By Nathan Allen

This is Marzio, an Italian who married a Filipina from Romblon. Together they operate JD&G Italian Restaurant in Romblon Town. Here, Marzio is making his way into the water so we can snorkel and explore the fascinating underwater world of Agpanabat Marine Sanctuary.

It took us a while to swim out to the corals, but we were handsomely rewarding once we did. Check out these intricate formations in about 2 meters of water…

This sanctuary was declared as a nesting site for endangered Hawksbill sea turtles, but we were not fortunate to see any. I hear that sightings are becoming rare.

Let’s hope that this is because they are nesting somewhere else, and not because they have been hunted or have died off. Anyhow, I quite enjoyed photographing the marine life around the sanctuary.

Below you’ll see…wait…is that a sea turtle? The funny thing is that I did not notice it until afterward when I was looking through my photos. I think it’s just an optical illusion, but it certainly does look like a turtle, right?

Anyhow, in this picture you’ll notice a very unique feature about this coral system – it has space underneath, kind of like a cave! It almost seems like the corals are floating just above the sea floor. I’ve really never seen anything quite like it.

Here are more detailed corals and underwater landscapes. Below I spotted a lone clownfish, guarding his young above its home in an anemone.

Perhaps along with Triggerfish, I call Clownfish the “Pitbulls of the sea”. They don’t care how big you are, they will swim right up to you and try to scare you away.

This one even bit my mask a few times. Good thing he’s only 25cm long, instead of 1 meter!

By the way, I took all these underwater photos with my Olympus TG-4. You can find the new model (in Asia) on Lazada HERE.

Perhaps due to overfishing or other environmental factors, there’s not a large number of fish here. However, I did see a pretty big school of the species above. I think they might be Butterfly fish, but I wonder if anybody has an idea? They seemed to be curious about me.

Snorkeling Tips

Sunscreen: If you’re going to wear sunscreen, please apply it at least 15 minutes before going in the sea. It’s best if you can apply it in a cool place, so that you don’t sweat it off right away. The chemical oxybenzone is found in many brands of sunscreen, and it can damage coral reefs. You can try “Safe Block”, which can be found in the Philippines. Also, some sunscreens made for kids seems to be OK. I use Banana Boat Kids SPF 50.

Life Vest: The best corals are in 2+ meters of water, so you need to be a strong swimmer, or wear  a life vest. I travel with an inflatable life vest – it helps me stay still at the top of the water for long periods while I photograph the corals.

WHO TO CONTACT:

It is advisable to bring your own gear for snorkeling and swimming here. However, there is a chance that Rose @ Reggae Vibes (see below) may have something for you to borrow. She can also provide you with more information about not only the sanctuary, but also Romblon island in general.

Reggae Vibes De Isla Romblon

Right next to Agpanabat Turtle Sanctuary, you’ll find this native-style / hippy homestay & Restaurant. Full disclosure: I did not stay here, but it looks really eclectic & cool! I did meet Rose, the owner. She was very kind, and seems to be involved with some good environmental advocacies. She also offers meals that are quite good.

She may have a snorkel and mask you can use for the sanctuary, but in remote places like this, it’s always best to be prepared with your own, just in case. Contact her with any questions HERE

(Reggae Vibes De Isla Romblon photos)

(Continued below, but I do hope you’ll consider following along with me…)

How To Get There

Check my general Romblon Island post for more info on how to get to this region of the Philippines. Once on the island of Romblon, you just need to find transportation to barangay (neighborhood) Agpanabat, on the southern tip of the island. It’s about 18kms from town (along the coast).

I’m really not sure if a trike will bring you all the way here, though I think anything is possible for the right price I would guess a trike ride should be 450-600 pesos, perhaps.

You can also rent a motorbike directly from Marzio at his restaurant, JD&G Italian Food in Romblon Town proper.

– Nathan Allen

www.idreamedofthis.com

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share!

 Related Links

 Romblon Island by Motorbike – A Road Trip in the Heart of the Philippines

My Olympus TG-4 underwater camera review

Stunning Bonbon Beach, Romblon Island, Philippines

Social Media

Have something to add? Feel free to leave a comment…

The post Snorkeling @ Agpanabat Sea Turtle Sanctuary – Romblon, Philippines appeared first on I Dreamed Of This.

  Words & Photos By Nathan Allen

This is Romblon, Romblon – Don’t Get Confused

Romblon island is the middle of the three islands in Romblon province. The island to the west is Tablas, Romblon, and the one to the east is called Sibuyan, Romblon.

Getting to this island from Tablas was a bit of an adventure itself, but there is a much easier way direct from Manila (I’ll cover that later). I arrived at the port of Romblon Town in the early morning. After a nice, brief rest at my B&B, I headed to JD&G Italian Restaurant. This place was recommended to me, and not only was the food fantastic, but the owner had a motorbike I could rent!

I finished my lunch and hopped on the bike. Within minutes (literally), I was treated to this view:

Yeah, right away I could tell I was going to love this island. Hardly any tourists, with breathtaking turquoise seas and white sand beaches.

About 1km after this overlook, I located the small trail going to a place called Bonbon Beach. I had seen some amazing photos online, so I was excited to check it out.

( If you prefer to use booking.com, you can browse Romblon Hotels HERE )

Well, it delivered. This place was sooo incredible – you can check out my separate Bonbon Beach Post if you’d like.

Colorful Romblon Town

The town itself has a lot of character. Many of the buildings are splashed with vibrant, pastel colors. It gives such a bright, cheery feel. I love it.

“Good Vibes” in Romblon’s Marble?

As you can see in that last photo, marble (the mineral) is Romblon Island’s claim to fame. I noticed many marble shops in town, and quite a few marble sculptures and statues along the countryside roads.  What I also noticed is that, quite simply, Romblon is full of good vibes. Really, there is an unexplainable energy I felt here.

In fact, as I rode my motorbike through the remote parts of the island, my arm literally started to hurt from waiving back at all the smiley locals. There were SO MANY. Don’t get me wrong – the Philippines is the friendliest country I’ve ever visited, but Romblon Island seems to take that friendliness to an exponential level!

Carlos Reyes, owner of Stone Creek House in town, half jokes that maybe it’s something in all that raw marble just below Romblon’s surface. Who knows, stranger things have happened. Whatever it is, I felt it…and it was good.

Fort San Andres

A steep 10 minute climb up some stairs by the market brings you to this historic Spanish Fort. The grounds are lush and well kept, and there are beautiful views of the harbor and sea from the top. You can find some information and history about the fort as well. There will probably be a caretaker who will collect a 20 peso fee (40 cents).

Anyhow, after this I continued south on the motorbike, snapping colorful photos along the way. It was a beautiful day.

Talipasak Beach Resort (San Pedro)

As usual, I didn’t really have a plan. When I saw a road veering off the right, I just took it. I noticed what looked like a huge eagle flying overhead, then the road started leading into a canopy of shady trees. There were kingfishers and other tropical birds all around, and the landscape was quite beautiful. I passed a place called Totoys, then the road dead ended at Dumagat Freedive.

I wanted to have lunch somewhere, and the guy at Dumagat said to check Talipasak Beach Resort next door. I’m so glad I did.

Also known as San Pedro Beach Resort, the food wasn’t incredible, but it was pretty tasty…and definitely affordable! The woman there was quite nice, and I loved the feel of the place. I relaxed in the hammock and then went for a swim and some snorkeling afterward (I brought my own mask). Nothing spectacular…but it was refreshing, at least.

The resort bungalows sit in the shade up a small hill, overlooking Talipasak Beach and the sea. Rooms are clean, but basic. Fan only. Last I checked it was just 700 pesos a night to stay there.

Someday I hope to come back and stay for a few nights. Beautiful, secluded place. I noticed that local groups like to come in and pay for day use. They just bring their own food and drinks to the beach.

If you want to stay here (and you don’t have a motorbike), you need a trike (public transportation) to drop you off. That could cost about 300 or 400 pesos ($6-8). You’ll be isolated out there, but perhaps that’s just what you’re after.

Countryside Landscapes

The southern part of the island brought me through some colorful and friendly local communities. I stopped at a few tropical vistas and lagoons – really breathtaking scenery.

(Ricoh GR II photos)

I heard people talk about going “up on the mountain” from time to time…so I asked how to get there. The last photo above was from a hike I took (the dirt road became too rough and dangerous, and I had to leave the motorbike).I believe the road going up is called Sawang-Cogon Shunt Rd.

As you ascend, the scenery really begins to shift to grassy, windswept hills…and the temperature cools off. Again, nothing spectacular, but it is cool and peaceful. Could be a good place to catch a sunset.

By the way, I also checked out the fascinating corals @ Agpanabat Marine Sanctuary while down south. Link is at the bottom of the page.

Beautiful, Rugged Coastline

Check out these views! These lush, grassy hillsides actually remind me home – the beautiful northern California coast.

I parked the motorbike and took these photos near Calabago lighthouse (not pictured).

(continued below, but I do hope you’ll consider following along with me…)

Continuing up the east side of the island, I found these colorful buildings tucked away in the coconut trees along the beach.

There was also a native style “bahay kubo”, or hut. These were located very near to Lamao Beach Resort (this place seems to be popular with the locals). It’s a pretty remote area out here.

Why Do I Love Romblon So Much?

If the pictures weren’t enough for you, I’ll elaborate more: To me, Romblon Island is the perfect getaway / adventure. It has everything I love: Stunning beaches / swimming / snorkeling, access to a motorbike for rent, few crowds / little development, tropical jungles, windy coastal roads (with scenic vistas), a lot of friendly local culture, AND it’s small enough to circle on a motorbike in just a few hours.

I call Romblon Island “The Sweet Spot in the Heart Of The Philippines”.

To top it off, there is a tiny but tight-knit community of European and American expats there. They are highly entertaining to chat with, and they have even brought some flavors from home. As mentioned before, you’ll often find some at JD&G Italian Restaurant, which serves excellent pizza and calzones. Probably the best affordable Italian I had anywhere in the Philippines.

Anyhow, now to wrap up my story…on the way back to town, I stopped once more at Bonbon Beach. I caught a magical sunset, and captured these two fishermen bringing their boat in from the sea.

What a great way to say goodbye to my new favorite paradise.

How To Get There

You might be able to find a cheap Cebu Pacific flight to the neighboring island of Tablas, but then you need transportation to the San Agustin ferry port an hour away. The ferry only runs early in the morning and at 1pm each day. I think the best bet is to take the 2GO “party boat”, as I like to call it…

It’s an overnight sleeper ferry that goes from Batangas (south of Manila) directly to Romblon Town. It has a bar with live entertainment playing late into the night. Haha. Awesome.

Where To Stay

If you are looking to get away from it all in rustic fashion (warning: you WILL be isolated out there) check out Talipasak Beach Resort, mentioned above.

However, the best option might be sleek Stone Creek House. It’s located right in town proper, and is beautifully designed – with all the conveniences of home. The reason this is so great is because it’s nearby to excellent food, as well as the BEST beach on the island (Bonbon). In town you can easily rent the motorbike @ JD&G and explore more of the island as well.

Hope you enjoy Romblon’s charm as much as I did!

Also be sure to check out my other related posts:

Bonbon Beach 

Agpanabat Fish and Turtle Sanctuary

– Nathan Allen

www.idreamedofthis.com

My Detailed Comparison of the Sony RX100 vs the Ricoh GR II

Social Media

The post Romblon Island Photos: A Road Trip in the Heart of the Philippines appeared first on I Dreamed Of This.

By Nathan Allen

Romblon province is made up of 3 Philippine islands, and Romblon island is one of them. It’s easy to get confused. Stone Creek House is located on the island of Romblon.

I had just stepped off the ferry from Tablas, which is the island west of Romblon. Dazed from a lack of sleep over the past few days, I stumbled through the streets looking for a good person to ask where Stone Creek House was. The trike (tuk tuk) drivers swarmed me to offer a ride.

To my surprise, one of the drivers asked me if I was Nathan. “Carlos is expecting you”, he said. I looked down and noticed his tricycle had a New York taxi cab design.  Having lived in NYC at one time, I took this as a good sign.

Arnold was the friendly drivers’ name, and 1 minute later, we had arrived at Stone Creek House.

I felt bad, because I had no signal on Tablas island, and wasn’t able to confirm to Carlos (the owner) that I was coming for sure. To make matters worse, due to my crazy schedule, I arrived a day earlier than we had discussed.  Carlos was very kind, and handled all this quite gracefully.

My Bedroom Suite

He showed me to my spacious room (it was a suite, really) with a private entrance on the ground floor. First impression was definitely good! Carlos explained that Romblon island is the “marble capital of the Philippines”, and I could see the elegant, white stone incorporated into the design around my room.

There was also an interesting cutaway stone design on the wall, as you can see below. It quickly became apparent why he chose the name “Stone Creek House”.

Carlos is Filipino by blood, but actually very much American. He was raised in New York, hence the NYC themed trike that dropped me off at Stone Creek. However, his family goes back generations here in Romblon, and he is quite a wealth of knowledge for anything and everything tourism related.

(By the way, if you’re passing through Manila on your trip to Romblon, I recommend clicking HERE for hotel options). Those interested in super cheap flights might want to check THIS out)

Self Taught Designer w/ a Knack For Repurposing

Carlos has a background in advertising, not design….but amazingly, Stone Creek House is all his own design. He did an excellent job repurposing old materials, such as the piece of jeepney (jeep) suspension above, which now functions as a towel rack in the shower. When you’re there in the room, also note the cut-open Italian Coca Cola dispenser, which is now the bathroom sink!

As you can see below , the room is quite spacious, and the elegant marble “headboard” above the mahogany bed frame is a nice touch.

Here you will notice more repurposing: The corrugated metal on the wall, along with another part of the jeepney suspension, which is used as a door handle in this case. If you’re wondering….yes, the bed is as heavenly comfortable as it looks. I think it’s even a tempurpedic mattress!

Room Decor – It’s All About the Details

This rustic old door has been refinished, painted, and now supports a series of shelves displaying decorative items. Apparently Stone Creek House even has its own custom scent (see spray bottle below): Grapefruit + Jasmine.

Carlos’ knowledge is not just limited to Romblon tourism…he is a dedicated history + Star Wars + trivia buff as well. An avid reader, he keep plenty of books in the rooms for his guests.

Of course you would expect a room of this caliber to include air conditioning, and it does. There is also a water heater in the shower…even a simple thing like that can be rare on a small provincial island like this.

The flat screen TV is loaded with cable channels, and the upper rooms are best for wifi, from what I’ve heard (the wifi was actually being repaired when I was there, but supposedly, Stone Creek House usually has one of the fastest signals).

The upper floor has a common living room space with great natural light. There is also a unique spiral staircase that leads up to the roof deck.

The roof deck affords an overview of everyday life on the streets, and in the market nearby.

Actually, I think the location–right smack in the middle of the local community–is part of Stone Creek House’s charm. My room actually had floor-to-ceiling windows that face the street. It is a perfect mirror from the outside, but a normal window from the inside (you can see people outside, but they can’t see you.)

This provides a unique look at every day life…people coming and going…visiting the small shops and market nearby. A bit of warning, though: At night people can see inside the room a bit, so make sure you close the curtains when you’re inside or when you leave.

Another tip: Bring plenty of cash with you, because there’s only 1 international ATM in town, and it isn’t always reliable.

So yes, this location really gives you the best of both worlds: Boracay-grade beaches (without the crowds), and  “big city” standards in terms of service + accommodation.

To top it off, thanks to the island’s small but tight-knit expat community, you can also find excellent + affordable international food options within walking distance! Of course, there are plenty of good Filipino options as well.

Yes, if you make the effort to explore, you’ll find that Romblon is really something special (look for my full post soon).  Stone Creek House represents the best this charming island has to offer.

I appreciate the opportunity  to share this experience with my readers.

Contact Info, Rates & Reviews

I’m not the only one who loves Stone Creek House, check the reviews on Tripadvisor…nothing but glowing praise – both for the hotel, and Carlos as a top-notch host.

Find Stone Creek House on Facebook HERE

Tip: You may be able to rent the entire building on Airbnb HERE

Social Media

Have something to add? Feel free to leave a comment…

The post Stone Creek House – A Boutique Hotel Near Romblon’s Beaches appeared first on I Dreamed Of This.