Ilocos/Laoag/Vigan Trip Itinerary and Budget Breakdown

by jeanne christine - 8:44 PM

I've frequently received questions regarding how much we spent on our Ilocos trip. So I've decided to do a quick breakdown of our itinerary and expenses for everyone's reference.

First off, I'm from Cebu so we booked a Cebu-Manila flight, and another Manila-Laoag flight. Although most agencies will offer pick-up from Manila, we didn't want to endure a looooonngg drive since a short plane ride is so much more convenient. We booked our round trip tickets in January even though we had planned an August trip.

Cebu Pacific Promo fare total round trip tickets per person - approximately P3,000

I then booked our trip with J2F Ilocos Escapades and got an unbelievably affordable deal. The more people there are in your group, the cheaper it is. The package tour was customized for us and was inclusive of 3 days, 3 nights hotel stay (don't expect a luxurious hotel, you're only there to sleep and bathe anyway), breakfast, transportation, driver/tour guide and all entrance fees.

Package Tour w/ J2F Ilocos Escapades - P2,500/person

Because we booked a promo fare, the schedule wasn't the most convenient. We had almost one whole day in Manila as we arrived in the morning, with our Manila-Laoag flight in the evening. Check out how we spent that extra time in this post HERE. (What To Do When You Have Spare Time in Manila) As soon as we arrived in Laoag, the driver picked us up and brought us to our hotel.

Manila Stay (Movie, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner, Excluding Shopping) + Driver tip - P1,250
Note: One of our friends had a family car and driver in Manila so we saved on taxi fare.

DAY 1

Check out what we did on Day 1 in my separate posts here:

Fort Ilocandia

Archery at Fort Ilocandia

Malacanang of the North, Marcos Photo Gallery, Paoay Church, Sinking Bell Tower

Sinking Bell Tower

Calle Crisologo, Vigan

Expenses:

Archery + Firing at Fort Ilocandia - P470

Lunch + Dinner (Free breakfast at hotel) - P630

Snacks/Water + Tip for driver and guides at every stopover - P400

DAY 2

Check out Day 2 here:

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Kapurpurawan Rock Formation

Bangui Windmills, Hannah's Pagudpud Beach

Expenses:

Horseback Riding - P100

Lunch/Dinner/Snacks - P620

Hannah's Entrance Fee - P100

Tip for guides and driver - P250

DAY 3

Sandboarding at La Paz Sand Dunes

Expenses:

Sandboarding + ATV + 4x4 ride - P1000 per person
(expenses were divided among a group of 7)

Lunch + Tip for guides and driver - P300

Okay, so the above numbers are actually a bloated estimate. The tips that we gave to our guides and drivers were actually divided among our group of 7. But for your reference, I put the full amount up there (just in case you're the generous kind who likes to sponsor for your friends. Lol). If you don't stay in Manila for a day, that's a big amount off your budget as well, but we wanted to shop in stores that don't have branches in Cebu yet. Also, the archery, firing, ATV and 4x4 are optional but we wanted to go on every single adventure we possibly could. Tip: The costs of these adventures can be divided among your group. And when we ordered food, we ordered to our heart's content in all the special restaurants we ran into, this will depend on your budget as well.

In actuality, I only spent a total of approximately P9,640 for one amazing vacation AND a bag of clothes and shoes on sale! So I hope this was helpful to you. And if you plan on visiting soon, enjoy! So much wonder and beauty just waiting to be discovered. As the slogan says, "It's more fun in the Philippines!"

Lotsa love,

Jeanne

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