I have always been intrigued about LU. It seems to be the Poblacion in the North where youngins go to party by the beach. I was am not that girl but you know what, I deserve some little fun!
Earlier this year, I enrolled at a ballet school and met two lovely friends who were suprisingly game to take a 5-hour bus ride to this surftown, when I asked jokingly during our first brunch out. I’m glad we said yes. Turned out to be one of our best trips 🙂
From pointed toes to playful shakas, we bring you La Union.
Itinerary
We scheduled our trip to the nearest long weekend. Thank you Day of Valor! Once the date was settled, the next thing to do was make our itinerary (see below). Special shoutout to Aya Spots who shared their itinerary, which inspired our trip. Check their website for more travel guides.
The next piece of the puzzle was booking the bus ride and accommodation. We got ours from Klook and Airbnb. We then chose different spots to go to and lightly plotted them out across four days. You can browse through these in our Google Maps list.
Overall, the trip was very chill but somehow also filled with interesting activities with varying energy levels :))
Let me walk you through 10 places we visited.
Ili Norte Beach
We were lucky to stay close by this quiet beach. There were fewer people and the vibe was more relaxed. I highly recommend going to Ili Norte for that cozy neighborhood feel. The waves were also more manageable even for first-time surfers like us!
Taaw Beach Club
Photo by me
Address: 380 Saint Jude, subdivision, San Juan, La Union
Opening hours: Daily, 8 AM to 9 PM
What drew us to this beach club was the beanbags, where we snuggled and danced to Janet Jacksons’s Together Again. Their P500 weekend experience pass includes P400 consumable food and drinks plus P100 club access. Would love to try their pool next time.
Almeida Man-made Forest
Address: R87J+W8X, Bacnotan – Luna – Balaoan Rd, Balaoan, La Union
You can tour the province through tricycle. We met Kuya Val who brought us from the famous 7-eleven bus stop to our Airbnb. He and other drivers offer half-/full-day packages at different rates. We went on the north tour (P1700 including tip), which included this man-made forest, a beautiful lagoon, a pebbled beach, a solitary tower, and a 17th century church.
Immuki Island
Photos by Julia and me
Address: R82G+XP Balaoan, La Union
Opening hours: Daily, 6 AM to 6 PM
Entrance Fee: P35
This was my highlight of our trip. With P350 (included tip), Kuya Enzo steered our balsa to one of the lagoons of Immuki Island. On the way there, we passed through tide pools peppered with old corals. We then docked by the wading pool and snorkeled around a blue starfish, a sea slug, and schools of fishes. An hour went by then it was time to head back to the shore. We stopped by the little shops by the exit and bought ourselves matching necklaces °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Bato de Luna
Address: R9W3+F5 Luna, La Union
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM
Saturday to Sunday: 5:30 AM to 6 PM
Entrance Fee: P50
Bato de Luna is a a Korean stone sculpture garden. At the center is a turtle-shaped gallery featuring pieces by local artists. There’s also a souvenir shop and turo-turo out front where we had our brunch.
Bahay na Bato
Address: R9X2+259, Luna, La Union
Opening Hours: Daily, 6 AM to 6 PM
Entrance Fee: P50
Beside Bato De Luna is Bahay na Bato. It looks like an old resort converted to a tourist site. At the entrance, you can find an antique museum that opens to Pebble Beach and surrounding gardens. Continue your way around and spot a cafe and a few wooden and stone houses. It is quite a walk so better visit early morning or late afternoon to avoid the noontime sun.
Baluarte Watch Tower
Address: V94F+P56, Gen. Peralta St, Brgy, Luna, La Union
Opening Hours: 24/7
Entrance fee: P20
Our second to the last stop was the ruins of Baluarte Watch Tower built during the Spanish period. The view is amazing but aside from the tower, there’s nothing much else to see or do, but get your pictures (and drone shot haha) taken by the young locals. No fixed fee, but a donation is required. We said our prayers at the town’s centuries-old church then ended our tour.
Wilab
Photo by Julia
Address: Subdivision, Saint Jude, San Juan, 2514 La Union
After our siesta, we traded our ballet shoes for pareos at Teacher Hailee‘s ‘ORI TAHITI | ‘ŌTEA class at Wilab Studio. She only taught us four basic moves but boy did we get a full body workout. Very fun! Make sure to book a session when you’re in LU.
Eliseos
Address: 379 Saint Jude Subdivision, Saint Jude, San Juan, La Union
Opening hours: Daily, 8 AM to 9 PM
After a jam-packed Friday, we decided to have a more restful Saturday. We started with brunch at a Northern Filipino restaurant, Makan at Eliseos, a beachfront bed and breakfast. Still exhausted from yesterday’s festivities, we feasted on refreshing kinilaw, fluffy dayap hotcakes, comforting baka-tim noodles, filling makan egg rice, and finished with zesty calamansi squared and cold tanglad tea. To our delight, eating here came with pool access, so we continued our conversations in the warm water and then again at The Bar with cinnamon or chili-infused drinks. We enjoyed our hang here so much, we went back on our last day.
Project Curma
Address: Subdivison, 373 Saint Jude, San Juan, La Union
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 4 PM to 5 PM
The friendly bartender at Eliseos shared with us we can watch turtle hatchlings being released at sea by Project Curma, a marine conservation organization a few steps away from the BnB. There was no official announcement (nor a reply from their mobile), so we just waited with our taho by their beachfront. Half an hour later, a scrub-clad group of people emerged from the entrance. They turned out to be veterinary students visiting Project Curma. We all cheered on as two reptilian newborns found their way home.
Budget
This short but sweet trip, you’ll be glad to know, was reasonably priced. You can review the budget breakdown below. Aside from our online bookings, we mostly paid in cash. You can also pay through digital wallets but most of the time, cash is your friend. What was surprising for me was the tricycle fare. To and from the bus stops can cost up to P350 while short rides were around P50 per person.
What do you think?
When was the last time you traveled on a whim? Share your stories at the comments below 🙂
Remember. Reminisce. Reflect.
Salamisim out.
salamisim 