Sitio Remedios - an Ilocano getaway

We landed at the Laoag International Airport after an hour flight from Manila. We took a 45 minute road trip with another van in tow on the way to a haven made the Ilocano way – Sitio Remedios. 7 houses in a 1.8 hectare property (twice the size of the Asian Institute of Management in front of Greenbelt 1 in Makati City), it is much like a Village, a town at the turn of the 20th century. 3 of the houses are two-storey, the rest are bungalows with either a single bedroom or twin bedrooms.

Each house is uniquely designed with antique furniture, dining tables, wooden living room sets, epoch fixtures such as chandeliers and picture frames and the staircases are not elaborately designed but they present a time where their imperfections is today’s perfection.

We have always described the provincial life as simple. If you are from a metropolis, then your description of the resort will be plainly – simple or uncomplicated – but definitely not backward. But Sitio Remdios cannot be described as idyllic nor rustic. For its time, the look and feel of the resort was considered urbane, cultured. For us to enjoy the serenity, it is recommended to spend some time to relax and enjoy Sitio Remedios.

The experience will not be cheap. A typical 2 storey house cost an average of US$243.00, while a bungalow with either a single room or two rooms will cost an average of US$140.00. From the pricing alone, they are positioning Sitio Remedios as a World-class resort to showcase Filipino hospitality the Ilocano way.

If you like Ilocano cuisine, you will enjoy the bona fide, genuine taste of the popular pinoy vegetable dish – Pinakbet and a well-known deep fried liempo classic – Bagnet. You won’t be thirsty and you will get a huge dose of vitamin C because bottomless fresh dalandan or calamansi juice will be served. The meals are a bit pricey but it all depends on your food value criteria.

On a typical meal you will have a buffet style menu of three vegetable dishes with one meat dish or two. Breakfast is also buffet style served with eggs, bread, fried rice, deep fried fish and Ilocano style longganiza (Ilocano native sausage). Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, all meals are priced at US$15.00 per person.