Part 25 of a series
DAY 3
While in Saud, we reviewed our itinerary for the day and realized that for us to reach Bauang, La Union before dusk, we’d have to drive straight, without any more stopovers before our destination. But I suggested that we’d spend the night in Vigan instead because I didn’t want us to to race with time. I wanted time to race with us instead. I wanted to make the most out of the moment since I realized that we rarely embark on long and tiring roadtrips like this, especially for dad, our ever patient driver. I was thinking that this opportunity, to explore places thousands of kilometers away from home, happens once in a blue moon and I didn’t want to regret about not having been able to explore some beautiful places that you can find nowhere else.
Mom and dad agreed. Yipee! So, I then called all the Vigan hotels listed in the M.A.D (map-atlas-directory) we brought (since I was the official map holder, reader and what-have-you) but unfortunately all of the hotels were fully booked (April is one of the peak months of Vigan for tourists). There was still one hotel that I wasn’t able to call though, the Vigan Plaza Hotel. We were quite hesitant because the hotel was the most expensive in Vigan (according to the M.A.D.) and we did not want to spend much on accommodations since we’d just sleep the night there anyway but hey, we had no choice because we’d have to spend the night in Vigan or else we would find ourselves lost in the middle of a deserted and dark Ilocos road. So Vigan Plaza Hotel it was.
6:52pm. We arrived in Vigan and it was raining! It was still quite bright though because the sun has just set (The sun sets later in the North since it is farther from the equator). We parked right in front of the Vigan Plaza Hotel. Good thing there was a huge canopy assuring us that we won’t get wet. The bellboy was also prompt with his huge umbrella and he carried all of our luggage.
Our Room.
The dorm-type room, good for 6 people (we were 7 but there were 2 kids so they can share a bed), was worth P6,000 a night! But when we entered the room…
Wow, it’s all worth it! A very beautiful room, with 2 shower rooms and 2 toilets. Finally, the whole family shared a room together. (Unlike in Tarlac and in Laoag where we had to get 2 rooms.) Aside from that, we were also given 6 complimentary breakfast stubs. Amazing!
Vigan Plaza Hotel’s main hallway
One of the reasons why dad was quite hesitant about staying in Vigan was that he’s afraid we might stay in a haunted house/room. But I know it was a joke though since dad isn’t a scaredy cat, unlike me. Lol. But, err, did I just capture a ghost?!
Mumu?!
The upper levels of the hotel. Looking at that open window with exposed curtains freaks me out!
Some paintings and works of art by David T. Pichay are hung at the walls of Vigan Plaza Hotel’s main hallway.
Painter Profile
Some paintings of David Pichay
(…to be continued)
