Stay | La Union’s Yang House: Good Vibes Abound

Facade of Yang House guest house

When the call of the waves beckons, now it’s fairly easy to ride a bus or drive up north. La Union can be as easy as a 4–5 hours drive or six hours commute on a good day. Staying in ELYU, there’s now a wide choice of accommodations to chose from. But if you are looking for something of value and at the same time imbibes the surf culture vibe, how about trying Yang House? A fairly new guest house in La Union that wants you to be part of their bonafriends.

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Stay | La Roca Villa La Union: Little Santorini by the Rock

The arc and the calm shores of San Juan Beach

It was a calm morning. Subtle purple hues dominated the sky. I made my way to the segmented stairs leading to the topmost viewing deck atop the rock where this private resort was named from, La Roca Villa. It was only in this morning light when I can truly appreciate the place. From this higher vantage point, I could see the Greek-inspired structures of the resort. White washed walls, blue domes, a pool and the low-tide shores filled my view. Immediately, Santorini came into mind.

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Stay | Kahuna Beach Resort and Spa: La Union Luxury

The Kahuna resort pool illuminated

There is so much action happening at San Juan Beach, La Union. The surfing, the chill night life and interesting eats in the area. Right smack at the center of it all is our lodging, Kahuna Beach Resort and Spa. A luxury Filipino-Balinese inspired resort facing the famed shores of San Juan Beach. This was our home for a night during our Lakbay Norte leg in La Union.

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La Union | San Juan Beach Sundown

Lifeguard post at San Juan Beach

It’s easy to get lost in reverie when on the beach. The infinite swells and crashing waves has that hypnotic hook once gazed for merely seconds. This same trance-like state lingered for a moment as sundown sets upon the famed San Juan Beach of La Union. San Juan beach is a playground for both novice and veteran surfers. But for non surfers, it’s an ideal stretch to lounge or simply walk around.

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La Union | Easy Way to Tangadan Falls

Magnificent Tangadan Falls

The surf, the easy going vibe and the interesting eats may be the draw for the destination such as La Union. But even when the swell’s down, there’s another activity to get wet while away from the coast. At the highlands of San Gabriel, La Union, the cool climes of this municipality entices with nature hikes and waterfalls like is Tangadan Waterfalls. I was participating in Lakbay Norte, a long-running annual familiarization tour of north Luzon and this was one of the stops in our itinerary I was looking forward to.

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Lakbay Norte 2: PUGAD’s Extreme Adventure at Pugo, La Union

I think the Filipinos are getting more adventurous these days and have a growing number of adrenalin junkies. The sudden emergence of numerous zip lines all over the country can attest to this. If a place is capable of installing one, no matter how short or low it is, they’ll put up one just to satisfy and attract people for that whiff adrenaline rush. I’ve been through several good zip lines but they are found in the Visayas and Mindanao. And with this Lakbay Norte 2, I was pleased to find a new adventure destination in La Union that offers another scenic zip line and more.

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Lakbay Norte 2: Tam-awan Village, BenCab Museum and Hotel Elizabeth

While I found the first Lakbay Norte in 2010 a bit cramped and rushed, it was still a fun trip going through the 8 provinces in 4 regions in 7 days that’s why when an invitation came for Lakbay Norte 2, I decided to join again. I checked the itinerary and there are new places I haven’t been to that caught my interest. And this time around there are two separate legs where media participants can choose which one to join or both. Let’s see where this year’s Lakbay Norte 2 will take us.

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