Expat Guide to Living in Iloilo City, Philippines (Part 1)
I’ve been living in Iloilo City, Philippines with my wife, who was born and raised in Iloilo City (an Ilongga from Mandurriao), and son, who was born in Manila, since April of this year.
My first trip to Iloilo City was in February of 2007. We decided to move to Iloilo City to spend more time with our family members prior to us going to California later this year. Prior to moving to Iloilo City, we spent a year living in Makati, Manila. Prior to that I was living in California, New York and Virginia. Before immigrating to the United States, I was living in Cambodia — actually, I was born and raised in Cambodia. So, geographically, I’ve come full circle — Southeast Asia to North America back to Southeast Asia.
Having lived most of my life in the United States, I took convenience for granted. When I wanted cheap clothes I would head to Wal-Mart or Target or Kohl’s. For groceries, I would go to Safeway or Ralph’s (there’s also a Ralph’s here in Iloilo but it’s actually a liquor store and not a grocery store). For a quick bite to eat, I had my choices of McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, etc. And, for a whole lot of everything, I always ended up at Costco.
Speaking of a “whole lot” of everything, the first thing I noticed about things in the Philippines is that you get a “little bit” of everything. Take McDonald’s for example. In California, when you say super-size, you literally get a pound of fries and a 32-oz cup of soda along with your impossible-to-bite-into Big Mac. Here, when you super-size your order at McDonald’s, you get the US equivalent of a small box of fries and a small cup of soda. By the way, I have never had any problem biting into my juicy Big Mac here in Iloilo or anywhere in the Philippines for that matter, for it’s the size of a regular cheese burger in California. So, if you really miss McDonald’s, be sure to order two super-sized meals.
Fast food is very popular in Iloilo. So, if fast food is your thing, don’t fret. You’ll find McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut and even Dunkin Donut just about anywhere. But, don’t limit yourself to American’s fast food restaurants. Try the Filipino’s version:
Jollibee = McDonald’s or Burger King
Chow King = no US equivalence
Max’s = KFC
Greenwich Pizza = Pizza Hut
Mr. Donut = Dunkin Donut (there are no Krispy Kremes in Iloilo, only in Manila)
Blue Jay Cafe and Figarro= the closest thing to Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee & Tea
All these places (except Blue Jay Cafe) can be found at one of the three malls in Iloilo City. The most popular and the biggest mall in Iloilo City is SM City Iloilo. The other ones are SM Delgado (the oldest and actually my favorite mall) and Robinson’s (the newest). To get to any of these malls just tell the taxi driver the name of the the mall.
For groceries, I usually shop at SM Supermarket. There one at every SM mall. For that reason, it’s the most convenient place to shop. But, if you want hard-to-find, imported items, the place to shop is Atrium (again, tell the taxi driver to take you to Atrium). I especially like their fresh produce and fresh meat sections. They also have a wider selection of olive oil and frozen products like salmon, sausages and pizzas. I even spotted some Kirkland-brand olive oil the last time I was there. If you crave cheese or Angus beef from Australia or a delicious, made-to-order salad, the place to be is Blue Jay Cafe on General Luna Street.
Ok, that should get you started. There are so many great places to shop, eat, drink and visit in Iloilo. In Part 2, I plan to continue listing other places to shop for things. After that, I plan to write about the best places to have a drink, to access the Internet, to people watch, to snorkel, to dive, to read, to photograph, etc. Do let me know what aspect of Iloilo you would like me to write about next. I’ll do my best to comply. Otherwise, I will just pick a topic. Until next time, I hope to bump into you at the mall or wherever our paths may cross in Iloilo.
im really very thankful you found a great guy like him.
Great insights and tips on living in Iloilo. I’m looking forward to my first visit to Iloilo
J Carlton,
When are you coming to Iloilo? From what part of the world? Welcome in advance.
Hi, nice to know that you enjoy your stay in Iloilo. Glad to have a fellow asian living in my hometown. I was born in Iloilo but now living in San Diego, California. I do my best to go home once every two years, I guess because I really miss my city. Maybe someday I’ll be happy to tour Cambodia too. I know it’s a beautiful country. GODBLESS.
Reynaldo,
Cambodia is a beautiful country. You should visit Siem Reap province. That’s where most of the temples are located.
God Bless!
my friends & i will visit iloilo next week before going to boracay. i hope you can give tips with regards to nice places that we can visit. thanks!
just indulge in the gastronomic attractions of iloilo and you’ll keep coming back for more
AMRIN
with you living in Iloilo City for almost 10 months now, can you enumrate the htings you like and dislike about the city?
Hi AMRIN, I am an american living here in Cincinnati,Ohio. I’ve been to Iloilo in 2007 together with my friends to watch their Dinagyang Festival held every January. It was AWESOME. we liked it. We enjoyed our short stay in the city. the people are warm and very hospitable. We are planning to visit Cambodia next year. We will visit those beautiful temples in Cambodia.
Thank you for all the replies, both here and privately.
Francis — I was at Dinagyang Festival as well last year. It was amazing. I took more than 800 photos during the event using my Nikon D70. Have fun in Cambodia. You will definitely fall in love with the beauty of the temples.
Jorp — Iloilo is my eye candy. I love all the old churches and old Spanish-inspired homes. Have you visited Molo Church and Nelly Gardens? If time permits, a day trip to the surrounding islands (Bacolod or Guimaras) is worth every peso. If I have to choose between Bacolod and Guimaras, I would choose Guimaras. The last time my wife and I went Guimaras with friends, we rented a banca (or motor boat) for the day. We ended up island hopping, swimming in crystal clear water, and eating our lunch at one of the many secluded, privately-owned beaches. It was surreal to say the least.
Chelle — Sorry for the late reply. See my comments above for some suggestion on what to do. By the way, the boat rental I mentioned above cost less than $50 excluding tips for the boat captain and his helper. I would also recommend you taking a trip to Antique and Mia-Gao, both are part of Iloilo.
Reynaldo & J. Carlton — There’s always an iced cold San Miguel waiting for you. Just let us know when you’re here.
It’s pretty amazing how well you’ve adapted to our Filipino way of life. Although life here is far different from the one you’ve been used to in the States, I know you now consider the Philippines your second (or is it third?) home and it is here where your heart is.
[...] been around since 2006 but it’s not until recently that my husband thought of blogging, much more writing a series about his Iloilo experience. What can I say, he’s learning the ways of Ilonggos although he [...]