March is right around the corner, and you know what that means for most of us in the country like the Philippines. It means the summer season is finally at our doorstep, peeking to see if anybody’s home. So before everybody else does it, I’m coming right out and putting up my top 3 summer destinations outside of Iloilo City.
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#3 Damires Hills Tierra Verde Leisure Farm
Image Credit: Flickr user Jo Bet
With approximately 40 hectares of land, Damires Hills in Janiuay, Iloilo is every nature lover’s paradise. Distantly sprawling hills, and carpets of green — high and low — greet you. Many travel bloggers recommend the resort if you ever find yourself in Janiuay.
The resort has all sorts of nature-related activities you and your family can participate in. There’s a zip line, an ATV-ride, and bungee trampolines. Yup, it’s not just a relaxation resort. You can seek out adrenaline-inducing activities too.
From Iloilo City, it’s a one-hour drive. To get there, you can either take a Calinog Bus Liner, or a Calinog Jeepney at the Ungka Terminal.
Tucked away in the recesses of Guimaras’ uncharted waters, lies a small group of islands located in Brgy. Sinapsapan in Jordan, Guimaras.
These islands are called Tatlong Pulo, named after three islets facing the beach. Compared to other tourist destinations in Guimaras, Tatlong Pulo is less popular. And that fact in itself is kind of a good thing.
Why?
So much of these islands’ natural and raw beauty is wonderfully preserved. I don’t need to put in too much detail when these teal waters can speak for themselves.
There are resorts in Tatlong Pulo — Tatlong Pulo Beach Resort and Balingasag Beach Resort. They have very few cottages to accommodate a surge of overnight tourists — if there are any. Experienced travel bloggers recommend booking the cottage in advance if you want to have an overnight stay.
But because Guimaras is so close to the City, one can easily travel there during the day and return come later afternoon or early evening. It’s no wonder why this is included in our list of summer destinations outside of Iloilo City.
#1 Aningalan Farm
Image Credit: Belle Piccio at choosephilippines.com
If you only thought strawberries in the Philippines are limited to Baguio, you’re kind of dead wrong. That’s because somewhere in the province of Antique — in San Remigio, specifically — there lies Aningalan’s High-land Strawberry Garden.
Besides the usual outdoor activities, like visiting the local cave and the lake, strawberry picking is at the top of the list of things that you should do. Aside from offering guests the opportunity to pick strawberries, they also sell souvenir items, farm products, and pre-picked strawberries.
Image Credit: Belle Piccio at choosephilippines.com
In fact, because of Aningalan’s vegetable farm, it’s been affectionately nicknamed as “Little Baguio,” and also the “vegetable basket” of Panay Island.
You can pick all the strawberries you want during Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
My Final Thoughts on these Summer Destinations Outside of Iloilo City
There are so many places in Iloilo and outside the province that have treasures like these three. We’ll cover some more come summer time, but for now, let these three tourist destinations tide over your wanderlust.
