Places to stay in Batanes

Batanes has been my dream destination ever since my mother told me it was hers. I must have been in high school then, and I remember she told me that the wind is so strong, the houses have to be made of stone. "It's like Scotland," she told me. Our dream went unfulfilled, because we were told that flights were few and far between, making it difficult to plan. Besides which, they were (and still are) expensive - a one-way ticket will cost around 8,000 pesos, which is more expensive than some international destinations. But wedding plans and last year's travel fair provided justification and discounted tickets, respectively, so I found myself heading to Batanes. Until the plane took off, I could hardly believe I was finally going. My mother's idea of Batanes still echoing in my mind, I packed cold-weather clothes, completely ignoring the fact that it was in the middle of summer and like anywhere else in the Philippines, Batanes was bound to be warm. Sure enough, the weather there was as warm as the welcome we received at the airport.

It's been said that Filipinos are hospitable, but in Batanes, the people are so helpful it’s almost strange. We landed early at the Basco airport, as the plane took off almost as soon as everyone had boarded. We had reservations about our reservation at Batanes Resort, because I felt it was too expensive for our already tight budget. We decided to have coffee at a small restaurant next to the airport, and asked the owner if she could recommend a place to stay. She gave several suggestions, and told us we could easily take a tricycle from the airport. When we said we actually had a reservation that came with an airport transfer, she told us Batanes Resort is a nice place. But when we called the resort, they told us to just take a tricycle, because something was wrong with their van. Twenty minutes later, we were still there, and no tricycles were in sight. A woman on a motorcycle told us to stay put, then she rode off to call a tricycle for us. This would probably never happen in Manila, and during our trip we learned that this overwhelming willingness to help others is simply how it is on the island. When we arrived at Batanes Resort, we were led to our room soon after registering, and we weren't required to make a deposit. The fact that we arrived mid-morning also didn't matter, and they served us brunch, even though there was a notice saying breakfast would only be served at seven. We enjoyed the meal at their outdoor dining area, which had a relaxing view of the sea. Batanes Resort has airconditioned cottages, which are nice if you're a bit anti-social, since it limits your chances of interacting with other guests. For 1,800 a night, you can stay in a room with a view, a small television, one double bed and a single bed, and a spacious bathroom. The TV reception could be better, but watching television is the last thing you'd want to do in Batanes. The view alone is more than enough, especially through the large windows which you can leave wide open during the day. Watch out for bugs, though, because they can be difficult at night, even with the lamp, which for some reason has blue and red flashing lights. We noticed that many of the other guests were foreigners - a group of tattooed girls and boys who would drink beer at eleven in the morning, a girl in glasses who would sip cup after cup of coffee while reading the morning away. Guests mostly kept to themselves, nodding hello at us whenever we'd pass each other in the hallways. But, as my aunt told me, Batanes Resort is "so not Batanes." After all, if not for the view, it felt like any nice resort in the world. While we stayed in the resort, our friends were staying in a house they rented for around a hundred pesos per person, per day. The house was in the middle of the town, and down the street was Casa Napoli - the only pizza place on the island. Their location gave them an experience completely different from ours. While our food choices were based on the resort's menu, theirs was based on what was sold fresh in the stalls along Abad Street. We soon realized that although the resort food was not bad, meals with our friends were better. For less than a hundred pesos per person, we had sinigang na isda for lunch. That night, we had grilled fish and pork in a beachside hut in Chanarian that we used for free. Walking down Abad Street, we saw several signs that read "Slaughter cow!!! Saturday 8am." At first, we found it curious, but we found out that for them, it was a major event. When my friends arrived on Saturday, most of the cow had already been sold. The men were celebrating, and shots of gin were being passed around. When they got back to the house, they raised a bag of meat triumphantly. "We're having bulalo for lunch!" they announced, explaining that a man took pity on them and gave them the meat, as well as a few shots of gin. When our flight got canceled due to bad weather, we realized we couldn't afford to stay in Batanes Resort. We considered crashing at the house, but there were already five of them. Because we had already toured Sabtang and Batan islands, it wasn't difficult to set an afternoon aside to scout for more affordable locations. First we went to Batanes Pension Ivatan Town Hometel, which is right next to the airport. When we arrived, the restaurant was full of people who looked like they were really enjoying their food. We inquired at the desk, and were told it would be 1,200 pesos a night. This was not bad, and transportation to the airport would cost us nothing. But we decided to look at other options, to be sure, and because looking for places to stay was a cheap activity to keep us occupied until dinnertime. We went as far as Barangay Chanarian, and found Amboy Hometel. The place looked very new, and the rates were around the same as Batanes Resort. The cheapest room they had was 1,500 a night, which was less than our room at Batanes Resort. But there was no view, and it was far from town. We stopped by Shanedel's Inn, which was right in the middle of town. It was also next to Zantan's Canteen, a lovely place to eat and read. But the inn looked crowded at the time, and when they told us the bathrooms would be shared, we decided to look some more. Not far down the road, we found Ivatan Lodge. From the outside, it looked a bit like the perfect setting for a horror movie, but the rooms were large, clean, and very affordable. By very affordable, I mean 400 pesos a night for non-airconditioned rooms. Because it's Batanes, the nights are cool, so that's not a problem. We decided that Ivatan Lodge was a very comforting option. But we ended up staying at Batanes Seaside Lodge and Restaurant, for 1,200 a night. The rooms were similar to the ones at Batanes Resort, and we had a nice view of the sea. On the walls were framed autographs of artistas who had stayed there, as well as newspaper clippings of articles about Batanes. It was clean, the food was good, but the best part about the lodge is how kind they were. In typical Batanes fashion, they offered assistance without being asked. When they found out our flight had been canceled, they offered to transfer us to another room, at a discounted rate of 800 pesos a night. Of course, we were very happy to transfer. It turned out that the room was even bigger than the first, with three beds. This was perfect, because by this time, we were washing clothes and the extra bed was great for hanging the laundry. The only difference was that we didn't have a view, but that's easily remedied by going out to the balcony. Of course, you can always search online for places to stay, and make reservations like a normal traveler who plans trips properly. But heading somewhere without knowing where to go has its charms, too, especially if the people are as lovely as they are in Batanes. - YA, GMA News