Hotel and Inn Review: Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant (Santiago, Ilocos Sur)

 Date of Stay: October 16-18, 2022

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: *******

Rooms: *******

Condition and Cleanliness: *******

Staff Performance: ********

Room Comfort: ********

Food and Beverage: ********

Other Amenities: ********

Value for Money: ********

 

Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant

The 3-star Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant, one of three Santorini-themed resorts (the others are Vitalis White Sands and Vitalis Villas) along Santiago Cove (dubbed, by many, as the “Boracay of Ilocos Sur”), is a smart choice for a hassle-free and relaxing stay for travelers to Northern Ilocos Sur. 

Check out “Resort Review: Vitalis White Sand”

 

A place to relax, drink a cup of coffee or sip a glass of wine

Sabangan Beach at Santiago Cove

Opened in 2019, their 50 Minimalist-style, aesthetically blue-and-white accented room options, all non-smoking, are the 25 sq. m. (269 sq. ft.) De Luxe Room (Php4,300), the 28 sq. m. (301 sq. ft.) (Premium De Luxe Room (Php6,400), the 30 sq. m. (323 sq. ft.) Junior Suite (Php8,100) and the 36 sq. m. (388 sq. ft.) Family Suite (Php9,100). The last two are good for 4 persons.  

De Luxe Room

All rooms have airconditioning with climate control, a flat-screen cable TV, coffee and tea-making facility, a mini fridge, work desk/dresser and ensuite private bathroom with bidet and free toiletries.  The Family Suite has a dining area and sofa. Free high-speed wi-fi is offered in all areas.

The 24-hour Front Desk

 Aside from the beach, the hotel also has a free form, 5-ft. deep outdoor swimming pool (the centerpiece of the property), a kiddie pool, beachfront bar, a 24-hour Front Desk, business center, a banquet room, conference facilities, an onsite ATM/cash machine, gift/souvenir shop and free onsite parking.  

The free form swimming pool - the centerpiece of the property

The beachfront bar

From its view deck, you can take in the panoramic scenery of the cove and the mountains of the Ilocos in the distance which serves as the beach’s backdrop.

 

Tiny Wave Restaurant

Its indoor Tiny Wave Restaurant offers a breakfast of corned beef, Vigan longanisa, Hungarian sausage, beef tapa, spam, daing na bangus/espada/danggit, chicken adobo flakes, and bacon, all served with egg (any style) and garlic rice or bread; coffee (latte, expresso, macchiato, American) as well as oatmeal champorado, French Toast, pancakes, golden waffles and sandwiches plus an egg station. 

 

Tiny Wave Outdoor Pool Restaurant

At the Tiny Wave Outdoor Pool Restaurant, we tried out the Asian Pork Spring Roll (Php160), Gojuchang Chicken Wings (Php260), Salt and Pepper Pork Riblets (Php240), Crispy Calamari (Php260), Nori Cheese Sticks (Php260) and Pork Sisig (Php300) for appetizers; and Korean Fried Chicken (Php250), Chili Shrimp (Php320), Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop (Php250) and Braised Beef Shank (Php290) for our main course; complemented by Dragon Fruit Shake and a dessert of Ube Cheesecake.

 

An array of delectable dishes

Both F&B outlets also serve soup, salads (Cove House Salad, Caesar Salad), seasonal sashimi (tuna and salmon), sandwiches (Cove Burger, Cheesesteak Sandwich, Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich, Crispy Seafood Roll), noodles (Pad Thai, Japchae, Asian Stir Fried Noodles), Baked Seafood Nachos (Php330), Asian Salmon Fillet (Php330), US Ribeye Steak (Php780), Seared Tuna Steak (Php290), soft drinks and juices.

 

The just inaugurated hotel annex

The just inaugurated four-storey Hotel Annex, beside the hotel, also sports the Santorini vibe and houses Premier Suites, a 300-pax grand ballroom and a coffee shop.

 

Rubra Sky Lounge (photo: Mr. Fernan Nebres)

Chef Chester Delos Reyes Velas

At Rubra Sky Lounge, located at the roof deck of hotel annex, we tried out a special fish-themed dinner set prepared for us by the young and dynamic Chef Chester Delos Reyes Velas -  Boat Snacks (smoked poblacion escargot, Ambucao sea urchin cream, Bantay ipon tartare), Float (Nabang River balingasang, scallops, bamboo shoot, bacon), Bai (San Jose river shrimps, Sinker (Ambucao tanigue, cassava okra seeds, dragon fruit), Catch & Release (Gabao dorado, kardis, broad beans, katuday), Hook (Ambucao tuna bladder, 8-hr. roast beef, truffle polenta) and Sweet Cruise (cornick panna cotta, seaweed brownies, smoked buko) for dessert.   A short distance from the hotel is the  beachfront, two-storey Rodrigo’s Roast + Resto + Bar (open 8 AM to 10 PM).

Check out "Restaurant Review: Rodrigo's Roast + Resto + Bar"

 

Rodrigo's Roast + Resto + Bar

The hotel also offers educational tours around the town (abel factory, blacksmith shops, Mapisi Rock, Church of St. James the Greater, etc.) and to the nearby towns of San Esteban (Bateria, Church of St. Stephen Protomartyr, etc.), Santa Maria (Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Vigan City, a UNESCO World Heritage City.

Check out "Bateria," Mapisi Rock," Church of St. James the Greater" and "Church of Our Lady of the Assumption" 

 

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Santa Maria)

Abel weaving

At the nearby, almost kilometer long Sabangan Beach, you can try out a bevy of marine sports offered by the hotel – single and tandem kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, banana boating and jetskiing.  We also tried out their sunset cruises.  The hotel also offers daily housekeeping, room service and massage.

 

Ms. Nicole Paler, Ms. Ruth dela Cruz, Ms. Jacquelou Colitoy, Ms. Tina Punzal
and the author on a banana boating

The author on a Yamaha Wave Runner

Kudos to Santiago Vice-Mayor Josefino “Boy” Miranda, Chef Chester Delos Reyes Velas, Ms. Dianne Tongol-Miranda (Sales and Marketing Director), Ms. Lualhati Fausto, Ms. Jen Gacusan Real and our tour guide Mr. Adrian Sigua for making our stay truly an enjoyable and memorable one.

The best the author can do on a stand up paddle board

Mr. Anton Delos Reyes and the author enjoying the sunset cruise

Santiago Cove Hotel and Restaurant: Sabangan Beach, Brgy. Sabangan, Santiago 2707, Ilocos Sur.  Mobile number: (0917) 115-4495 (Globe), (0917) 654-2078 (Globe), (0968) 851-5446 (Smart) and (0955) 773-9793 (Rodrigo’s).  E-mail: hsantiagocovehotel@gmail.com.

How to Get There: Ride any bus bound for Vigan City and get off at Santiago where you can get a tricycle bound for Santiago Cove. By car, Santiago is a 370-km. (6-hour) drive via North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic-Clark-Tarlax Expressway (SCTEX) and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).