All About Nueva Ecija

For the holidays, it's popular to hear your friends going to Baguio, Batangas or Tagaytay. But why not try going to somewhere unusual like Nueva Ecija? I know it may not be as glamorous as some of the places you've been to. I was hesitant to go myself because I thought it was a ghost town. Little did I know that I would end up having so much fun and try new adventurous things.

How To Get There

You can either take a car or commute by bus. We took a van since we were four. It took us quite a while because we left Rockwell at 9:30 am and went to pick up my friend Andie in the North. We got to BESM Traveler's Inn at around 2 pm already. That's approximately four and a half hours travel time.

If you're going to take a bus from Manila, choose the one with the sign that says San Jose or Cabanatuan City. Air-conditioned buses charge P190 per ticket.

Where To Stay

For our overnight stay, we booked two single rooms at BESM Traveler's Inn. One room for Toby and I and another for my friend Andrea and her companion. The inn is simple but all its facilities are clean and fairly new. It's designed for those who travel by car especially at night and need a place to stay or somewhat like a stopover for you to be able to rest and freshen up before going on another long drive to your point of destination. A single room costs P1500/ night while the family room comes out at P1800/ night. For discounts, you can book through Agoda here.

BESM Travler's Inn

Brgy. Adorable, San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija

Contact Number: 0922 584 4388

Website: https://www.facebook.com/BesmTravelersInn/timeline

  

 

Single room (Good for 2)  

 

Family room (Good for 4) 

 

Indoor Pool 

Sites To See

As seen on my previous post, we visited Minalungao National Park. It was around an hour away by van from BESM Traveler's Inn. Here are some photos that I was unable to post in my previous entry. These photos are the less dramatic ones.

Hi Toby!

 

 

 

The group I was with. Toby on the left and Andrea on the right. You can see Carlo at the back. He's the manager of BESM Traveler's Inn. 

 

 

 Here I am struggling to climb up the trail to the cave

 

 

Where To Eat 

1. Hapag Vicentico's  

30 minutes away from the city, in the town of Cabanatuan, you will find Hapag Vicentico's. The first thing you will notice when entering is it's Spanish charm and wooden walls. You never see restaurants or houses like this in Manila. I was impressed by how well preserved it was and even more astonished by how good the food was.

 

 

Hapag Vicnetico's serves all Filipino dishes

 

I never knew there was such thing as crispy kare-kare until I ate here. It's so good but don't eat too much of it unless you want to get a food coma.

 

Pork Sisig 

Salted Egg Fried Rice

 

2. Nyork Cafe

Now for those of you who want to try something more Westernized, just a couple of blocks away from Hapag Vicentico's is Nyork Cafe. It's almost like their vision of Starbucks where they serve cafe lattes, cappuccinos and blended juices but they have more food options compared to that of Starbucks. I ordered myself a club sandwich while Toby ordered chicken barbecue.

3. Edna's Cake Land 

Edna's Cake Land is the one stop shop for those of you with a sweet tooth. It's also where you can get pasalubong (gifts) for your loved ones. I personally loved the crinkles and the lengua de gato.

Thank you, BESM Traveler's Inn for sponsoring this trip!

Numerous bus lines travel to Cabanatuan City on an hourly and daily basis. Most of these are located in Caloocan, Pasay and Quezon City (Cubao). Travel time takes approximately three to four hours, depending on the route your chosen bus takes. Take the ones with the signboard Cabantuan or San Jose Via SCTEX for a shorter journey time. Buses are generally air-conditioned, with a fare of Php190.00+/-, but there are still ordinary buses if you want to save a bit on expenses.

Baliwag Transit – Caloocan, Cubao | (02) 912-3361 
ES Transport – Cubao | (02) 912-5975 | (02) 421-4339
Five Star – Cubao, Pasay | (02) 851-6614 | (02) 851-6659
Genesis (Baler-Bound) – Cubao | (02) 709-0803 | (02) 421-1425
Victory Liner (Tuguegarao-Bound) – Kamias, Pasay, Manila, Caloocan | (02) 727-4688

- See more at: http://www.lakadpilipinas.com/2015/08/nueva-ecija-travel-guide.html#sthash.FTOW7Q7Z.dpuf

Travel time takes approximately three to four hours, depending on the route your chosen bus takes. Take the ones with the signboard Cabantuan or San Jose Via SCTEX for a shorter journey time. Buses are generally air-conditioned, with a fare of Php190.00+/-, but there are still ordinary buses if you want to save a bit on expenses.

Baliwag Transit – Caloocan, Cubao | (02) 912-3361 
ES Transport – Cubao | (02) 912-5975 | (02) 421-4339
Five Star – Cubao, Pasay | (02) 851-6614 | (02) 851-6659
Genesis (Baler-Bound) – Cubao | (02) 709-0803 | (02) 421-1425
Victory Liner (Tuguegarao-Bound) – Kamias, Pasay, Manila, Caloocan | (02) 727-4688

- See more at: http://www.lakadpilipinas.com/2015/08/nueva-ecija-travel-guide.html#sthash.67Y3PwR3.dpuf