"The city's most beautiful public park" Top 5 Page for this destination Iloilo City Off The Beaten Path Tip by Tijavi

The plaza (as parks in the Philippines are called) in La Paz district (yes, that's the LA PAZ PLAZA - got it?) is arguably the city's most beautiful public park. Used to be known for its football field (yes, the Ilonggos are known to be the most skilled in this sport, quite a rarity in this basketball-crazy country) and tennis courts, the La Paz public plaza was transformed into a beautiful garden complete with a lagoon (in the picture), gazebos and informal tropical landscaping during the term of President Ramos (1992-98), whose wife Amelita, known for her "clean and green" campaigns hails from La Paz. In fact, the house which Amelita calls home in La Paz share the same block as ours (two houses apart to be exact).

As a child, I had fond memories of this park, which is a block away from home. I spent many afternoons running around its wide open fields, playing hide and seek with friends, and swimming(!!) in the flooded fields on rainy days.

How to get there: From downtown area (JM Basa/Iznart Sts.), take a the LaPaz-bound jeepney, which will take you directly to the park.