Where To Go In Ilocos Norte: Fort Ilocandia

I never really got the chance to do a thorough online research for our Ilocos trip. When our hotel accommodations were settled and after getting a confirmation from our tour guide Kuya Lenzer that we don’t need to worry about our itinerary, I didn’t spend too much time reading online reviews to prevent having premature biases. But with the very few blog posts that I read, I never really saw Fort Ilocandia as a common part of an Ilocos itinerary. But in our case, it was our last stop before heading to Pagudpud.

Fort Ilocandia just came up when I was looking for a hotel to stay in Ilocos. Its website boasts that it is the only five star hotel in the Northern region. But after seeing its rates, I went to the next Google search result.

I am not sure if there’s any truth that Fort Ilocandia was built for the wedding reception of one of the daughters of President Marcos. I remember reading it online, but I never got the chance to confirm this with Kuya Lenzer.


It’s nice that Fort Ilocandia opens its doors even to tourists who are not checked in at the hotel. Though the tour is only limited up to a certain part of the hotel, we at least had a glimpse of this lavish place. We were not able to see the giant swimming pool that the hotel brags from the tarpaulins we saw along the way. But tourists will definitely be in awe at the sight of the chandelier and the grand staircase. After noticing these two, my next observation was the very strong smell of the floor wax. Haha! Ang layo 'no? Pero sorry, amoy Pronto talaga.


I was also amazed that aside from restaurants and souvenir shops, the hotel also has a couple of ATMs at their lobby. Tuwang-tuwa lang kami makakita ng ATM sa Ilocos. Bakit ba?! :p

Hanging on the walls along the hallway are various photos of celebrities who visited the hotel. Tourist are allowed to roam around until the hotel’s giant fountain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working during our visit.

With its monochromatic tone and old-fashioned feel, Fort Ilocandia truly exudes a unique elegance. I bet their amenities also speak of nothing but classiness, but there was nothing much to see at the hotel for tourists like us. So after a few minutes of roaming around and taking advantage of their clean restroom, we were back on the road.