Romblon Ride: Getting to Romblon Island

Romblon Island is the capital and the smallest of three major islands (the other two being Sibuyan and Tablas) of the province of Romblon in the Philippines. If you are traveling by air or have limited time, it can be pretty tricky trying to visit all three islands, since getting around requires boat travel with limited trip schedules, going from port to port, and limited public transportation options.

On a solo backpacking trip here, my main plan was to explore by renting a motorcycle. But it proved logistically difficult. Flights arrive in Tablas Airport in Alcantara (the province’s sole airport), on the the Southeast side of Tablas Island. I found motorcycle rentals available, but they were in Odiongan Port on the mid-western side of the island. Meanwhile, the San Agustin Port going to Romblon Island is located on the northeastern tip of Tablas.

If you want to have the flexibility to explore the three islands freely, it’s best to just bring your own motorcycle and go directly to Romblon on the Roll-On Roll Off Ferry from Batangas and cross over to the other islands. But since I was traveling by air round trip with just 4 days to spare, that was not an option.

After arriving at Aglicay Beach Resort, I tried to rent a motorcycle from resort staff. But the son of the resort owner used the bike to attend a basketball game in another town and wouldn’t be back until evening, so I ended up hiking up some hills in the afternoon instead. Time is blissfully slow in Romblon. Maybe it’s the lack of WiFi that forces you to observe your surroundings more instead of being glued to your phone.

I left early the next day to wait along the highway for a jeep to pass to get to the port. Apparently there are only two passenger jeeps in the morning that pass the highway from Aglicay going to San Agustin Port, over an hour away. If you miss it, you’ll have to charter a tricycle or habal-habal which can be triple the price. Travel time is about an hour and I got there mid-morning.

I had to wait again until after lunch before the next pumpboat trip. RoRo boats depart daily at 5:30 am, but if you miss that there are two more trips on smaller boats that leave at 8:00 AM and 1:00 pm daily. Fare for passenger boat trips is P110 Pesos/person and travel time is another hour.

The port at the Romblon poblacion was a welcome sight with its row of colorful buildings and boats. From here, you can just easily walk to the town proper. My first stop was Romblon Deli, a cafe that serves international food, pizzas and fresh fruit shakes.

For a small island, there are surprisingly a lot of international restaurants right beside each other in town. Apparently, the island has a vibrant expat community. There’s something about the peaceful vibe that makes it a great retirement destination. Food quality is good but it can be pricier though. If you’re on a budget, you can find a lot of carinderias serving cheaper local cuisine on the other side of the street.

I read a tip online that motorbike rentals were available near Romblon Deli. Right across it, I found exactly what I was looking for. Partially obscured by a row of ukay-ukay (secondhand clothes) for sale was a small sign saying “Rent a Motorcycle/Bike.” They have several larger bikes available, but mostly manual and semi-automatic scooters. The rental fee ranges from P300 for half-day use to P600/day. You can probably haggle the price down if you’re renting it longer.

I got issued a semi-automatic Rusi 125 scooter. It’s not the best looking bike out there and I found the seat a little bit high, but it was easy enough to operate so I booked it for 2 days. This way, I could have my own form of transport. First stop, find accommodations to unload my bags. There are more convenient options in town, but I always like staying near the beach if I can.

The night before, I sent a text message to San Pedro Beach Resort in Talipasak and asked if they had a room available – thankfully they did. The resort is located 13 km from town, roughly 30 minutes by tricycle (they usually charge P300-400 for a one way trip). It’s a bit remote, so you’re pretty much stranded there if you don’t have your own form of transport unless you make arrangements with a tricycle driver to pick you up again.

From the national highway, the path forks right into a winding narrow path through the mountains before you reach a short, steep downhill path on a gravel road, which I found a bit tricky to navigate because of the seat height while carrying a backpack and a heavy camera bag.

I was surprised to see lovely landscaped gardens and a cozy dining area decorated with travel memorabilia and a mini-library of books and magazines. The resort has a restaurant where you can order coffee, drinks and home-cooked meals.

It also has its own private beachfront with hammocks strung up by the trees. The beach is for check-in guests, though they also allow day visitors for an entrance fee of P50/head.  I wouldn’t mind just lounging around here if I was staying longer.

With just 8 cottages available, normally San Pedro Beach resort gets fully booked, but I arrived on a weekday in between two fully booked weekends and was able to score a fan room villa (which costs P800/night) to myself. The native cottages nestled on the hillside have their own balcony and bathroom and felt very secluded and private. I booked the room for 2 nights.

By the time I settled in, unpacked and went around the resort a bit, it was too late to circle the island, so I proceeded back to the town proper instead for late lunch / early dinner. While driving, I got excited at the prospect of looping the whole island. I always love the breeze and view of coastal roads.

I spotted JD & G Italian Foods and Pizzeria next to Romblon Deli when I rented the motorbike. This Italian Cafe serves pretty good pizzas and has dishes like calzone, stracciatella and cheesecake which is pretty surprising to find in such a remote location. I picked the Romblonanon Pizza (for a local flair) which is topped with local longganisa, mushroom and cheese. The pizza is good for 2-3, but I was hungry. I took out what I couldn’t finish for breakfast. I really wish I could have tried the other dishes. Everything sounded so good.

JD & G Italian Foods is one of the few places where you can get a WiFi signal on the island. I used the time to check up online and decide what to do the next day. The waiter referred a boatman who offered island-hopping tours, so we made arrangements to meet up early.

As much as I wanted to ride around and see the land-based attractions, Romblon’s top draw is its beaches, so I decided to go island-hopping first in the morning and ride in the afternoon.

I was really digging the vibe on the island. Everything felt very simple and uncommercialized. I liked the beach resort where I was staying. Food options were better than what I had on Tablas. The coastal roads with their scenic vistas looked very promising. And most importantly, I was actually able to rent a motorbike giving me more flexibility. On the way back to Talipasak, I caught a beautiful sunset. So far, so good.

NEXT POST: Romblon Ride: Island-Hopping Cobrador, Alad & Logbon