Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte
Rediscovering the ‘Jewel of the North’
MY first glimpse of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte was from a TV show featuring classical Filipino singers performing kundiman in exotic locations. I still remember the singers in their Baro’t Saya and Barong Tagalog, singing songs by Nicanor Abelardo while walking on an empty white-sand beach of Saud.
It took me many years and almost a whole day of travel before I was able to set foot on the beach of my dreams. It was during the mid-1990s when Pagudpud was only starting to get popular, and the only resort on Saud beach was a few cottages operated by locals. We camped on the beach for several days and enjoyed the clearest blue water we’ve seen in this part of Luzon.
Since then, Pagudpud has become our favorite stop-over whenever we do our Northern Luzon horse-shoe drive between Ilocos and Cagayan. I’ve seen Pagudpud go from being a laid-back town to boasting some of the biggest and most modern resorts in the country.
But Pagudpud is not an easy place to visit. The distance of 560 kilometers between Manila and Pagudpud requires at least 12 hours of driving, passing through some of the most traffic-congested areas in Northern Luzon. People actually refer to this driving experience as “pagod na, pudpud pa” (tired and worn out), and a visit to Pagudpud always requires at least two days of driving and several days of rest, on the beach, of course.
Pagudpud was also badly affected by more than two years of travel restrictions because of the pandemic. Many of the big-name resorts in the area weren’t able to survive the lack of tourists and have since closed shop.
Going to Pagudpud nowadays
With the recent upgrades in expressways and national roads going north, driving to Pagudpud will no longer make you “tired and worn out”. Specifically, 270 kilometers (kms) of the 560-km distance is now served by world-class expressways or the NLEx, SCTEx, and TPLEx. And from the Rosario exit of TPLEx in La Union, the Pan-Philippine Highway going to Pagudpud has been upgraded to a four-lane all-concrete road all the way.
Two new bypass roads have also been recently opened, one in Candon and another one in Laoag, bypassing these often heavily-traffic areas. With these recent developments, it now takes only less than 10 hours from Manila before you reach that familiar Pagudpud welcome arch.
Northern attractions
If you look at the Philippine map, you’ll see Maira-ira Point as the northern tip of Luzon, marking the two popular beaches in Pagudpud: Saud on the left and Blue Lagoon on the right.
Saud Beach is located very close to Pagudpud Poblacion. Pagudpud was once part of Bangui and only became a municipality in 1954. The popular kilometerlong white sand beach framed by coconut trees of Pagudpud is located in Saud. The widely popular Saud Beach Resort and Hotel still dominate Saud’s landscape, with many new boutique resorts like Hakuna Hatata catering to the younger crowds.
The installation of wind turbines in Caunayan, Pagudpud, has paved the way for the completion of Caparispisan Road from Poblacion that passes through the man-made forest planted with the local agoho trees. Hidden between the trees and the beach are coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and resorts that attract people who wish to get away from it all. The wind turbines, or the windmills as the locals call them, have also become Pagudpud’s latest tourist attraction.
Blue Lagoon, on the east side, is actually a cove that shelters the beach from the rough waters coming from Babuyan Channel. Outside the cove are several attractions shaped by nature: Dos Hermanos Islands, Bantay Abot Cave, and Timmangtang Rock. With the once-popular resort now closed, Blue Lagoon is now back to its laid-back vibe.
On the boundary going to Cagayan region is the popular Patapat Viaduct that has become a favorite photo-op stop for motorists doing the Luzon loop. This 1.3-km bridge, elevated 31 meters from Pasaleng Bay, connects Maharlika Highway from Ilocos to Cagayan and was opened to traffic in 1986.
Where to stay, where to eat
Homestays are still very popular in both Saud Beach and Blue Lagoon, where you can find houses with full kitchen facilities for rent. However, if you are looking for some luxury, Saud Beach Resort and Hotel, and Nest Resort are the best bets.
On the Caparispisan Road are new car camping resorts that allow you to restfully stop overlooking the north blue sea. They include Saffire Beach Resort and Glamping, Rose of Chryla Beach Camp, Alexandre’s Geodomes, and North Beach Camp.
For breakfast, the best place to have one is at Breakfast at Ima’s Café located at Caparispisan Road. The place offers country breakfast favorites like corned beef, bacon, Hungarian sausages, and pancakes served with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Another popular Pagudpud restaurant is Bergblick Restaurant located in Barangay Burayoc. This restaurant, owned by a German and his Filipina wife, serves the best German Ilocano fusion dishes like Bergblick Pan, Königsberger Klöpse, and Red Ravioli with Seafood Filling, with Pinakbet and Bagnet.
But my favorite restaurant in Pagudpud is Maritess Restaurant, which has survived typhoons, pandemics, and the “Maritess” slur. They still serve the best home-cooked meals at very reasonable prices. Their version of poqui-poqui, pork insarabsab, and sinigang with seaweeds are enough reasons to take the 560-km drive to Pagudfood.