There's-a-chance. Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 Santiago City, Isabela is my destination in the PI's and the home town of my g/f. Does anyone have any local knowledge of that area please?Car hire/car and driver/public transport. I'd like to get around a bit and do some travelling with my g/f.Places worth visiting?Any drawbacks/crime rates and the like......oh and the good bits too!Thanks in anticipation,There's-a-chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy F. Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) Go to a well-stocked bookstore and look for a traveler's guidebook to the Philippines by Lonely Planet Publishers. Not sure if that town would be included but it's worth a try. Edited July 2, 2015 by Guy F. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
There's-a-chance. Posted July 2, 2015 Author Posted July 2, 2015 Thanks for that Guy F I have done some online research, now I'm really after someone who has spent some time in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris49 Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 There's member here, Paul, from there, or will be. Per his posts he is still working in Middle East. I live in the same region but on the other side. No direct route through the Cordilleras Mountains, so it's a near 500 km trip. Crime: in rural. provincial areas, negligible, nothing that will affect you. Car and Driver: not readily available, but usually you can find some local guy with a van, hire on a daily basis. Entertainment: mate, there is not much here and that's the beauty of the place. Where you are going they are currently planting rice, like us, we get up at 5 AM go to bed by 9 PM Places Worth Seeing: I would not want to recommend anything, ask your gf. Most people would probably like to have a look at Baguio, the Banawe Rice Terraces, not sure on your taste. Avoid La Union, San Fernando is an overcrowded hell hole. Nice beaches are around more on my side, on the other side I'm not sure. No development, just a beach, sand if by luck only, more rocky. I did say no crime, but as you move around, even in remote areas in the towns, pickpockets do seem to operate. They use the classic 2 man or 2 person technique where the first contact is made to distract you. Sometimes by an elderly woman or small child, child while the perpetrator will go for your pocket. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulB Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 Santiago City, Isabela is my destination in the PI's and the home town of my g/f. Does anyone have any local knowledge of that area please? Car hire/car and driver/public transport. I'd like to get around a bit and do some travelling with my g/f. Places worth visiting? Any drawbacks/crime rates and the like......oh and the good bits too! Thanks in anticipation, There's-a-chance. Hello Theres a chance! Chris, above, has introduced me. I have a house in Aglipay around 30 minutes from Santiago. I currently live and work in Abu Dhabi and my wife and I will retire to the house in around 4 years. Our main town is Santiago and I love the place. You have the new Robinsons Mall, nice hotels including Charinas, bars, again Charinas grill or big brothers and a few I have not visited yet. You can get anything there and it is not too overcrowded. We usually use the uncles of my wife to get around or get a tricycle or van. Transport is good and you will manage to get around. Do you know where you will be staying and when you will settle? Happy to share my experiences with you any time. Paul 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike In Canada Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 I have travelled from I locos Sur around the island by way of Vigan, Laoag, Pagudpud, Pamplona, Tabuk, Tinglayan, Sagada, Banaue, Baguio, then home to Candon City. I think for me the best part of the entire trip was Sagada and not to far from Isabella. In Sagada there are rice terraces, caves, hanging coffins, clean accommodations and clean air. I rented 2 sixteen passenger vans and 4 drivers for the trip. We had 10 in each van including drivers. The costs were very low in the Mountain Province as I was never present when the wifes family negotiated room prices. On average we were paying about $3 per night per person, and the drivers slept in the vans, their choice to keep an eye on the contents. The meals were also a very low price eating where the locals eat as there are not any other choices. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthdome Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 Driven through Santiago City many times on my way from Baguio up north. Only stopped for diesel and food. Looked like a typical provincial philippine city. Best attractions close by are the Banaue rice terraces and Sagada. A bit further north in Kalinga there is some white water rafting. Over on the east coast of Luzon is the beach location where the filmed Apocalypse Now movie beach scenes. You are about a 6 hour drive from Baguio if you take Ambuklao Rd from the Pan Asian Hwy to Baguio. Off that road you can get to Mt. Pulag, the second tallest mountain in the Philippines at almost 10,000 ft and the Ambuklao dam. You may be able to rent a car/suv/van in Santiago City. Just check the classified section of the local newspaper. Or just ask around. I have done that in Baguio and found dozens of possible rentals. Best deal I have had was renting a Mitsubishi Adventure SUV for only 14k pesos for 7 days. You don't see the big car rental companies. Just private individuals with a few cars/suv/vans to rent. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthdome Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 Have you been to the Philippines before? Privately owned public transportation is everywhere. I lived over 2 years in the Philippines without owning a car and didn't really miss it that much. Privately owned transportation is everywhere. Motorized tricycles, jeepney's and taxis for local travel and buses for long distance travel. The better bus lines have aircon, wifi and show movies. And it is inexpensive. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris49 Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 Yes I agree with that especially in the province, even Metro for that matter. Private van with driver is for group outings, maybe a day trip only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
There's-a-chance. Posted July 3, 2015 Author Posted July 3, 2015 There's member here, Paul, from there, or will be. Per his posts he is still working in Middle East. I live in the same region but on the other side. No direct route through the Cordilleras Mountains, so it's a near 500 km trip. Crime: in rural. provincial areas, negligible, nothing that will affect you. Car and Driver: not readily available, but usually you can find some local guy with a van, hire on a daily basis. Entertainment: mate, there is not much here and that's the beauty of the place. Where you are going they are currently planting rice, like us, we get up at 5 AM go to bed by 9 PM Places Worth Seeing: I would not want to recommend anything, ask your gf. Most people would probably like to have a look at Baguio, the Banawe Rice Terraces, not sure on your taste. Avoid La Union, San Fernando is an overcrowded hell hole. Nice beaches are around more on my side, on the other side I'm not sure. No development, just a beach, sand if by luck only, more rocky. I did say no crime, but as you move around, even in remote areas in the towns, pickpockets do seem to operate. They use the classic 2 man or 2 person technique where the first contact is made to distract you. Sometimes by an elderly woman or small child, child while the perpetrator will go for your pocket. There's member here, Paul, from there, or will be. Per his posts he is still working in Middle East. I live in the same region but on the other side. No direct route through the Cordilleras Mountains, so it's a near 500 km trip. Crime: in rural. provincial areas, negligible, nothing that will affect you. Car and Driver: not readily available, but usually you can find some local guy with a van, hire on a daily basis. Entertainment: mate, there is not much here and that's the beauty of the place. Where you are going they are currently planting rice, like us, we get up at 5 AM go to bed by 9 PM Places Worth Seeing: I would not want to recommend anything, ask your gf. Most people would probably like to have a look at Baguio, the Banawe Rice Terraces, not sure on your taste. Avoid La Union, San Fernando is an overcrowded hell hole. Nice beaches are around more on my side, on the other side I'm not sure. No development, just a beach, sand if by luck only, more rocky. I did say no crime, but as you move around, even in remote areas in the towns, pickpockets do seem to operate. They use the classic 2 man or 2 person technique where the first contact is made to distract you. Sometimes by an elderly woman or small child, child while the perpetrator will go for your pocket. chris49 Hello mate, thanks very much for the advice and the comprehensive reply. I am grateful for your time. I believe the area I will be staying at is fairly rural which will suit me a treat. (I live in a remote village by choice with more goats a sheep than people.) So more time in another rural location will be ideal. Mind, saying that it will good to be able slide off to Santiago to blow the froth off of a couple of cold ones. Thanks once again, Kind Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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