Finally! At Fort Ilocandia
Hon’s clan is from Ilocos Norte and he always tell me stories about this place. Until in December 2007, we decided to visit their place for a 3-day vacation. We stayed in Palazzo De Laoag. It was a pleasant stay but not Hon’s most sought after hotel. He wanted to stay in Fort Ilocandia but we just can’t afford it during that time.
After almost 6 years, we decided to comeback but this time we made sure to stay in Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino. It was, so far the biggest hotel/resort we’ve ever stayed on. It was our home for 5 days.
Fort Ilocandia Resorts and Casino
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
Everyone knows that Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino was built by the late President Ferdinand Marcos for the wedding of her youngest daughter, Irene. The place is really huge (77 hectares) having its own beachfront, golf course, Olympic size swimming pool and several recreation facilities like ATV and UTV, Tennis Court, Firing Range, boating and a lot more. It even has shops inside where you can buy some groceries and souvenirs too, a salon and spa and KTV. And I would like to emphasize that it has 2 ATMs inside (when I saw none in the airport… ha ha ha). Anyways, it is meant for their casino patrons who are mostly Koreans and Chinese.
With such amenities and satisfying service, you simply got everything you need inside!
The facade of the hotel is so grand and its interior is composed of old red bricks which is a signature design of old houses in the province especially in Vigan. It’s kinda’ old but well maintained and preserved, I must say. The entire hotel is adorned with beautiful and authentic paintings as well as photos of the First Lady, President Marcos and some important visitors from various parts of the world. We can’t simply help but feel so elated that we’ve come to experience history from those walls.
The next photos will give you a quick tour around the resort. You can also view more photos in my Google+ Photos, Instagram and Pinterest.
Our room is a standard but it’s really big. Watch out for my post about our room. (See all other hotel rooms we’ve stayed on here)
Below are photos of the three swimming pools that have a great view of the beachfront. Our itinerary is full packed so we were able plunge in only on our last day. I so love the falls and the Olympic-sized pool!
The hotel is far from the city proper and there are no nearby stores or restaurants to eat. Good thing, the hotel has several restaurants of which food can somehow be costly for some people (according to what I read from TripAdvisor), but hey, the hotel is the only 5-star in the North! So for us, the price of the food is just fair. Their serving is big and the food is definitely an authentic Ilocos taste. Watch out for my post about the Fort Ilocandia food. (Learn more about our food adventures here)
Honestly… we were not able to scout the entire area within that five days. And we are still hoping to comeback to try some more recreation facilities and casino where I won Php 800+ in one press of the slot machine.
Here are the other details about our stay in Fort Ilocandia:
Date stayed: July 25 to 29, 2013 (5D/4N)
Rate: Php 2,800/night or about $65/night
Includes: buffet breakfast, In Room Internet (Wi-fi)
We booked via their website but you can also try in Agoda. On that note, see also how much money I saved when I redeemed my Agoda Rewards
Address: 37 Laoag, 2900 Ilocos Norte
Important note: The aim of this article is to share our experience with Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino. The resort did not ask or pay me to do this article.