Iloilo Thread 3

[tammy1979]

saan yang deal na yan sis cindy? nga pala, ilang minutes from the airport ang ong bun inn, yung malapit sa port to guimaras?

[don em]

Girls, how long is travel time from Iloilo airport to the port that will take you to Guimaras?  And then how long travel time from that port to Guimaras?

Kasi I have a few hours to spend in Iloilo.  I was thinking kung kaya magdaytrip to Guimaras.  I arrive in Iloilo around 8 in the morning and then I need to be at the airport by 6:30pm. Kaya?? 

around 1 hr siguro from the airport to port. Then 15 monutes boat ride. Kaya pa namang magdaytrip sa guimaras siguro, kaya lang baka hindi mo rin masyadong ma-enjoy dahil sa limited time.

[OD]

^^^ don em is correct sis, a day trip will suffice for Guimaras. Road trip and even snorkeling, kaya. The roads are very well paved that going from one brgy to another shld be a breeze. Just be certain of your planned activities for Guimaras and even a few hours' stay shld not cause derailment. I think I still have the very detailed map that their tourism office provide. I can send you a copy if you want. 

[cindylulu]

saan yang deal na yan sis cindy? nga pala, ilang minutes from the airport ang ong bun inn, yung malapit sa port to guimaras?

sa tcat ko nakita sis. as ong bun pension is in the downtown proper (ledesma st), it will take an hour, maybe an hour and a half to get there from the airport, considering the traffic congestion in this area. ong bun is nearer ortiz wharf (jump-off point to jordan - capital of guimaras), only 10-15 min away when taking the jeep sis (look for molo baluarte or lapaz signboard).

[iamjoei]

Donem I intend to go back to Guimaras next time. But if my time is limited, what are the places that I should see or where should I eat?

^^yes please OD help me out. Not much info on the web about Guimaras

[yuuko]

^^tammy1979 sis, yup parang ok na rin. pa backread sis kasi andito lang sa thread ang post ng sis natin nakapag stay sa ongbun.

^yuuko sis, medyo malayo na ang grand dame. it's in lapaz district. but this hotel is stylish. amigo - it's in the downtown area, and well i think they're renovating it already, quite old na e. smallville 21 - it's smack in iloilo's hip nightlife area and near sm city and it is a new hotel (la pa yata 1 yr old to). i think you better go with smallville 21.

Thanks, Cindylulu. You're a big help.

[ilykeee]

Girls, how long is travel time from Iloilo airport to the port that will take you to Guimaras?  And then how long travel time from that port to Guimaras?

Kasi I have a few hours to spend in Iloilo.  I was thinking kung kaya magdaytrip to Guimaras.  I arrive in Iloilo around 8 in the morning and then I need to be at the airport by 6:30pm. Kaya?? 

Kayang kaya mag day trip sa Guimaras sis, if you are coming from Airport to the the Ortiz wharf in Iloilo city proper it takes less than 1 hour, including traffic. From Ortiz wharf to Jordan wharf in Guimaras it's only 20 mins. From Jordan Wharf take a tricycle (P250 one way) or multi-cab (P500 one-way) to Alubijod I will recommend Raymens Resort. Marami ka na napuntahan sa 4 hours na island hopping with swimming at picture taking. Kung 9AM nasa Ortiz Wharf ka na by 3PM nagawa mo na lahat at makakabalik ka na sa Iloilo. 

[matetreyes]

just got back from iloilo-guimaras last night! pagod pero enjoy. yung boat to jordan, nasa parola sya ngayon kasi hindi daw makadock sa ortiz wharf mga boat simula nung nagbagyo last week. so for the mean time, sa parola muna.

imo, i won't recommend raymen. maliit ang rooms, luma na mga beddings (read: mukhang pangospital yung beddings namin), mahina ang tubig sa CR and worst of all, hindi namin gusto ang service ng mga tao nila. mapa-resto, boat o reception. so we ended up checking out the next day at nagtransfer kami sa kabila, alobijod cove. mas bago yung rooms at mabait pa yung may-ari at mga staff. yung rate ng room for 2-4 pax aircon ay 1.6k lang, same with Raymen. Naitawad pa namin na may free breakfast for 2. ang bait pa ng waiters at ni nanay. kahit nagpapatimpla kami ng juice ok lang sa kanila, hehe.

[melodymedley]

Back from our 3D2N Iloilo-Guimaras adventure.

Raymen Beach Resort:
Rooms - we got the aircon room for 2 pax for Php 1,350/night - no breakfast. Maliit yung room. Maliit yung CR - walang exhaust fan. Walang signal yung Smart sa room namin. Malakas yung aircon. At dahil malakas yung aircon, I asked for an extra blanket. May Php 100 charge daw. Kaya pinatay na lang namin yung aircon in the middle of the night. They provided towels, soap and shampoo. Yung hot water, hindi masyadong hot. Lukewarm lang.

Restaurant - the prices of the food is quite sulit. We ordered sinigang for Php 130.00 and good for 1 family yung serving. Hindi namin naubos. But you have to preorder the food in advance. We preordered dinner 1.5 hours before our requested mealtime. Yung breakfast, we already ordered the night before.

Location - 1 hour trike ride from Jordan port. They share their beach stretch with other resorts (like the one mentioned by sis matetreyes). Ok naman yung beachfront.

We were given the chance to check the room before we checked-in. Ok naman. Pero based sa kwento ni sis matetreyes, mas parang okay yung kabila. Namamahalan ako sa Php 1,350 a night na binayad namin. In fairness to them, past 12nn na kami nag-check out pero pumayag na walang late-check-out charge.

Tours - c/o brother of Kuya Mai, si Kuya Totong. Contact#" 09477866925. Oks naman si Kuya Totong, nakikipagkwentuhan pero di ko masyado marining kasi maingay yung motor ng trike. Nung namimili kami ng mangoes, sya nagsabi na hilaw daw kunin namin kasi kapag hinog daw, masisira agad. Syempre, sya din yun camera man namin.

Beach hopping - nice naman, pero sa Turtle Island lang kami naka-swimming. They have nice beaches but don't expect that they will top your list - IMO.

Pasalubong - we got mangoes at Php 70 per kilo. Madami din mabibili sa Trappist Monastery.


 

[melodymedley]

I've been actively lurking in this thread before our trip. The threads have been very helpful in our itinerary.

We left Raymen Resort shortly past 1pm. We had lunch in a carinderia and bought mangoes. If you plan to buy mangoes, I suggest you bring an ecobag. They sell their ecobag for Php 40 and a small bayong which can probably accomodate 2 kilos for Php 35. Kapag madami kang bibilin, they will put it in a box.

Sakay kami ng trike going to One Lourdes Dormitel. The trike charged us Php 50 for the two of us. Kontrata price ata yun but I was feeling too tired to argue/haggle for the standard rate.

One Lourdes Dormitel - nice place. We got the room with 2 single beds - Php 860/night. Maluwag yung room enough to move. Their hot water is really hot. There's cabinets for your stuff, cable TV and they provide towels, soap and shampoo. Nice location, near Robinsons, madaming jeep, 15 mins away from SM Iloilo, they have nice service din. May guard sa entrance. The receptionist answered all our questions nicely. They allow a late-check out charge for half the price of the nightly rate. Di lang sulit yung breakfast - Php 95 for a Php 35-tasting breakfast.

Naisip namin to visit some of the churches per advise nung receptionist, the next day na lang silang lahat. We just explored Robinsons and bought pasalubong sa outlets ng Bongbongs (Bacolod stuff) and Biscocho House.

Church Tour

One Lourdes Dormitel to San Joaquin Church: ride San Joaquin jeep near wet market. Php 60. This is around 1hour 30 mins to two hours.
San Joaquin to Miag-ao: Ride jeep. Tell driver to drop you off Miagao  - Php 15.
Miagao to Guimbal : Ride jeep. Tell driver to drop you off Guimbal Church - Php 15.
Guimbal to Tigbauan: Ride jeep. Tell driver to drop you off Tigbauan Church - Php 10. Maganda yung interiors ng church na to.
Tigbauan to Molo Church - Ride jeep bound for Iloilo City pa rin - Php 19. The jeep will stop at Mohon terminal.
Ride jeep bound for villa something. Lahat kasi villa something eh. Hahaha. Php 8. Tell driver to drop you off Molo church.

From Molo church, we proceeded to Tatoy's for lunch. Ride Villa Baybay/Sta.Cruz jeep and bumaba kami sa Tatoy's - Php 8.

We finished the 5 churches around 1:30pm na. We left the hostel at 8:30pm. Lupaypay na kami pagdating sa Tatoy's.

[melodymedley]

Pasalubong:
Mas mura yung prices sa Biscocho House sa Robinsons vs. SM Iloilo City. Yung maliit na pack ng plain butterscotch, Php 52 sa Robinsons, Php 57 sa SM Iloilo, at Php 75 sa airport.

Mango Tree - saw this highly recommended resto in a lot of blogs. We rode a jeep going to "Mandurriao" and paid Php 12. More than 30 minutes ang biyahe - no traffic yun ha. So malayo sya from the city proper. The trip was worth it. We spent Php 300/head. We ordered Sizzling Steak, Half seafood paella (na good for 4), mashed potatoes, Mango crepe, and frozen iced tea. Ambait pa nung staff, nagtanong kami pano bumalik sa city proper. Sila na pumara ng jeep at sinabi ng driver na Robinsons kami.

Pero yung driver, nalimutan na sa Robinson's kami ibababa. BUT, nag-U-turn sya and turned back 3 blocks para ibaba kami sa Robinsons. Ambait di ba?

Tatoy's - Pang maramihan ang servings dito. We just ordered a slice of Tanguigue kasi malaki yung servings at di naman namin mauubos

Deco's - I ordered the smallest serving ng Bachoy and prewar pandesal. I was quite disappointed sa Bachoy kasi hindi sya hot. Almost lukewarm lang. I don't know if you have to request na dapat very hot (sabi kasi sa poster nila "Always served very hot"). Malasa naman, hindi lang mainit masyado.

Nawindang ako sa Terminal Fee ng Iloilo Airport - Php 200. Sayang, pang isa pang pack ng butterscotch sana yun.

Next time, I will budget more for the goodies of Iloilo!
 

[a.k.a. HELGA]

Thanks for the update sis melodymedley & matet! Ang laking tulong for me finalizing our Iloilo/Guimaras trip next month. Im thinking of staying at Ong Bun Pension House but will check out One Lourdes Dormitel. Sa Guimaras na lang ako medyo torn where to stay.

[melodymedley]

^Ooops. Sorry mods. Didn't mean to flood the thread with multiple consecutive posts.  :-XI separated my posts para iba-iba title. Will be aware of that next time.

@sis aka Helga: first choice ko din dapat ang Ong Bun pero may nakareserve na kasi dun sa date namin. They charge Php 80/hour ng late check out. Eh nilagay ako sa waiting list ng Ong Bun - and I sincerely forgot to cancel. They called me that day na hindi dumating yung nagpareserve sa kanila so open na daw for booking yung room. Yun nga lang, nakareserve na kami sa One Lourdes. I didn't pay downpayment sa Lourdes.

Yung sa Raymen, I guess medyo disappointing sya for me. Andami ko kasing positive reviews na nabasa about the resort pero... wenk wenk sya for me. Raymen will offer you to check the room first before you decide to take it. Pwede mo rin i-request to check the other rooms - although hindi na namin to ginawa.

[matetreyes]

sis melodymedley! nice meeting you and eve in iloilo! saya-saya ng tour natin lalo na sa SEAFDEC. for me din, walang star points ang raymen. overrated, overpopulated sya. masyadong business-centric. madami naman ibang rooms sa tabi ng raymen like Rico beach, carolina's (ginagawa pa lang to), saka alobijod cove. hindi pa congested. badtrip din yng boatman sa raymen (Marvin yung name ng boat) kasi hindi nya kami inihihinto sa ibang island. sa SEAFDEC at turtle island nya kami hininto. sa natago beach at baras cave dinaan lang nya kami. at eto pa, tinanong ko kung san magsnorkel, sabi nya sa ave maria. tapos after awhile, nakita ko pauwi na kami ng raymen. hindi nya kami idinaan. nung tinanong ko kung bakit hindi dumaan ng ave maria, ang sagot sa akin wala daw kami dala snorkel! (*faint) hello! kaya nga kami nagtatanong kasi may dala kaming snorkel eh! badtrip.

[melodymedley]

^Nice meeting you too sis! Ang kwela ng boat tour natin especially sa SEAFDEC.
Sana nga nag-research pa ako more about the accommodation sa Guimaras. Nagdecide ako agad na Raymen eh.

Anlabo talaga nung boatman na yun! Sis! Nung nagtanong ka pa tungkol dun kung san pwede mag-snorkel, sabi nya "Opo!". So buong akala ko, may pupuntahan pa. Ngye, balik Raymen na pala. They could've earned more sana di ba. Hindi naman standard rate na whole day rental ang bayaran. Per hour, sana kumita pa sila kung tinuloy nila yung tour natin.

[matetreyes]

korek! kahit sa natago hindi tayo dinala. krung krung lang hahaha.

sa ted's kami kumain ng batchoy. masarap naman yung extra special ba yun, yung may innards, liver at pork. tanghaling tapat kami kumain kaya grabe, ang inet! hindi na kami nakapag-tatoy's  kulang na sa oras e.

[tammy1979]

Thanks sa pag share ng experience nyo sis matet and melody. ang galing naman ng tour nyo, magkasama pala kayo sa guimaras. Sana may makasabay din kami kasi 2 lang kami nung frend ko sa Nov. 22-24 pero may Bacolod kami sa last day. I was contemplating kung mag overnight muna kami sa iloilo ng first day then whole day tour sa guimaras sa 2nd day before going to Bacolod sa gabi OR iloilo half day sa first day then overnight sa Guimaras para mag whole day tour the next day then Bacolod sa gabi tapos overnight sa Bacolod and whole day tour sa last day before going to the airport. Ano ba mas ok mga sisses? TIA

[matetreyes]

sis double check mo din kung may byahe pa ng ferry to bacolod sa gabi. mejo malalaki kasi alon dun eh. =)

[tammy1979]

Ay! as in malalaki talaga sis? Di naman kami magpapagabi, mga 4pm siguro kami aalis ng iloilo para sakto bago dumilim nasa Bacolod na kami.

[matetreyes]

sis basta double check the sched. i'm sure may sched naman yung ferry to bacolod. =) hindi sya yata katulad ng iloilo-guimaras na boat na every 15 mins.