Amazing Batanes: Our Rooms at Fundacion Pacita

Going to Batanes has always been part of my travel wishlist, so when my friend invited me to tag along with her, I readily said yes. This is the first part of my series on Batanes, the smallest province of the country and located at its northernmost tip. Being constantly ravaged by typhoons, travel by sea and air is quite a challenge, thus its relative isolation for some time. Of the ten islands comprising the province, three are inhabited: Batan, Sabtang, and Itbayat. I was able to visit the first two. Basco, the capital, is located at Batan.

Mt. Iraya greeted us shrouded in clouds upon landing in Basco Airport. Mt. Iraya, a dormant volcano, reminds me of Legazpi's Mt. Mayon.

We arrived in this teeny airplane, just a few months after the resumption of Philippine Airline flights  to Batanes. I was worried strong winds would prevent us from taking off in Manila, but the flight to Basco was uneventful.

The excitement won't let up when we landed. I've been quite to a few airports in the country, and the Basco airport has its own distinct charm.

The arrival area was abuzz with people, but civilians were there to greet and assist us. 

Relics of the not-too-distant past provided us a peek of how the Ivatans, the people of Batanes, lived.

We passed through a narrow, winding trail for our ride from the airport to our hotel, Fundacion Pacita, owned by one of the prominent families of Batanes. I'll write about the hotel grounds later. For this post I'll focus on our beautiful hotel rooms. 

We got the Mountain View Family Suite at Fundacion Pacita which has a private porch with swinging bench.

I love how the owners made sure there are plants all over the grounds, some with lovely blooms.

We had this picture-book pretty cerulean blue bench all to ourselves.

This is where we waited for the sun to rise.

Time to enter the suite.

This is where my friend slept. The suite featured two queen-sized bed.

We shared a toilet and bath. Note the wooden toilet seats.

This served as our informal dining table.

I spent two nights here on this bed.

I woke up to this awesome view.

Room 4, aka Terrace Suite Garden, was my favorite. I love the contrast between the salmon pink cabinet with the avocado walls.

I wanted to take these pillow cases home. Beautiful!

I love the attention to detail evident in the suites.

Wooden chairs in the same shade of blue in every suite.

I enjoyed my stay at Fundacion Pacita, the only drawback being the lack of TV or phone signal, but this is only minor for me. I could stay a week here, truly an escape from the madding world.

I'll post pictures of the our tour next.

Solo Traveler's Pick: Cagayan de Oro's Seda Hotel at Centrio Ayala

Those who are familiar with my blog would know I love fancy hotels. I am not afraid to eat like the locals, but at night I want the comfort that my means could afford--tasteful interiors, snazzy lobby, working wifi, and comfy bedding. On a working trip to Cagayan de Oro I fell in love with Seda Hotel. It has all the things I expect of hotels, plus it's within the premises of a mall. And the muted color palette is soothing. There are Seda Hotels  as well in Bonifacio Global City, Davao, and Laguna, and they all look pretty much the same, although BGC has a life-sized giraffe statue in its lobby, one I want to snap a selfie with. 

It was love at first sight with my room, here in all its Instagram glory.

Comfy linens is always a plus.

This chair at the lobby also caught my eye.

The staff were quick and efficient. We requested a last-minute photo op at the lobby, and they obliged.

The week we stayed a trouped entertained us with an assortment of folk dances.

Of course, a stay at Cagayan de Oro is not complete without stocking up on Slers longganiza and bacon.

We also made a pit-stop at La Vetta. 

For what we ate, click here.

Seda Hotel-Centrio Ayala
CM Recto cor Corrales Avenue
Cagayan de Oro City
(+63) 88 323 8888

Batangas City's Pontefino Hotel and Residences

I was fortunate to experience staying in Pontefino Hotel during one of our out-of-town seminars held in Batangas City, three hours by car south of Manila and one of the fastest developing cities in the country. 

The hotel website says most of its furniture were sourced from the province of Batangas, and from what I saw in my room, I was pleased. My room was airy and bright and located on the first floor. I had to make sure to close the curtains by my bed, since just outside was a heavy-traffic area. Other than that detail, I had no problems with my room. 

Part of the dining area. 

The lobby, quite modest but lovely.

At the background is Robusta Cafe. I wasn't expecting much from the restaurant, but I was pleased with what I ate there. Here's a link to my dining experience review.  

I thought Cafe Robusta was named after the beans that make up Kapeng Barako, but research yields that the latter is made of Liberica coffee beans. During breakfast, I had the obligatory Kapeng Barako, one of the key products of Batangas.

Our function room, the design of which was more appropriate for a wedding reception.

Obligatory photo-op by the pool. This was taken a year ago, during my lean phase. I was all dressed up since most of our stay coincided with work. We were too pressed for time to go swimming.

Perhaps in my next visit, I'll linger longer and take a dip.

Hotel Pontefino and Residences 

Pastor Village, Gulod, Labac

Batangas City

(+63) 02 631 8310