Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By bike
Renting a bicycle (P20/hr for regular bikes; try
Dive Batanes for mountain bikes for P250/day) or scooter
(P150/hr; try your lodging or the Petron petrol station) are
good options. The roads are very quiet, but there are a
number of blind bends, so take it easy. Make sure to
observe the speed limit of 20km/hr in towns.
SABTANG ISLAND
By jeepney or scooter
You should be able to book
a jeepney for a group (P1500-2200 depending on
distance), or possibly a scooter with driver (around
P1000) if you're alone.
ACCOMMODATION
BATAN ISLAND
The potential for trekking and camping on Batan is
enticing. There are no campsites, but as long as you respect
the landscape no one minds if you pitch a tent for the
night near a beach. Whatever you do, take food and water,
because there are few places to get provisions. All the
accommodation listed below is in or around Basco.
Amboy Hometel
3km south of Basco, Brgy
Chanarian
T
0920 910 3492,
W
amboyhometel.com.
This recently opened B&B has six comfortable a/c
rooms with private bath, each painted in different
colours. There's a TV with DVD player in each, wi-fi
throughout, and a restaurant b
y the l
little garden area
serving seasonal dishes (P300).
P2200
Batanes Resort
2km south of Basco, Brgy
Kaychanarianan
T
0999 990 7559,
E
batanes
resort2011@yahoo.com.
Tidy little stone duplex cottages,
with hot showers, sitting on a breezy hillside with steps
leading down to a marvellous black sand
cove. T
he
restaurant has good food and a pleasant terrace.
P1800
Batanes Seaside
National Rd, Brgy Kaychanarianan
T
0921 229 0120,
W
batanesseasidelodge.com.
Right
on the seafront, this lodge has fifteen decent-sized
rooms, although the interiors are a bit dark with drab
furniture. There's wi-fi in the lobby, a large restaurant
serving Iva
tan dis
hes and a couple of lounge areas with
armchairs.
P3200
★
Ivatan students and supplies for loc
al schools
. The restau-
rant serves wonderful Ivatan cuisine.
P10530
Octagon Bed & Dine
Brgy Kaychanarianan
T
0929
597 9380,
W
octagonbedanddine.com.
The three
spacious rooms here are jam-packed with furniture and
knick-knacks, including wooden trunks, vases, armchairs
and chintzy bedspreads. Accommodation gives onto a
balcon
y from
where there are wonderful views of the
ocean.
P2500
Shanedel's Inn & Café
Corner 0669 National Rd,
Brgy Kaychanarianan
T
0920 447 0737,
E
shanedels
@yahoo.com.
One of the best budget options, with
practical rooms with kitschy decor. A/c rooms have private
bath, while the cheaper fan rooms are slightly smaller with
communal facilities. The restaurant overlooking the ocean
is a great spot to enjoy suns
et view
is - try the island's
speciality coconut crab (P500).
P1400
3
SABTANG ISLAND
Municipal Guesthouse
T
0918 488 2424.
The
municipal tourist o
ce offers simple accommodation in
a bright room with five individual beds; there are large
windows from where you can watch the waves crash
against the shore. There's no door to the bedroom so don't
expect much privacy, although if you're here just to lay
your head f
or the
night then the place does just the trick.
Per person
P300
Fundacion Pacita
Brgy Chanarian
T
0939 901
6353,
W
fundacionpacita.ph.
The island's most upmarket
accommodation option was the former home of artist
Pacita Abad until her death in 2004; the common area
exhibits Abad's art while the rooms, all with balconies and
exceptional views, are tastefully decorated with works of
Filipino artists. A portion of the proceeds goes to heritage
conservation in Batanes, and provides art scholarships for
ITBAYAT ISLAND
Municipal Guesthouse
T
0928 286 2060.
The small
municipal guesthouse offers two basic rooms with bunk-
beds and communal cold-shower bathrooms. There's also
a guest kitchen, and a canteen nearby serving simple
dishes.
You
can also pitch a tent in the grounds. Per
person
P150
EATING AND DRINKING
BATAN ISLAND
Several of the lodges in Basco have restaurants or can
make food to order, while elsewhere on the island you'll
be reliant on the occasional small canteen so it's best to
travel with at least a snack and some water.
North Spirit Café
National Rd, Ihubok 1, Brgy
Kaychanarianan.
On the southern fringes of town, Basco's
only bar is set in a corrugated tin building with a few
wooden benches. The place is mainly frequented by men
enjoying a long-awaited snifter (cocktails P100, beer P50)
- for a small island, things can get quite raucous on
weekend nights.
Daily 5pm-2am.
Octagon Bed & Dine
Brgy Kaychanarianan
T
0929
597 9380,
W
octagonbedanddine.com.
This octagonal
restaurant, decorated with colourful paintings, wooden
masks and other artefacts, offers what is probably the
