I know it's selfish, but I'm ok when the City is underrated. I hope it will be secret for a while, I don't like to lives in a expat hotspot like the cities you mentioned. Quality is better than quanity.
Totally agree iloilo city is underrated. But loads of different food delicacies not so heavy traffic and beautiful beaches is just few minutes far from the city
It's better underrated so it won't attract more people. Okay na na ya nga ma tawhay kag matinlo not overcrowded. Peaceful and lovely place for us Ilonggo. I love watching blogs in Iloilo but it's better to stay away from too much exposure to preserve tranquility and peaceful life of Ilonggo but visitors are most welcome.
In your dreams underrated. wala Naman kasing puntahan dyan...Metro Cebu has luxurious resorts and has better airport, masks and hotels. Proud of your own hehe ika nga
OMG! I'm so glad I watched this episode; Iloilo is my father's hometown in the Philippines. I haven't been to Iloilo, my father is the only child, and he passed away years ago, so I'm not sure if I still have relative in Iloilo. I always said, when I visit Philippines, I'll be visiting my father's hometown. The place is really nice and definitely will visit this place when we visit Manila. Thank you for sharing! Regards, from Dallas, Texas.
Do you know where in Iloilo city your father is from? Or what his last name is? Pretty sure there are loads of people here that are closely related to you.
your father has probably some cousins in Iloilo that are still alive. If you tell your father’s family name and hometown, for sure you will likely find your roots as well...
Oh I didn't know that Iloilo is now modernized by developers and investors like Megaworld. This Canadian-Filipino couple blogger is really helping Philippine tourism to showcase what the Philippines can offer to tourist around the world. Iloilo is beginning to be like Cebu, the heart of business district offering more opportunities for jobs. Kudos to the investors eventhough business is not that good during pandemic they still want to invest. Maybe Michael and Bianka can do RU-vid Live also but you guys should activate your Superchat first before doing that so your subscribers can give you love gifts.
@@BiancaBeyond yeah, try it but unfortunately I'm gonna miss it because I will be in my night shift work tonight but I can catch up if you will do live during weekends.
The obvious difference between Cebu and Iloilo is that Iloilo has excellent urban planning, is more orderly, is definitely cleaner, in fact it's the cleanest city in the Philippines, it has plenty of heritage structures still intact and well-maintained, its heritage Spanish churches are clean looking and very beautiful, it has less traffic jams, it has fresher air, food prices are low and fresh from sources because it still has plenty of wide agricultural land up nirtht. Iloilo City and suburbs has the LOWEST ELECTRICAL POWER RATES among all the the cities in the Philippines. Clean water supply, and this will be more than adequate when the multi-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Dam will be operational starting 2023-24, this is South Korea's biggest investment in the Philippines.
@@armandosune3839 totally agree with everything you wrote. And added to that the seafood capital of the philippines is in Roxas which is in Panay island ..the best delicacies , the best beaches not only in boracay but to mention like in the provinces of Concepcion .sara .antique etc . The best festival Dinagyang ..and of course the smiling faces of the ilonggos.
Iloilo has started to have infrstructure buildings at the time of PresNOY Aquino , he was the first president of the philippines to modernized it , with support of fellow ilonggo Sen. DRILON.
I’m just smiling all throughout the video. I’m not in my hometown right now, but I’m proud of the place I was born and raise. Welcome to our humble city!
I can’t wait to explore there. Arriving in October in Iloilo City, to explore the culture, hang out for Christmas and Dinagyang Festival . Take a ride up to Boracay, ride south on the western side of the island. More exited than I can convey …….
I'm shocked!! My family and I used to drive through parts of Iloilo to get to Dumangas Port but we didn't know there's that beautiful modern place.....
Wow kudos to the city government of Iloilo, they thought well their city. It looks like it will be the most beautiful provincial city in the Philippines and the sidewalks are amazing. It is not chaotic at all. Hoping they will attract the rich tourists there.
@Arnold @SanDan The middle and upper middle class is strong in Iloilo and consumer spending is high, that's the reason why in spite of its population of just 450T+, there are plenty of shopping malls, airconditioned supermarkets and grocery stores, restaurants, fastfoods, and fine-dining restos. Poverty index is just a mere 3+percent. Iloilo attracts a lot of conventioners with groups numbering between 1200 to over. Just last few weeks, two big national conventions were held here in Iloilo, with each group numbering 6000 delegates, filling up the city's hotels and inns. Iloilo City keeps on attracting more BPO/IT/call center companies from MM because of its beautiful amenities, plenty of parks, plazas, squares, and its riverside Esplanades which health and wellness advocates find ideal for their health activities like jogging, exercising, Zumba, fishing, birdwatching, and biking. Iloilo has extensive protected biking lanes. Museums, art galleries, public murals and mural-sculptures, fountains, monuments, city flower gardens, traffic-jam-free wide avenues and roads, heritage structures, architectural attractions, and and a clean and peaceful environment and family-oriented wholesome nightlife. Cuisine is delicious and many dishes here are iconic and nationally well-loved. Iloilo is both walkable and bikable and transportation is easily available with plenty of new air-conditioned E-buses, and clean taxicab lines operating grab-style, no registration necessary, just call the base office at streetside for your GPS-searched taxicab to fetch you. Fun and convenient in ILOILO. Ciao.
@Constructive Criticism. Iloilo's downtown is not messy, I may tell you. When was the last time you were here? This is August, 2022. Check on the latest videos. You're not updated. I have been to all the big cities. I can tell you how messy, and messier, if you will, these other cities are. ILOILO CITY's downtown areas are kept swept daily, Charming pots of greenery line the brick-paved sidewalks. The vendors have been cleared and those that you see still there have their goods stuck to the entrances of the stores, providing a neat line that don't obstruct passersby. And soon, the new power distributor, More, is spending 150m to place the overhead electrical wires underground. I can't say this of the other cities, including your city. So, just watch.
Thank you for featuring my hometown, Iloilo City! It so gives me joy that you enjoyed your visit there, and are even thinking of moving there! I always tell my friends who are looking for a place to put up their home to consider Iloilo City - it has every convenience you need, without the traffic and noise of a megapolis. And in Iloilo City, you’re just a short distance away from Boracay, and many other beach resorts, as well as inland tourist spots! And the cost of living is still very “provincial!”
Iloilo City is also known for its Esplanades, which stretch over 9 km by the Iloilo River in total. These places are perfect for jogging, walking, sightseeing, and biking (except Esplanade 1 & 2). Iloilo City is also unofficially called the Bike Capital of the Philippines.
you can read in the iloilo city wikipedia it’s there the bike capital of the philippines, the only one im thinking is the food haven of the philippines but already is in the news.
The city planning of Ilo-Ilo is very well done!! This should be the standard of all cities of the Philippines. I’ve been here and it is the cleanest and the best so far!
@@constructivecriticism4352 Nagkakalat ka ah. Malaki ata galit mo sa Iloilo ah? HAHAHA. You know what, we live satisfactorily here in Iloilo kase although we are not as rich as Cebu, here its super unpolluted, unpopulated, clean, organized, safe, tsaka wala masyadong prostitution. Cebu and Davao has their own gems din, and I respect that.
Just got back from 5 weeks in the Philippines, stayed in Iloilo for 9 days right there in Megaworld area ,you guys hit it right on the head,very modern ,beautiful and clean and will be the city of the future in the Philippines, by 2028 will be third largest city in the country Great investment opportunities!! Loved it !! Very affordable
While you're here in Iloilo, I would suggest stopping by: - Villa area - dine at Tatoy's, Matmat, Stanley's (seafood and freshly made Lechon) - Downtown area - grab some siopao at Roberto's, check out the old buildings still being used - Check out the Fort San Pedro area - Muelle Loney - dinner by the river (and drop by the old Iloilo prison across it) - Boardwalk area and Esplanade - Walk around Small Ville and Atria area at night - Try Madge Cafe & authentic Lapaz Batchoy
wow, such a beautiful city. very modern, and lots of shopping for just about anything you need or want, plus many food areas with ample seating. Clean and organized. I checked the hospitals there and are equivalent to the ones in Manila. Even the outskirts of the city are nice.
I WAS BORN IN ILOILO CITY N I LOVE IT VERY MUCH...I HAD TO GO HOME N ILOILO SOON MEET MY FAMILY N FRIENDS...MABUHAY ILOILO CITY IM PROUD TO BE ILONGO...THATS IT !!!.
You two are awesome for working everyday and spending long hours editing for us to enjoy 😄✌🏼 Iloilo is one of the most westernized cities in the Phil’s. It has a cool river that crosses the middle of the city.
Wow! Iloilo is so modern now. Last time i've been there was in 2008 and i was already impressed. Back then they had the most modern airport in PI (i thought). Kudos to all Ilongos! Thanks for this.
You have to eat beef kare-kare with a shrimp paste, so you would taste how flavorful the food is. Kare-kare is usually eaten with rice and shrimp paste on top of the kare-kare sauce. It’s my favorite.
For me as a westerner.... Iloilo is the best place to lives and enjoy my retirement. As what you mentioned, modern, clean, not too big, less traffic jam very pedestrian and cyclist friendly I guess the Esplanade Section 1 to 9 (Iloilo River Promenade) is unique in this country. all major Malls are here, cozy Restaurants, good night life after 8 yrs in Province of Cavite, suburbs of Metro Manila we moved here few weeks ago. Most underrated by expats, but I'm ok with, I'm not looking for an expat hotspot. FYI, the Megaworld area is the old Airport runway.
Does Iloilo have a lot of nearby hiking or outdoor activities? I like shopping malls, but I don’t need to fly to the Philippines to go too a mall!!. 😊✌🏻
@@christopherhouse7937 yes it sure does soon a video will come from us showing a 9km Esplanade for hiking and walking. Each Esplanade is themed different
@@christopherhouse7937. All of the city's parks and Spanish plazas and Squares are now being rehabitated and may be available by December. Aside from these, the public flower garden called Iloilo City Garden of Love is now open to the public. The Esplanades are are, of course open, and its newest and also the shortest, Esplanade 10, is now open. More parks forthcoming:. 1) the Molo Boulevard Beach Seaside Tree Park;. 2) the Loboc Lapuz Mangrove Tree Park. 3) the Lanit Native Trees Park and Botanical Gardens and Nursery. 4) the Sunset Boulevard, 4.5kms, 4-lanes, with Esplanades and exclusive biking lanes, stretching from Carpenter bridge in Tabucan, Mandurriao district towards Cagbang, Oton, Metro Iloilo. 5) the Dongon Creek Esplanades and biking lanes, 4.5kms, stretching alongside the Dongon Creek at Esplanade 1 Extension at the Skate Park on Diversion Road towards the the Megaworld side of the Dongon Creek in Jaro District. This esplanade links Jaro District to the rest of the Esplanades in all the districts of the City of ILOILO. Once this Dongon Creek is completed, you can go traversing throughout the entire city districts using only the Esplanades and your bike. Iloilo is the acknowledged Biking Capital of the Philippines.
Hope this is not the last vlog from Iloilo because there’s a lot more my city offers , you basically only showed the area around Megaworld!! I do understand you guys have to walk near the area where you are staying and film from there but that area is only a small portion of what Iloilo is all About !! Hoping to see more of Iloilo hopefully 🙏, thank you for Visiting the City of Love ❤️
@@BiancaBeyond Go to Jaro Cathedral...! Also take a walk after sunrise along Esplanade 1 & 2. You'll be surprised. Nigthlife is in Smallville 21 and nearby areas
Welcome to Iloilo City of Love. I've been working at Festive Mall when vaccination site is there last few months. I'm happy to see you there blogging. Great video and we love you both from 🇵🇭... God bless!
there are lots of old mansions in Iloilo -> one of them is the Lopez mansion (i think it's a museum now?). Lopezes -> Powerplant mall, Manila electric, etc... Iloilo-Bacolod is home to the old sugar hacienderos...
If you're impressed by the architecture around Megaworld, they're actually just a copy of/inspired by the genuine heritage architecture along Calle Real / JM Basa St. in the downtown heritage district. That's the "real" Iloilo City, not as modern but one of the most picturesque and interesting old downtowns in the country. The old Capitol building, National Museum (converted from the old jail) and surrounding parks are worth a visit and video as well.
People visiting iloilo has 2 choices to see.. the old iloilo or calle real or the modern one in mandurriao..variety of foods to choose. Lovely and smiling ilonggos and lesser traffic.
It's almost the beginning of Christmas season in the Philippines. Christmas decorations will soon be up beginning in September. Prepare for the celebrations.
Hey guys great video. Iloilo looks great and I have seen a couple videos before. It looks very well organized and very clean. I had someone comment on a comment I left on a video that Iloilo would be a good place for me to move to but first I need to check it out but it does look great and the location is very good too.
I find it weird that there is no rice on the table. lol. You are supposed to put a little shrimp paste into your kare-kare (pronounced as ka - re ka - re) and then eat them with rice. That will definitely add a lot more flavor into your kare-kare. The kare-kare looks yummy though with rice or with no rice. Just some advise about the foods being served to you. Don't be shy to ask the waiters how use those additional small things that they give to you (like the bagoong or shrimp paste, calamansi, etc.).
Iloilo city's Parks and plazas are the best places to visit now. Some of them are still being renovated, but there are parks that are already open. Iloilo Esplanade 1, Molo Plaza where you could see the Molo Church and Molo Mansion, Muelle Loney, Plaza Libertad, City downtown where you could find the heritage buildings and the Roberto's Siopao. Speaking of foods, you should go also to Tatoy's Manokan in Villa and Lapaz Market for Lapaz Batchoy and Madge Cafe.
Yes!!! Kodus to all Ilonggos like me!!! Iloilo City will be more progressive after 10 years from now as you can hardly imagine, to see is to believe we never talk to much about our city but its you to find out!!! Megaworld is only a huge sample of our progress however you can check other areas of iloilo city and you will be amazed💥💥💥
Dude I live here and after watching your video I discovered some things I didn’t even know about my own city, I seriously need to leave the house more, working from home has its downsides… appreciate it alot!
Nice video Mike and Bianca. All of that looks pretty familiar, and I'm sure it's already been suggested but I think the two of you would love the Esplanade that runs quite a distance along the river there (not far from where you are). My wife loves Iloilo being that she grew up in Dumangas, which is about a half an hour away by SUV and still frequently visits the family home there. If we didn't have our place in San Fernando I could see living in that area because of how nice and modern it is.
Thanks for bringing me closer to home. That new development believe it or not was an old airport runway before. Great planning and investment by our own city government. That modern jeepney has been modern even in the 70's. Better than in Manila. Iloilo=Irong Irong=Datu Paiburong (Malay Datu from Borneo) Look at Iloilo heritage. It was also heavily influenced by Spanish, American heritage.
Hi guys … you made me excited to go back home to my beloved city … it’s been a decade since I left home … thanks to you !!! I enjoy watching your videos… God bless and more vlogs to come … 🙏🙏🙏keep safe always
Iloilo branch of the Central Bank will soon transfer there in Megaworld. There were previously many shops open there in the 3rd floor but had closed because of CoViD-19 government regulations. They are jeepneys. That's how some of the jeepneys in Iloilo looks like.
We are planning to move to Iloilo in about 3 years. My wifes hometown is Ajuy, Iloilo and after more than 23 years married I will get retired next year. We are excited to live again in the Philippines :-)
@@loulou55... würd ich gerne ;-) Unsere jüngste Tochter ist aber noch bis 2024 in Ausbildung und danach warten wir noch ca. 1 Jahr ... je nach beruflicher Situation. Am liebsten würd ich auch sofort gehen ... da gibt es aber noch ein anderes klitzekleines Problemchen ... die immer noch vorherrschenden Restriktionen mit Maskenscheiss usw. :-( Aber kommt sicher gut ... hoffe ich. Und ja, stimmt, s'Läbe isch sooooo schön und uf de Philippine no chli schöner ... hab schon etliche Jahre dort gelebt ... La Union, Mamburao, Sorsogon, Cavite (Zapote Kabila) und eben Iloilo.
Just subscribed! One island away is Guimaras, home of the sweetest mangoes and stunning beaches. You should go there sometime in the summer when Manggahan festival is up.
You got another subscriber. 😉 Thank you for visiting our lovely city. And there are so many reasons you two to stay here in our beloved city. You should witness and experience our famous Dinagyang Festival happening during January. Keep safe always guys! Or in hiligaynon, halong kamo permi! ☺
I've been following you guys lately and I'm surprised you were able to feature my city and the place where I work. hehehe.. Hope you had a good stay here guys.. 😊
Yes very nice city indeed, been there at Iloilo convention center for a seminar and really amazed by its massive development in that area.thanks for featuring cuz it really confused me between the Iloilo and Bacolod which city I had been 😀, now I realized I've been to both beautiful city 😀
Kare Kare is a type of Filipino stew with a rich and thick peanut sauce. It is a popular dish in the Philippines served during special occasions. The traditional recipe is composed of ox tail. There are instances wherein both ox tripe and tail are used. The vegetable components of the dish are string beans, eggplant, bok choy, and banana blossoms. Lightly browned toasted ground rice is used to thicken the sauce.
7:08. Yes sir, that's a typical Jeepney design here in Iloilo. You can rarely see a classic Philippine Jeepney design here. In Iloilo province the Jeepneys are longer and bigger compared to those in the city ❤️
I live and work in megaworld just to say thank you for you vlog... In your video you passby my work place... Its so nice to see the beauty of iloilo city... ❤️ And I would say its still nice to live here.... Its safe.. Its clean, and living in Iloilo City is not costly you can live in a modern city.. Without getting broke..
Fyi Iloilo houses the first Mang Inasal branch located in Robinsons place.... Yes they originated here in Iloilo where the owner used to have 2 businesses before forming mang inasal.
welcome to the city of love. You can also visit islands going north, for about more than 3 hours travel to be there. many untouched islands will gonna surprise you. Include guimaras island too nearby iloilo for about 15 minutes from iloilo city port travel by boat.
If you are wondering why the McDo logo is prominent there while you don't see any Jollibee, it is because the owner of Megaworld is also the master franchisee of McDonalds in the whole Philippines.
Your asking if you will move there in Iloilo? BEST DECISION that you will ever make! The people are very friendly and helpful and the food you can't go wrong either. Iloilo is one of the best cities in ASIA according to the latest ranking that they made.
Maybe after a week of living, you would think your dead, then you would realized at an instance you were in Iloilo. Boredom probably, cause and effect.
Kare kare is pronounced ka-reh ka-reh and goes well with shrimp paste. If you like to try seafoods you can go to either breakthrough restaurant or tatoys both are located in villa district. Enjoy guys!
I'm glad you shared this. I'm from there. I miss home already. They were still building the megamall during my last trip there but now it's really wow! I hope you guys can also feature the beautiful places in the city.
Iloilo is my hometown .I live in Mandurriao my house is very close to Mega World .My last vacation is 2011 .IM planning to go back home this coming October.
Wow! Very nice looking city. I hope we get the chance to visit there when we're traveling The Philippines. If you're in the area can you also check out Dumagute & Valencia on Negros Island. I haven't been there but my understanding is it's a preferred Expat/Retirement destination. Also supposedly really clean with a beautiful boardwalk and oceanside park that's beautifully lit up at night.
i remember suggesting iloilo to you guys back when you were still asking for recommendations when you started vlogging, nice to see that you're in my city currently
Ondoys is one of my favorite restaurant in Iloilo 😍 you should have tried their sotanghon guisado (glass noodles) it's a 10 for me 🥰 thank you for visiting my hometown 😍
Iloilo sure has changed! I’m originally from Aklan so I’ve been to Iloilo a few times when I lived there. The food you guys ate is called kare-kare (kuh-reh kuh-reh) which is originally a Kapampangan dish from Pampanga in Luzon, and you’re supposed to eat it with rice and the shrimp paste that was in that little saucer they gave you. The one you ate wasn’t quite authentic because I noticed they put a lot of corn starch instead of powdered rice and ground peanuts to make the sauce creamy. Ilo (ee-lo) means orphan in bisaya that’s why you don’t say the word by itself. While you’re there, see if you can find batchoy, a kind of soup with pork and noodles. La Paz, Iloilo is well known for it but you still may find it in restos that sell soups.
