From Manila, take a bus to Vigan! The ride will take you around 9 hours.
Try Partas Bus. The Partas Bus Terminal is located in Cubao, Quezon City (in front of Ali Mall; walking distance from EDSA). You may contact them here for details: 7257303 or 7278278
Where to stay?
Imagine yourself stepping out to a street made of cobblestones – wouldn’t that feel amazing? Hence, I suggest that you stay in hotels in the Heritage Village, or near it at least.
We stayed at Grandpa’s Inn. It wasn’t along the famous Calle Crisologo, but it was really near it. It was a Spanish house owned by the Donato Family, which was converted into an inn in 1979. It has a very homey feel to it and its interior screams 1970. If you’re traveling as a group, try their calesa room, which has beds made out of, well, calesas. :)
If I remember it right, our room (Standard Room) cost P1750 per night. You may contact 0917-5802118/(077) 722-2118 or visit www.grandpasinn.com for more details.
Address: #1 Bonifacio Street corner Quirino Boulevard, Vigan, Ilocos Sur
What to do?
Ride a calesa while touring the nearby hotspots in Vigan. It will cost you P150 per hour. Here’s a piece of advice though: do not ride the calesa if you’re visiting far places, like the Baluarte zoo. The calesa goes slow; it will rip off your wallet.
Here is a list of must-see’s in Vigan:
(no entrance fees for all places stated here, except for the Baluarte Zoo; not sure with Ayala Museum as we were not able to enter due to time constraints)
* Heritage Village and Calle Crisologo
* Bell Tower
* Pagburnayan (Try molding some pots. It doesn’t sound appealing at first, but when I tried it, it made me really happy. It was fun!)
* Crisologo Museum, which used to be the home of Congressman Floro Crisologo and his wife
Governor Carmeling Crisologo (wife of Congressman Crisologo) survived an ambush in this car. |
* Ayala Museum, which used to be the home of Father Jose Burgos. Imagine that! (closed on Mondays)
* Baluarte Zoo, which is owned by Chavit Singson
Vigan has preserved much of what our country was like during the Spanish regime, so please do not forget to visit the historical sites and the museums. Getting in touch with our past will give you a very enriching experience.
What to eat?
What else, but their specialties – bagnet, pinakbet, and longganisa! Café Leona (along Calle Crisologo) has a plate with all these.
Try Uno Grille’s (in front of Grandpa’s Inn) poqui poqui too. It’s an omelette made with eggplant. You wouldn’t go wrong with that.
How’s the nightlife?
We had a serene nightlife in Vigan. We arrived there at around 10pm and we had Calle Crisologo all to ourselves. It was empty and quiet. Yellow lights flooded the streets. It was just us and the old Spanish houses. We had history all to ourselves.
Why go here?
To get a feel of how the Philippines was like during the Spanish regime and to get in touch with the eventful history of our country
Ganda ng Vigan... :)
ReplyDeleteYep, indeed. :D
ReplyDeleteAww, nice description for Vigan. Wanna visit it someday. (:
ReplyDeleteThanks :) Yup, I suggest you do. I'm sure you'll enjoy it :)
ReplyDelete