One of our most-loved stay during our trip to Romblon was in The Boathouse in Sibuyan Island. Not only because their theme was fun and unique, the place was also comfy like we didn’t leave home.
When we hear or see the word “ROMBLON”, the first thing that comes to mind is “MARBLE” (or marmol, in Tagalog). But really, Romblon is more than just the “Marble Capital of the Philippines”. It’s also home to crystal clear beaches, healthy and rich marine life, very gentle and friendly people, and greeaaaat food.
Romblon is one of the provinces of the Philippines with most kept beauty. This gem, are not always on the travel bucket lists even of most Filipinos. If I’m not mistaken, it’s just now that the tourism in Romblon is growing, and sadly, it’s not growing as fast as El Nido’s, Batanes’, Boracay’s. If only tourist are aware how much beauty and fun it offers.
Located in the MIMAROPA Region, Romblon has three main islands – Romblon Island, the provincial capital; Sibuyan, and Tablas, the largest among the three. The province lies south of Marinduque and Quezon, east of Oriental Mindoro, north of Aklan and Capiz, and west of Masbate.
Hey there! My name’s May and you can view more about me here. I travel a lot for both work and leisure. Thanks to being an auditor and a content creator and, of course, to my love for travel, I barely feel I’m actually at work when traveling. And if I’m actually off work, I usually am with friends or family, discovering places and trying out new food. I’m juggling three jobs – the two mentioned + being a single mom. You think it’s easy? Of course not! But what glues me together is my passion and love for these three. More about my story here.
I love sharing what I know and how I do things, so if you haven’t read these yet, visit the following pages to view:
- how I take and edit my blog photos + what devices and apps I use;
- how I plan my travels;
- how I treat my sunburns (from the mildest to the wildest!); and
- what do I get from traveling, by the way?
About The Boathouse
We found The Boathouse from a list of the most recommended home rental within Sibuyan Island. We immediately contacted Ate Laarni, owner of the place, and made sure we booked the rooms available to accommodate 9 persons.
The Boathouse only has three rooms for available for rental. One room for two, and two other rooms for three to four. The house has two bathrooms so it’s easy for us to take turns when we needed to take a bath. The Boatroom comes with a boat shaped double bed and a private comfort room. And both the Backpacker Lodges are equipped with bunk beds and a shared comfort room. In the house, there also are hammocks where you can lie down and chill. A separate area beside the main house is dedicated for dining and a loft-style area where you can also spend time with your group to play to eat or just have fun.
The Boathouse is embedded in the area of the well-known Olango Bay, which is almost 30 minutes away from Azagra Port and almost one hour away from Cajidiocan Pier.
The Boathouse was constructed on April 2014 then refreshed on June 2016. The most used construction parts in the Boathouse are made from natural materials such as – wood – bamboo – savalli and nipa.
This is the ideal place for upcoming exploration tours through the rain-forest, the neighboring waterfalls and starting point for to climb up to the summit of Mount Guiting Guiting.
For more details about the house, visit their website: Isle Dreams > Sibuyan > The Boathouse. You can view the Boathouse on Google maps here.
Before summer ended, I and my gorgeous friends (ok) had a quick 3-day trip, which took us months to plan. Basically because we needed to meet up and finalize the itinerary face-to-face, else we knew it’d be one of our beautiful “drawing” we’re keeping in frames. “Quick” because we tried hopping among the three main islands of Romblon in three days and even if we had only one day in each island, time spent didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, the short trip gave us more than enough reasons to go back there soon.
On our first day, we explored a little part of Romblon Island, where another sunset experience joined my list of the most beautiful and peaceful sunsets of my lifetime. We learned a lot about marbles, and witnessed first-hand the beautiful beaches around the island. We stayed in San Pedro Beach Resort, where enjoyed hanging out and bonding and catching up with the whole gang.
Pre-Travel Guide
How to get there?
Romblon at large is very much underrated. Sadly, when people hear Romblon they just see marbles and loooots of them. It’s nice that during the weeks I and my friends posted our photos, we got comments and questions like “where was this? it’s so nice!”, “where have you been? the beaches there looks great!”. I mean, these are just pictures. If you are into beaches and exploring islands, I’d recommend Romblon over and over again!
If you have more time, less budget, and brave enough to sail the seas at night (hehe the thought of being a pirate in my past life hits me sometimes) you can take the ferry like we did. 2Go Travels offers daily trip from Batangas Port to Odiongan Port. Better check their site for the updated schedules and rates, and book online. The trip is 6-7 hours long.
From Romblon port, hire/rent a tricycle going to Cajidiocan Port, (Php400*per tricycle per trip for 4-5pax). From Cajidiocan Port, rent a tricycle as well (Php1,600* per unit for 4-5pax) going to The Boathouse Sibuyan. You can also request to get you to Azagra Market, where you can shop food for baon, San Fernando Tourism Office for tourist registration (Php50* per head). The rate also includes your service from The Boathouse to Azagra Port (embark to Cresta de Gallo).
*rates are as of May. 2019
When is the best time to visit Romblon?
This really had me thinking – WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE CROWDED PLACES OVER A PEACEFUL ONE?! Guess it’s all about advertising and branding, just how things work with products and other stuff.
Romblon is actually a safe place. In most of the beaches, stand perfect spots for diving (if only I can dive and take videos, so I could give you examples of “perfect”)and what makes it better is you can dive all year round – well except when there’s a rude typhoon who doesn’t know how to blend in, pfft.
Book your reservations at The Boathouse in Sibuyan Island as early as now and call or text Ate Laarni at +63 917 936 6223. She can also help find you a driver/boatman for your tours, too!
