Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and Abra de Ilog (7hr), while vans for Calapan via Roxas
leave at 3.30am and 2pm (check the latest times in
advance). All of these services continue on to Batangas by
ferry, and then Manila by bus, but if you're not planning to
stop anywhere along the way, it's almost as cheap, and
much quicker to fly. If you want to reach Puerto Galera,
you'll need to take a bus to Abra de Ilog, then a jeepney to
Wawa on the north coast, and finally take (or charter) a
bangka the rest of the way.
By jeepney
Two or three jeepneys depart every morning
(check in advance) from just south of Rizal St on C. Liboro
for Sablayan (3-4hr) and Roxas (2hr).
5
INFORMATION
Permits and guides
You can apply for a permit (free)
and organize a local guide for Mounts Iglit-Baco (you'll
meet the guide at the park entry station; see p.256) at
the Protected Area O
ce (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm;
T
043 491
4200) in the LIUCP Building on Airport Rd.
Services
There are a number of banks, including PNB on
M.H. Del Pilar St, and Metrobank on Sikatuna St (at Liboro
St), both of which have ATMs. Close to PNB are the police
station, town hall and post o
ce. There are a handful
of small internet cafés along Rizal and Liboro streets,
though places frequently open and close.
ACCOMMODATION
Unless you arrive too late to move on, there's little reason to stay in San José, but if you find yourself with a night here, the
choices are between one of the budget options in town, or spending a little more out at the beach on the edge of town.
El Mora Hotel
Brgy San Roque 1
T
043 491 4869,
W
elmorahotel.com.
Hip boutique hotel with a choice
of five themed rooms (Japanese, Filipino, etc) all with a/c
and cable
TV, an
d there's also a swish pool. Free shuttle
to airport.
P2500
Mindoro Plaza
Zamora St
T
043 491 4661
. Friendly
central option with shabby but clean and tiled double
rooms with fans (pricier rooms have a/c) and old TVs,
cheap drinks
and an
on-site canteen. There are also larger
family rooms.
P550
Sikatuna Beach Hotel
Airport Rd, Brgy San Roque
T
043 491 4108,
W
sikatunabeachhotel.com.
Pleasant
beachside spot with friendly staff and simple, ageing
rooms with cable TV (some with a/c look out to the ocean).
It could do with renovation, and it's worth haggling for a
lower rate and checking your room before pay
ing. Th
ere's
also a decent open-sided restaurant with wi-fi.
P1500
White House Beach Resort
Airport Rd, Brgy San
Roque (next to El Mora)
T
0919 616 7160.
This marble-
floored house boasts five spacious a/c rooms plus cable TV,
ocean-view balconies and free wi-fi in the dini
ng room
-
the owning family still lives on the second floor.
P2500
EATING
Sit-down dining options in San José principally revolve around the hotels, and of these the restaurants at
Sikatuna Beach
Hotel
,
El Mora Hotel's Pilot's Lounge
and the canteen at the
Mindoro Plaza
, are your best options.
Akong Bakery
Rizal St.
The best bakery in town is a 24hr
haven of tempting aromas - fresh-from-the-oven
pandesal
and other pastries are knocked out throughout the day for
a handful of pesos.
Daily 24hr.
Kusina ni Lea
Sikatuna St.
Cheap soups, sandwiches and
Filipino dishes in a traditional Filipino-style wooden dining
hall (mains P130-200). Also has a/c.
Daily 6.30am-11pm.
Sablayan
A very bumpy 40km north of San José, the unhurried fishing town of
SABLAYAN
is the
perfect jumping-off point for several nearby attractions including Mounts Iglit-Baco
National Park, the Sablayan Watershed Forest Reserve and Apo Reef. The town, small
enough to cover on foot, has a central plaza (with free wi-fi) with a town hall and a
stretch of scrappy black-sand beach lined by bangkas.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
SABLAYAN
By bus
There are buses and jeepneys north to Mamburao
(3hr) and Abra de Ilog (4hr), and south to San José (3-4hr)
from the bus station, which is at the southern edge of town
on the National Highway, while slightly faster Dimple Star
services (with onwards boat-bus connections for Batangas
and Manila; 4 daily; 8-10hr) leave from their terminal, also
on the National Highway. The pier is a 5min walk south of
the bus station.
Tours, permits and guides
To arrange permits for
Mount Iglit-Baco (free), guides and boats to North Pandan
