La Union

Went to La Union for the 3 day weekend. We were supposed to go to Pagudpud, but we were only sure about the weather on Friday, we chose La Union instead. We went to Bauang, which is the town right before San Fernando. Of course we referred to our ever reliable Lonely Planet, which, I'm sad to say, failed us this time. For accomodations, we checked out Bali Hai and Coconut Grove Beach Resorts, two of the listed resorts. Since the resorts were beside each other, we checked out another one, Cabana. Since we were divided (the boys were okay with Cabana but I wasn't), we checked out the next place, which was Villa Estrella! And it was 'perfect'! The room was okay, the bathroom was big (old yes, but clean), and we got a corporate discount! We ended up paying P1,500+ per night and for 3 people, that's P500 per night. Not bad at all. It was not listed in our beloved Lonely Planet book, but I've accepted the fact that it won't be able to list down ALL options.

The weekend was about exploring a new place, and watching Tour de France. Jovan ordered the 1999 - 2005 set (Yes Vic! 28 hours of Tour de France glory!). In between gimmicks, we would watch the videos - we ended up watching until 1999-2002. We explored the places mentioned in Lonely Planet - the most notable of which was Freedom Park. To see the whole city, we had to climb more than 100 steps (I can still feel the pain in my legs until now, hehe). It was beautiful! We had lunch at Mandarin, and merienda in Cafe Esperanza, both suggested also by Lonely Planet. I'm telling you, P1,400, that book is a steal!

Here are some photos: