An Acient Heritage and a Thriving Culinary Scene​

The first Spanish colonizers settled in the city already back in 1566. For this reason, you can find numerous buildings and churches of such historical period, as well as mansions and villas like Molo Mansion and Camiña Balay Nga Bato. The city also became a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy thanks to iconic recipes like La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo as well as the widespread presence of sweet baked products. Indeed, Iloilo is a historically flourished seaport thanks to the commerce of sugar canes. Sugar cane plantations were extensively established in the near Bacolod Province and boomed subsequently thanks to exports, making a fortune for the wealthy classes.

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Moving out of Iloilo City you can find smaller towns with signs of the past hidden here and there. Most probably, the most interesting point is the ancient Miag-ao Church (Church of San Tomas de Villanueva), located in the south-western portion of the province. This church is 1 of the 4 UNESCO Heritage Baroque Churches of the Philippines thanks to their original mix of styles and cultural backgrounds. It deserves to be visited to admire the charming façade ornated with tropical decorations.

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Right in front of Iloilo City you find Guimaras Island, home of small resorts and overall famous for the wide presence of the unanimously considered by Filipinos as the best mangoes of the country. We are talking about the legendary Guimaras mangoes, source of pride for the local Ilonggo people! They are sweet, have little fiber and have a huge size: they are considered the most valuable mangoes of the Philippines and of the whole Asia.