Stay | Batanes Pension Ivatan: From Hometel to Boutique Hotel

Pension Ivatan at night

In a span of a decade, I can say I am seeing how Batanes transform. Recently, accommodations are on the rise to cater to the increasing number of tourist in the country’s smallest province up north. While new ones are being built or old homes converted into homestay, a long-time establishment asserts its place in Basco. Pension Ivatan, a small hometel with a restaurant known to serve Ivatan cuisines is already considered an institution. I have seen the trend of dining options come and go in Batanes but this is one of those that has stayed ever since I remember.

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Batanes Travel Guide | Batan Island 2016 Edition Now Available

The Batanes Travel Guide Batan Island 2016 Edition

The Ironwulf En Route Travel Guides is your offline travel companion. I’m proud to announce the update to the comprehensive Batanes Travel Guide, the Batan Island 2016 edition. The new edition expands to 50 pages updating the latest info on Batan Island, updated map of the island and Basco town proper, latest transpo rates,  accommodation listings and more places to dine. Unlike the first edition, the new edition is a paid download as a lot of time and effort has gone into making this ebook from layout, illustrations, photography and copy. I hope you find it worth as a support for this site and share it to your friends for a discounted price. For more details on what’s inside visit the dedicated page for the Batanes Travel Guide | Batan Island 2016 edition.

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Batanes: Backpack Photography Workshop June 2010 Day 1

“Batanes in June!? You gotta be kidding? You might get stranded when a storm comes.” Was some of the common reactions I get when I say we’ll be holding a Travel and Outdoor Workshop at the end of June. I couldn’t blame them since Batanes do have a reputation as a stormy region but that was true a few years ago. These last couple of years we noticed the change in weather patterns. Even Ivatan locals there say “Official storm season now starts sometime October” So early morning 24th of June, 2010. I along with 16 other people flew from Manila, braving whatever weather yet  eager to set foot on the northern-most region of the Philippines – Batanes.

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Batanes in Mono: My favorite walking spots from Basco

Aside from finding the range of accommodations in Basco and also discovering places to eat, I spent a lot of my time in Batan Island just chilling out and wandering around. It was after a 4 day of assignment so I didn’t really want to pressure myself to produce as many photos as I needed. I decided to be experimental this time and set my camera to monotone mode and capture Batanes in monochrome hues. At different times of the day, I go to these places walking distances from Basco center and just sit there for at least an hour and just be amazed at this wondrous creation.

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Batanes: Accommodations and places to stay in Basco

With more time to roam around Basco Batanes, I was able to see what has changed since last time I was there. Nothing much really aside from some re-construction of some buildings. What I noticed though are some changes and additions on accommodations in Basco. With the rise of tourist in Batanes, it’s a good thing there’s a growing number of places to stay in Basco. Here’s a nifty guide on where to stay in Basco with personal comments and impressions on each of them.

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