Thursday, May 19, 2016

Club Fort Med, Boljoon

Posted by Free-Spirited Vixen (Juliefe Cuenca) at 2:59 PM 0 comments


The foremost I can say about Club Fort Med is that it gave me a good impression which didn't quite last.  Upon entering the place, it was quite picturesque but in my personal experience, not worth it. While we were waiting near the entrance, we had to cover our noses and scrambled for fresh air. There was a pile of garbage dumped on the other side of the road fronting the gates! To our misfortune, the wind was blowing in our direction and so we couldn't see how this thing escaped the notice of whoever is running this place.
The Resort's Personnel
    The staff were cheerful and courteous. However, the resort was really undermanned. We had to wait for several hours before the extra beds were delivered. I couldn't help but notice that one personnel was running to and fro just to cater to several guests at the same time. 

    I don't think they are even paying their employees for the latter's overtime services. In fact, the resort's personnel just waited for the last customers in the restaurant, and they were already on their way home. Only one guard was left so if you would be needing some help during the night, don't expect it to be coming from the hotel's staff.



Room Accommodation
   Their room accommodations are as follows:
1) Casita (with private verada, ref & cable TV, see view)
     Published Rate   3,600.00
     March-May        3,800.00

2) Single Detached  (with private verada, ref & cable TV, see view)
     Published Rate   2,600.00
     March-May        2,800.00

3) Row House Type


    Published Rate   2,000.00
    March-May        2,200.00

Extra Person               200.00
Extra Bed (Optional)  200.00
Interior of one of the resort's Row House Type Rooms
    In our case, we availed three Row House Type Rooms for Php 2,200.00 each. For each room, they only allow a maximum of 2 adults and 2 children. We had to pay 200 pesos for every additional person but the extra bed is not yet included. You have to pay another 200 pesos for an additional single bed to be laid on the floor. Thus, you have to pay a total of 400 pesos for every extra person who will be staying for the night.
At our back are the Resort's Casita Rooms
This is the resort's restaurant and mini-bar
The resort has 3 pools. Two small ones, and one regular-sized pool.
Cottages
    Shown below is an example of the resort's Japanese Cottage which cost 500 pesos. However, we stayed here for free since we availed of their room accommodations.
   For lack of any other shot, this is us posing by one of their Open Cottages which cost 400 pesos.
The Beach   
      The seabed was mostly rocky. It was summer but the currents were quite strong, and most of us got rashes and red spots presumably from the jellyfishes in the area. 
Karaoke Rooms   
       They also have 2 karaoke rooms costing 400 and 500 pesos for 2 hours, respectively. It was cozy inside although the songbook's pages were already disarranged, and some of the songs' tempo were not quite right.
 
 
How to get there:
    Club Fort Med is located in Boljoon, Cebu  and is just beside the road. The most practical way of going there that I can think of is to go to the South Bus Terminal and ride a bus heading to Southern Cebu and tell the conductor to drop you at the resort. It's a 3-hour ride and fare is 120 pesos for non-aircon buses and around P128 for the airconditioned ones. However, if you're in a big group, you can also opt to hire a van for a whole day (usually costing 3,000.00 pesos or more) to bring you there and to tour you to other nearby places as well such as the famous whale-shark watching in Oslob, and churches. You can also choose to chase waterfalls near the area. 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Top 11 Tourist Spots to Visit in the Northern Part of Ilocos Norte

Posted by Free-Spirited Vixen (Juliefe Cuenca) at 11:56 AM 0 comments
For this post, I will be tackling about the 11 most popular places to visit in the northern part of Ilocos Norte:

1) Bantay Abot Cave
2) Timmantang Rock
3) Saud Beach
4) Dos Hermanos Islands
5) Patapat Viaduct
6) Blue Lagoon
7) Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
8) Marcos Museum and Mausoleum
9) Bangui Wind Mills 
10) Burgos Wind Mills
11) Kapurpurawan Rock Formation

As for Laoag City, the following are the top 10 popular tourist spots as of present: (click here to view post)
1. Ilocos Norte's Provincial Capitol
2. Aurora Park
10.Lapaz Sand Dunes

As for Paoay City, the ffg are the top 4 places to visit: (click here to view post)
4. Paoay Lake

This is the map of Ilocos Norte



    Many tourists I know visit only Vigan City (capital city of Ilocos Sur) and Laoag City (capital city of Ilocos Norte) during their stay in the Ilocos Region. However, there are so much more in the region to see. For this post, I will be focusing on the more popular places that the northern portion of Ilocos Norte (as encircled in the map) has to offer. 

Bantay Abot Cave
    Bantay means "hill or mountain", and Abot means "hole". Thus, a mountain with a hole. When we arrived there, the wind was really blowing strong. I guess it was because we are already facing the open sea specifically, the West Philippines Sea. 








Timmangtang Rock
Just a short distance away is located the bell-shaped Timmangtang Rock. "Timmangtang" in Ilokano means "bell". Together with the Bantay Abot Cave, they are collectively termed as the "Lovers Rock".  

Saud Beach
      This is one of the more popular beaches in Pagudpud. The sea was really inviting and beach resorts abound. Bangui Windmills on top of the mountains can also be seen from here.


There are a number of vendors selling souvenirs along the beach
   We also decided to eat our lunch here. Below are some Ilocano specialties but I forgot the names of the dishes.

Dos Hermanos Islands
      Located off the northern coast of Maira-ira Point in PagupudIlocos Norte, "Dos Hermanos" in Spanish language means "two brothers". We weren't able to go near the place due to time constraints and we just satisfied ourselves by taking a photo of it from afar. But a nice narrative of the place can be read from the Senyorita Lakwachera blog. I've also read from WikiTravel that below the rocks are caves where varied and colorful tropical fishes swim abundantly that can be seen during low tides and around it are submerged smaller rocks where famous delicious seaweeds "gamet" are taken. 

Patapat Viaduct
     This bridge is often referred to as the “French Riviera of the North”. It is said to be the 4th longest bridge in the Philippines. Located in the municipality of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, it is a winding bridge found at the foot of the cliff of the North Cordillera Mountain Ranges. The bridge is 1.3 km long, and elevated 31 meters over sea level  and connects the Maharlika Highway from LaoagIlocos Norte to the Cagayan Valley Region



Blue Lagoon
     Blue Lagoon apparently derives its name from its bluish waters. It is also known as Maira-Ira Point of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. The wind was really strong, which is why it is also a famous surfing spot. You can also pay for surfing lessons per hour.
View of the Blue Lagoon from afar

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
    Also known as Burgos Lighthouse, it was first lit on March 30, 1892, illuminating the northwesternmost point in LuzonCape Bojeador Lighthouse was declared a National Historical Landmark on August 13, 2004 and a National Cultural Treasure on June 20, 2005 by the Philippine Government.





Bangui Wind Mills 
    The Bangui Windmills are located in Bangui, Ilocos NortePhilippines.  As stated in WikiPilipinas, the windmills, officially referred to as the NorthWind Bangui Bay Project, were a project by the NorthWind Development Corporation as a practice renewable energy sources and to help reduce the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The project is the first “Wind Farm” in the Philippines consisting of wind turbines on-shore facing the South China Sea and considered to be the biggest in Southeast Asia. The project sells electricity to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) and provides 40% of the power requirements of Ilocos Norte via Transco Laoag.

Burgos Wind Mills
      It is the second wind farm built in the province of Ilocos Norte, after the Bangui Wind Mills, and is the biggest wind farm in the Philippines
    The Burgos windmills are just adjacent to the Kapurpurawan Rock Formations. 
This is the view of the gigantic Burgos windmills while on our way to see the Kapurpurawan rock formations
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
      The Kapurpurawan rock formation is located on the rocky coast of Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Burgos is located on the northwestern tip of Ilocos Norte. 


image courtesy of  http://www.pwc.com/ph/en/gems/sites/kapurpurawan.html

image courtesy of  http://www.pwc.com/ph/en/gems/sites/kapurpurawan.html
     "Kapurpurawan" in Ilocano means "white". The place is indeed known for its white, creamy colored limestone formations, and unique, amazing landscapes designed by nature itself. 

These are some scenic spots on our way to the Kapurpurawan Rock. 



    There are also other activities in the place such as horseback riding, and I've heard, mountain climbing.


Marcos Mausoleum
       Located in Brgy Lacub, Batac, Ilocos Norte, this is where the body of the late President Ferdinand Marcos is displayed. He died on September 29, 1989, almost 3 decades earlier due to lung, kidney, and liver complications. The body is preserved by the Marcoses as they are demanding that it be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. 

Marcos Photo Gallery
    Just beside the mausoleum is the photo gallery focused solely on the life and recognitions of the Marcoses.





Click here to view the top 10 popular tourist spots in  for Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Click here to view the top 4 popular tourist spots in  for Paoay City, Ilocos Norte.
 

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