact number for a hotel or a resort is available, call first to check if the offer is still the same. There are peak seasons and such, so it will probably vary.

6. Road trip songs

Always have a playlist ready to keep the mood fun and exciting - sometimes even relaxing. Here's a little list of road trip songs to drive to.


And that's it. I hope this had been of great help to you.

Go and just drive! :)

Road Trip Songs

What better way to enjoy your weekend getaway than with a road trip?

Now I know most of you guys came here because you're the one assigned to be the iPod DJ for the trip - don't worry, here I've provided some good songs in a playlist, which hopefully, all of you will enjoy. :)

Note: The playlist includes Rolling Stone's 25 Best Road Trip Songs Ever.


Road Trip Playlist
as of November 26, 2012

1. Hey Ya - Outkast 
2. The Reason - Hoobastank 
3. Ironic - Alanis Morissete 
4. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry 
5. Sunday Morning - Maroon 5 
6. This Love - Maroon 5 
7. There's Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes 
8. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia 
9. Don't Speak - No Doubt 
10. Underneath It All - No Doubt 
11. Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer 
12. I'm A Believer - Smash Mouth 
13. Sway - Bic Runga 
14. Over My Head - The Fray 
15. Mrs. Robinson - Lemonheads 
16. Every Breath You Take - The Police 
17. With Or Without You - U2 
18. Someone Like You - Adele 
19. You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi 
20. A Thousand Years - Christina Perri 
21. Far Away - Nickelback 
22. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz 
23. Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
24. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
25. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
26. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
27. Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty
28. Truckin' - Grateful Dead
29. Ol' 55 - Tom Waits
30. Radar Love - Golden Earring
31. Tush - ZZ Top
32. The Passenger - Iggy Pop
33. Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi
34. Passenger Side - Wilco
35. Turn the Page - Bob Seger
36. No Particular Place to Go - Chuck Berry
37. Going Back to Cali - LL Cool J
38. Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf
39. Running On Empty - Jackson Browne
40. Take It Easy - Eagles
41. Award Tour - A Tribe Called Quest
42. Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks
43. Roadrunner - Modern Lovers
44. Rearviewmirror - Pearl Jam
45. Gravity Rides Everything - Modest Mouse
46. No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys
47. Pink Houses - John Mellencamp
48. Travelin' Band - Creedence Clearwater Revival
49. Life Is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
50. I Get Around - The Beach Boys

Keep checking back for more additions / updates to this playlist!

Cheers!

Wakeboarding in Republ1c Wakepark Nuvali

Republ1c Wakepark (Republic Wakepark) in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, opens its doors to south side wakeboarders. A wakepark finally closer to home.

The first time I've seen the wakepark, I instantly fell in love. The place itself was great, it was vast and classy and had a relaxing feel to it. The accommodation was okay, and the people were very friendly. We were watching the pro's do jumps and turns and twists and lie down while riding. We were in awe... entranced. Then on, my boyfriend and I wanted to learn how to ride.

There are two areas to ride in, the beginner area and the pro area. The beginner area consists of a long linear man-made 'lake', while the pro area comprises of a huge circle, complete with ramps and obstacles.

Rates
Republic Wakepark Cable Rates

• 1 hour pass - 250php
• 2 hour pass - 475php
• 4 hour pass - 595php
• 8 hour pass - 995php
• Day and night pass (not yet implemented) - 1500php
• Night riding pass (not yet implemented) - 595php
• Private cable rental - 8000php/hr

Aside from that, there is a mandatory deposit of 800php/person for the equipment. This fee will be returned after rendering the wristband, life vest, and helmet. If you do however have your own equipment, then I don't think you have to pay for the life vest and helmet. The wristband, I'm not so sure you can do without.

Operating Hours
MONDAY - SUNDAY
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
1:00 PM - 5:30 PM
5:30 PM - 9:00 PM (not yet implemented)


Not into wakeboarding?
Its fine. You can watch from the sidelines, just take pictures or just have a beer. They have a bar which serves different kinds of foods and beverages. You can just chill.

How to go to Republ1c Wakepark
By car:
From Manila, you can follow the SLEX straight up until you reach Sta. Rosa exit. After passing the exit, make a right and go straight on until you see Solenad 2. Turn left and go straight. You will then pass a circle, on the second corner, turn right. Further down the road, you will pass two guardhouses, just go straight, there are signs as to where the wakepark is.

Commute:
Well I guess you could take any bus from Manila that goes straight to Sta. Rosa, then ride a jeepney to Solenad 2. Get off Solenad 2 and ask the guard where the shuttle to Republic is. I'm sorry, I do not know what exact times the shuttles arrive. I just know that there are shuttles.

Overall experience
We give REPUBL1C Wakepark 3 stars. The place itself is nice. Not that extraordinary as I can really appreciate. But yeah, its nice. The instructors are very patient and accommodating. The staff are kind. But the front desk girls are just not that approachable. Considering they are at the front desk, they should at least, once in while, learn to smile. But anyway, I will definitely go there again, maybe even take up wakeboarding as a hobby. ;)

For more information, you can visit the REPUBL1C Wakepark website.
http://www.republ1cwakepark.com/

Did we miss something you wanted to know? Please leave a comment so we can attend to your questions. :)

Cafeño Coffee House, San Juan, Batangas

On the way home, we were looking for a place that sold Barako Coffee (a coffee varietal grown in the Philippines, which really is a must try for all the tourists out there) and stumbled upon this great little coffee shop in San Juan, Batangas. Cafeño Coffee House, is like a vintage Starbucks in the Philippines. *cheap find!!*

Aside from the usual espresso, plain brewed coffee, and latte, they also have ice blended coffee with home-made ice cream on top. A must try!

Cafeño Coffee House Review:

For a pit stop, it really is not that bad, the location, however, is quite disturbing, as for it is located in the middle of the town proper, hence, there are many vehicles and other stores and many people passing by. The location is not great, but the coffee is. I must say, with all of the commotion going on on the outside of the shop, once we stepped inside, we felt that we were transported back in time, with all the glamour and vintage-y feel of the decor and stuff.

Overall experience?

We give Cafeño Coffee House 4 stars, for great coffee, and for transporting us back to the 60's. We recommend this place as a stop over whenever you're in Batangas.

Image Reel

Palm Beach Resort, Batangas Review

The day before my boyfriend's birthday, we decided that we wanted to wake up the next day on a beach. Hurriedly, we surfed the internet for cheap resorts in the nearest beach we could find. Since we lived in the Laguna, the nearest would be Batangas. We found Palm Beach Resort in Bo. Hugom, San Juan, Batangas. The price was fairly low for the facilities and the services that they render. Great, great find! Overall? I would definitely, definitely go there again and would recommend it to everyone!

Note: Since I pretty much endorsed them like it was the best thing on earth, I would like to state that we are in no way affiliated with Palm Beach Resorts, nor do we or have we received any form of compensation for this review. Though we would love to. Kidding.

The Reservation And Fees
Making a reservation was a breeze. They were very accommodating even on the phone, you can already sense professionalism and a great deal of hospitality. Even if the check-in time was 2pm, we had placed a reservation around 4pm and arrived around 8pm. Apart from the room fee, which you can find here, there's a mandatory fee of 1,400php per person per day for the food - which is really a part of the experience. It is, however, customize-able. Since we had dinner outside the resort and will not avail of the snacks the following day, they deducted those from our expenses. From there on, I fell in love with the resort. However,  I must say that I do not know if they accept walk-in tourists, but just in case they don't, it isn't really that much of a hassle to give them a call ahead of time.

On The Way

From Manila, it would be about 3-4 hours to get there. Be advised that you will be encountering many rough roads, and the way there can get you lost. We strongly recommend you write down the map and instructions on how to get there. Like what we did over here. However, if you do get lost, we found that Batangeños are very hospitable, accommodating and friendly, go ahead and ask away. You can also send a text message to the resort itself, and ask directions directly from them. You will know that you are already near when you think you're in the mountains already - the sign of serenity can not be clearer than this.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the guards and picked up by a golf cart. I never imagined a golf cart would be there. The pictures from the website does not do justice for the beauty of the place.





Rooms and Facilities
I cannot even begin to explain how we were astounded by the quality of the rooms and their service. It really was a bargain!

Food
A great feature of the resort is the food that they offer. We only had two meals, instead of four. But d*mn, were we full. Its like being battered up and stuffed with delicious food, ready to be served and sacrificed for monsters.

FOOD RATING: 10/10

Breakfast was a buffet in the dining hall, with anything and everything served. Too bad we didn't take any pictures because we were starving. Anyway, we were served lunch in a hut, facing the sea, because the manager wanted to separate us from the noisy batch of customers that they had in the dining area, and wanted us to enjoy and appreciate the serenity that they offered. Aaaah. Heaven. For lunch, we were served around 6 dishes. Yes. around 6. Or more. I don't really remember. It was like I was in food coma. The really, REALLY, REALLY good kind.

Here are some pictures to make you salivate.

The Facilities

The beach was a bit rocky, but as you swim, you can see little fishes swim with you. The water was clear as hell, wasn't itchy too, unfortunately, I have had experiences with itchy beaches, so this is really a plus point for me.

There is an infinity pool! And a jacuzzi! And they offer a wide range of activities as well! It really was heaven. I want to post more pictures but I'm afraid that they don't do justice. Here's a preview then. :)

Overall Resort Experience

Resort Rating: 5 stars

I might be exaggerating, but really, its a nice place to be. To get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, meeting deadlines, and to forget the problems that we have - for an affordable price too!

For more inquiries, please visit their website.

Palm Beach Resort
http://lafrondosa.com/

Road Trip In The Philippines

There are a lot of tourist spots in the Philippines that are commercialized by the department of tourism, and, well, every other Filipino. They’re great, don’t get me wrong. But I think that there’s a lot more that our country has to offer. This blog aims to showcase the beauty and wonder of the discovered-but-not-so-commercialized places in the Philippines that we think deserves to be noticed.

I don’t think we can cover every tourist spot that there is in the entire country, but if you can recommend a place that you think deserves to be noticed, then please, leave a comment and we’ll see what we can do.

So wish us luck on our journey!