January 23, 2019

Where to Stay in Batanes: Bernardo’s Hotel

Our Batanes trip was a last-minute decision so we have no time to search for affordable accommodation in Batanes. My husband and I searched for Batanes accommodation and we found Bernardo’s Hotel. We read some reviews and after several minutes my husband already called the hotel to check if there is still an available room and he reserved a room for our 3 nights stay.


We are a family of three, two adults + 1 kid so I thought I’m going to pay for 2 adults only and my son is free but I was wrong. They charged us P4200 because my son is already considered an adult rate. Waah! Unlike other hotels, 12 years old below is still free if they will share a bed with their parents. I guess I have to get used to this because my son is already tweenager.

I’m not sure if this is the standard policy in Batanes because I did not check with other hotel or resort. I remember when we went to Japan, I paid an extra person for my son because 6 yrs old is considered an adult na. We proceeded with our booking because like I said, we have no time to search. We paid 50% downpayment and sent a copy of deposit slip in their email address. We received our confirmation voucher two days after we sent the deposit slip.

Tourism Fee 

Fast forward to our trip, our driver was already waiting for us at the arrival area. He welcomed us and advised us to wait outside because he will just get the van. Then we went to the office where we could pay the Eco Tourism Fee and Protected Area Entrance Fee (per person). We just waited at the van and I just let my husband pay for the fee. Don’t forget to bring the Eco Tourism Flyer and Receipt because they will check that in some tourist spots.


Eco Tourism Fee (P350) 

P100 - Basco
P50 - Mahatao
P200 - Sabtang

Protected Area Entrance Fee 

P50 Adult
P20 Kid

Bernardo’s Hotel Review

Bernardo’s Hotel is about 3-4 kilometers away from the Basco Airport so travel time is not that long so after a few minutes we arrived at the hotel. Bernardo’s Hotel is a newly-opened hotel (3 years ago?) in Basco that offers 8 air-conditioned rooms but after we left, I think nag-open na rin yung second building nila.

Upon arrival, the staff just asked for our reservation and akala nga niya nung una Deal Grocer coupon binigay ko. We paid the remaining 50% balance for our reservation para wala na kami hawak na cash. Always remember, hindi uso credit card sa Batanes so make sure you have enough cash.

It was only quarter to 9AM, and check-in time is 10AM but they allow us to check in early and advised us that we can eat our breakfast at the restaurant.

Watch the video here

Room Tour

This is our room, we have two double bed, satellite TV, personal refrigerator, cabinet, and private toilet and bath. Good thing that they have satellite TV or else mabobored anak ko after the tour. Beds, pillows, and duvet are comfortable and air-conditioning is working properly.




For the bathroom, it has a hot and cold shower, bidet, hairdryer, tissues, towels, and toiletries. For toiletries, it is better to bring your own because they only provide soap and shampoo. They don’t refill the toiletries too so kung ano yung nadatnan namin, kahit nagpamake-over kami ng room, wala dinagdag.



The room and bathroom still look new and clean. They don’t clean the room unless you request for it. We stayed in room #5 and we have a balcony.


They provide 3 bottles of complimentary water on our first day but for the following day, we can just refill from their water dispenser. It is their way to reduce plastic waste which is not a problem.

Breakfast 

Our room package includes 4 breakfasts, I was really surprised when I read that because normally, the following day na yung start ng free breakfast but here in Bernardo’s Hotel, they provide breakfast upon arrival of the guests. So for our first meal, they served plated meatloaf, scrambled egg, rice and lychee for dessert. Coffee or chocolate for drinks.


I thought, we can’t choose our breakfast pero sa first-day lang pala yun, for the next three days, they already asked for our breakfast choice and what time are we going to eat. They adjust their schedule too, because for our Day 2, we ate our breakfast as early as 5:30AM, so kahit puyat pa sila sa New Year’s Eve, nagserve sila sa amin ng breakfast.

Breakfast Choices 

One Day Old Fish
Local Longganisa
Chicken Longganisa
Local Tocino
Corned Beed
Beef Tapa
Egg (Sunny side-up/scrambled)
Bread/Rice

Casa Napoli

Bernardo’s Hotel has a restaurant too which is very famous because it is the best pizza in Basco. So if you are going to Batanes, don’t forget to include Casa Napoli in your itinerary. The pizza restaurant is just small so it is best to make a reservation. We had our early New Year’s Eve dinner at Casa Napoli and we enjoyed our pizza, chicken, and mojos.

Read: Where to Eat in Batanes


Bernardo’s hotel is near the Chanarian Beach so if you have nothing to do, you can go to the beach. You can watch the sunset, mountains, or oceans on the hotel rooftop. It is also near Amboy’s Hometel and Villa Hontomin.


We enjoyed our 4 days stay at Bernardo’s hotel, it is really a home away from home. For the first two days nga, kami lang ang guests so solo namin ang hotel. Booking is easy, we reserved everything via SMS and email. Service is good and the staffs are very approachable and accommodating. The only downside here is, mobile and data signal is weak. We need to go to the rooftop or outside if we want to be connected. Well, when in Batanes, be ready for a digital detox.

Check-out time is 8AM but they allow us to stay until 9AM since our flight is still 11:30AM. We gave our room key and off we went to the airport.

Bernardo’s Hotel Room Rates

Solo Occupancy P2800
Double Occupancy P3400
Triple Occupancy P4200
Quadruple Occupancy 5200

Rates are inclusive of applicable Government Tax
Free breakfast, round trip airport transfer, use of the bicycle (maximum of 2 hours per day)
Children 7 years old or younger, sharing a room and bed with parents are free of charge.
Check-in time is 10AM and Check-out time is 8AM
Late check-out is subject to availability with extra room charges.
Credit cards are not applicable
Rates are subject to change without prior notice.

Saving Tips

Read: How to Save Money for Your Batanes Trip

7 comments:

  1. We have yet to go to Batanes for our family vacation. My dream is to go around the Philippines with my children as part of our homeschooling. =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice hotel, spacious ang room, and reasonable din ang rates. Will keep this in mind if ever we visit Batanes. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Batanes has always been one of the places that I wanted to visit even before I got pregnant. Hopefully, makapagschedule ako to visit with my son someday.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely place! One of the places we want to visit as a family to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. This is a very helpful info :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Been following your Batanes trip. We would love to bring the kids there. I was wondering, cause I think I read that you joined a tour for this one. Is it possible to DIY a Batanes trip or would it be hard?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi May, we did not join group tour. We availed private tour, medyo mahal lang kasi may driver, tour guide at full board meals. If DIY, pwede naman, may tricycle na you can rent. Not sure kung may van for rent pero marami ko nakita na couples na nasa tricycle. For sure kung saan kayo magstay, may mga contact sila ng trike or travel tours. :) Mas mura ang trike kasi good for 3 persons na yata ang rate nila.

      Delete

Klook.com