Surfing Sea and Sky San Juan (La Union) & Around

Surfing Sea and Sky – San Juan (La Union) & In motion

%072 / Pop 114,963 / Transport Hub

If you move up the west coast of Luzon, you will invariably voyage San Fernando (La Union), a compact, traffic-blighted grid of streets where there's immature to detain travellers.

San Juan(La Union) & Around

Eating

Angel & Marie's

Gefseis

Drinking & Nightlife

El Union

 

Transport

10Buses to Vigan and LaoagB2

11Jeepneys to Bauang and San JuanB1

12Minibuses to BaguioB2

13PartasB1

8Getting There & Around

Partas ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-242 0465; Quezon Ave) serves Manila (P550, seven hours, hourly), Pagudpud (P620, seven hours), Laoag (P420, five hours) and Vigan (P280, three hours). Cheaper, bigger familiar ordinary buses bronze to Laoag and Vigan inside the Quezon Ave stop in front of the city plaza.

Minibuses to Baguio (P80, 1½ hours) holiday twice hourly from Governor Luna St.

Jeepneys to Bauang and San Juan (P18) can be picked up along Quezon Ave.

If taking a stroll towards Dagupan/Lingayen/Zambales Coast, your crucial bet is to take any Manila-bound bus to the Damortis turn-off towards Rosario, build off and either wait for a passing bus or hire a loitering tricycle to in making you as far as Dagupan (P350 to P400).

San Juan (La Union)

%072 / Pop 35,098

Surfers, look no further. Most travellers under your own steam here are bound for barangay Urbiztondo in San Juan, an unassuming beach town 6km north of San Fernando that gets the state’s most consistent waves from November to March. All through the season a legion of bronzed instructors propose beginners some of the world’s cheapest surf lessons (P400 per hour) on the ultimate learners’ waves that stroke the shore.

Surfing instructors are easily found through the Urbiztondo's lodgings, which also rent boards (P200 per hour). The basic beginners’ rest is generally at the ‘cement factory’ in Bacnotan, 6km north of San Juan. Urbiztondo’s main beach trip and neighbouring Mona Lisa Point tend to to generate finer waves. Cartile Point and Darigayos are other favourite local breaks that are further out.

4Sleeping

Most surf-inclined travellers stay in barangay Urbiztondo, a stretch of coast 3.5km south of San Juan proper, while tiny barangay Montemar, 1km north of San Juan, is where you'll find some of the higher upmarket possibilities.

Brgy Urbiztondo
oCircle Hostel HOSTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0917 832 6253; http://www.launion.thecirclehostel.com; hammock P350, dm P450)

Staying at this colourful, chilled out hostel is kinda like staying at a friend's place: you come, you surf, you relax with your fellow wanderers on beanbags while in the ordinary area, you befriend the spectacular staff and end up lingering for days. Bed down inside breezy thatched dorms with mozzie nets or sleep in a hammock.

The staff organise surfing lessons, rent boards and do occasional under your own steam trips and waterfall jaunts

oFlotsam and Jetsam Hostel HOSTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0917 802 1328; http://www.flotsamandjetsamhostel.com; aW)

Artistic touches abound at this surfboard-strewn beachfront hostel; it's the kind of place where guests spontaneously jam on guitars along with the thatched-roof bar heaves with bronzed little surfer bodies even inside the off-season. Choose between rooming in a thatch-walled, fan-cooled dorm, a 'sea suite' or a converted RV. The 'spicy Nikki' by the resident 'alcohol alchemist' will lay you flat.

Young Surfmaid BEACH RESORT

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-888 5528; http://www.littlesurfmaidresort.com; r/ste from P2500/P3900; aW)

Danish-owned hotel that sits right above the most popular surf escape, offering a high level of service and one of the best restaurants on the beach. The two-room beachfront suites with balconies facing Mona Lisa Point are worth the extra expense. The same can’t quite be said for the standard doubles. Just about dead among the off-season.

San Juan Surf Resort BEACH RESORT

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-687 9990, 0917 887 5470; http://www.sanjuansurfresort.com.ph; d/q with look-con from P1800/2600, 2-person villas P1800; aW)

Run by Aussie Brian Landrigan, a 25-year veteran of the area, this place has upgraded to an upmarket surfers’ village, with spartan standard rooms and multi-person 'villas' to the spacious 'de luxe'. There's a popular thatch-roofed restaurant overlooking the sand and also the professionally run multiday surf-school packages come highly recommended.

Brgy Montemar

Final Option BEACH RESORT

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %072-888 2724, 0929 448 5505; http://www.finaloptionbeach.com.ph; r/ste P2200/3800; aWs)

While the name of this resort is oddly ominous, the place itself – a German-run collection of clean apartments and bungalows north of San Juan – is anything still. There’s a light-hearted, summery vibe here, plus an impressive swimming pool and decent German goods (pork schnitzel, Vienna sausage, potato salad…) to boot.

Awe-inspiring Hotel HOTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 319 Eagle St; r from P4000; aWs)

We don't in the main trust establishments that blatantly blow their own horn, however in this case, the name is largely deserved. David and Grace are gracious hosts, the bathrooms are present and spacious, the rooms are tastefully decked out in happy shades of yellow and feature firm queen-sized beds, and the sea views while in the ranked floor are stunning.

5Eating & Drinking

All resorts have on-site restaurants, by and large of decent quality. A few independent eateries are scattered around Urbiztondo.

oAngel & Marie's FILIPINO

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0920 836 4232; mains P80-199; h6-9pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-9pm Sat & Sun)

Run by a friendly pair of local surfers, this authoritative youthful thatched restaurant from the heart of Urbiztondo has a loyal consequent thanks to their banana pancakes, and their tuna kinilaw (ceviche) is making us drool on the keyboard in reminiscence. If the place is closed on the weekend, it means that the surf's up!

Gefseis GREEK

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mains P140-300; h10.30am-10.30pm Tue-Sun; v)

Legitimate Greek tavern tempting surfers with such delights as moussaka, pastitsio and generous souvlaki platters

El Union CAFE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; java P90; h1-9pm Tue-Fri, 8am-9pm Sat & Sun)

Thimble-sized cafe that takes care of surfers' caffeine-related needs, with chunky sandwiches as well as the magnificent skillet cookies being an additional bonus.