A diving resort that also offers camping grounds for outdoorsy types. Offers amazingly fresh seafood, including lobster.

Telephone: 0918 937 1752

Located at the west end of Saud beach. Has a dive center for scuba enthusiasts.

Telephone: 0918 933 4464

Resort at the west end of Saud beach. Houses a dive center for scuba lovers.

Telephone: 0920 220 5089

An upscale resort in Saud beach set in a coconut grove. Rooms are very rustic with bamboo furniture and wooden floor boards.

Telephone: 02 928 9853

Charming cottages with traditional Filipino furnishings.

Telephone: 0920 553 4161

With Luzon as your primary holiday destination in the Philippines, you won’t have a difficult time finding world-class beaches. From the Ilocos region in the north to the Bicol region in the south, take your pick among the beautiful beaches of Luzon Island. Having an archipelago as your holiday destination really rocks!

1. Caramoan Peninsula
With its claim to fame as having hosted the Survivor France TV series, Caramoan is steadily becoming one of the go-to beach destinations in Luzon. Gota beach, with its milky-white sand can be your jump-off point to any of the white sand beach islands dotting Caramoan peninsula.

2. Anawangin, Zambales
Although several other beaches in Luzon has finer and whiter sand, Anawangin Beach Cove is a popular camper’s point in Luzon especially in the summer months of March to May. This may be attributed to the evergreen forest cover near the beach, the swamp or the towering beach rocks great for viewing the sunset.

3. Potipot, Zambales
Potipot is a tiny patch of an island with white coral sand in Zambales. With its tiny size you could walk around the island in less than 30 minutes.

4. Pagudpud, Ilocos
Not quite the “Boracay of the North” as some tag it, but Pagudpud has earned its rightful spot with its laid-back and idyllic charm. To boot, you can sample the regional cuisine and set sights on Ilocos’ Spanish-era houses and churches after a drive to Ilocos Norte’s capital.

5. Laiya, Batangas
A short 2-hour drive from the steamy and chaotic Manila will lead you to Laiya Beach, Batangas in the south. This beach is popular to family holiday-makers with the range of resorts offering spa services to aquatic activities such as snorkeling and kayaking.

Photo Credits:
Lahos Island photo by anej1030
Potipot photo by karoluscamilius
Pagudpud photo by Jef Cris
Laiya photo by allan barredo

Technorati Tags: Caramoan, Gota beach, Anawangin, Zambales, Potipot, Pagudpud, Laiya

Pagudpud is a group of beaches in the northern province of Ilocos in the Philippines. It earned its monicker as the “Boracay of the North” with its blue waters and white sand beaches lined with coconut trees. It is not as crowded and developed as Boracay but these only add to its charm.

It consists of three large beaches: the Saud beach, Maira-Ira and the Pansian beach. Saud beach is the “main” beach and where most of the resorts and hotels are located. Maira-Ira, a 20 km tricycle ride from Saud, has Luzon‘s whitest sand beach. It has calm waters good for diving and snorkeling. Pansian beach is the farthest among the three and is near the border of the Cagayan province.

There are few watersports facilities here compared to Boracay and Laiya, which lends to its laid-back character. If you’d like to make more out the trip, you can head off to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse and the Windmills of Bangui Bay.

Map of Pagudpud
From Manila, take a bus going to Laoag or Claveria. From there take a minibus to Pagudpud. Below is a Google Map of Pagudpud.

View Larger Map

List of Pagudpud Hotels and Restaurants:

Terra Rika Beach Resort
Contact No: 0918 937 1752
Email: terrarikadiveresort[at]yahoo.com

Apo Idon
Contact No: 0918 933 4464

Northridge Resort
Contact Number: 0920 220 5089

Saud Beach Resort
Contact Number (Manila): 02 928 9853

Villa Del Mar
Contact Number: 0920 553 4161
Clean and comfortable air-conditioned rooms. Just a few steps away from restaurants and bars but far enough to blur the noise. The ground floor of the hotel has a videoke machine.

[Photos by Jef Cris]

Technorati Tags: Ilocos, Philippines, white sand beaches, Boracay, Saud, Maira-Ira, Pansian, Luzon, diving, snorkeling, Cagayan, Cape Bojeador lighthouse, Windmills of Bangui Bay