Road trip to Ilocos Norte

Toelicious Spa

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Attraction | "Toelicious Spa and Nail Salon"

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It was a very long day of adventure for me and my husband. I definitely wanted to take advantage of having a massage since I haven't had one in three months. I asked the hotel if there are any nearby massage place. At first the hotel said they can have someone come over. However, I know that home service would cost more so I asked them to recommend a place instead. The hotel was kind enough to get in touch with Toelicious spa to pencil me in.The place can be found in front of the PLDT office near the Jollibee at the Bacarra road, so you can find it easily. Tricycles would easily take you there. At first I was debating whether to go to Toelicious or Garry's Thai Massage w...Read More

It was a very long day of adventure for me and my husband. I definitely wanted to take advantage of having a massage since I haven't had one in three months. I asked the hotel if there are any nearby massage place. At first the hotel said they can have someone come over. However, I know that home service would cost more so I asked them to recommend a place instead. The hotel was kind enough to get in touch with Toelicious spa to pencil me in.

The place can be found in front of the PLDT office near the Jollibee at the Bacarra road, so you can find it easily. Tricycles would easily take you there.

At first I was debating whether to go to Toelicious or Garry's Thai Massage which I found on the internet. I was almost ready to go to Garry's instead, but there was this guy with his feet up on the table at the entrance. It wasn't exactly the most inviting thing to see first as you enter a massage place.

I proceeded to go to Toelicious as the hotel recommended then. It's on the second floor of the building. As you enter the ground floor, a security guard was there. So that made me feel better.

As you go up the stairs, you go right and you will find the spa there. When I went in, I was greeted by a lady in scrub suit. She asked if I was the one from the hotel. She then showed me the list of services they had. They had Ventosa Massage and Hot Stone Massage as well as the promo rate of their Combination massage. I asked if the do Swedish massage but she said they only did combination massages. I agreed to that. She led me to waiting room with a television.

I took a bath before going to the spa, but other people may opt to have a shower there. Their bathroom was clean so it would be no problem. Before I had a massage, the therapist gave my feet a quick foot spa by soaking it them in warm water with lavander oil. Afterwards, she lotioned my legs.

Lani, the therapist assigned to me, lead me to a curtained room for the massage. It was clean and the light was the dim. A soft background music was playing. The only disruptive noise in the place was the next door room with a very talkative man having his massage. I decided to just tune him out.

The massage was a pleasure. The combination worked quite well. It was a mix of shiatsu, swedish and thai massage. I was quite relaxed all the time and Lani kept making sure that her pressure was good enough for me.

I felt refreshed and relaxed afterwards. I even contemplated on having another massage the next day if time and budget permits.

I also gave Lani a good tip because I enjoyed the service she gave. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 31, 2011

Toelicious Spa
Gov. Primo Lazaro Avenue, Alcid Building, 2nd Level
Laoag City, Philippines

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Museo Ilocos Norte

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Attraction

Museo Ilocos Norte Photo - Museo Ilocos Norte, Laoag City, Philippines

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The Museo Ilocos Norte was built to ensure that the culture and heritage of Ilocos is preserved and maintained. The symbol, which is an icon of the sun, was inspired from one the finials of the nearby San Nicolas Church.The red brick structure quite distinct and easy to spot. Beside it is Gerry's restaurant, a famous Manila dining place. Entrance to the museum is P30 for adults with special rates for students, senior citizens and children. The place is quite well-maintained and laid out well to help guests see all the exhibits.The musuem features all sorts of local flavor. It showcases their clothing, cooking utensils, farming tools and similar items. The lighting of the ...Read More

The Museo Ilocos Norte was built to ensure that the culture and heritage of Ilocos is preserved and maintained. The symbol, which is an icon of the sun, was inspired from one the finials of the nearby San Nicolas Church.

The red brick structure quite distinct and easy to spot. Beside it is Gerry's restaurant, a famous Manila dining place. Entrance to the museum is P30 for adults with special rates for students, senior citizens and children. The place is quite well-maintained and laid out well to help guests see all the exhibits.

The musuem features all sorts of local flavor. It showcases their clothing, cooking utensils, farming tools and similar items. The lighting of the place adds to the the ambience, making it feel like an authentic musuem and not just a bunch of items thrown together.

At the end of the first hall, you will climb a stairs leading to a model Ilocano house as you would find it during the Spanish era. From old transistor radios, the arrangement of the living room and the bed room and an old loom. My favorite part was the kitchen and the bathroom, which was just a curtained small room with a jar and old-style dipper.

Once you go down, you will enter the souvenir shop which features all sorts of locally made items. This is the only air-conditioned part of the museum so we stayed longer even if we did not buy anything. LOL.

When you go out of the souvenir shop, you enter another corridor. This time it shows the different provinces of Ilocos Norte, a tome made of tarpaulin which outlines the history of Ilocos dating as far back as the 1500, a make shift tobacco dryer and a sample theater.

The recent feature of the musuem was a feature on the different kinds of woven baskets used in the province. These baskets can be used to catch fish, dry rice, hamper, etc.

The musuem was worth the small fee a tourist will pay. The Ilokano pride in their culture is something other provinces of the Philippines can emulate. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 31, 2011

Museo Ilocos Norte
Gen. Luna corner Llanes Streets
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
(077) 770-4587

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Laoag Sinking Bell Tower

Attraction | "Laoag Sinking Tower "

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The trip from Manila to Laoag took more than ten hours, so it was a relief to finally be driving on the bridge leading to Laoag City. One of the first things to greet you, other than the ala-Hollywood "LAOAG" sign was the beautifully lit Laoag Sinking Tower.The funny thing was, it was only on the day that we were about to leave that we got the chance to observe the tower. At first, I thought it was together with a church like the other bell towers. It was still near the church, but not really in the same compound.It was similarly made as all the old structures in Ilocos Norte, with clay bricks and local limestone mix to glue them together. According to legend, a man atop of...Read More

Laoag Sinking Bell Tower
Brgy. 14
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

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Laoag Renzo Hotel

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Hotel | "Value for money"

Standard double room Photo - Laoag Renzo Hotel, Laoag City, Philippines

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When I was planning our trip, I went looking around for a place to stay. After much deliberation, it was a toss up between Laoag Renzo Hotel and Balay de Blas Pensionne House. Balay had more positive reviews, Laoag had only a couple but also good reviews. What won me over was their promo of third night free. Our initial plan was to stay only two nights, but decided to extend for another day because of the promo.What we found in the hotel was a pleasant surprise. The room was clean and complete with amenities of hot and cold shower, water kettle, television and hair dryer. There was also complimentary two bottles of water, plus complimentary breakfast for two. The breakfa...Read More

When I was planning our trip, I went looking around for a place to stay. After much deliberation, it was a toss up between Laoag Renzo Hotel and Balay de Blas Pensionne House. Balay had more positive reviews, Laoag had only a couple but also good reviews. What won me over was their promo of third night free. Our initial plan was to stay only two nights, but decided to extend for another day because of the promo.

What we found in the hotel was a pleasant surprise. The room was clean and complete with amenities of hot and cold shower, water kettle, television and hair dryer. There was also complimentary two bottles of water, plus complimentary breakfast for two.

The breakfast was buffet, mind you. The food was not bad either, with five to six choices of viands plus fruit and your choice of coffee or iced tea. The coffee I had was too weak for my taste though, so I decided to have lemonade iced tea the next day.

The service was also good. Our room was cleaned every day. The front desk staff were willing to help out whatever they can with questions I have. One time, I asked where to get a massage. They said they can get me one. I told them I prefer to go to the place instead. The front desk staff, Jeff, got in touch with them for me and set an appointment. The massage was divine!

Even without their third night free, I would consider Laoag Renzo Hotel to be value for money. The room we stayed in was just P1,350/night ($33). You would have a hard time getting a bargain like that if you were in Manila.

Visitors have to be warned though. The hotel rooms are on the third and fourth floor and they do not have an elevator. So the place might not be advisable for more senior patrons or those in wheelchairs. It's best also to use backpacks or duffel bags instead of stroller luggage when staying here.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience in the hotel and appreciated their service. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 31, 2011

Laoag Renzo Hotel
Rizal Sr, Cnr Guerrero Street
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
(63 77) 770 4898

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Saramsam Cafe

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Restaurant | "A modern version of Ilocan cuisine"

Insarabsab Photo - Saramsam Cafe, Laoag City, Philippines

Quote:

It was a long morning of traveling so my husband and I were more than eager to have our lunch. I did some research on the internet on what were the best places to eat in Laoag City where we stayed during our trip. Saramsam Cafe was a consistent recommendation.When we finally found the place, the place was packed. We were lucky that there were just two of us, so we were able to secure the only dining table for two people. The waitress gave us the menu and from there you could choose from the wide array of Ilocano dishes they serve.My husband and I chose to have Insarabsab (grilled pork cheeks with tofu) and Pakbet with chicharon (simmered vegetables mixed with crispy pork r...Read More

It was a long morning of traveling so my husband and I were more than eager to have our lunch. I did some research on the internet on what were the best places to eat in Laoag City where we stayed during our trip. Saramsam Cafe was a consistent recommendation.

When we finally found the place, the place was packed. We were lucky that there were just two of us, so we were able to secure the only dining table for two people. The waitress gave us the menu and from there you could choose from the wide array of Ilocano dishes they serve.

My husband and I chose to have Insarabsab (grilled pork cheeks with tofu) and Pakbet with chicharon (simmered vegetables mixed with crispy pork rinds). We had their wild basil iced tea pitcher for our drinks. They served the drink first together with a bucket of ice. I filled my glass with ice and poured the iced tea. After a very hot day, it was absolutely refreshing. The food was also good. It was a good combination to have the meat and the vegetables together.

After the main course, we had malunggay (moringa) sherbet. It was a pleasant surprise because I thought the dessert would be bitter or too sweet. It was quite milky actually. It's best to squeeze the calamansi (Philippine lemon) over the dessert. It made for good combination of the dessert.

We enjoyed our meal so much that we decided to come back to it for dinner. We wanted to have another pitcher of the wild basil iced tea but unfortunately, their stock ran out because of the many orders during the day. We had their dinardaraan pizza (pork meat in pork blood), which was also a surprise as it tasted good and actually went quite well with the cheese and tomato of the pizza. I also ordered Ilokano seaweed, but it was a disappointment because it was quite bland and slimy. I now know I prefer my nori dried.

Overall, it was a good dining experience. We would very much recommend it to anyone who have the chance to stay in Laoag City! Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 31, 2011

Saramsam Cafe
N. Corpuz Building, Rizal cor. Hizon Streets
Laoag City

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