Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Fort Ilocandia

The most famous and probably the best resort destination in Ilocos Norte is Fort Ilocandia in Laoag City. The place provides a taste of the old hispanic architecture showcasing massive brick walls and thick cobble stones. The interior is accented by carved shiny hardwood planks. A trip into manicured gardens and old-styled hallways takes one back to the 19th century.

This resort/complex was originally built by the Marcos family for the wedding reception of the then presidential daughter Irene. At present, the resort is owned by Taiwanese investors and has turned it into a casino where baccarat-hungry foreigners and locals alike horde the place.

Here are few shots I have taken on my visit to the place:


A Knight Guarding The Facade of the Resort



Coffee Table For a Little Chat



Well-Maintained Manicured Garden



The Swimming Pool Area



Bougainvilla by the Entrance



The Ancient-Felt Hallways



The Spot Where Most Visitors Strike a Pose


Fort Ilocandia is open to both guests and non-guests where some fun activities can be had. Aside from the casino, the place is offers unique and seemingly endless coastal sand dunes. Hollywood movies like Mad Max and Born on the Fourth of July as well as local movies like Panday have been filmed here. It also has swimming pool, shooting range, paintball, archery, golf course and other sports activities.

Check out their website by clicking here, if you wanna check-out more of the place.

45 comments:

  1. another one great tour. thanks for shared

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  2. i love the photo of 'bougainvilla by the entrance'...it could be a shot taken in madrid or barcelona, and the intimate ambiance of 'coffee table for a little chat'.

    thanks for visiting my blogsite.:D

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  3. napakalinis talaga ng fort ilocandia.

    do you file ur pics in a portfolio?

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  4. swimming pool ba yun? parang ilog na sa laki a!

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  5. wow!
    ganda kuya ah. ang dami mo ng tips for vacation. madami na ko pagpipilian=]

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  6. bakit ganun, lakwatsa ka ng lakwatsa he he. kakainggit naman




    .

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  7. Looked like a lovely place to visit. Very beautiful photos.

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  8. i like the knight guard plus the ancient-felt hallways. dami din palang makikita dyan.

    the fountain is a typical spanish style fountain. galing.

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  9. talagang sinuyod mo ang north luzon pre ha! :)

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  10. watta life man! non stop ata ang pagta travel mo ngayon ahh

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  11. This place reminds me of the coconut palace. The color and the swimming pool. It might have no striking resemblance at all pero when I was reading it my head automatically directed me to the coconut palace.

    [:

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  12. @ evlahos - thanks for passing by sir.

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  13. @ luna miranda - the place will really make your eyes wonder, just so many beautiful things to see.

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  14. @ redlan - talagang well maintained.

    di ko pa nagagawan ng portfolio mga pics ko but i do store them in cds and back-ups. i need more time to do that siguro.

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  15. @ r-yo - lols panyero, di lang olypic size yun, baka double olympic size (if there is a term)

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  16. @ cedeux - oo nga doc, pahinga ka naman. maglibot ka na.

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  17. @ abou - malapit na nga ako mawalan ng trabaho sa kakabulakbol eh. pero ok lang hehehe. pagna fire di hanap uli iba.

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  18. @ alicesg - thank you alice, it is indeed a fun place to visit.

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  19. @ the dong - the knight will definitely catch ur attention kasi ang laki nya at nasa harap pa ng building.

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  20. @ estan - lols pre. ilocos lang pre, ikaw nga buong visaya eh. good luck sa exhibit.

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  21. @ dakilang islander - medyo madami ng konti kasi tapos na tax season, pero pag tag-ulan na dadalng na uli yan. sinusulit lang.

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  22. @ kyels - maybe because both of them were made for the Marcos Family. Alam mo naman si Imelda, Imeldific talaga.

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  23. what a beautiful place, it seems a great place to spend same time.

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  24. Ang ganda ng lugar, mukhang ang sarap maglibot jan ah.

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  25. feeling ko lumakbay na rin ako through your pics. hehehe!!! soon i'll post my pics too. puro mukha ko kasi ang nandito sa file ko eh. hehehe!

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  26. Another lovely set of pics Lawstude. Visiting your blog has become a habit. Hope to go there someday too.

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  27. sarap naman ng buahy mo..palagi ka nalang parang nasa vacation leave..=)
    ui! nice photos ha!

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  28. Fourth of July was filmed there? Impressive ! The place looks quite spacious and pretentious. Casinos are always made to look classy for people to visit. I like the pics of the flowers and the lush vegetation surrounding it :)

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  29. hala.. same kayo nung kasama ko.. nawalan din cya ng digicam.. sa white beach resort din kame nagstay., nakuu..

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  30. Thank for visiting my blog today, this resort is hugely beautiful, I like the swimming pool, I could see myself swimming there! Bougainvilleas have always been one of my favorites.
    Your posts about your beautiful country are always very interesting.

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  31. whoa! talagang inikot mo buong Norte ah!

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  32. @ daniel j santos - its the only 5-star hotel in the ilocos region, the place is really beautiful.

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  33. @ vinzent -yup malinis ang kapaligiran tol.

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  34. @ ifoundme - wala ka si ko mukah ipapakita eh lols. ill check ur pics soon.

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  35. @ vanessa - gee thanks, i guess i have to do better on the upcoming posts.

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  36. @ dra rio - di naman, basta may window to travel lang talaga eh gina-grab ko.

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  37. @ bw - that is true, but even before it was made into a casino, the place was already teeming up with different variety of floras.

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  38. @ vanny - i feel sorry for her/him. ang nakapanghihinayang kasi ay nawala yung cam ko nung last day namin doon. sayang yung mga kuha ko.

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  39. @ kitem - thank you. i hope i could share the beauty of my country even in thru this humble blog. glad you liked them.

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  40. @ ely - medyo lol, talagang ginalugad ko lahat ng pwedeng puntahan in a limited time.

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  41. Hello, you site is very funny he told me to cheer up .. Merry Christmas.

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  42. It`s really nice article. Thank u a lot

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  43. Good sait, its very interesting//

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  44. Is anybody think same about it? Can we disscuse this?

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  45. Thanks for sharing dear you are really doing a wonderful job.

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