I’ve had doubts in pushing through with this trip. But since I am writing about it now, I’ve decided to take a go. This was supposed to be our pre anniversary vacation, we booked it November of last year with Cebu Pacific’s piso fare but since my ex and I broke up before the trip, the possibility of this trip pushing through was quite a haze. Yet, we managed.  We were civil enough to be friends the entire trip.

Day 1.

We took the Cebu Pacific flight from Cebu at 11:40 am and reached Iloilo International Airport by 12:20 pm. Their airport is a bit far from downtown Iloilo. For commuters like us, we rode a van for hire located at the front of the airport. This van would take us to SM City Iloilo. Fare is 50php and travel time is 30 minutes. From there, one could ride a jeepney to reach downtown Iloilo. We passed by Jaro Cathedral en route to Sm City Iloilo. Old churches and buildings are a common attraction in Iloilo.

Since we were famished, we had our lunch at Sm City Iloilo, And I tried the infamous La Paz Batchoy!

Tip. Go for the Extra Super Special. It has the most ingredients (liver and innards) at 70php.

From SM City Iloilo, we took a jeepney(Mandurriao) to Ong Bun Pension House located at Ledesma St. We just asked the driver to drop us at Ong Bun Pension House. Fare is 7php.

ONG BUN PENSION HOUSE.

Located at Ledesma St., the place is at the heart of Iloilo, It is a walking distance from Robinson’s Place and SM Delgado. The facade isn’t quite enticing but the inside of the hotel is neat, clean and modern. We opted for the Deluxe 2 aircon room at 580 php.

From there, we parted ways since he has to go to Roxas City to visit his relatives.

I explored the city all by myself. I first went to SM Delgado. It was for me the smallest SM store. I bought some toiletries and then walked my way along Quezon St. to reach the Provincial Capitol and the Iloilo Museum.

Provincial Capitol.

Iloilo Museum. Fee= 25 php

Calle Real

Decades old buildings are lined along this street, but with the bustle of tiangges and street vending, it has become a street of modern and old architecture.

Iloilo Jeepneys.

Another thing that made Iloilo distinct is the appearance of their jeepneys. They sure have pretty rides here! And comfortable too!

I also went inside their Marty Mart Plaza which was quite crowded to look for a souvenir shirt. I haven’t found any though so I decided to go back to SM Delgado to look for one.

My feet were tired from walking by the end of the afternoon and I was famished. I saw a series of restos along Delgado St. but I decided to eat at Goldilock’s near SM Delgado.

Day 2

Miag-ao Church.

The Church was constructed at 1797 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Travel time to Miag-ao is an hour to an hour and a half. Fare is 40 php. You have to go to the Iloilo Terminal Market (near Robinson’s Place) and ride a jeepney for Miag-ao. The jeep departs every 10-15 minutes.

Going back, we rode a jeepney only to discover that the fare is 50php.

Lunch at Green Mango.

After checking out from the hotel, we had lunch at Green Mango located just across SM Delgado, The prices were decent and the servings were beyond satisfaction. The food was also tasty.

Tip. Try their Mango Pandan.

Pasalubong at Deco’s

I thought we might ran out of time so instead of buying pasalubong at the Biscocho Haus, we went to the nearby Deco’s Pasalubong Center. Later as I found out, they charge quite a bit higher (7 peso difference) than the Original Biscocho Haus.

Sidetrip to Guimaras.

See my separate post for Guimaras Island.

D’ Original Biscocho Haus

Back from Guimaras, we passed by the Biscocho Haus near the port area. This is where we found out about the 7- peso difference!

From there, we went to SM City Iloilo and took a van for hire to the airport. Fare is 50 php plus terminal fee of 20php.

Conquered.