Michi Photostory

We all know that traveling is costly but there are ways to save money for your next travel adventures. If you love to travel, I’m pretty sure that you always look forward to "travel expos" because it is the best time to score cheap plane tickets, discounted hotel and resort packages, affordable package tours, and even travel stuff are on sale like luggage, hand-carry bags, packing cubes and many more.


Since we live outside Metro Manila we don’t normally go to travel expos unless we have upcoming travel trips. So when I learned that there will be 26TH PTAA Travel Tour Expo 2019 from February 8-10, 2019, I immediately saved the date. It's been more than three years since our last visit to the travel expo.

Read: Philippines Travel Mart Experience

26TH PTAA Travel Tour Expo 2019 Experience 

Fast forward to our trip, my husband and I went to SMX Convention Center and we arrived before 8AM. On the way to the parking area, I already saw the crowd outside the SMX so totoo pala na ang dami ng tao. I was a little bit worried na baka matagalan kami bago makapasok kasi late na kami nakarating. But I was wrong because we did not have a hard time, thank God for Citibank credit card and Courtesy Seating.


After we parked the car, we asked the guard where is the line for the Citibank credit card holders and then we went straight to the other side of the building. Then I saw the Citicard Courtesy Seating so we did not go out of the building anymore. Yey! To register, the staff asked for our credit cards and we filled out a form and she gave us free tickets and flyers. Then we just waited for the opening time which is 8:30AM. Only those who have tickets can enter the travel expo.


Since we’re one of the early birds, we did not have a hard time falling in line. Unfortunately, some of the booths were still closed. Hindi yata sila aware sa early bird sale. Anyway, we immediately went to our target booth and reserved a plane ticket. Since we already have specific travel plans, we only visited 5 booths; 2 airlines, 1 luggage booth, 1 travel bags booth, and 1 travel stuff booth. So we were able to book a plane ticket, bought 1 checked-in bag and 1 hand-carry bag, luggage cover, and anti-theft bag. We started at 8:30AM and we finished everything after 4 hours, we left SMX at 12:38NN.





If you are planning to visit the travel tour expo, check my travel tour expo tips. 

Planning and budgeting for a large group in Las Vegas is a difficult task. But, if you have an idea of what the group will do while in the city, it will take the pressure off your shoulders. Such a  vacation requires your group to consider some key factors when budgeting. You must have a good plan for all the activities the group will engage in. You need to know how the group will be accommodated, what they will eat, and how they will be transported.  In this article, we focus on three things you need to budget for when traveling with a group to Vegas.


1. The Hotel 

There are plenty of accommodation facilities in Vegas. But picking a hotel that can accommodate a group of people could be a challenge. You need to plan and make your reservations early to avoid the inconveniences. The facility should have rooms for conferences, just in case you need to assemble at one place to plan for the day. Group hotels charge between $200-250 per room. So if you are in a group of 10 people, you need to budget about $2,500 per day. If you will be in Vegas for 5 days. You should allocate $12,500 to accommodation. The goal here is to have all the members of a group stay in one place for safety and planning purposes.

2. Meals

Obviously, budgeting for meals is very important when traveling in a group.  If the facility you will be accommodated in does not serve meals, you’ll need a restaurant where you can go for meals. Many hotels offer buffets that cost about $30 for breakfast. So for 10 people, you need about $300 per person. If you will be in Vegas for 5 days, it will cost you about $1,500. Picking a hotel that offers a group menu is important. It will allow you to dine at the same place. Group menus may be cheaper depending on the hotel chosen. Some hotels offer rigid menus while others allow you to choose what to eat. Lunch will cost about $45 per plate so you need about $450 per day for a group of 10 people. For 5 days, you need about $2,250. Dinner will cost about $50 per person. For a group of 10 people, the budget for dinner should not be less than $500 per day. If you will be in Vegas for 5 days, you need to spare about $2,500 for dinner.

3. Transportation

Las Vegas is a popular vacation destination.  So, you need to make plans for transportation early enough. If you are in a group, you need a Charter bus Company Las Vegas to move your members from the airport to your hotel. You will spent about $750 to transfer members of your group to destinations of their choice. It will cost about $15 to transport each member of the group to a chosen destination. So, for ten people, you need about $150 per destination. If you are planning for a group tour in Las Vegas having a budget is necessary. You need to budget for transport, accommodation, and food. You should also have some spare money to use to pay for entry fees.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Chinese New Year is over and welcome to the year of the pig. We did not celebrate Chinese New Year but we had food trip last long weekend. Yes, long weekend for us because my son has no classes last February 4 so we’re free for four days. We were in Bonifacio High Street for two consecutive days so we took advantage of it and we try some restaurants na wala sa probinsiya. Hehehe!

Crystal Jade Dining IN 

My sister-in-law’s family was back in the Philippines after 13 years so we had a get-together at Crystal Jade Dining IN. It was our first time to meet my husband’s nephews after they moved to New Jersey, USA. They only stayed for 2 nights in the Philippines so it was really a short visit.

My brother-in-law reserved a room at Crystal Jade Dining IN, the function room can accommodate two roundtables good for 10 persons. Crystal Jade Dining IN is a Chinese restaurant and they have 120 outlets across the globe. They’ve been in the business for more than 20 years and still continue to provide wholesome food - food that nourishes, inspires, and good for you.



We did not see the food menu except for the drinks menu and I can already tell that this restaurant is expensive. Why? Mango juice lang, PHP160 na. While waiting they served nuts. Since it was a family get-together, I did not take photos of the food but we had dim sum, soup, noodles, rice and 3 kinds of viand.

I checked their menu online and I found some of the foods that we ate, yung iba hindi ko makita sa menu. We had Yan Zhou Fried Rice, Braised Beancurd, Birthday Ee-fu noodles, Sauteed Ee-fu noodles with Wild Mushroom and Roasted Peking Duck. The food is good but it is not something that I will crave for.

Operation Hours 
Mon to Fri: 11AM to 3PM and 3PM and 5PM
Sat to Sun: 11AM to 11PM

Crystal Jade Dining IN
7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street,
Bonifacio Global City

Krispy Kreme 

My son had no classes last February 4 and I was contemplating if we will go with hubby or not. In the end, sumama pa din kami kahit alam ko na matagal kami maghihitay. My husband has a meeting somewhere in BGC so while waiting, we ate at Krispy Kreme. They gave us free doughnuts, pansin ko lang parang lagi may free doughnuts sa branch na ito. I remembered our trip few years ago, they also gave free doughnuts habang nakapila kami.


What I don’t like in Bonifacio High Street, late mag-open ang mga stores and restaurants nila so wala talaga kami magawa ng anak ko. Two years ago, we also stayed here while waiting for my husband, he had a meeting din before our flight to Cebu. But during that time, may mga display sila but now wala. After our walking tour in BHS, we went back to Krispy Kreme and wait for the other stores na magbukas.

Pablo Cheese Tart 

I love cheesecake so I like trying different kinds of cheesecake. Now, I’m addicted to Japanese Cheesecake so when we went to Bonifacio High Street, I was so glad when I saw Pablo Cheese Tart store. Finally, I can taste the famous cheese tart of Pablo. This cheesecake is not the usual cheesecake because the texture is very different.


Past 10AM, we walked to their store and I checked their products. If namamahalan na ko sa Kumori, mas mahal pa pala ang Pablo. I want to buy the Cheese Tart for P499 but I can’t because it can only be stored at room temperature for up to 6 hours, e marami pa kami lakad. So I only ordered Pablo Mini Cheese Tart (plain) so we can try it, P100 per piece. A creamy cheese tart wrapped with a crust. The tart is so delicate so and it can be broken after one bite. The tart is good and it is not sweet. I was surprised because even the crust is soft.



I also ordered Soft Serve Ice Cream in a cup with Sabrel Cheese Cookie P140. Sabrel Cheese is a parmesan cheese cookie with gouda cheese cream filling. We did not like this one, the cookie is too salty for our taste but we still eat it at mahal. Hehehe! The ice cream is just okay and I find it expensive.

Nanbantei of Tokyo 

After my husband’s meeting, it was time for lunch so nagsearch pa kami ng kakainan but we ended up at Nanbantei of Tokyo. We ate here few years ago so revisited the restaurant because we missed it. The interior of the restaurant is still the same but there are few changes on their menu.




Upon seated, the staff immediately gave the menu and served complimentary veggies with sauce and hot towels. I was shocked kasi hindi pa namin nakikita menu, may appetizer na. Last time we ordered the promo meal that is good for three persons but this time no more promo meal. So we just choose from their platter meal, a choice of Yakitori Special, Best Sellers, Seafood Platter and Surf & Turf.



We chose the Best Sellers P1050, it includes Aspara Maki, Tebasaki, Pork Garlic Yaki, Shiso Maki, Negima, Corn and Poteto Maki; a total of 21 sticks. We did not order rice because of the corn and for drinks, they have complimentary hot or cold tea. They have kids meal too, you can choose Kid Chicken Yakitori P120, Kid Pork Yakitori P125, Kid Tori Kaarage P130, and Kid Ebi Tempura P160.



Before they were serving the sticks one at a time but during our last visit, one time serving na lang. I like it better para tipid na rin sa plate and hindi pabalik-balik ang staff. The service is good because we don’t have to call their attention, they will refill our water and tea without asking.



The meal is good for three but we were not able to finish it so take-out na lang yung ibang sticks. While waiting for our bill, the manager gave us a FREE Kid’s meal coupon for our next visit. And after paying our bill, the staff informed us that we have FREE California Maki on our next visit so we need to keep our receipt. Okay na sana kaso we need to revisit within 30 days. So I’m not sure if we can use it pa at ang layo ng Bonifacio High Street.

Read: Lunch at Kabisera ng Dencio’s 

There are so many restaurants in Bonifacio High Street so marami-rami pa ang dapat ifood trip. Mas okay pala pag weekday at wala gaano tao. Care to share your favorite restaurant in BGC.

Batanes is one province of the Philippines that is part of my bucket list but it took me a long time to visit this place because airfare is so expensive. Yes, there is no other way to visit Basco, Batanes except to book a flight. There are flights from Manila, Clark, Tuguegarao, and Vigan so just visit the airline website so you will have an idea of the flight time and rates.

Manila to Basco 
Airswift
Cebu Pacific
Skyjet

Clark to Basco
Philippine Airlines

Tuguegarao to Basco 
Northsky Air
Sky Pasada

Vigan to Basco 
Platinum Skies
As I’ve said before, Batanes airfare is not cheap so most of the time, Filipinos will just visit other Asian Countries than Batanes. I won’t deny that because I’ve experienced that when I was planning for our holiday.

SIDE STORY:

December came and I was planning for our holiday getaway. We’re supposed to go to Taiwan, I already checked for plane ticket and hotel. But I was having second thoughts because it is more on nature trip and temples so I’m not sure if my son will like it. Remember our Bangkok Trip? Ayaw niya ng temple trip namin, hehehe!

Read: 6 Days in Bangkok with Kid

When my son came home from school, I asked him where he wants to go. Taiwan or Batanes? Temples or Mountains? I enumerated the possible places that we are going to visit in Taiwan and in Batanes and he chose Batanes.

So we let go of our Taiwan Trip and we immediately plan for our Batanes Trip. I’ve read some articles like PHP8000 Batanes Budget Trip and PHP12,500 DIY Batanes Trip, in my mind, I thought makakatipid ako because we’re not having an international trip but I was wrong.

When we decided to pursue our Batanes trip, my husband immediately called Bernardo’s Hotel to reserve a room and I purchased our plane ticket on the same day. The following day, I continued my getaway planning and at that moment, napapaisip ako if I’ve made the right decision. Why? Ang mahal pala talaga pumunta sa Batanes.

1. Our Batanes plane ticket is more expensive compared to Taipei plane ticket.
2. Bernardo’s Hotel rate is almost the same with Taipei hotel rate. No kids rate for my 10-year-old son.
3. Lastly, the tour package rate is so expensive. No kids rate too for my 10-year-old son.

So I checked some possible options on how we can save for our Batanes trip and I showed it to my husband but after brainstorming, we still chose Bernardo’s Hotel + Tours + Meals Package. My husband deposited 50% downpayment to confirm our reservation.

But of course, that is only our preference. We all know that we have our own needs, wants, and lifestyle. If you are reading this post, I’m pretty sure you are planning to visit Batanes anytime soon and you are curious if you can really go to Batanes on a budget. My answer is Yes, yes there are some ways to save money for your Batanes trip.

How to Save Money for Your Batanes Trip 

1. Buy cheap airline tickets. 

Batanes is known for expensive airfare but from time to time, you can score cheap airfare. Yes, watch out for airline seat sales, visit travel expo or if you have an airline membership card, use your miles. You can read a lot of blog post where they were able to buy an affordable plane ticket.

For Philippine Airlines, the cheapest one-way ticket that I’ve seen is PHP4000+ and the rate may change depending on the season. Prepare more or less PHP10,000 for a round trip ticket if there is no seat sale. If you will use miles, just pay PHP800 for Round Trip tickets.

Read: 8 Ways to Score Cheap Airline Tickets

2. Look for affordable accommodation 

After buying your plane ticket, it is time to search for your accommodation, Batanes offers affordable, mid-range and luxury type of accommodation. Of course, homestays, lodge or inns is the choice for the cheapest accommodation. You can book for as low as P1200, check the list below. These are some examples but I’m pretty sure there are more choices on the internet.

Affordable Batanes Accommodation 

Davocol’s Inn
DDD Habitat Lodging House
Dive Batanes Lodge and Restaurant
Florabelle’s Iraya Guesthouse
Martin’s Inn
Midtown Inn
Marfel’s Lodge
Nathaniel’s Lodge
R&E Bed & Breakfast
Shanadel’s Inn
Savatan Homestay
Ysabelle Homestay

3. Prepare your own meals 

To be honest, not only airfare is expensive in Batanes but almost everything. Yes, even food so prepare around P300 budget every meal/per person if you will eat in the restaurant. It is like eating in Metro Manila, hindi siya provincial rate. If you want to save money, do not stay in the hotel because you cannot cook your own food.

Read: Where to Eat in Batanes

4. Look for promos, deals or discounted tours. 

I learned about Bernardo’s Hotel because of Deal Grocer, I love checking this site if I’m looking for affordable deals. Last year they are offering two deals, P19,000 (3D/2N) and P27,400 (4D/3N). I did not avail the promo because that is only good for two persons but as of this writing, they have offers for 4 persons na, P30,900 (3D/2N) and P40,500 (4D/3N). The offer includes room, transfers, tours and full-board meals.

You can also book tour at Klook, I was surprised when I learned that Klook have kid’s rate. Waah! Sayang!

3 Days North Batan, South Batan, and Sabtang Island Tour P5,500 
2 Days North Batan, South Batan, and Sabtang Island Tour P4,800 
North Batan Half Day Tour P1500 
Sabtang Island Day Tour from Batan Island P2500 
2 Days North Batan and South Batan Tour P3500 
South Batan Tour P2000 

If you are not picky, then join group tours. Group tours are cheaper compared to exclusive tours. You can book from your hotel, travel agency or buy tickets from Klook. I paid P7200 per person for our 3 Days North Batan, South Batan, and Sabtang Island Tour, so you can already see the difference. (Private Tour)

Klook.com
5. Book a Tricycle Tour

If you want DIY Batanes tour then book a tricycle, you can ask your hotel for contact, book at the travel agency or read some blogs for tricycle driver contact. We are family of three so we can avail the tricycle tour but we had a bad experience with tricycle tour kasi when we went to Guimaras, that’s why we did not choose this.

According to my research, this is the rate of the tricycle (good for two)

P1,100 - North Batan

P1,700 - South Batan

P2,200 - Sabtang

Tricycle Tour from Travel Agency (with lunch) 

One person

P1499 - North Batan

P1999 - South Batan

P2499 - Sabtang

Two persons

P999 - North Batan

P1299 - South Batan

P2299 - Sabtang

Three persons

P899 - North Batan

P1099 - South Batan

P1999 - Sabtang

* Rates are per person basis. 

Planning ahead of time is very important because you can wait for seat sale or visit travel expo. You can search and compare different rates of hostel or hotel. And you can find more affordable deals that will match your budget. That’s it for my savings tips.

Read: Pasalubong from Batanes

* This post contains affiliate link/s. If you decide to make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

We accompanied my husband last week at Centro Holistico in Commercenter. This was our second time in Commercenter, few years ago pa yung first visit namin so I was surprised when I saw that there are so many restaurants in Commercenter that we haven’t tried pa. I also discovered a Korean store so if ever I want to have samgyeopsal at home, I know where to buy my ingredients.

As I mentioned, my husband had an appointment at Centro Holistico and only patient is allowed to go inside the room so my son and I had a late lunch at The Farm Organics. Late lunch because my husband was not allowed to eat two hours before the procedure so baka magutom lang siya pag kumain kami na kasama siya. Hehehe!


The nearest restaurant in Centro Holistico is The Farm Organics, you can sit inside or outside the restaurant but I decided to eat outside so kita agad kami ni hubby paglabas niya. This is the third branch of The Farm Organics that we have tried, the first one in Twin Lakes Tagaytay and the second one in Solenad.

My son likes burger steak so whenever he sees burger steak in the menu, eighty percent of the time, yan ang order niya. So I ordered Local All Natural Burger Steak P190 and All Natural Steak Salpicao P300. You can choose bread or rice (garlic rice or plain rice).



I ordered bread with my salpicao and rice for the burger steak. I thought ibang bread yung sa salpicao so I was shocked when I saw pandesal. So my son and I switched because he likes bread daw para burger. Hehehe! We just finished our meal when my husband arrived, buti naman because I was thinking pa nga kung san kami tatambay after kumain.

The Farm Organics
Commerce Center
Commerce Avenue Corner
Filinvest Avenue, Alabang Muntinlupa,
1781, Metro Manila

Two years ago, my mom sent me the documents that I need for my Schengen Visa. She sent the package last January 17, 2017 and it arrived at our Local Post Office on January 27, 2017. I did not receive any notice card so I went to PHLPost on January 31, 2017 and I was happy that my package was already there. Read my February 2, 2017 post here.


HOW TO TRACK PARCEL IN PHLPOST

This month, I asked my mom to send me the documents again and kung pwede, i-send ng maaga and she did. My mom prepared and sent the documents last January 10, 2019. She was advised that it will take 9 days. Since this is not new to me, I just check the tracking site for Norway and Philipines.

Tracking site of Norway 

January 10, 2019 - The consignment has been submitted to Posten
January 11, 2019 - The consignment is sent from the sending country (Oslo Norway)

Tracking site of Philippines 

January 12, 2019 -  Dispatch to the country of Destination

There was no update since January 12, 2019 so I sent an email to amed.supportservices@phlpost.gov.ph but until now there was no reply.

January 21, 2019 - I sent an email to amed.supportservices@phlpost.gov.ph
January 23, 2019 - Since I was not getting any update, I went to our local post office hoping that my package was already there. I gave my name and tracking number to the staff and she checked her logbook but unfortunately, my package was not there. She even advised me to check it online. Which I have always done every single day since my mom sent me the package.
January 24, 2019 (7:31AM)- I sent an email to customercare@phlpost.gov.ph (no reply) and PHLPost Facebook Messenger.

January 24, 2019 (8:59AM) I got a reply from FB messenger, and guess what? They just gave the status on the tracking site “January 12, 2019 - Dispatch to country of Destination” which I already knew, and advised me to “Please follow up after 3 to 5 working days for further information/update”

After few hours, nagkamilagro bigla nagkaroon ng update sa tracking site nila. Dapat yata after 9 days, nag-inquire na ko baka napabilis ang pag-update. hehehe!

January 24, 2019 (12:23PM) - Received at country of destination
                                                 - Items for Customs examination
                              (7:03PM)  - Returned from Customs (Customs Status: Import authorized, no taxes or duties to be paid)
January 25, 2019 (9:13AM) - Enroute to Delivery Office
January 28, 2019 - I printed my tracking number and went to our local PHLPost around 10:30AM. May nauna sa akin and matagal din ako nakapila sa likod niya so the staff asked me kung ano daw sa akin. I told her na may kukunin ko package and she immediately said, "Mam, kayo po ba si (insert my name)" and I said yes. And she said, Ma'm nandito na po package niyo, kararating lang kanina. Wait po muna kayo.

Natandaan pa pala niya yung last visit ko. Buti na lang daw pumunta ko kasi nakaleave ang mailman nila, nakalimutan daw niya hingin number ko last time navisit ko. Yey, after 18 days, I received my package. I signed her logbook and paid P112 (handling fee).

* The tracking site is different now compared to 2017. Now, they only show the latest update and you have to click the view history for more details. 

P.S. I'm comparing my experience last January 2017 kasi pareho sila na JANUARY 24, nag-arrived sa Manila so I was thinking kung may schedule lang ba sila ng pagpapadala. So kahit maaga pinadala, iniipon muna nila bago i-ship sa Philippines?

Food is life so even when we are traveling, it is very important that we have something to eat especially if we are going to a new place. Batanes is a province of the Philippines but information are limited so I was a little bit worried when it comes to food.

I searched for the Best or Top Restaurant in Batanes, I watched videos, read some blog reviews, forums and among the choices, I added Cafe Du Tukon and Casa Napoli in my “Must-Try Restaurant in Batanes”. That is also the reason why we stayed at Bernardo’s Hotel because it is the home of Casa Napoli. I wish we have the budget for Fundacion Pacita so we can eat at Cafe Du Tukon too.

Anyway, to make our life easier, my husband and I decided to avail the Batanes Tour Package at Bernardo’s Hotel. We are going on a holiday so I’m not sure kung open ba mga restaurant, we experienced that during our Sagada trip, lunch pa lang nagsasara na yung mga restaurant.

The package already includes tours, round trip service, lunch and dinner. But since I have no idea about the restaurant and food, I brought some canned goods, yung ready to eat na so just in case hindi namin type yung food, hindi kami magugutom. But you know what, we enjoyed the food in Batanes so inuwi ko din baon namin na canned goods.

Sharing with you our food trip in Batanes.

Day 1 

Bernardo’s Hotel Breakfast 



We stayed at Bernardo’s Hotel for 4 days and 3 nights so the room includes a complimentary breakfast for three. It is not a buffet breakfast but we have choices. But for the first day, we did not choose our meal, they served canned meatloaf, scrambled egg, rice, and lychee jelly.

Read: Bernardo’s Hotel Review 

Breakfast Choices: One Day Old Fish, Local Longganisa, Chicken Longganisa, Local Tocino, Corned Beef, Beef Tapa, Egg (Sunny-side-up/scrambled), and Bread/Rice



Pension Ivatan Hometel Restaurant

Our tour guide and driver fetched us at 12NN, the tour guide informed us that we will have lunch first and the van stopped at Pension Ivatan Hometel Restaurant. There was already a reserved table for us and we just waited for our food. They served the food one at a time so every time na nagseserved sila, nasusurprise kami. We are expecting that we will just have rice and one viand pero it was a complete meal pala.


We have soup, a platter of grilled beef, chicken, pork, kilawin and veggies, okoy and leche flan for dessert. For a family of three, ang dami nito so take-out na lang yung okoy. We have the energy now for our North Batan Tour.

Casa Napoli 

It was December 31 so the tour guide was not sure kung open din ang mga restaurants sa bayan so he asked us kung san namin gusto magdinner. I thought, nakaset na yung restaurant for dinner namin, may choice pala kami for dinner. After few minutes of contemplating, we said Casa Napoli. Well, that is one of the reasons why I stayed in Bernardo’s Hotel, I want to try the best pizza in Basco, Batanes.

Since it is located at Bernardo’s Hotel, hindi na nila kami need sunduin pa. The tour guide informed us that we have PHP900 budget for our dinner, we can order what we want and we just need to pay for the excess. We ordered in advance because they will be closed as early as 7PM so they can prepare for New Year’s Eve too.

Casa Napoli offers pizza, pasta, chicken, dessert and drinks. We ordered Pepperoni Pizza P350, Bucket Chicken P695 and Iced Tea P50. We ordered cheesecake but it was not available. Pepperoni pizza is my son’s favorite kasi so most of the time yan ang pizza namin but they have 11 pizza flavors such as Italiana, Supreme, Con Carne, Mattaw, Primavera, Magherita, Hawaiian, Pepperoni, Ham and Cheese, Garlic and Cheese and Mexicana.



We love the pizza and there is no doubt that they consider it na best pizza in Basco kasi masarap naman talaga. Mas masarap pa nga siya kaysa sa ibnag pizza dito sa Manila. The chicken and mojos are good too, hindi rin namin naubos sa dami. At least we have food before New Year’s Eve. If we stayed for one week in Batanes, for sure we will eat at Casa Napoli again. But because of limited time, we want to try other restaurants too.

Day 2 

Bernardo’s Hotel Breakfast

As early as 5:40AM we were eating our breakfast, we ordered longganisa and one-day-old fish. One day old fish kasi one day nila pinaarawan. So yes, it is a dried fish and we like this. After our breakfast, off we went to Ivana Port for our Sabtang Tour.



Pananayan Canteen & Catering Services

For our lunch, we ate at Pananayan Canteen & Catering Services. It is located at Morong Beach and Mayahaw Natural Arc, so after taking pictures we just went there for our lunch. They served a complete meal too, we have chicken tinola, vegetables, fried pork, fish fillet, rice and bukayo for dessert. We have two kinds of rice, turmeric rice, and white rice. I tried the turmeric rice pero hindi overpowering yung turmeric so my son ate this rice. The food presentation is simple but we’re satisfied naman, basta may fried pork, okay na kami ng anak ko.


Amboy Hometel 

The day before our Sabtang Tour, I suggested to my husband that we will eat merienda at Cafe Du Tukon. Maaga kasi matatapos yung tour namin so we have time before dinner time. But after what happened on our way back to Basco, we decided to rest na lang sa hotel, I will share that next time.


Most of the restaurants are closed on January 1, even Casa Napoli is closed so we are thankful that Amboy Hometel accommodated us. Before going back to Bernardo’s Hotel, our tour guide dropped us here to reserve table and order food. I did not go down anymore, my husband ordered Sinigang na Hipon, Grilled Liempo and Rice. I forgot the exact price pero alam ko may sukli pa sa P900 budget for dinner.



Amboy Hometel is just a few minutes walk from Bernardo’s Hotel so hindi na kami sinundo ng driver at tour guide namin. Amboy Hometel is a popular accommodation in Batanes too, if you watched Biyahe ni Drew show, dito sila nagstay. Our reservation is 5:30PM and on-time sila ha, hindi kami naghitay ng matagal. They already served our food.



The food is good for three persons and sobrang nabusog na kami. We are satisfied with our food, bet ko grilled liempo because it is tender, juicy and flavorful. Service is good too and they always refill our drinks.

Day 3

Bernardo’s Hotel Breakfast

Our South Batan Tour is 8:30AM so we ate our breakfast around 7:30AM. We ordered tocino, longanisa and one-day-old fish. They served sliced apples for dessert, I was expecting for lychee jelly pa naman kasi naging favorite ko na siya. Hehehe!


Nanay Ching Restaurant 

Our lunch is always a surprise because we don’t choose the restaurant and food. It is a different feeling when we are looking forward to our meals. Every lunch time, mapaptanong ako "Ano naman kaya ang kakainin namin?"




As usual, we have a feast again at Nanay Ching Restaurant. It is an alfresco restaurant and they served nilagang pork, chicken afritada, pork adobo, chopsuey, rice and camote salad for dessert. The serving was really huge, pangmalakasan lang. So we took our time eating our meal kasi sayang kung din naman maubos, except for the rice. Hindi talaga namin kayang ubusin. Food is good too.

Hudzan’s Cafe & Catering 

Our driver and tour guide fetched us and we had dinner at Hudzan’s Cafe & Catering. Ang dami food choices but unfortunately, not all are available. Because of the holiday season, hindi pa daw nadedeliver yung supply nila. So we ordered Buttered Garlic Shrimp P350, Burger Steak P150, Crispy Beef Ribs P200, Rice P100 and Softdrinks in Can P40.




The presentation of the food is simple but it is good. We liked the crispy beef ribs and their version of buttered garlic shrimp. Akala ko nga matigas yung beef pero hindi, it was tender and juicy. Service is good too, lagi nakasmile yung staff nila when taking and serving our order. My son left his jacket at the restaurant and buti na lang hindi pa nakakalayo yung van namin. Naihabol nung staff, that is the only time that we realized na hindi nakajacket anak ko. Buti na lang honest ang mga tao sa Batanes.

Day 4 

Bernardo’s Hotel Breakfast

Fourth day in Batanes and our last day too. For our last breakfast in Bernardo’s Hotel, we ordered tocino, one-day-old fish and longganisa. My son likes their longganisa so I bought one pack of it, buti na lang nagbebenta sila. I want to buy the one-day old fish but it is not for sale.


It was funny because I was worried that I will get hungry in Batanes but I ended up gaining a lot of pounds. And writing this post is torture because I really miss our food trip. Oh how I wish, plane ticket is cheap so it is easy to go back to Batanes. Hindi pa ko nakakain sa Cafe Du Tukon.