Hotel Review ~ Fort Ilocandia Resort (FIR)

From Paradores de Vigan we transferred to our hotel in Laoag,   Fort Ilocandia Resort (FIR) our accommodation for 2 nights as we toured Ilocos Province. 

FIR was built to house wedding guests of then President Marcos, Irene Marcos with Greggy Araneta. 

The hotel complex is huge. It is the biggest and most luxurious resort in the Ilocos Province.  It consists of 5 buildings of Spanish colonial architecture. The fact that the resort overlooks the West Philippine Sea adds to its beauty.

FIR now shows signs of aging, but it is still grand and its charm still remains.  Being there makes me visualize how majestic FIR must have been during its prime.

Activities inside FIR includes a mini zoo and adult/children pools, for an extra free guests can do ATV rides, basketball, tennis, various water activities such as fishing, jetski, kayaking and boating. There are so many things to keep you busy (sorry though as the casino is now closed).  

We booked 4 standard rooms.  During booking, I specifically requested for adjoining family room with my children, but were disappointed at check-in.  Reception was apologetic though, but the adjacent room set up made packing/unpacking, tending the kids difficult.

The rooms were nicely sized and each room with its own veranda.  Our room overlooking the garden/pool. 

 

The rooms were clean, although aging quite apparent.  
The bathroom fixtures also needs upgrading.  

My mom also complained that the hairdryer wasn't working and only one electric outlet was working.  Other than that, everything went well.  

Breakfast for our 2 days stay were buffet set up at Café Ilocandia.  Spread was just okay, but the service was very good.

Our New Year's dinner at Café Ilocandia though was great!

Sharing here some family photos, we took before leaving FIR:

For booking inquiries, you can 

Call FIR at: (+6377) 670-9001or 

Email: booking@fortilocandia.com.ph

Day 3 ~ Journey to the Edge of Ilocos

Day 3 started at 8am,  our tour guide Raymond met us at the Fort Ilocandia Resort (FIR).  Raymond has been quite helpful in ensuring we get the most of our trip in Ilocos with the limited time we have.   

If you are looking for a tour guide, this guy got us covered. You can contact him via mobile ~ 0926-2589397.

Raymond our tour guide, turned friend.

TIP: For this leg of the Ilocos Tour, don't forget to bring a jacket, especially if you are travelling on a "ber" month as it gets quite cold.

Our first stop from FIR is the rustic town of Burgos, where the Kapurpurawan White Rock Formation and the Cape Bodeajor Lighthouse are located.


Kapurpurawan White Rock Formation
The name came from the Ilocano word "puraw", which translates to "white" ~ the color of the various rock formation seen in the area. 

This windmill is part of a new batch of windmills installed in Burgos (visible to the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation attraction), the original ones are located in Bangui.

Cape Bodeajor Lighthouse 
The lighthouse was first lit in 1892 and is still in service to date (talk about 126 of history).  This lighthouse is in fact a National Historical Landmark. 

The 66ft tall lighthouse overlooks South China Sea.  

TIP: Do not hesitate to ask the resident tour guide to take your photos.  They take real good souvenir pictures.  Tipping is not necessary, but such good job deserves something.


Bangui Wind Farm
The wind farm has 20 units of 230ft high windmills which stretched along the shoreline of Bangui bay, facing West Philippine Sea.  

Our tour guide brought us to Amian Café which has a perfect view of the famed wind farm.  Food was just okay, but the view makes up for everything!

From Bangui, we headed to Patapat Viaduct. It is a concrete bridge 1.3 kilometers long connecting Ilocos Region to Cagayan Valley.  Unfortunately, it started to rain a bit so we only manage to get very few photos.  

No gloomy weather can dampen our sunshiny spirit!   

Our last stop is the Blue Lagoon ~ unfortunately the waves were rough and so the kids did not get to hostage the beach.  Sand was fine and comparable to Boracay, but not as white.  

TIP: Hannah's Beach Resort restaurant would be a nice stop over, before heading back to Laoag or Vigan. It is located right in front of the Blue Lagoon.   They have very good coffee, perfect for the cold weather.  

Our tired bodies now calls for some rests ~  Day 3 of Ilocos Tour ends here.  It would take another 2 hours to go back to FIR.

If you missed our Day 1 and Day 2 post of our Ilocos Adventure,  you may click the links below:

Day 1 ~ Vigan

Day 2 ~ Laoag