Elyu Hits: Holy Week Get Away

This was my third visit in the province and all I can say is that La Union's tourism is unstoppable! 

They even came up with a famous hashtag "elyu" which is the pronunciation of the acronym of the province L.U. (La Union)

From surfing in San Juan and Hiking/Cliff Jumping in San Gabriel back in 2015, I was surprised that there's now more destinations to visit in and activities to explore.

Back track: My second visit in La Union was documented here.

Yes, there is so much more in La Union. I haven't visited them all but I guess that is a good reason to go back! 

Our main destination was San Juan Beach where we checked in at Sebay Resort. Along the way to San Juan, we visited Grape Farm and Ma-cho Temple. We tried Halo Halo de Iloko and The Farm going back home (to Pampanga).

Here's some bit and pieces to our trip:

1. Grape Farm, Bauang, La Union

Upon crossing the marker of Bauang, you will see tourist guides in motorcycles who will take you to the farms. There are a number of grape farms in La Union and we visited Gapuz Grape Farm. If coming from the south, their reception area is at the left side of the road and there is a large signage for easier reference. We paid P100 each person for the entrance fee, tour guide, entrance to the grape farm and winery. At first, I thought that the grape farm is along the high way but it is not, we followed the tour guide who took us to the place. They served us chilled grape wine at the entrance of the farm and we were able to explore the field. We were not able to go to the winery because the tour guide discouraged us for some unknown reason. But in case you plan to visit the grape farm make sure you push the tour guide to take you to the winery since you'll be paying for it.

Tip: You won't need to pay for entrance fee if you head directly to the farm. But to support local tourism, I suggest to buy grapes from the farm. 

FYI. We also paid parking fee of P20 for each vehicle

2. Ma-Cho Temple, San Fernando, La Union

This is 20-mins away from the grape farm. It is a Buddhist temple situated along the high way of San Fernando, La Union. The temple gives a good view of La Union and the West Philippine Sea. I was amazed with the intricate architecture of the place which is common for Buddhist Temples.

There is no entrance fee but they charge parking. In our case, we parked at the store beside the temple which was closed at the time.

3. San Juan Beach, La Union

The main attraction of San Juan! I love how they developed this place from the unique accommodations and restaurants to the events they hold in the place. You can never get enough of it. But my old school faves are still its sunset, surfing and the kind locals of the place. 

As mentioned earlier, we stayed at Sebay Resort. Good thing that we booked two months in advance because we knew that almost all the accommodations will get fully booked for Holy Week. The resort has its own restaurant so food is not a problem. And in case you want to try new viands, the resort is just situated near restaurants/eatery. The resort is also near the San Juan Beach thus very accessible. At the time of the visit, everything was fine except for the water supply and wifi connection. 

4. Halo-Halo de Iloko, San Juan La Union

On our way back to Pampanga, we thought of passing by Halo-Halo de Iloko to have lunch and try their famous Halo-Halo but maybe because it's holiday then, the queue was very long and our tummy can't wait any longer. We decided to have Halo Halo for take out. Honestly, we were not impressed. The ingredients were few, the taste was nothing extra ordinary and it did not justify the price we paid. 

5. The Farm, Agoo, La Union

So after the misadventure with Halo-Halo de Iloko, we are now craving for a sumptuous lunch and Google was on the help and suggested The Farm. The place is just along the high way of Agoo and the place was quiet, beautifully crafted and unique on its own kind. It's a restaurant with many pavilions, a very instagram-worthy place! The food took a while and it's hard to catch the servers as the dining place is away from each other. But overall, we liked the ambiance and food.

That summarized our Family's Elyu Trip during the Holy Week. La Union is a good place to take your family for a vacay but I guess anywhere with the Fam is a good place ❤️

If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the comment area below or message me in the contact section!

Happy reading!