Experience the treasures of Iloilo

Iloilo can beam with pride as a home that offers the charms of both the old and new worlds. Exciting opportunities and faithful assurances have kept locals there and have magnetized newcomers as guests and residents. If you’re ever around Iloilo City (and why not), let these destinations remind you why there’s much to love about the “City of Love”.

Molo Mansion

Get nostalgic by stepping foot in Molo Mansion, opposite the famous eponymous district’s plaza and church. Also known as the Yusay-Consing Mansion, this grandiose home built in 1926 gives people a clear sense of the distinguished life. Once you’re done strolling around, enjoy the other offerings there. After all, Molo Mansion is touted as the “home of Iloilo’s arts, crafts and homegrown businesses.”

The home itself is an exhibit space, a souvenir shop and fitness studio. The yard, meanwhile, features gastronomy. Sample the local and international fare at Sa Poste, “Pancit Mo, Lo,” Marie’s Kitchen and Otako Monsta. Kurukape and Coffee Stroll are eager to serve you punchy brews.

 

Y Street Coffee

Is it the modern aesthetic you’re after? Look no further than Y Street Coffee in Mandurriao. This photogenic location inside Villa Alegre Subdivision has lines, curves and shapes that make it interesting from various directions. It will appeal to a demographic of coffee lovers and foodies who find Japandi appealing.

It works to the place’s advantage that it’s in a suburban location—easy to reach from the major roads of Iloilo City and still rewarding for guests looking for the laidback vibe. From one window you see the city’s greenery, from another you see the progress it enjoys and has yet to enjoy.

Calle Real

In the downtown area, you might find yourself reading the marker on Calle Real (officially J.M. Basa Street) corner Aldeguer Street. It refers to the “Escolta of Iloilo,” a Spanish-era commercial district that impressed the likes of national hero Jose Rizal.

Still home to structures built in the 19th and 20th centuries, you may go on a leisurely walk to look for neoclassical, beaux-art and art deco buildings. Many locals and heritage enthusiasts pin the place’s revitalization on its declaration by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as a heritage zone in 2014, the reason the marker is where it is.

 

South Point

The expansion of this mall in Iloilo City is a must-visit for foodies. South Point is a modern destination that fits into the postpandemic world. Its restaurants are airconditioned, yes, but it also invites people to the outdoor settings. It has a mini park featuring a fountain.

Once a parking lot, South Point now throbs with life. It tirelessly churns out events, bringing celebrities, interests and promos within reach of mallgoers. It diversified even further the variety of food-and-beverage offerings in the area with important additions such as homegrown brands Coffeebreak NXT and Bourbon Street. A 24/7 store and a coworking space there offer hotspots for night owls, remote workers and digital nomads.

 

Iloilo Esplanade

When you pass by this 9-plus-km project, the longest linear park in the Philippines, you hope that bodies of water suffering urban decay elsewhere would one day turn into something like it. Not too long ago, Iloilo River, which this community space frames, was direly in need of rehabilitation.

PGAA Creative Design, which designed the project, recalls it beginning as “an existing dike road devoid of shade and originally built just as a flood control measure.” Now, it benefits residents from five of seven districts–it’s a favorite jogging and biking route, as well as a hang out place. The project also unlocked a belt of development all around it.