While in the midst of our culinary exploration of the Zamboanga Peninsula and on our way to more Hilom (wellness) and Habi (weaving) discovery, we passed by a province I’d never been to before: Zamboanga Sibugay. Only a few days removed from ticking Basilan as my seventy-fifth province visited in the Philippines, I stared intently outside the window of our van, engrossing much scenery and wondering if I could checkmark it already. However, I had a personal rule that if I didn’t stop to either eat or sleep, it didn’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.
Stonehill Farms Ipil: a picturesque road trip stop | Zamboanga Sibugay
Winning Flavors of the Peninsula
Diners came 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 the Zamboanga Peninsula.
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 finished my cup of coffee, I took the opportunity to savor the experience of finally visiting Zamboanga Sibugay. While I could then call it my seventy-sixth province, I was still uncertain of fully experiencing it until I explored 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. In fact, a few days after our trip, the Department of Tourism Region Nine premiered a video showing the many tourist destinations of Zamboanga Sibugay—which you could watch here.
Sibugay Bucket List Destinations
- Kabalasan Mangrove
- Siay Kabug Park & Wetlands
- Bangaan Island
- Tagbilat Falls
- Lulinghayaw Nature Garden
- Tungawan View Deck
Also, a Campsite and Agri-Park
For travelers who wanted to experience more of Stonehill Farms' beautiful outdoor setting, they could stay in one of their Bahay Kubo (which could sleep up to eight people) or rent a tent of various sizes.
Spread over ten-hectare hilltop land, one could enjoy enough space to fully enjoy the wide nature spots of Stonehill Farms. Although we only stayed there 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 seventy-sixth Philippine province, Zamboanga Sibugay.
