Surfing Sea and Sky - San Juan (La Union) & Traveling

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• Publié par: linahanoren1975
• Publié le: 12 septembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• Licence : En savoir +
  Paternité, partage des conditions initiales à l'identique
• Langue: English

Extrait

Surfing Sea and Sky San Juan La

Surfing Sea and Sky - San Juan (La Union) & Roughly speaking

%072 / Pop 114,963 / Transport Hub

If you move up the west coast of Luzon, you will invariably voyage San Fernando (La Union), a compact, traffic-blighted grid of streets where there's infantile 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, superior regular regular buses head to Laoag and Vigan among the Quezon Ave stop in front of the municipality plaza.

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

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

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

San Juan (La Union)

%072 / Pop 35,098

Surfers, expression no further. Most travellers going for walks here are bound for barangay Urbiztondo in San Juan, an

unassuming beach town 6km north of San Fernando that gets the land’s most consistent waves from November to March. The whole time the season a legion of bronzed instructors suggest beginners some of the world’s cheapest surf lessons (P400 per hour) on the perfect learners’ waves that stroke the shore.

Surfing instructors are easily found through the Urbiztondo's lodgings, which also rent boards (P200 per hour). The ultimate beginners’ retreat is commonly at the ‘cement factory’ in Bacnotan, 6km north of San Juan. Urbiztondo’s chief beach break and neighbouring Mona Lisa Point tend to to create bigger 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 more upmarket alternatives.

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 while in the familiar area, you befriend the magnificent 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 walking 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 plus the thatched-roof bar heaves with bronzed infantile surfer bodies even in the 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.

Adolescent 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 vacation, offering a high level of service and one of the essential 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. Nearly dead in 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 expression-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 plus 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 still. There’s a light-hearted, summery vibe here, gain an impressive swimming pool and decent German equipment (pork schnitzel, Vienna sausage, potato salad…) to boot.

Incredible Hotel HOTEL

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

We don't by and large trust establishments that blatantly blow their own horn, but 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 in high spirits shades of yellow and feature firm queen-sized beds, along with the sea views among the victorious floor are stunning.

5Eating & Drinking

All resorts have on-set restaurants, usually 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 controlling youthful thatched restaurant within the core of Urbiztondo has a loyal later 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)

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

El Union CAFE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; espresso 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 incredible skillet cookies being an additional bonus.