One of the few landlocked towns of Antique is San Remigio. It doesn’t have the beaches or ocean views most of its neighbors have, but what it lacks in shores it more than makes up for in stunning rolling terrains. 

Located on the upper tip of Antique’s topography, Pandan is a town with plenty of surprises. Its name is derived not from the pandan plant as one would understandably think (although there’s no shortage of it here), but from an encounter with Spaniards in the days of yore – as is typical with Filipino town etymologies. 

Aboard Philippine Airlines’s flight to San Jose from Clark and chauffeured by Katahum Tours across Antique, I was able to experience some of the province’s offerings. I also got to stay at some of the province’s hotels and resorts. 

If you’re the planning a trip to Antique soon, here are some places to stay. 

Antique is one of the four provinces that make up Panay Island. It belongs to the Western Visayas region and opens up to the Sulu Sea.

The province’s geography runs at an almost straight line, but its terrain is composed of rolling hills and jagged peaks cut across by various waterways and bordered on one side by the ocean. With 18 municipalities, Antique has a lot to offer – from historical to modern comforts all the way to natural delights. If you’re planning to visit the province soon, below are some places to check out and activities to try.

Hey.

What’s up?

This here is an attempt. An effort to explain how much each of you means to me. Because I fear I may not be doing enough.

Let me start by saying this: every night I go to bed secretly wishing I wouldn’t wake up. To be offed in your sleep – that’s not a bad way to go, is it? Just – poof – it’s over. 

The island province of Marinduque is underrated. It deserves so much love for the variety of natural, cultural, and historical treasures it harbors. Located between the Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea, the place enjoys a host of beautiful beaches and stunning ocean vistas. It’s also where the Luzon Datum – the reference for all geodetic surveys in the country – can be found. Marinduque: The Heart of the Philippines – sounds about right. 

With more connectivity, exploring Marinduque has never been easier. If you’re traveling to the province anytime soon, I’ve compiled a list of places to check out in each of its six towns. 

The last time I’ve been to Marinduque – which was, what, five years ago? – it felt like a family vacation. I went with a grad school classmate of mine and stayed at their place so I wasn’t able to check out the accommodations on offer. On my return, aboard Cebu Pacific’s thrice-weekly flight to this island province, I was able to stay and see some of its prime hotels and lodgings.

If you’re visiting the Heart of the Philippines soon, here are some of the places you can stay at.

Storytime is a series of  stories about my most memorable travel experiences. Read more here.

“I want to look my best,” I announced to my roommates, a bit defensively. “I’m going up the mountains.”

My right elbow was up. My hand on the side of my head, supporting the handle of the curling wand, which was setting a section of my hair into a coil.

“Okay,” said Kara, in that judgmental drawling way of her that I was already familiar with. She was kneeling on the mattress on the floor in the middle of the bamboo room, fixing her things. 

An arm’s length from me, sitting on Astrid’s bed, Mujee snickered, which startled me a bit. I'd forgotten he was there.

“Looks great,” chimed Astrid, smiling reassuringly.

After spending almost a week combing through Antique’s offerings, from tracing historical sites to spending my birthday at Seco Island, I decided I have had too much water and not enough ground. And so, on the 7th day, when I had the chance, I escaped to the mountains.

I went on my own and DIY’ed my way to get me my dose of hike. It was absolutely worth it.

Storytime is a series of  stories about my most memorable travel experiences. Read more here.

To be still when all is in flux, to not move when all there is is motion, is a pleasure not everyone deigns to suffer. But that day, in the secret hours before dawn, as the fishing vessel sliced through the temperamental waters of the Sulu Sea, I let myself savor the calm.

It was dark. The steady drone of the boat’s engine and the messy splashes of the waves came together like needle and thread through cloth. There I was – on a frayed tarpaulin out on deck, tucked in the warmth of my friends’s bodies – a year older.