While in the midst of our culinary exploration of Zamboanga Peninsula and on our way to more Hilom (wellness) and Habi (weaving) discovery, we passed by a province I’ve never been to before: Zamboanga Sibugay. Only a few days removed from ticking Basilan as my 75th province visited in the Philippines, I stare intently outside the window of our van engrossing much scenery wondering if I could check mark it already. However, I have a personal rule that if I don’t stop to either eat or sleep, it doesn’t count. Good thing though—despite having a hearty breakfast already—our group stopped for another round of breakfast at this hilltop property in Ipil called Stonehill Farms.
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| Trying to get a closer look of Buluan Island in Sibugey Bay |
Winning ZamPen Delicacies
Diners come to Stonehill Farms for its specialty dishes like lechon, tinolang native chicken, sugbang tuna belly, sinuglaw, fish kilawin, calamares and platters of the best appetizing delicacies from Zamboanga Peninsula.
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| The super preskong outdoor dining |
Since we already had a full breakfast, we opted for some native snacks plus platters of lumpiang shanghai and pancit canton to go along with brewed coffee and the bonus scenery of Sibugey Bay and Buluan Island. A few from our group tried out the tsokwate (hot chocolate) drink instead of coffee and they raved about it being so good.
As I finish my cup of coffee, I took the opportunity to savor the experience of finally visiting Zamboanga Sibugay. While I can now call it my 76th province, I am still uncertain of fully experiencing it until I explore its other attractions.
Our knowledgeable tour operator slash historian Errold Lim Bayona of iTravel Tourist Lane told us that we should allot a separate trip just to explore Zamboanga Sibugay. "They have a lot of great outdoor attractions here such as the Kabalasan Mangrove, the Siay Kabug Park & Wetlands, Bangaan Island, Tagbilat Falls, Lulinghayaw nature garden, Tungawan view deck and more," he told us.
In fact, a few days after our trip, the Department of Tourism Region 9 premiered a video showing the many tourist destinations of Zamboanga Sibugay — which you can watch here.
Also,
a Campsite and Agri-Park
For travelers who want to experience more of Stonehill Farms' beautiful outdoor setting, they can stay in one of their Bahay Kubo (which can sleep up to 8 people) or rent a tent of various sizes.
Spread over a 10-hectare hilltop land, one can enjoy enough space to fully enjoy the wide nature spots of Stonehill Farms.
Although we only stayed here for a couple of hours, I would say that it provided me not only with a hearty meal but also with a beautiful glimpse of my 76th Philippine province, Zamboanga Sibugay.
