Something new, something old in Ilocos Norte
MANILA, Philippines - It’s so new, “you can still smell the paint,” a guest at the Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center, which officially opened its doors in March this year, observed. Perhaps that part about the paint was a hyperbole, but the Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Brgy. Balacad, right across the Fort Ilocandia Golf and Country Club and the fabled Paoay Lake, is indeed the newest hotel on the block, in Laoag City.
Built through a P475 million loan assistance from the Development Bank of the Philippines, which is consistent with its commitment to support and fast-track community development programs such as tourism-related projects like this, the new development is expected to help boost the provincial government’s thrust to generate more interest and commercial growth in the area.
The complex, which sits on 4.2 hectares of prime land, includes a three-storey hotel with 100 rooms (four suites and 96 standard rooms), a 24-room dormitory that can house 216 visitors, a convention hall that can accommodate 700 to 1,000 guests, as well as a chapel for intimate weddings and a sprawling garden for receptions and outdoor events. The hotel is managed by Paramount Property Management Co., a property development and management firm with more than 10 years of experience in developing properties in the country.
“We cater to both business and leisure travelers,” says general manager Marty Jastillana. It’s ideal for company planning sessions and marketing conventions, far enough from the city proper and all its distractions, yet conveniently near enough to the main transportation route as well as the Laoag International Airport. After attending to serious business matters, everyone can relax and look forward to a bit of R&R. “Since we opened, a number of multinational companies have held their conventions here,” Jastillana says. “We’ve also had families who come during the Holy Week break.”
The flame trees were all abloom along the well-paved roads leading up north to Laoag City and beyond, a welcome sight for our sleepy eyes and tired bodies that had to endure 10 hours of road trip on an air-conditioned van from Manila, which started in the wee hours of the morning.
By noon, we were having bagnet and pinakbet for lunch at a quaint restaurant in the Heritage Village of Vigan, a UNESCO world heritage site. Over the next couple of days we visited a number of heritage and cultural sites, glimpses of a historic past, with the new Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center as our base and jump-off point.
It’s a short drive from the hotel, just across the street, actually, to the so-called Malacañang of the North or Malacañang ti Amianan, the official residence in the north of former strongman, President Marcos. An imposing two-story structure with hardwood floors and chandeliers, a dramatic staircase and a humongous ballroom on the second floor, what’s now left is a shabby version of what it must otherwise have been during its glory days.
The balcony overlooks an irregularly shaped 470-hectare lake, the enchanting Paoay Lake. Legend has it that torrential rains flooded and drowned what used to be a prosperous town, as punishment for its resident’s obsessive attachment to their wealth and power. As the story goes, some locals believed that the submerged town still lies at the bottom of the lake, and every so often, fishermen report seeing strange fish adorned with jewels, gold rings and earring on their fins.
One cannot be in Paoay and not visit the San Agustin Church, better known as Paoay Church, which is inscribed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. One of the oldest churches in the country, it is famous for its distinctive Gothic and Baroque architecture with unique Oriental influence. Also called “Earthquake Baroque” because of its fortress-like structure, it has 24 massive buttresses designed to withstand destructive earthquakes.
Just a few meters away stands the coral stone bell tower, which also served as an observation post of the Katipuneros during the Philippine Revolution. Unless you have a phobia for heights, the steep climb up the five-story tower is not too difficult. It’s a disappointment to see graffiti on the main bell, said to be one of the largest in the country. It is accompanied by two slightly smaller bells. One can only imagine what beautiful sounds they make.
The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in the town of Burgos, north of Laoag City, is another tower well worth the climb. The octagon-shaped lighthouse that stands on top of a hill overlooking the South China Sea is said to be the highest lighthouse in the Philippines, with an estimated total height of 160 meters. Built in 1892, it is still functioning and continuous to guide ships passing by the northern part of the South China Sea. You have to be fearless to climb the rust-colored spiral staircase with its lace patterned steps that lead all the way up to the beacon light and a panoramic view of the sparkling sea on one side and thickly forested hills on the other.
A 10-minute drive from Burgos brings you to Bangui Bay where the now famous Bangui Wind Farm is located along its shore. More than a dozen wind turbines, 70 meters high or roughly as tall as a 23-story building, are arranged in a single file spaced 326 meters apart. They were designed to catch the north-east wind coming in from the sea towards land. As a source of clean energy, it is the first of its kind in the country and said to be the largest in Southeast Asia. The windmills were still when we visited, however, like three-armed giants frozen in time.
We drove farther north to Pagudpud, the so-called Boracay of the north with its powdery white sand beaches, and took our lunch at the Saud Beach Resort. From across the water, we again saw the row of windmills along Bangui Bay in the distance. Their towering presence would follow us for a while, as we drove past tobacco fields and corn fields and bucolic landscapes, as we made our way southwards, back to our hotel.
We had the swimming pool all to ourselves the rest of the afternoon. The hotel staff was gracious and attentive. Except for the managers, as a matter of policy to provide employment opportunities for the local community, “everyone in the hotel staff came from Loaog or the nearby towns,” says front office manager Rey Chavez. They all underwent a careful hiring and meticulous training process. They have not been too busy these past few days, but they are adequately prepared for the increased volume of guests that are expected to arrive, soon. Just like the turbines in Bangui, poised to catch the wind.
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For inquiries, call Ilocos Norte Hotel & Convention Center at (077) 670-8817 or visit www.ilocosnortehotel.com. For reservations, call Manila Sales office at (02) 899-7171 or e-mail reservations@ilocosnortehotel.com.
