The Philippines

Pagudpud has been  a hot name in Philippine travel circle for some time but it has never quite lived up to its billing as the "Boracay of the North"- mainly because it was too far away and the resorts stank. Now a clutch of stylishly  renovated hotels, improved flight connections to Laoag and the next big thing on the surfing circuit street cred  are finally putting  this lonely stretch of coastline on the tourist map, although it remains decidedly  sleepy compared with Boracay.
Pagudpud actually  consists of three vast beaches, strung along Luzon's northern edge and hemmed in by headlands. Coconut-palm-backed Saud Beach is where most resorts are. Idyllic Blue Lagoon  is a few headlands east. Deserted Pansian Beach  is still further on, near the boarder of Cagayan Province.

At Blue Lagoon, Luzon's whitest sand  and bluest water conspire  majestically to be situated in one place. There's terrific  snorkelling here and despite the recent opening  of a few resorts, the beach is rarely crowded. Hannah's Resort hires out sea kayaks (P300 per hour). It;s 16 km from Saud to the beach turn-off, then another 4 km down a sealed road; from Saud it's a 45-minute tricycle ride (return P300). Both Blue Lagoon and Sud Beach are changing rapidly. One reason for this is Pagudpud's sudden popularity as a surfing spot - some real giants occasionally from at Blue Lagoon, and Saud also gets well-shaped if fickle waves. The peak surf season is August to October. Boards (P200 per hour) and lessons (P200 per hour) are available at Kapuluan Vista Resort. Be careful about swimming here when conditions are rough as there's  a nasty undertow.
Kapuluan Vista Resort (Phone: 0920 252 2528) www.tjhawaii.com/kvr

The resorts listed following  are sister resorts  clustered at the more attractive west end of Saud Beach.  There is really no reason to look anywhere else as these five  resorts cover all the accommodation bases. Rapidly expanding Terra Rika and Apo Idon are the fanciest of the lots; the latter has some fabulously designed rooms featuring Ifugao art and the capiz-shell windows. Evangeline's rooms are more austere and set back from the beach, but its wonderfully atmospheric  restaurant is on the right beach. Jun and Carol and Northridge  are the most backpacker-friendly. All have fre wi-fi.
Apo Idon (phone: 0918 933 4464); www.apoidon.com
Evangeline Beach Resort (phone: 0929 878 0335)
Jun and Carol Beach Cottages (phone: 676 0183,  0921484 7746); www.juncarolbeachresort.com
Northridge Resort (phone: 0920 220 5089)
Terra Rika Beach Resort (phone: 772 1845,  0918 937 1752); www.terrarika.4t.com


About 30 km to the west of Pagudpud is the impressive Cape Bojeador Lighthouse; closer by are the windmills  of beautiful Bangui Bay.

Lumiang Burial Caves










On the road to Ambasing, near the village Bistro, you can se the Sugong Coffins suspended from the cliff face. A short distance further the road forks at the Right Turn Cafe. Take the left fork, follow it for 200m and look for a path to your left that leads down to the Lumiang Burial Cave. Over 100 coffins are stacked in the entrance, the oldest believed to be about 500 yers old.

Sumaging Cave








Echo Valley




Bokong Waterfalls

Sagada owes its sublime mellowness to its isolation. It's 12 hours from Manila by bus, which keeps away the city weekend warriors. Sagada fills up during Holy Week and the week between Christmas and New Year, but its rarely crowded at other times.

Once you reach Sagada go all the way to the tourist information center which is located in the municipal building. It is open form 7 am to 5 pm. The tourist information center is where you get a tour guide that will take you to most of the sights in Sagada.
Internet access is at Golinsan Internet Cafe ( 8am to 8:30 Pm) located below Alfredo's Cabin.

Accomodation in Sagada
I would recommend staying at Sagada Guesthouse (Ph: 09296807849) because it is very close to the city hall and the market. It is very clean and the bathrooms are very neat. You can even cook your own food, and they also have access to television.
Another one I can recommend is Alfredo's Cabin (Ph: 09185883535) because it has its own restaurant and a big fireplace. There is also an internet cafe on the basement.

Note: Before you go to bed ask the attendant to call for a local massage therapist. It costs only 300- 400 pesos. You can ose any type of massage you want. This will give you relaxation as well as forgetting all of your worries.

Eating
If you don ot want to cook your own food I recommend eating at Masferre Inn and Restaurant (Ph: 09483416464). The food here is among the best in town, but what really makes this place stand out are the awesome, powerful prints of the late sagda-born photographer Eduardo Masferre. Ask teh attendant for a tour of the Masferre Gallery.
I also recommend the Yoghurt House. you can fuel up here with mountain coffee and delicious homemade yoghurt before long day of hiking or caving.


ATTRACTIONS IN SAGADA (Click to see all attractions)

• Sumaguing Caves
• Latang Caves
• Lumiang Burial Caves
• Sugong Coffins
• Echo Valley
• Bokong Waterfalls
• Bumod-ok Falls

Cadlao Island is like a mini-Tahiti relocated to the Bacuit Archipelago. In addition to being a wonderful piece of eye candy for those staying on the beach in El Nido, it is also home to lovely Cadlao Lagoon. this lagoon offers some good snorkelling in shallow coral gardens that lie off the beach at the head of the bay.

Like the back of a half-submetged stegosaurus, Matinloc Island snakes some 8 km along the western edge of the Bacuit archipelago. Along with neighbouring Tapiutan Island, it forms a narrow Tapiutan Strait, the walls of which offer some of the best snorkelling in the archipelago. Likewise, there is some excellent snorkelling and some good beaches on the eastern side of Matinloc.

EL NIDO

Much like towns the world over that the geteways to beautiful sights, the ordinariness of EL Nido only hightens the contrast between mundane and the sublime; in this case it is the base for exploring the fabolous Bacuit Archipelago. In Spansh it it means "the nest", El Nido sandwihich between towering limestone karst clifs and Bacuit Bay, is full of rickety buildings creeping onto the beach. watching the sunset from the beach in town is like being int the audience for a performance by mother nature - center stage is the looming Cadlao Island just offshore. Taking a room in town means being close to restaurants and beachside bars, but also closer to the everyday sights and sounds; you can stay in one of the nearby communities or dump some cash for accomodation in the archipelago itself .



MAIN ISLANDS AT EL NIDO

• Miniloc Island (click for more info)
• Matinloc & Tapiutan Islands (click for more info)
• Cadlao Island (click for more info)
  

Getting To El Nido by Air

Considering El Nido is one of the Philippine's prime tourist destination, it is surprisingly very difficult to reach by air. In the meantime, only ITI is flying to El Nido's Lio Airport, 4 km north of the town. A tricycle to or from the airport costs P150 (Philippine Peso). You can also hire a boat from town to take you to the airoirt for P600 for hour.


Getting to El Nido by Boat
The most important boat service or visitors to northern Palawan is the El Nido- Coron connection. the Jessabel 1 and Jessabel 2 (Ph:09093518234) leave Tuesday and Friday at 7:30 am (P2000, 7 hours ride). Another larger boat, the M/B Asian Fairy (Ph:09186613960) services the El Nido-Coron route every Wedneday and Sunday.


Sleeping In El Nido

Rosanna's Beach Cottages Ph: 091869374280; email: rosannascottages_elnido@yahoo.com

Cliffside Cottages Ph:09197856625

Tandikan Cottages Ph: 09203184882; email: tandikan_elnido@yahoo.com

Island Front Cottages Ph: 09176183030

Manila is the obvious place to start. After a couple of days exploring the capital, head north to the mountanous Cordillera region, stoping in Banawe to se the world famous reice terraces, and laidback Sagada to enjoy the cool mountain air. Form Noth Luzon, head back through Manila nd and continue south by bus to Souteast Luzon's Bicol region. This is the Philippines' adventure capital, with surfing, wakeboarding, volcano climbing and diving. Around Legaspi you can experience whale sharks of Donsol or climb part of the way up Mt. Mayon Volcano.

Many visitors to the Philippines use Manila as a jumping-off point to more popular tourist spots, but the capital offers plenty to keep you occupied for a day or two. If you have a week to spend in the country, start off with 2 days in Manila doing a one-day tour of historic sights, such as Intramuros, and another day for modern Manila as embodied by Makati City and other centers of contempoprary urban development.