Explore Ilocos Sur
The province of Ilocos Sur is where the Ilocos Region’s myriad of cultures and histories converge to become a living museum of a spirited past. A national shrine, a national landmark, a national museum, heritage museums, ancestral houses, period houses, cobble-stoned streets — they all share space in the timeless land of Ilocos Sur.
Ilocos Sur has 34 municipalities which are subdivided into 764 barangays.
Alilem
Alilem, Ilocos Sur — This mountainous but accessible town is an emerging tourist destination half an hour away by jeepney or motorbike from the municipality of Sudipen.
A fourth-class municipality with a population of around seven thousand people speaking the Ilocano language and Kankanaey dialect, Alilem is working to boost its tourism potential to spur economic development.
Bantay
Dur-as Bantay!
The municipality’s name came from the fact that its patrons, Our Lady of Charity and Saint Augustine of Hippo, protect the town. The miraculous image was found onboard a ship standed somewhere along the Ilocos Coast during the Spanish Era. They enshrined and venerated the image in a chapel made from cogon grass and bamboo. Many other people from other towns came to claim the miraculous statue, but failed to even move it.
The scenic Quirino Bridge is named after the late former President, Elpidio Qurino, 6th President of the Philippines, and it spreads across the Abra river connecting the rocky mountain slopes of the town of Santa and the tail end of Bantay. Otherwise referred to as ‘Banaoang bridge’, it majestically connects and separates two transcending mountains and widely praised because of its marvelous engineering and grand architectural design as glorified by its splendid panoramic beauty, strength and durability when it survived the bombings of World War II.”
Cabugao
Cabugao, officially the Municipality of Cabugao, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 37,501 people.
Cabugao Beach Resort is situated at the heart of Cabugao, Ilocos Sur. The resort is well equipped with the facilities you and your friends and families need. Cabana bar and Restaurant inside the resort offers the most delicate local food selection at a very affordable price.
Candon
Candon is a fourth class city in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 57,884 people.[3] Dubbed as the “Tobacco Capital of the Philippines” the city is the country’s largest producer of Virginia-type tobacco. As the district center of southern Ilocos Sur, the city plays a vital role in the development of adjacent municipalities.
Candon is the center of the 2nd district of Ilocos Sur. Government District offices are all located in the city. The city supports more than 100,000 citizens in terms of commercial and industrial services.
Cervantes
Cervantes, officially the Municipality of Cervantes, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 17,211 people.
The municipality is officially the Summer Capital of Ilocos Sur. It has a relatively cooler climate than most of lowland Ilocos Sur due to its geographical location and proximity to Mountain Province and Benguet. The municipality is home to the Bessang Pass Natural Monument.
San Juan
San Juan, formerly Lapog and officially the Municipality of San Juan, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 26,411 people.
Santiago
Santiago, officially the Municipality of Santiago, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 18,759 people.
Vitalis Villas is a beautiful Santorini-inspired resort managed by Artstream Hospitality Management Group Inc. It’s Greek-style villas are perched on a mountain cliff, overlooking the beautiful sea and Santiago cove.
We love the resort because of it’s romantic vibe, fine sand, cobalt blue waters, beautiful warm sunset, yummy food, and beachfront location.
Vigan
Vigan is an island, which used to be detached from the mainland by three rivers — the great Abra River, the Mestizo River and the Govantes River. It is unique among the Philippine towns because it is the country’s most extensive and only surviving historic city that dates back to the 16th century Spanish colonial period.
Vigan was an important coastal trading post in pre-colonial times. Long before the Spanish galleons, Chinese junks sailing from the South China Sea came to Isla de Bigan through the Mestizo River that surrounded the island. On board were sea-faring merchants that came to barter exotic goods from Asian kingdoms in exchange for gold, beeswax and other mountain products brought down by natives from the Cordilleras. Immigrants, mostly Chinese, settled in Vigan, intermarried with the natives and started the multi-cultural bloodline of the Bigueños.
