Santiago Cove Hotel: Your Santorini Getaway up North

If you're looking for that Santorini, Greece beach vibes but don't want to get on a plane, Santiago, Ilocos Sur is your best bet. Located up north, a 6 hour drive from Manila is Santiago Cove Hotel. Featuring sands that remind one you are in the Boracay of the North, Santiago Cove Hotel is a very calming blue and white themed hotel with tasteful splashes of colors that promise a wonderful vacation.

I was up and out with friends, and it is my first time to go to Ilocos. I would never say no to beaches, and I remember how the coast of Ilocos Sur was lauded for white sandy beaches and that Biak na Bato rock formation, among other things. Santiago Cove Hotel is extra special as it sits on the over 1 kilometer stretch of Santiago Cove, home to pristine emerald waters set against lush mountains.

Room Tour and Amenities of Santiago Cove Hotel

We got a deluxe room that is spacious and perfect for a family of 4. 

The room has everything that you would need for a nice quiet stay- with a dresser and a desk, a big spacious closet, a big flat-screen TV, aircon, a pretty great wifi connection if you're doing a working vacation, and most importantly, a nice, clean bathroom with proper heated showers for relaxing after a fun day at the beach!

The best part of Santiago Cove is the views, we got a stunning pool and beach view over our shared balcony. 

Activities to Do in Santiago Cove

Sabangan Beach 

The hotel has a pool in their main building, an indoor pool over at their annex building and is 10 steps away from the beach. 

You can have fun catching the sunset with their Sunset Cruise, or maybe get active with their kayak and stand up paddle board rentals. There's also jet skis and banana boat if your group is the more adventurous type.

Food and Flavours in Santiago Cove

No worries about food when you're here up north as Ilocos region is known for its exciting, flavorful dining offerings. Here are my recommended dining spots around Santiago Cove:

Tiny Wave Restaurant

You're getting two places with Tiny Wave. One is the Tiny Wave Indoor restaurant where you would usually get your pickings for breakfast. They have a buffet filled with Vigan Longganisa, Daing na bangus and espadang tuyo, which are awesome when paired with Sukang Iloco. 

You can also go ala carte, with them whipping awesome things over at the egg and waffle station, or just have a slice of their incredible french toast and pudding for breakfast. That pudding is so awesome that we even had seconds to bring to our room for snacks!

You also have the Tiny Wave Outdoor Pool Restaurant. This pool restaurant serves Asian fare, including Korean and Japanese unlimited grilling. For ala carte options, my must try items in order of my favorites would be: Gojuchang Chicken Wings, Crispy Calamari, Nori Cheese Sticks, Salt and Pepper Pork Riblets, Pork Sisig, Korean Fried Chicken, and Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop.

Their unlimited grills is also a must try, with prices startiing at 350 Php per head. What makes it unique is that you also get abundant fresh seafood options such as locally-sourced tuna, dorado, clams, mussels, shrimps, among many others for an additional fee. PS: You can get it for less than 600 Php! 

Rubra Skylounge

Santiago Cove Hotel recently opened up their new hotel annex, and on the top floor lies Rubra Bar Skylounge. The place is perfect for parties, or maybe a nice cocktail with drinks by their covered pool. In the mornings it looks really nice and colorful but it also shines wonderfully at night. 

For our second night at Santiago Cove Hotel though, we got to taste and experience an exquisite and wonderful dinner prepared for us by Chef Chester Delos Reyes – Velas. He is Santiago Cove Hotel's Chef Consultant and the brain behind the brilliant menu of the property’s two main dining outlets.

The rooftop bar is elegant, classy but casual. I loved that there was the open kitchen to the side, which gave us a tease on how the food was cooked, and how everything smelled really delicious. 

His dishes were pretty innovative, and I am planning to recreate some of the technique that he has shown to my own dishes too. I mean, fresh bamboo shoots for a lighter pasta substitute? Yes please. It was pretty much out of this world when it came to taste. The fresh ingredients and plating made everything even more tasty. 

Big thanks to Chef Chester and his team!

Rodrigo's Roast and Resto Bar

A few steps away from the hotel is the beach, and Rodrigo’s Roast + Resto and Bar.  If you want to enjoy the beach with family for an authentic Filipino-Ilocano lunch or dinner with a modern flair, this is the place to be in Ilocos Sur. The best part? It highlights the unique flavors of Santiago using only the freshest, sustainably-sourced ingredients. 

The ambiance in Rodrigo’s is nothing short of refreshing, with a romantic seaside setting matched with live acoustic music. Among the restaurant’s specialties is the well-loved Lechon Roast.

If you're looking for a proper beach getaway, maybe with a bit of history on the side, consider going up over Ilocos Sur. 

With Santiago Cove Hotel, you can definitely experience that chic Santorini, Greece vibes, enjoy good food and create wonderful new experiences and memories with friends or family.  The chic property elevates the hotel lifestyle with its well-loved Ilocano hospitality at budget-friendly price points.

Santiago Cove Hotel

Sabangan Beach, Santiago, Ilocos Sur

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