Roadtrip to Ilocos, Part 1: Saud Beach Resort and Hotel

My initial trip to the scenic province of Ilocos was many many years ago when the whole family went on a long road trip to see what Ilocos had to offer. Hubby was just my boyfriend then. My late Tito Florante toured us around and showed us the wonderful old churches, markets and of course the white sand beaches of Pagudpud. I was entranced by the sheer beauty of the province.

This Holy Week, hubby and I decided to come back the third time around. Together with myy mom, brother with his family and his children's nannies, we took this opportunity to trek back to Ilocos and rediscover its wonders once again.

We left home at 11:00pm to avoid traffic. Usual daytime trip would normally last 12-15 hours depending on the traffic and how long your bathroom breaks are. We made such good time. We only spent eight hours on the road including stopovers. Woohoo!



Our ultimate destination is Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. We love it's white sand beaches and turquise waters. We've booked three rooms at the Saud Beach Resort and Hotel. The rooms are conveniently located near the dining area and very close to the beach which is perfect for us. Very near the action, so to speak.

The rooms that we booked were spacious enough. The resort itself is quite old. But it's clean and it's not too crowded despite the holy week season. The bathroom has hot water and bidet, they provide simple towels and soap. The water pressure in the shower was low and I had to spend twice as long to take a bath due to this. I was told that this is already the best place to stay in Pagudpud. Hubby and I have stayed here before a few years back. And our stay was overall pleasant and enjoyable.

Since we arrived early, rooms were not ready yet. First order of business was breakfast. We opted to just eat at the resort's one and only restaurant. The breakfast fare (as well as lunch and dinner) is very limited. For breakfast, you have a choice of Tocilog(Tocino, Sinangag at 2 Itlog), Longsilog (Ilocos Longanisa,is garlicky and sour, Sinangag at 2 Itlog). Both come with either fresh fruits or juice or coffee (P180 per order). They also have buttered toasts with jam and fresh fruit and coffee (P120 per order). American Breakfast with bacon, eggs and toast (P195 per order). Their menu is quite unimaginative and tad too expensive for the quality of food that they serve. We scanned the nearby resorts for possible dining alternatives.

We went swimming at the beach earlier. And even brought our snorkeling gear with us. The snorkeling lanscape in our resort wasn't up to par (However, my brother was able to spot an eel and a salt water catfish). Eager to find better snorkeling digs, we decided to explore the nearby Blue Lagoon which reportedly has the best snorkeling landscape in the area. The information counter in our hotel told us that it's just 30 minutes away by car. So off we go, thirty minutes included traversing through zigzag roads, uphill climb and a P20 entrance fee per person to the lagoon. It's not really a lagoon, it's a white sand beach with clear blue azure water much like the resort where we're staying.

The Blue Lagoon is very nice and picturesque but a bit crowded since it doesn't have the "exclusivity" that the other beaches in the area enjoy.
The bathroom and picnic table facilities were minimal, at best. We opted not to snorkel there since the waves were quite fierce. We just snapped to few photos as mementos and went our way.

We wanted to go to the Kabigan Falls. We've seen lovely pictures of it on the internet and would love go see for ourselves. Also, it would be the first time for Jay-Jay and Ashley to see a natural waterfall. Upon arriving there, we found out that we cannot bring our cars and would have to trek 1.5 kilometers to see it's natural beauty. We had children with us so we opted out on this adventure. The guide told us that they can provide a "convertible" for us to take us to the falls. Convertible is a car with it's roof hacked off. Um, no thanks. Back to the hotel please.

Upon arriving at the hotel hubby and I walked hand in hand on the beach with the beautiful sunset guiding our path. That was by far, the best part of my day. I'm demanding a repeat by tomorrow. Wouldn't it be just fabulous if we can do that everyday?


Dinner was at Villa del Mar. A nearby resort, five minutes away by foot from our hotel. We feasted on Bagnet with bagoong isda and tomato dipping sauce (yum!), shrimp sinigang and chop suey. Food here is 100% better than Saud Beach Resort and they change their menu depending on what's available in the market. Everyday is a new culinary surprise.

Overall, the Saud Beach Resort and Hotel is a very nice place to stay in when you're in Pagudpud. Prime beach front location, clean rooms, courteous staff. Their food is their major downfall. The food is sadly "carinderia" quality in sheep's clothing.