Here is a look around town in Sagada.
It would be good to make a trip to Sagada before it gets too built up. It is such a beautiful place and is well on it’s way to becoming a tourist mecca.
Alfredos Inn and Restaurant is right off the town square. The rooms start at 500 pesos and up with shared bath. There is a sign by the showers that says there is a 200 peso fine for doing your laundry.
Golinsan Photo Shop and Internet - In the lower level of Alfredos there is a computer center with a reasonably fast connection. They have 4 computers online but be sure to check that there is a good signal because they have a 25 peso minimum charge which can be annoying to pay if you can’t get into your email accounts. (40 peso per hour)
They can print pictures too but the charge is 25 pesos ea. I went ahead and had them print up 12 photos because I had promised some people up in the hills around Tinglayan that I would bring them some photos and didn’t want to welch on my promise.
Next door to Alfredos are a few more guesthouses.
Hot water seems to be common in Sagada now. Last time I was here there was only cold water available for showers but that hot water is a huge plus for waking up in the morning and getting a smooth shave. There are many places available but Sagada gets pretty busy on the weekends so some of the better places might be full. The Grandu Yan Inn and guesthouse is across the square and looks like an ok place to stay too.
Francis Cafe is upstairs right outside the door from Alfredo’s and is a good place to get Filipino style food.
They do a pinik pikan which is also called “killing me softly chicken” but I don’t really like to torment my dinner before I eat it. When that dish is prepared they beat the heck out of the chicken before it is killed so all the blood stays in the meat. I will photograph the procedure and put it up at a later date but I don’t want to order it for myself because it seems unnecessary to torture the bird even if it is going to get killed for dinner anyways.
Tuna on toast is 25 peso, brewed coffee is 15 peso, a small bottle of coke costs 12 peso.
Masferres restaurant is popular with the tourists. There is a great collection of historic photos on the walls. The food is ok.
The Yoghurt house is another busy hangout.
The Log Cabin Bar and Cafe really has great decor and looks like they would get a good crowd but I didn’t make it up there.
The Greenhouse Inn looks like a great budget backpacker place to stay. Singles are 200 peso and doubles are 325. A room with 2 beds is 350 pesos. It’s a short walk from the town square where the bus lets you off.
There in another internet cafe and a few shops along the road leading up the hill out of town.
There are a few good hiking trails that branch off that road and really make for an enjoyable walk through the rice fields.
It would be good to make a trip to Sagada before it gets too built up. It is only an hour or so from Bontoc by jeepney.
You can also get there from Banaue by taking a jeepney over the hills in the clean mountain air. It is morning trip from Baguio if you catch Lazardo Trans early in the day.
Philippines
Hi I will bring traveling to the Philippines in December and January including Palawan, the Sagada area, and Boracay.
I have a question that you might be able to help me with. I have been trying to decide whether I should bring a netbook with with so that I can conveniently mange my email as well go online to download material for my work.
Is there much wifi (free or for a fee) in the places I am going?
O, would internet cafes allow me to plug into their system so that I could download material from the inernet? (Of course I would be happy to pay the normal use fee.)
Thanks for whatever information you can give me.
Hope to see you in early January.
Blake Respini
Hello Blake,
I would suggest taking a notebook that is as small as possible so it will not weigh you down.
My experience is that the internet in Sagada is slow and expensive and I did not see any wi-fi but things can modernize radidly.
You should have no worries getting a connection in Boracay.
There are many wi-fi possibilities in the tourist areas in Palawan. In fact the speed in El Nido is really good - better than in Puerto Princessa. Sabang has none yet - it is even difficult to get a smart signal but that will change soon as the super resorts get built. Southern Palawan still has a ways to go but you can hook up with Smart Bro if you want. You load it like your cell phone and plug it into your USB port and - Presto! you are on line.
In fact you might want to look into that when you get here.
cheers
dp