Your Complete Guide to Visiting Romblon for the First Time!

The Editor says: Romblon in the Philippines occupies a somewhat unusual geographic position, and in the post-pandemic period some ferry and flight services have yet to fully resume. The unique management style and local character of Philippine operators means there will inevitably be a few variables along the way — but as with any first journey, a little nervousness is par for the course. As long as travellers keep an open mind and have a solid Plan B ready, those unexpected twists will simply become part of the wonderful memories you bring home. Full article reprinted from: Ronny Chou's Facebook

Planning

1. First of all, congratulations on choosing Romblon Beach Resort. Lynn Wu's meticulous planning and constant communication will put your mind at ease considerably. Whether she's recommending flight schedules or ferry departures, she'll give you her best advice and suggestions. That said, every group has different preferences, so different itinerary approaches are perfectly valid. This time around, our group wanted to avoid as much hassle as possible and were willing to pay a little extra for convenience — so we chose to time our Cebu Pacific flight to allow for an overnight stay at a nice hotel near Mall of Asia in Manila, then enjoy a leisurely breakfast the next morning before heading to the port in good spirits.

A week before departure we received good news: we'd switched to Plan B. Two days before departure we received bad news: Plan B was off, and we'd need to move to Plan C — a different port, a different vessel. Fortunately Lynn was there every step of the way to notify and assist us. If you had to contact each ferry company and shuttle operator yourself, you'd probably go crazy…

We do believe, however, that as domestic flights and ferry services gradually return to normal operations, getting there and back will become considerably more convenient.

2. Always build plenty of buffer time into your itinerary connections. You never know what will happen with traffic in Manila — and the same goes for ferries. On this trip we hit a massive traffic jam caused by a collapsed bridge. Even with our dedicated driver weaving against traffic and pushing the speed limits the whole way, we still arrived at the port two hours late. The large ferry was no different: on the way there it departed two hours late for no apparent reason, and on the return leg a different vessel arrived two hours late, also for no apparent reason. If you leave no margin, you risk missing your flight — and that would be truly maddening. Fortunately, we had built in enough slack to get through everything smoothly.

Pre-Departure Preparation

1. We noticed this time that the Cebu Pacific check-in counter in Taiwan is extremely slow. We recommend arriving at least 3 hours before your flight. On this trip we arrived 2.5 hours early, and by the time we'd finished all the procedures and got through security, there were only 10 minutes left before boarding.

2. Please double-check and have the following documents ready:

• Passport (please check that it is valid for at least 6 months)
• Travel visa (Philippine e-visa, paper visa, etc.)
• Digital vaccination certificate and vaccine card (checked at the airline check-in counter)
• E-Travel registration completed within 72 hours of departure — link here: https://etravel.gov.ph/
• Once registration is complete, save the final QR code screen — it will be scanned at the very first checkpoint upon arriving at a Philippine airport (primarily for recording vaccination proof and health declaration)
• Print your round-trip air tickets or take a photo of your e-tickets; please double-check that the spelling of names and dates are correct
• Since there aren't many other expenses, group members can bring around USD 200–250 or PHP 10,000–13,000, which should be sufficient. The TWD-to-PHP rate is approximately 0.55:1

Packing Your Luggage

1. Check the baggage allowance you've purchased, and distribute your load between your carry-on and checked baggage accordingly. Budget airlines check very strictly — there's very little wiggle room.

2. Use the reverse-packing method: start by laying out your scuba diving and photography equipment to the side (or assemble it), confirm all accessories are present, then disassemble and pack it into the case. Pack personal items into small pouches — don't mix them in with your dive gear. This way, once you arrive at the hotel or board a vehicle or vessel, you can pull out your overnight bag without rummaging through everything.

3. The resort does not provide disposable toiletries, straws, or slippers — please bring your own if needed. Bring your own reusable water bottle and cutlery for use throughout the trip. The resort does provide hair dryers and handmade soap.

4. Since this is a photography-focused trip, the water temperature isn't particularly cold, but we often stayed stationary for extended periods and most dives exceeded 60 minutes. We recommend bringing a warm wetsuit along with a hood, gloves, and other accessories. There are a great many hydromedusae (hydroid jellyfish) with very strong stings — please cover up completely.

5. For health and safety, please wear a mask during travel. Bring plenty of extra masks for daily changes — around 10–15 per person is ideal, though in practice many people on the street weren't wearing them anymore.

6. Philippine entry regulations allow up to 400 cigarettes, 2 litres of alcohol, and 50 cigars.

7. With multiple days of diving, there may be occasional waves and swell — please bring non-drowsy seasickness medication. If you're worried about testing positive for COVID-19 locally, bring some spare medications, but keep quantities personal-use only and don't overpack. Insect repellent is handy, as there can be quite a few mosquitoes in the evenings.

8. Bring sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, your usual medications or topical ointments, and a spare pair of glasses if you wear prescription lenses (or extra disposable contact lenses, etc.). For sunscreen, please choose a reef-safe, non-chemical formula that won't harm the ocean.

9. Mobile data networks work fine in mainland Manila and at the resort, and the resort also has Wi-Fi. If you need to stay reachable by phone at all times, consider signing up for an international roaming plan with your Taiwanese carrier.

Getting Around

<Van>

1. Have your power bank, drinks, and neck pillow ready before boarding. If you're prone to motion sickness, take some medication beforehand.

2. Road journeys start at around 2 hours and include stops at rest areas. Rest areas vary hugely — some are large complexes with supermarkets and multiple restaurant chains, while others are little more than a petrol station and one or two small shops. Remember to tell the driver what you need; they'll find the best option. On this trip we needed to do a bit of shopping before boarding and have lunch, so we asked the driver to take us to a large rest area with a supermarket and several restaurants for a quick break.

3. The chain restaurant outlets at rest areas are oddly slow — you can end up waiting a very long time. Keep a close eye on the clock. We recommend dividing tasks among group members: one person handles coffee and drinks, another handles burgers from a specific chain, another goes to the supermarket for snacks. This is far more efficient, since we only budgeted 20 minutes at the rest area.

4. Remember to buy the driver a meal and a coffee to keep him alert — it builds camaraderie and also adds a safety margin to the journey.

5. Chat with the driver — you'll learn a lot about local culture and customs, it's a great form of people-to-people diplomacy, and of course it helps keep the driver from dozing off.

6. When you get off, it's a good idea to leave a tip to thank the driver for looking after you.

7. Many toilets do not provide toilet paper — female group members in particular should remember to carry their own.

<Ferry>

1. Lynn will send you the e-ticket files before departure. The group leader should print them out and bring them along — no need to distribute them to individual members yet. Upon arriving at the port, go to the ticket counter to exchange them for physical tickets and hand them out. Each ticket will have a bunk number and name printed on it; everyone finds their bunk accordingly. Your luck is sealed at this point — a good spot means a good night's sleep, a bad one can be torture. On this trip we had the resort specially send a staff member to the port to help us with everything related to boarding, which was a tremendous comfort. A big thank you also to Gary, who turned out to be my dive guide later on — he had to set out the day before to wait for us at the port. That was a lot of extra effort on his part.

2. There is a port fee of approximately PHP 15 per person upon entering the port.

3. The porters are the biggest psychological hurdle of the entire journey, because all of your important gear and photography equipment is in their hands. They will quote you a price — imagine a crowd of locals surrounding you, each calling out a different figure, with the ship about to depart any minute. You're also terrified that whoever you trust might drop or throw your bags. On the way there, because Gary was with us, we had him negotiate with the porters, which was far more reassuring. All you really need to do is film the bags being loaded onto the trolley as evidence, and count the number of large and small items. On the outbound leg we had 18 large pieces + 5 small pieces, and paid PHP 1,700 including tip. Arriving in Romblon with the same number of bags, Gary negotiated a total of approximately PHP 2,000 including tip. As it turned out, having a local do the negotiating always gets you the best price.

On the return leg from Romblon with the same number of bags, Gary negotiated PHP 2,600 including tip. However, because Gary only accompanied us to the port, when it came to boarding the ship, four porters surrounded me demanding tips and followed me all the way into the cabin — I ended up spending another PHP 200 to get rid of them.

Finally, arriving at Batangas, I knew I had to find porters myself to get everyone's luggage off the ship. Armed with the reference figures from before, I'd done my homework in advance: I prepared a maximum budget of PHP 2,600 including tip, got the group to break some change, put PHP 2,600 in my left pocket and PHP 400 in my right. Sure enough, the moment we docked, porters rushed onto the ship looking for clients. I picked one with a distinctive face and a special scarf (easier to remember), and when he heard how many pieces we had — a big catch — he immediately brought over someone who seemed like a leader, a very shifty-looking character, to negotiate on his behalf. I asked how much for this many bags. The "boss" wouldn't name a price, just kept saying "How much do you want to pay? How much do you want to pay?" — refusing to quote. So I said: "My maximum is PHP 2,000 including tip." He immediately said no. But I caught a flicker in the eyes of the others nearby, so I said: "Fine, I'll find other porters. Thank you and goodbye!" The boss immediately said: "Don't worry, we are friends — PHP 2,000 is OK!" I asked my wife to take the rest of the group off the ship while I followed the porters to the cargo hold to retrieve the bags. Sure enough, the moment the hold doors were opened they said it was too big and too heavy. To be fair, I knew they were right — it really was very big and very heavy. They asked for more money. I said no, you already agreed to the price. They said just a little more. I countered with PHP 2,300 maximum. After dragging this out for a while, with time ticking away and the delay in the ship's arrival (already 2 hours late) threatening to affect our onward transport and flights, we finally settled at PHP 2,500. After all the luggage was off the ship I counted every piece, then they loaded everything onto trolleys. Only then did I realise that the exit at Batangas was quite a long way from the berth — about a 5-minute walk — and the porters also had to stop partway to buy a luggage exit fee before we could clear the gate (included in the negotiated price). In the end it took us 30 minutes to reach the car park and unload. And of course, once all six porters had finished unloading, they crowded around asking for tips — too heavy, too far, too hot… I pulled out the PHP 400 from my right pocket and said: "This is all I have left. I'll split it with you — I need to keep half for my lunch." And that was the end of the porter saga.

4. Because our plans changed on this trip, we ended up taking two different vessels. In the future most travellers will likely take the regular Starlight departures from Batangas, so I'll give a brief overview — though Starlight operates more than 10 ferries, so you may not end up on the same type of ship:

Once on board, a crew member will check your ticket and direct you to your cabin or area. Any issues can be raised with them. On this trip, one ticket had a double-booking conflict for the same bunk — after reporting it, we were assigned a different bunk.

5. The toilets in the sleeping-berth section tend to be cleaner and also have showers available — we'd recommend using those rather than the ones outside the cabin area, which are dirtier. Toilet paper is almost never available, so female travellers especially should carry their own at all times.

6. The canteen/snack shop carries a variety of instant noodles, drinks, snacks, and bread. During breakfast hours, passengers can redeem their meal with the breakfast voucher printed on their ticket. Starting at around 6:00 am, announcements will be made calling sections (A/B/C) to collect their meals in turn. The meal consists of Filipino-style rice + sausage + scrambled eggs.

7. Since this is an overnight voyage and bunks are stacked (upper and lower), prepare a few small comfort items or snacks to help you rest well on board:

• Alcohol wipes or antiseptic wipes to wipe down the mattress and disinfect
• Earplugs and earphones
• Sleep mask and face mask — pairing the face mask with an aromatherapy patch can help you sleep even better
• Download a few films onto your phone or tablet
• A good book or two
• The air conditioning on board is very strong, so bring a light jacket, hat, and socks to stay warm; long trousers are recommended
• Sleep-aid supplements or health products
• Lock your large luggage — even if it's not right next to you, it gives peace of mind
• Neck pillow
• A fun card game to pass the time — we highly recommend card mahjong, which was a huge hit on this trip and can be played on the island too
• A handy travel toothbrush and toothpaste — brushing before bed and after waking up is very refreshing
• Snacks and food — the ship does have a canteen so you don't need to overpack, and there's a free Filipino breakfast in the morning
• Seasickness / motion sickness medication
• You can rent blankets on board by leaving an ID document as a deposit — a dive certification card works perfectly. One card can rent up to 4 blankets. Definitely do this.

8. You cannot pre-select your bunk. If you're assigned an upper bunk, watch out for the light position and air-conditioning vents — sometimes it's too bright or too cold. If you're near a door or passageway, note that people come and go frequently at night and it can be noisy, as many passengers don't bother closing the door. If there are empty bunks elsewhere, it's worth moving over early.

9. You can check with Lynn in advance whether VIP cabins can be booked (VIP cabins still have upper and lower berths). Upgrading gives you a private four-person room, which is much more comfortable. However, cabin configurations on local ferries can change, just as on this trip — we only found out after boarding that this particular ship had VIP cabins available, but they were already fully booked with only 3 berths remaining.

10. Large luggage may be stored in the cargo hold on Deck 1, near the stairwell. This hold is sealed after departure for safety reasons and cannot be accessed during the voyage. Make sure to prepare everything you'll need overnight before boarding, and always put a lock on your bags for peace of mind.

Tips from the Group Leader

1. Bring a thorough supply of medications. Cold/flu, diarrhoea, gastrointestinal, skin, seasickness, muscle pain, fever/anti-inflammatory, and pain relief are the basics — we bring a large bag every time. On this trip we even ended up needing antibiotics, as there was apparently some exposure to trace pathogens and several group members suffered gastrointestinal discomfort. We donated some medications to the resort when we left, but we still recommend bringing more than you think you'll need.

2. Bring plenty of snacks — there's a lot of downtime at the resort, and a diver's stomach is always empty.

3. Card games are a good idea to bring along.

4. The resort Wi-Fi covers roughly the restaurant and pool area. The group leader recommends purchasing a roaming plan for moments when you need connectivity back in your room (it will be slower, but it works). At the resort, Globe has better signal than Smart. For budget-conscious travellers, one savvy group member purchased a data package for around PHP 300 on KKday before departure — very good value, and it meant no queuing at the airport to buy or swap SIM cards. Reportedly there are no PHP 300 packages available locally.

5. If you dine at any restaurants outside the resort, it's best to avoid the complimentary drinking water. Multiple group members experienced stomach discomfort after drinking it — this also applied at the Italian restaurant in Romblon town.

6. For diving, we recommend bringing booties and adjustable fins, as the night shore dives are truly spectacular.

7. Night dives are excellent. We eventually settled into a pattern of one dive in the morning, one in the afternoon, plus one night dive — though night dives do incur an additional charge.

8. Romblon is best suited to divers who love photography and macro shooting. If anyone in the group is hoping to see large schools of fish or other big marine life, manage those expectations beforehand.

9. Romblon doesn't have many restaurants, bars, or entertainment venues. If anyone in the group likes a lively nightlife scene or upscale dining, please flag this in advance.

10. Diving and resort tips are given collectively — no need to tip separately. That said, some of our group members still privately gave individual tips to their dive guides as a personal thank-you.

This turned out to be quite a long write-up, but it's my way of paying tribute to this place. Romblon is truly a special destination — warm and welcoming hosts, the wonderful and hilarious instructor Arwen Lin, astonishing underwater macro subjects, comfortable facilities, and a simplicity and authenticity that money can't buy.

We hope that when you get here, you'll love it just as much as we did!

Full article reprinted from:

Ronny Chou's Facebook