Things to do in Laoag
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Laoag
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Dry, sunny and least hot, with February adding the Pamulinawen Festival.
Hot Philippine summer. Beaches and sea at their best, heat and Holy Week crowds and prices at their worst.
Worst stretch. Monsoon rain and typhoon season, roughest in August to October, can close roads, dunes and the zipline.
Shoulder windows in late May and late October to November bring lower prices but weather that must be watched.
What's on
- Pamulinawen Festival 1-10 February
Laoag's festival for St William, with float and street dance parades, a kalesa parade and a fluvial parade on the Padsan River.
- Guling-Guling Festival Day before Ash Wednesday
Paoay's pre Lenten rite in February or March, with a rice flour cross marked on foreheads and folk dance in front of the church.
- Tan-ok ni Ilocano Festival of Festivals Movable, usually February; check dates
Municipalities and cities of Ilocos Norte compete in festival dance in Laoag. Dates move between editions, so check the year.
- Holy Week March or April
Serious processions and crowded churches in Paoay, Sarrat and Laoag, and the hardest week of the year to book transport and rooms.
Best things to do in Laoag
San Agustin Church of Paoay
A UNESCO Earthquake Baroque church held up by 24 massive buttresses, best seen whole from its open lawn at Paoay.
Museo Ilocos Norte
A compact provincial museum with a full traditional Ilocano house inside, and the best first stop for understanding the region.
Sinking Bell Tower
Laoag's 45 metre bell tower is slowly sinking into sandy ground, a 15 minute landmark stop beside the cathedral.
Saint William's Cathedral
The living cathedral facing the sinking tower, at the heart of the central walk of capitol, park and monument.
Malacañang of the North
An elegant Marcos era mansion on Paoay Lake, impressive as a house and thin as history, so bring your own context.
Santa Monica Parish Church
A huge, long brick church in quiet Sarrat, the connoisseur church of the area that the big tour circuits mostly skip.
Juan Luna Shrine
The birthplace museum of painter Juan Luna in Badoc, a worthwhile 40 minute stop on a Laoag to Vigan transfer day.
Patapat Viaduct
A long coastal viaduct where the mountains meet the sea at the top of Luzon, a 10 minute viewpoint on the north day.
Where to stay in Laoag
Laoag city centre
first trip, no car, food and sights on foot
Walk the central sights cluster, the best Ilocano restaurants, the market and the terminals from one base.
North Laoag, Airport Road and Bacarra Road
drivers, families and north day starts
Larger hotels with pools and parking, quieter nights, and the right side of the city for the airport and Pagudpud.
Fort Ilocandia and Paoay corridor
resort stays, weddings and golf
Grounds, pool and beach walks with Paoay and the lake nearby, at the cost of a drive for everything else.
Saud Beach, Pagudpud
beach first trips
Wake on the best beach in the region and do Blue Lagoon and Kabigan Falls as short hops, not a 12 hour day trip.
Think twice about
- Fort Ilocandia and Paoay corridor without a car
Not a safety problem but an isolation one. Every dinner, sight and terminal run becomes a negotiation without wheels.
- Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud as a sole base before an early flight
The transfer back to Laoag airport is long and weather exposed, so sleep the last night in Laoag instead.
Best restaurants in Laoag
Saramsam Ylocano
Laoag's leading Ilocano table, built for sharing bagnet, poqui poqui and dinardaraan, so reserve and expect a wait.
La Preciosa
A full Ilocano menu plus a bakery famous for carrot cake, so save room and take a cake away for later.
Cuisine de Iloco
The quieter connoisseur Ilocano table in Laoag, a good room for ordering the less famous dishes with confidence.
Herencia Cafe
Facing Paoay Church, the cafe credited with inventing pinakbet pizza, eaten with dashes of bagoong monamon.
Dawang's Place
Laoag's best known empanada stall, frying crisp orange empanadas to order to eat hot with spiced vinegar.
Glory's Empanada
The famous stall at Batac's Riverside Empanadahan, the reference version that other Ilocos empanadas are measured against.
Macy's Diner
A retro American style diner in Laoag, the pacing pick after two days of bagnet, bagoong and vinegar.
18 Degrees North Camping, Cafe and Diner
The right cafe in the right place on the Burgos coast road, a shaded coffee pause between lighthouse and rocks.
Outdoor things to do in Laoag
La Paz Sand Dunes
Laoag's own dunes, ridden standing in an open 4x4 with unlimited sandboarding, best early or in the hour before sunset.
Paoay Sand Dunes Adventures
The larger southern dune operation at Suba, the convenient sunset 4x4 and sandboarding finish to a Paoay day.
Saud Beach
A long curve of fine white sand and clear calm water in Pagudpud, the best swimming beach in the region.
Blue Lagoon
Saud's livelier counterpart, a blue green cove in Pagudpud with cottages, facilities and the zipline overhead.
Kabigan Falls
A guided 30 minute walk through rice fields to a tall waterfall and a deep, cold swimming pool in Pagudpud.
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
Smooth white limestone sculpted by wind and sea on a shadeless Burgos headland, dazzling on a bright day.
Bangui Windmills
A row of giant turbines along Bangui Bay, Southeast Asia's first wind farm, best grasped on foot at a turbine base.
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
An 1892 Spanish era lighthouse above Burgos with the best panoramic coast view from its grounds on the north day. Tower climb is closed.
Best hotels in Laoag
Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel
A 77 hectare beachfront resort estate with big pools and gardens, the only luxury scale stay in Ilocos Norte.
Java Hotel
Laoag's most reviewed mid range hotel, with a pool and full facilities on Bacarra Road north of the centre.
Saud Beach Resort and Hotel
The established beachfront resort on Saud Beach itself, where the sand at your door is the entire point.
Balay da Blas Pensionne House
A beloved central pensionne with spacious suites, personal service and a longganisa breakfast worth ordering.
Hotel Tiffany Laoag
A simple central hotel minutes from the museum, capitol and sinking tower, chosen purely for its position.
Northview Hotel
A budget hotel on Airport Road with a pool, parking and breakfast, the facilities per peso pick for drivers and families.
Is Laoag expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₱1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₱3,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₱8,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Fort Ilocandia Golf and Country Club: weeks ahead
- Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel: weeks ahead
- Saud Beach Resort and Hotel: weeks ahead
- Saramsam Ylocano: a few days ahead
- Book Laoag flights and Saud beachfront rooms early for Holy Week, Christmas and the February festival period.
- Reserve a private van and driver for the Pagudpud day in peak season, with the stop list agreed in writing.
- Book Saramsam ahead for groups over six and pre order dishes for large groups.
- Get written visitor access and fee confirmation from Fort Ilocandia Golf and Country Club before planning a golf day.
Is Laoag safe?
- Sightsee early and late and take shade at midday, because Ilocos heat and UV are extreme for much of the year.
- Saud deepens quickly in places and Blue Lagoon can be choppy, with limited lifeguard coverage, so swim within your ability.
- After heavy rain, follow local guides on Kabigan Falls swimming closures and do not travel the exposed north coast in a typhoon warning.
- Emergency services in the Philippines are on 911. Save hotel and driver numbers offline for the patchy north coast signal.
- By Philippine standards Ilocos Norte is a calm, low-hassle circuit; the real risks are environmental: typhoons, heat, sun and water.
- Ilocos Norte is on the direct northern Luzon typhoon track, most storms June to November. Follow PAGASA and stop moving in a warning.
Laoag travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not do both La Paz and Paoay dunes. They are two access points to the same dune belt, so pick one at sunset.
- Avoid the three day tri city sprint that puts every sight at midday and every beach at one hour.
- Fort Ilocandia's own beach is grey sand and often rough. The white sand swimming beach is Saud, far to the north.
- Budget small cash for Pagudpud entrance, cottage, parking and shower fees instead of arguing each small charge.
Getting around Laoag: public transport and more
- Fly Manila to Laoag in about an hour, or take an overnight bus of roughly 9 to 12 hours and keep that first morning light.
- Use tricycles inside Laoag and agree the fare before you ride, carrying small bills.
- Hire a car or van with driver for the Pagudpud north day, which runs about 12 hours with all the coast stops.
- Jeepneys serve Paoay and Batac from Laoag and are the cheapest slow way to do the south day.
Who Laoag suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Laoag your trip
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