Most of us are tied up to our daily
responsibilities at work and travelling seems not viable, but when my 5 days leave
was granted, I made the most out of it by visiting not only 1, not 2, and certainly
not 3... but 4 cities in the Philippines - talking about Pagudpud, Laoag, Vigan
and Baguio.
Here’s my 4 days 3 nights itinerary:
Day 1 (Pagudpud to Laoag)
My trip started by taking the last flight
from Manila going to Laoag and when we arrived, we stayed at UKL hotel for the
night. At 8am, Jenny and I made ourselves ready and waited for our car service.
Car service could be pricey (around 3,000 Php per group) but I had no choice. Visiting many places in 1 day requires comfort, time-management, and
safety. Tricycle tour could be enjoyable but this option is not ideal to see
the best of Ilocos in one day.
Our Day 1 ended at around 5pm as we headed
towards Laoag terminal to take a bus going to Vigan. The fare is around 120 Php
(air-conditioned Partas Bus) and the
travel lasted 2 to 3 hours. When we arrived at Vigan, we took a trike and
paid 25 pesos to bring us to our hotel. From there, we called it a night to
prepare ourselves for our Day 2 – Vigan Tour.
Day 1 Expenses:
UKL hotel (500 Php/12 hours divided by 2) = 250 Php
Car service (3,000 Php divided by 3 persons)
= 1,000 Php
Miscellaneous (entrance fee and meals) =
300 php
Bus to Vigan = 120 Php
Total
of 1,670 Php!
Day 2 (Vigan)
The second day of our trip started with a
hearty breakfast at Bistro Amarillo which is the resident restaurant of our
hotel, Hotel Salcedo de Vigan.
Along Calle Crisologo, we made arrangements
with a Calesa driver to tour us around the city and was settled in 150 Php per
hour.
The tour lasted for 3 hours and we went
back to our hotel at around 12 noon to prepare for our next destination. As we
advanced to Baguio, we were able to enjoy the smooth and scenic travel for
about 5 to 6 hours (bus fare costs 294
Php – Partas Bus air-con).
Upon arriving in Baguio at around 5pm, we
asked around the terminal about how we can get to our prospected hotel – Highland Villa, as
suggested by our friend who went there.
Surprisingly, the usher of the information
desk insisted that the hotel doesn't exist. Instead, we were encouraged to stay at
Hotel Henrico in Kisad.
The pictures they showed us were pretty deceiving and only costs 1,200
Php. Left with no choice, we stayed in that hotel that I personally would not
recommend (the room doesn't smell good and their water is rusty - tourist trap alert!).
Day 2 Expenses:
Vigan Hotel = 1,000 Php
Calesa Tour (150/hour which lasted 3 hours
divided by 2 persons) = 225 Php
Bus from Vigan to Baguio = 294
Meal = 100 Php
Total
of 1,619 Php!
Day 3 (Baguio)
So our 3rd day started with a
free breakfast from the hotel and after that, I asked some help from the person
in-charge of the hotel lobby.
I showed him the places I wanted to visit and he
helped me arrange my itinerary from where I should go first, the must-try’s,
transportation to use, and many more.
From our hotel, we walked our way to
Burnham Park and so on.
Day 3 Expenses:
Hotel for 1 night = 600 Php
Horseback Riding = 450 Php
Miscellaneous (meals, taxi, and other purchases)= 300 Php
Total
of 1,350 Php!
Day 4 (Baguio)
Our second day in Baguio was planned to
make it just blithe. Jenny and I decided to go to Baguio’s public market to buy
some pasalubongs.
While walking around the market, we asked some vendors on where we can buy this and that. I was carrying a little backpack
with me and to my surprise, a woman chased me just to warn me too keep my bag
safe as there are a lot of thieves around the market. I was grateful of her
concern and without hesitation, I carried my backpack reversed on my stomach.
So I bought my pasalubongs there which
comprises of strawberries, t-shirts, rugs, key chains, ref magnets, wines,
strawberry jams, and so on.
Day 4 Expenses:
Bus from Baguio to Manila = 715 Php
Overnight stay = 600 Php
Total
of 1,315 Php!
After lunch, we are in the bus heading to
Manila and that ends there.
Total
Expenses:
Airfare Promo (Manila to Laoag) = 500 Php
Day 1 (Pagudpud to Laoag) = 1,670 Php
Day 2 (Vigan) = 1,619 Php
Day 3 (Baguio) = 1,350 Php
Day 4 (Baguio) = 1,315 Php
Total
of 6,454 Pesos Only!
Well, who would've thought that 4 days and 3 nights is enough to see the best of these cities?
P.S: You could reduce the total expenses I have shown above if you leave out the pasalubongs, car service and expensive hotels. I'm sure there are a lot of affordable hotels out there. The point is, traveling is not that expensive as what others think if you just know how to budget.
As for me, I am just a newbie to budget travelling and it will be my goal to present lesser expenses on my next travel stories.
Related Articles:
Day 2 - Vigan Tour - 1 Day Itinerary
Day 3 - Baguio Itinerary
Ilocos Norte Tourist Spots
4D3N Pagudpud-Laoag-Vigan-Baguio Itinerary
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