Introduction to Legaspi, Philippines

The port city of LEGASPI, also spelt Legazpi, is the place to base yourself if you fancy climbing Mayon Volcano. Legaspi is a bustling place, with one main thoroughfare, Rizal Street, that connects the port area with the district of Albay which is where most of the accommodation and restaurants are. The town itself has little in the way of tourist attractions, but one sight that is worth seeing are the Cagsawa Ruins, the eerie remains of a church that was buried in the devastating eruption of Mayon in 1814. The best time to see the site is at dawn before the vendors and hawkers stake a claim to it and the clouds roll in and obscure the view of the volcano. The ruins are located fifteen minutes' drive west of Legaspi – take a jeepney from Rizal Street bound for Guinobatan and ask the driver to let you off near the ruins. The nearby Cagsawa National Museum (Mon–Sat 8–11.30am & 1–4.30pm) has exhibits about Mayon Volcano and many other volcanoes in the Philippines. A good place for viewing Mayon from a safe distance is Kupuntukan Hill in the port area of Legaspi. Also in this area, behind the fish market, is Victory Village, a charmingly rustic bamboo village built on stilts over the black-sand bay.

Legaspi airport lies 3km northwest of the town centre, off Washington Drive. The BLTB bus station is on Penaranda Street near the Casablanca Hotel; buses serving many destinations in the region also run from the JB Bicol Express Line bus terminal in Mabini Street. Philtranco's terminal is on Imperial Street, west of the town centre on the way to the airport.

The tourist information office (tel 052/214 3215 or 480 6439), 3rd Floor, RCBC Building, Rizal Street, is a good place to set up a Mayon climb. Staff will help with transport, guides and equipment. The post office is on Lapu-Lapu Street at the junction with Quezon Avenue, and there are a number of banks, mostly on Quezon Avenue, where you can change cash.

The most popular budget guesthouse is the modern and clean Legaspi Tourist Inn (tel 052/480 6147; $10–15), on Lapu-Lapu Street opposite the post office. The Casablanca Hotel (tel 052/480 8334–36; $15–20), Penaranda Street, is a popular mid-range hotel, with double air-con rooms, some with a balcony. It also has a 24-hour coffee shop and a disco. Jennifer's Garden Apartelle and Restaurant (tel 052/455 1086; $10–15), on J Esteves Street in the Albay district, is excellent value, with a pool, whirlpool bath and internet access; all rooms have air-con, TV, phone and shower. The Hotel la Trinidad (tel 052/480 7496; $25–40) on Rizal Street enjoys a great location and is perhaps the best hotel in town, with a pool, a coffee shop and air-con rooms.

The quaint little café Old Albay in the Hotel Victoria on Rizal Street is a popular meeting place, serving standard breakfasts, Filipino food, sandwiches and snacks. At the Paayahayan Beer Garden, Penaranda Street, you can sit in a nipa hut, eat seafood straight from the sea and drink San Miguel beer for P15 a bottle. Further along Penaranda Street, the Waway restaurant is big, busy and easy on the pocket. It's a good place for vegetarian dishes and local specialities such as Bicol Express.

Information by Rough Guides

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