The Gang Goes to La Union and Baguio

Joyce
Sep 13, 2016
4 min read

Updated: Oct 21, 2022

It's been two months since the last trip we had, which was in Zambales last January, and here we are again full of energy and ready for more adventure. Ever since we had that surfing trip in Zambales we've always wanted to go try another destination. We searched for some of the best surfing spots here in the Philippines and found San Juan, La Union. We chose this spot because I believe that this is the nearest location to us compared to the other spots, some of which are in Baler, Quezon, Siargao, Surigao and many more. I heard that San Juan La Union have good waves to surf in and also have a lot of resorts that we could get accommodations. True enough, we found quite a number of resorts while we were there. However not all that we went to were affordable and available. Some resorts were already fully booked, I guess it's because those resorts are on the better side of the beach where there are bigger waves so naturally early bird surfers have already occupied their rooms. While there are other resorts surrounding those fully booked ones, well they are not much of a budget friendly ones, for us at least. So we had to drive around looking for other resorts. We ended up checking in a resort that's not so far from the beach but you have to walk or drive to go to and fro. It was fine, nothing special.

On our first day, after checking in we went back out to eat lunch at the city proper. We also got the chance to go to the nearest convenient store to buy some food, water, and other necessities that we would be needing for the night. We then headed back to the resort and rested for a bit. For about an hour of rest period we then started to get ready to finally hit the beach. I think it was around two or three in the afternoon when we got to the beach. We availed the surfing services and board rentals that was offered by the Final Option Resort that was at the beach front. I included the video of our surfing experience in this post for you to see.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy surfing at San Juan La Union but I guess we just had a bad day to surf or not the best part of the beach to surf in(?) I don't know. It's just that if I had to compare this experience with that of Zambales', I would rather go back to Zambales. It was more challenging and exciting for me to be eaten alive by the waves there than here where I felt that the waves just gave me a little push and then their gone, the waves were not consistent for us. It was still fun though as you would see in the video below.

For dinner we decided to head on to the "night market" in San Fernando. They say that every night they close some streets to give way for this night market. Their was this area in the middle of the streets which was filled with a number of different food carts or food stands. If you are looking for that cheap alternative for dinner, this place is perfect. There are so many kinds of foods you can choose from, and mind you, even though they are affordable they still taste quite good. You should try this out if ever you visit the province of La Union.

The next day we had an early start. We ate breakfast which was courtesy of the resort we stayed in and then went back on the road. We did not want to waste a good road trip so while we're already out we went for a quick stop at Baguio City. We visited some of the most popular tourist attractions of Baguio. We went to the Burnham Park, to The Penagbenga Park which was filled with really pretty flowers and is visited by so many butterflies. We also went to the Cemetery of Negativism which sound a bit creepy but cool. The Camp John Hay was just right around the corner so why not go there as well.

It's all so nice and fun to visit places but we had to feed our growling bellies at some point. So we ate lunch at the 50's Diner, this was the highlight of this second day for me. Yes, my highlight was none of those tourist spots but a diner. I so loved the food they serve there. I could describe it as a full package meal. Why? well (1) they have huge servings, (2) it was very delicious, and most importantly (3)reasonable pricing. That's three stars from me! Good job 50's Diner, good job. Lastly, we visited The Good Shepherd to purchase some of their delicacies. You can't go to Baguio and leave without buying any pasalubong, right? It's like the reason why anyone would even go to Baguio. Anyway that was our last stop and then we all went home.

It was an exhausting weekend but just like any great escape from reality, it was refreshing. I hope the next adventure would be soon because I think my vacation mode is still on. Until next time!