What You Need To Know: Travel from Iloilo to Boracay

I haven't visited my hometown for a while, so when I got the chance to book a very cheap round trip ticket to Iloilo, I booked it with no hesitation. The original plan was to stay in Iloilo and Guimaras because the latter is only within half an hour of travel from Iloilo. BUT, we changed our mind and decided to go to Boracay instead.

 Iloilo International Airport is surprisingly big and clean!

It's our first time to visit Boracay and we really wanted to see the quality of Boracay's white sand. We were very eager to compare it to Panglao's white sand. We were also eager to drink and celebrate our 22nd Month together. :-)

SM Iloilo

If you're planning to visit Boracay and you're coming from Iloilo, here are some of the few things you need to know:

• From SM Iloilo, ride a Leganes-Bound jeepney and tell the driver to drop you off at Tagbak Terminal. It's a popular transit point for Boracay-bound tourists. It will only cost you 8 PHP per person.
• I recommend you to ride a van. It's a tedious 6 hours of travel by van (UV Express).
• The fare (van) costs 300 PHP per person.
• Ceres bus is another transportation to Caticlan. The travel time is also around 6-7 hours.
• There will be 2 short stop overs-- one in Roxas, Capiz and another one in Kalibo, Aklan.
• When you're traveling on a rainy season (July- October), your last stop will be at the "alternative port" called "Tabon Port" in Caticlan.
• It will cost you around 200 PHP per head to pay for the Environmental Fee, Boat Fee and the Terminal Fee.

 Don't forget to try Iloilo's Specialty-- La Paz Batchoy

 
So now you probably have an idea how to travel from Iloilo to Boracay, eh? I'll post a hotel review of La Carmela De Boracay next week! Have fun!

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(Day 4) Ilocos Sur: Vigan Hotel, Vigan's Fountain Display, Cafe Uno and Calle Crisologo

We arrived in Vigan at around 8:30 PM already and checked-in at Vigan Hotel. We stayed in an Ordinary Fan Room (double w/ common bath) and paid 595 PHP for a night. Personally, I love the Spanish ambiance of the hotel. Our room has two beds, a sink and a television. The hotel is only a couple of blocks away from Calle Crisologo.

Huge mirror in the living room

Antique furniture in the living room

Ordinary Fan Room (595 PHP)

Since it was late at night already, we decided to eat our dinner at local fast food restaurant located across Vigan Plaza. During that night, there was fountain display. We were more than amazed at what we saw.

Fountain display (with the music "Gentleman" in the background)

It was a lively night!

We love the way they played with colors!

After watching the fountain display, we went to a convenience store to buy some snacks and alcohol and went back to our hotel to have a drink and sleep. The next morning (day 4), we took a tricycle to Cafe Uno (Kusina Felicitas) which was already open at 8AM. The restaurant was actually near, but since it was raining, we decided to ride a tricycle.

Cafe Uno

Cafe Uno's Breakfast Menu

Our breakfast meal comes with a free coffee! 

JM's breakfast

My breakfast. Yum!

After our breakfast, we went to Calle Crisologo to buy some souvenirs. It's my second time to visit Calle Crisologo and the place never failed to impress me. I was broken-hearted when I first visited Calle Crisologo. It is such a romantic place that I realized, traveling alone in Vigan is not a good idea.

Calle Crisologo

Vigan is sweeter the second time around!

We had a budget of 1,000 each for souvenirs. I bought what my momma asked me to buy: Basi Wine, Bagnet, and Bibingka. I also bought some souvenirs for my officemates. One of the popular products in Vigan is tobacco which costs 5 PHP per stick.

Jm smokin' tobacco (5 PHP). Smoke at your own risk!

Basi Wine

Tobacco Pipe

For more information about Vigan Hotel, visit their website:
http://www.viganhotel.com/home.htm

Day 4: Budget (in PHP)

40- Tricycle from Bus Terminal to Vigan Hotel

595- Ordinary Fan Room (Vigan Hotel)

250- Dinner @ Jollibee

180- Snacks, water and alcohol

20- Tricycle to Cafe Uno

215- Breakfast @Cafe Uno (w/ one extra rice)

2,000- Souvenirs (1,00 each)

30- Tricycle to Partas Bus Terminal

1330 - Bus from Partas to Manila (665 each)

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TOTAL: 4,660 PHP

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El Nido, Palawan

It was a very tiresome 5-hour trip to El Nido, Palawan. From Puerto Princesa airport, we rode a tricycle to San Jose terminal (100PHP). We planned to catch the 9 PM Ro-Ro bus ride but it turned out the reservation was already full. It was already the last trip but there were still more than 20 people waiting for another trip to El Nido so the drivers decided to use one more bus to El Nido.

This space became our bed throughout the trip.

We left San Jose terminal at 10PM and arrived in El Nido at 3AM. We rode a tricycle to the hostel (40PHP).  I was glad that I was able to reserve a room at La Banane Hostel (There's gonna be another blog post for this!).

We woke up at around 7AM and ate our breakfast at The Alternative Restaurant. It was drizzling then, we weren't able to stay at the "bird's nest." :(

My 250PHP breakfast.

His 250PHP breakfast.

No bird's nest for us!

My co-workers Ashley and Rodney were also in El Nido so we decided to join them in the Island Hopping tour. We met them at Lualhatti Cottage (5-minutes tricycle ride from La Banane), where they were staying and paid Ate Rose (owner and chef of Linegueb Paluto Dampa Style Restaurant) for the combination Tour A & C with lunch (PHP 1,200).

Yours truly with very kind Ate Rose

Snorkeling masks are available for 100PHP each. We weren't able to visit all the islands included in the tour because we started past 9AM already. :(

photo from gopalawantravel

1. Helicopter Island

2. Hidden Beach

3. Garbage Beach where we took our lunch (joke lang! according to Kuya Boatman, a foreigner once called this island, "Garbage Beach")

4. What we had for lunch! 

5. Boats outside the Small Lagoon

 6. Big Lagoon

Big Lagoon (inside)

7. Secret Lagoon

 Secret Lagoon (inside)

8. Snake Island

We finished the tour at around 6:30PM and had our dinner at Sea Slugs Bar & Restaurant. The restaurant was jam-packed with customers that I heard some people complaining about their order. Anyway, we still decided to order and waited for about 20 minutes.

Large serving of Grilled Squid with rice. Tasteless. :( (250PHP)

We woke up early the next morning and went to El Nido Public Market where we rode an ordinary bus (400+PHP) back to Puerto Princesa. It was a tiring and dusty 6-hour trip.

It was a very exhausting bus ride because of the dusty road!

Estimated breakdown of expenses (for two, as always):

Tricycle from airport to the terminal - 100

Roro aircon bus to El Nido - 800+ (my partner got a 20% student discount!)

Tricycle from El Nido to Hostel (Bacuit bay) - 40 (special rate daw?!)

Breakfast @ The Alternative Inn - 560

Tricycle to Lualhati Cottages - 20

Island Hopping Tour - 2,400

Snorkeling Mask - 200

Tricycle back to cottage - 20

Dinner @ Sea Slugs - 400+

La Banane Hostel room - 1,000 (discounted, pinoy daw eh! haha!)

Tricycle to El Nido Public Market - 20

Breakfast @ Public Market - 100+

Roro ordinary bus to Puerto Princesa - 700+ (20% student discount for my partner, again)

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Cost: PHP 6, 360 for 2

I want to go back to this beautiful place again!! Anyway, have a happy Trip!

*We went over the budget on food, because we really love to eat.

*It was reaally very noisy at night (Hama St., Zone 3) because there were foreigners drinking and you could hear them talking and laughing!

*If you arrive at Puerto Princesa early, I think taking a van to El Nido is much easier.

For more information about the package tour, contact Ate Rose:

Contact number: 09174290620/ 09206008197

Email Add: nilingueb_elnido@yahoo.com

Address: Lualhati Cottage, Brgy. Maligaya, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines 

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