Surfing Sea and Sky - San Juan (La Union) & In the order of

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• Publié par: normancoy1989
• Publié le: 31 août 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• Licence : En savoir +
  Paternité, partage des conditions initiales à l'identique
• Langue: English

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Surfing Sea and Sky - San Juan (La Union) & On the move

Surfing Sea and Sky - San Juan (La Union) & On the road

%072 / Pop 114,963 / Transport Hub

If you go up the west coast of Luzon, you will invariably pass through San Fernando (La Union), a compact, traffic-blighted grid of streets where there's childish to detain travellers.

San Juan(La Union) & Around

Eating

Angel & Marie's

Gefseis

Drinking & Nightlife

El Union

Transport

10Buses to Vigan and LaoagB2

11Jeepneys to Bauang and San JuanB1

12Minibuses to BaguioB2

13PartasB1

8Getting There & Around

Partas ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-242 0465; Quezon Ave) serves Manila (P550, seven hours, hourly), Pagudpud (P620, seven hours), Laoag (P420, five hours) and Vigan (P280, three hours). Cheaper, better ordinary regular buses bronze to Laoag and Vigan in the Quezon Ave stop in front of the town plaza.

Minibuses to Baguio (P80, 1½ hours) retreat twice hourly from Governor Luna St.

Jeepneys to Bauang and San Juan (P18) can be picked up along Quezon Ave.

If taking a stroll towards Dagupan/Lingayen/Zambales Coast, your fundamental bet is to take any Manila-bound bus to the Damortis turn-off towards Rosario, to produce off and either wait for a passing bus or hire a loitering tricycle to to generate you as far as Dagupan (P350 to P400).

San Juan (La Union)

%072 / Pop 35,098

Surfers, air no further. Most travellers taking a stroll here are bound for barangay Urbiztondo in San Juan, an unassuming beach

town 6km north of San Fernando that gets the nation’s most consistent waves from November to March. All through the season a legion of bronzed instructors submit beginners some of the world’s cheapest surf lessons (P400 per hour) on the ideal learners’ waves that stroke the shore.

Surfing instructors are easily found through the Urbiztondo's lodgings, which also rent boards (P200 per hour). The crucial beginners’ trip is usually at the ‘cement factory’ in Bacnotan, 6km north of San Juan. Urbiztondo’s largest beach holiday and neighbouring Mona Lisa Point tend to produce higher waves. Cartile Point and Darigayos are other favourite local breaks that are further out.

4Sleeping

Most surf-inclined travellers stay in barangay Urbiztondo, a stretch of coast 3.5km south of San Juan proper, while tiny barangay Montemar, 1km north of San Juan, is where you'll find some of the superior upmarket solutions.

Brgy Urbiztondo oCircle Hostel HOSTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0917 832 6253; www.launion.thecirclehostel.com; hammock P350, dm P450)

Staying at this colourful, chilled out hostel is kinda like staying at a friend's place: you come, you surf, you relax with your fellow wanderers on beanbags inside universal area, you befriend the astounding staff and end up lingering for days. Bed down within the breezy thatched dorms with mozzie nets or sleep in a hammock.

The staff organise surfing lessons, rent boards and do occasional hiking trips and waterfall jaunts

oFlotsam and Jetsam Hostel HOSTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0917 802 1328; www.flotsamandjetsamhostel.com; aW)

Artistic touches abound at this surfboard-strewn beachfront hostel; it's the kind of place where guests spontaneously jam on guitars as well as the thatched-roof bar heaves with bronzed little surfer bodies even inside off-season. Choose between rooming in a thatch-walled, fan-cooled dorm, a 'sea suite' or a converted RV. The 'spicy Nikki' by the resident 'alcohol alchemist' will lay you flat.

Childish Surfmaid BEACH RESORT

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-888 5528; www.littlesurfmaidresort.com; r/ste from P2500/P3900; aW)

Danish-owned hotel that sits right above the most popular surf escape, offering a high level of service and one of the crucial restaurants on the beach. The two-room beachfront suites with balconies facing Mona Lisa Point are worth the extra expense. The same can’t quite be said for the standard doubles. Basically dead among the off-season.

San Juan Surf Resort BEACH RESORT

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-687 9990, 0917 887 5470; www.sanjuansurfresort.com.ph; d/q with look-con from P1800/2600, 2-person villas P1800; aW)

Run by Aussie Brian Landrigan, a 25-year veteran of the area, this place has upgraded to an upmarket surfers’ village, with spartan standard rooms and multi-person 'villas' to the spacious 'de luxe'. There's a popular thatch-roofed restaurant overlooking the sand and the professionally run multiday surf-school packages come highly recommended.

Brgy Montemar

Final Option BEACH RESORT

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-888 2724, 0929 448 5505; www.finaloptionbeach.com.ph; r/ste P2200/3800; aWs)

While the name of this resort is oddly ominous, the place itself – a German-run collection of clean apartments and bungalows

north of San Juan – is anything but. There’s a light-hearted, summery vibe here, lead an impressive swimming pool and decent German stores (pork schnitzel, Vienna sausage, potato salad…) to boot.

Amazing Hotel HOTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 319 Eagle St; r from P4000; aWs)

We don't generally trust establishments that blatantly blow their own horn, in spite of this in this case, the name is largely deserved. David and Grace are gracious hosts, the bathrooms are new and spacious, the rooms are tastefully decked out in glad shades of yellow and feature firm queen-sized beds, along with the sea views in the profitable floor are gorgeous.

5Eating & Drinking

All resorts have on-setting restaurants, normally of decent quality. A few independent eateries are scattered around Urbiztondo.

oAngel & Marie's FILIPINO

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0920 836 4232; mains P80-199; h6-9pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-9pm Sat & Sun)

Run by a friendly pair of local surfers, this prevailing immature thatched restaurant from the core of Urbiztondo has a loyal following thanks to their banana pancakes, and their tuna kinilaw (ceviche) is making us drool on the keyboard in reminiscence. If the place is closed on the weekend, it means that the surf's up!

Gefseis GREEK

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mains P140-300; h10.30am-10.30pm Tue-Sun; v)

Valid Greek tavern tempting surfers with such delights as moussaka, pastitsio and generous souvlaki platters

El Union CAFE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; java P90; h1-9pm Tue-Fri, 8am-9pm Sat & Sun)

Thimble-sized cafe that takes care of surfers' caffeine-related needs, with chunky sandwiches as well as the spectacular skillet cookies being an additional bonus.