Las Vegas Lodge and Restaurant in Banaue: A Budget Accommodation for Backpackers
Tourism in Banaue never really took off until the ’80s and ’90s. Most of Banaue’s lodges and restaurants came to rise during that time, and one of which was Las Vegas Lodge and Restaurant.
Las Vegas Lodge and Restaurant is a popular lodging place in Banaue for travelers and backpackers on a budget. It started off as a stand-alone restaurant back in 1982, headed by the patriarch of the Bustamante family when the restaurant was still in Kalinga.
When asked why the restaurant was named after the “Sin City of Las Vegas”, Cloyde Bustamante—the son of the old Bustamante patriarch—said that the restaurant’s patrons had a habit of gambling while they wait for their food to be served.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was struck down by a fire that led the family to build a new restaurant and lodge in Banaue.
It’s not as fancy as other hotels, but many foreigners—mostly Europeans—would book their stay at Las Vegas Lodge since it is one of the most affordable accommodations you can find in the province. They only have 9 rooms including a common room and family room, which costs only Php 300 per head.
Common room for 3 persons (Php 300 per bed space)
If you value your privacy, you can still book a room and make it private by paying for the rest of the bed spaces in the room. The common comfort room, meanwhile, is separated from the private rooms.
Family room (Php 300 per bed space)
What made this lodge and restaurant more popular than it ever was is its variety of food offerings. One of their best-selling dishes is the Chicken ala Japs (Php 125), a garlic fried chicken with tangy marinate-like sauce.
Chicken ala Japs (Php 125)
They also delight their guests with a generous bowl of Las Vegas Soup (Php 75) to kickstart the day. It’s quite similar to other Filipino soup dishes—perhaps an all-in-one combination of egg soup, Lomi, and Mami because of its thick noodle and soup.
Las Vegas Soup (Php 75)
Foreign guests can even request international dishes of their liking to the head chef. According to manager Cloyde Bustamante, he lets his guests request dishes since most of them are European—particularly Israelites, who are looking for their own food.
You may find it difficult to spot a nightlife in Banaue because of the early curfew, but Las Vegas Lodge has put up its own in-house private bar to accommodate guests who would like a drink without getting disturbed.
In-house private bar
How to get here
- From Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, drive straight going to Banaue via Nueva Vizcaya-Ifugao-Mountain Province Rd. Las Vegas Lodge and Restaurant is located after Baleh Boble Guest House.
General information
Address: Banaue-Mayoyao-Alfonso Lista – Isabela Boundary Rd., Banaue, Ifugao
Contact number: 0918-440-9932
Check-in / Check-out: Anytime
Restaurant operating hours: 6 am to 9 pm
Facebook: Las Vegas Lodge and Restaurant
This first appeared in Philippine Primer’s Japanese magazine June 2019 issue.
