2D1N San Juan, La Union Itinerary and Expenses

In this post, I will share with you our June 2019 2D1N San Juan, La Union Itinerary and Expenses. It was already May 2019, my girlfriend and I still doesn’t have plans on where to spend my upcoming birthday until we came across several social media posts involving San Juan, La Union. I had been to La Union a few years ago with my family (it was way back 2014 as far as I remember) but we were only able to visit San Fernando, La Union then spontaneously head to Vigan, Ilocos Sur the next day. Upon checking blogs, social media posts and itineraries involving San Juan, La Union plus knowing that it is one of the best places to visit especially for beach goers, we finally decided to spend my upcoming birthday in San Juan, La Union. In planning our own itinerary, we decided to prioritize spending our time by the beach and trying out some of the best food establishments in San Juan. We did not include to visit several places in San Fernando, La Union and Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel, La Union due to the availability of our schedules. Hopefully, we can visit these places the next time we visit La Union. This will be my first time in creating a travel blog so pardon me if I don’t have enough pictures here in my blog. As per my learnings and future plans, I will be taking enough pictures in my future travels to share in my blog.

Bus Transportation

Heading to San Juan, La Union through commute is convenient nowadays. Thanks to Partas (The bus with the road runner logo) and their online booking courtesy of https://biyaheroes.com/#!/.You can now book your trips online. They now have direct trips to Sebay, San Juan, La Union from Cubao, Pasay and Sampaloc (vice versa). Different modes of payment including installment via Akulaku are available upon finalization of booking. You can also ride a Viron Transit bus which has trips that are bound to Abra, Vigan and Laoag from Cubao and Manila (vice versa) that passes through San Juan, La Union. Click here to check for their schedules. We decided to have our trip with Partas because of the convenience provided by their online booking. Below are the details of my booking:

Cubao – Sebay
Time: 8AM (Luxury 26 – Seater)
Price: 648PHP x 2 Pax = 1,296PHP
Terminal Address: 816 Aurora Blvd, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Note: You will be riding a Cubao – Vigan trip and you will be dropped off across Sebay Surf Central along MacArthur Highway. The bus will have a stopover at Sison, Pangasinan for about 20mins – 25 mins.

Sebay – Cubao
Time: 3:30PM (1st Class Express – 45 Seater)
Price: 534PHP x 2 Pax = 1,068PHP
Note: A Partas bus from Ilocos will pick you up in front of 7-11 store at Sebay Surf Central along MacArthur Highway. Bus is bound to Pasay but will drop off passengers at their Cubao Terminal.

Total Round Trip Fare: 1296PHP + 1068PHP = 2364PHP
Service Charge (10% Service Charge): 2364PHP*(.10) = 236.40PHP
Grand Total: 2600.40PHP

Tricycle Transportation

Getting around San Juan, is through Jeep or Tricycle. Jeeps regularly pass by along the highway while tricycles are readily available along the highway. In our case, we just hailed a tricycle going to our destination although the fare is quite expensive given that the distances in our destination is not that far from each other. Below are the breakdown of our tricycle expenses:

Trike (Tagpuan – Costa Villa): 40PHP
Trike (Costa Villa – El Union Coffee): 30PHP
Trike (El Union – Costa Villa): 30PHP
Trike (Costa Villa – Mad Monkeys): 40PHP
Grand Total: 40 + 30 + 30 + 40 = 140PHP

Accomodation

In our Accommodation, we’ve chosen the Costa Villa Beach Resort since it was frequently mentioned and suggested in other blogs. One good thing about this accommodation is that it is only a 1 minute walk to the beachfront and to Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel. Another good thing about this resort is that their beachfront area is on the other side of the shoreline which is less crowded and more spacious. One night for 2 pax costs 1800PHP with a complimentary breakfast. They had been considerate to me because they allowed me to pay the downpayment through BPI Online Banking Transfer instead of lining up in a BPI Branch and sending a deposit slip as proof of payment. Upon your arrival in Sebay, you can just hail a tricycle and tell them that you are headed to Costa Villa Beach Resort. Fare is around 40PHP.
Address: Urbiztondo, MacArthur Highway, San Juan, La Union

Payment Breakdown:
Downpayment (Through BPI Online Banking Transfer): 900PHP
Balance Payment (Upon Check-In): 900PHP
Total: 1800PHP

Food

There are a lot of food establishments in San Juan, La Union so you will have no problem looking for food when you get hungry. In our case, we tried those food establishments that are frequently posted in blogs and social media. Below are the list of food establishments that we had tried and the expenses incurred. Kindly take note that the amount posted in expenses incurred is only an approximation since I cannot remember anymore the specific price for the food/drinks that we’ve ordered.

1 – Tagpuan

Food/Drinks Ordered:
– Tapa
– Chix Adobo (Chicken Adobo)
– Soda (2 orders)
Estimated Cost: 250PHP
Note: We had our lunch here in Tagpuan upon arrival in San Juan. This was suggested by my girlfriend since she had already been to San Juan weeks earlier. The food is delicious and enough to fill our hungry tummy after an hour long trip to San Juan.

2 – Surf Shack

Food/Drinks Ordered:
– Halo Halo
– Fruit Shake
Estimated Cost: 260PHP
Note: Their Halo Halo and Fruit Shake are delicious. I suggest you drop by here when you visit San Juan, La Union. Worth it for the money spent.

3 – Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel

Food/Drinks Ordered:
– Meathead Pizza
– San Mig Light (2 orders)
Estimated Cost: 650PHP
Note: Food and Drinks here are quite expensive as per the Menu but this is the best place to chill and relax especially by night time. The Pizza that we ordered was also delicious. The Hostel was just a 1 minute walk from our accommodation. The atmosphere in the place seems like everyone is full of youth.

4 – El Union Coffee

Food/Drinks Ordered:
– Horchata (2 orders)
Estimated Cost: 250PHP
Note: El Union Coffee offers a variety of Hot and Iced drinks. They also have smores which I think is best paired with a coffee.

5 – Mad Monkeys Burger

Food/Drinks Ordered:
– The Classic (2 orders)
– Soda (2 orders)
Estimated Cost: 500PHP
Note: I wish I could eat more of this. The best Burger I’ve tried so far!!!. I highly recommend that you give this one a try.

6 – The Coffee Library

Food/Drinks Ordered:
– Mango Float
– Iced Coffee
– Vanilla Frappe
– Smores
Estimated Cost: 600PHP
Note: Their drinks are Good. Immediately consume the Smores. We ordered a lot here since there was still 3 hours left before the bus bound to Cubao arrives.

Other Expenses

The other expenses that we had was the foods that we bought during our trip back to Metro Manila. Along the way, the bus will stop by at their San Fernando, La Union terminal to pick up passengers. Stopover will last for 20 minutes to 25 minutes. Another stopover will be at Sison, Pangasinan and will last for 20 minutes to 25 minutes.

1 – San Fernando, La Union Stopover

Food/Drinks:
– Puto Calasiao
– Tupig
Estimated Cost: 100PHP

2 – Sison, Pangasinan Stopover

Food/Drinks:
– Snacks
Estimated Cost: 100PHP

Total Expenses

Bus Transportation: 2600.40PHP
Tricycle Transportation: 140PHP
Accomodation: 1800PHP
Food: 2510PHP
Other Expenses: 200PHP
Total Expenses: 7250.40PHP

Itinerary

Day 1 – Friday
– ETD Cubao 8AM
– EDSA – NLEX – SCTEX- TPLEX (Pozorrubio)
– Sison, Pangasinan Stopover (20minutes – 25 minutes)
– ETA Sebay 1:00PM (ETA will depend on the traffic condition; It took us almost 2 hours to reach San Juan, La Union from TPLEX – Pozorrubio exit.
– Lunch at Tagpuan
– Trike to Costa Villa Beach Resort
– Check-in at Costa Villa Beach Resort 2PM
– Rest/Wash up
– Chill by the Beach 4:30PM
– Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel
– Trike to El Union Coffee
– El Union Coffee
– Trike to Costa Villa Beach Resort
– Lights Out

Day 2 – Saturday
– Early Wake Up Call 6AM
– Beach Walk
– Breakfast 7AM
– Chill by the Beach
– Wash Up 10AM
– Check – Out 11AM
– Lunch at Mad Monkeys
– The Coffee Library
– ETD Sebay 3:30PM
– Stopover at San Fernando, La Union (20 minutes – 25 minutes)
– Stopover at Sison, Pangasinan (20minutes – 25 minutes)
– ETA Cubao 9:30M

Gallery

In this section, I will share with you guys some of the pictures that we had during our stay in San Juan, La Union.