Manila to Batanes Flights (Airlines, Schedules, Fares) (as of February 2013)

Manila to Batanes Flights (Airlines, Schedules, Fares)

(as of February 2013)

Skyjet 

Flight Schedule:

Manila-Batanes
Mon, Wed, Fri: 5:30 AM departure, 6:30 AM arrival

Basco-Manila
Mon, Wed, Fri: 7:10 AM departure, 8:30 AM arrival

Fare: 
around P16,965.00

Departure Airport: 
NAIA Domestic Terminal 4

Airplane:
94-seater British Aerospace airline

How to book:
1. Online

http://www.skyjetair.com

2. Call by phone

+632- 823 3087+632-635-4810

3. By email

info@skyjetair.com

Air Philippines Express

Flight Schedule:
* They will start flying May 2013.

Manila-Batanes
Mon, Wed, Fri: 6:00 AM departure, 7:45 AM arrival

Basco-Manila
Mon, Wed, Fri: 8:10 AM departure, 9:50 AM arrival

Fare: 
around P8630.00

Departure Airport: 
NAIA Terminal 3

Airplane:
To be announced

How to book:
Online: 

http://www.airphilexpress.com/

Skypasada

This airline is supposed to be currently flying Manila-Batanes but I have not been able to book online as well as contact them by phone so I don't know if they're still flying Manila-Batanes or not

How to book Skyjet Airlines to Batanes

How to Book Skyjet Airlines to Batanes

At present, there are three (3) airlines flying the route Manila to Batanes. The current status of these airlines are as follows:

Southeast Asian Airlines: They have seasonal flights to Batanes, which means they have flights only during peak season travel, and they suspend flights during low  season travel. As of the time of this writing, they have no flights to Batanes. The reservation officer I spoke with said they may begin flights in October 2012. 

Skypasada Airlines: They have early morning flights twice a week from Manila to Batanes (Wednesdays and Fridays), and afternoon flights twice a week from Batanes to Manila (Thursdays and Sundays). You can book flights online here.

Skyjet Airlines: They have weekly early morning Saturday flights from Manila to Batanes. At present, it cannot be booked online.

How to book Skyjet Airlines:

1. Call (+632) 635-48-10 or email joanna@batanestravel.com
2. Reserve the preferred date of flight by phone or by email.
3. They will inform you Philippine bank account number where you can deposit your payment.
4. After payment, email to them the bank details of payment or the photo of the deposit slip.
5. Upon receipt of payment, they will email to you your e-ticket.

Note: As of this writing, they only have Aug 18, 2012 and Aug 25, 2012 flights. They are still waiting for their permit for September flights.

Right now, the only advantage I see in booking Skyjet airlines, is the availability of Saturday flights during low season travel. The fares are almost the same as Skypasada airlines.

Update on Manila to Batanes flights of Skyjet as of February 2013!! Check out the link below:

Manila to Batanes flights (Airlines, Schedule, Fares)

Seasonal flights of SEAIR (Southeast Asian Airlines)

Seasonal flights of 

SEAIR (Southeast Asian Airlines)

I tried finding flights to Caticlan for a friend of mine and discovered as of this writing     that SEAIR, who's famous for having the shortest flight to Boracay thru Caticlan, currently has no flights to Caticlan. The reservation officer said that Caticlan flights are expected to resume in October 2012. So check this out in October. 

So I decided to make this post on the seasonal flights of SEAIR because a lot of people are asking me why these routes cannot be booked online when they have it in their route map in their website. The routes that currently cannot be booked online are their seasonal flights.

What are seasonal flights?

These flights stop during low travel season in the Philippines and begin during peak travel season. In the Philippines, the low travel season are from mid-June to mid-October, November to mid-December, January to mid-March. At SEAIR the seasonal flights usually involve flights using small turbo prop planes, which are usually 19-seater or 32-seater planes. The seasonal flights do not fly during low travel season. These involve the ff. SEAIR routes:

Manila- Basco (Batanes)-Manila flight 

Manila-Tablas Island (Romblon)-Manila flight 

Manila-Caticlan (Boracay)-Manila flight.

SEAIR stopped flying to El Nido

In our trip to El Nido last April 2011, we used roundtrip SEAIR flights to get there. Sadly, since March 2012, SEAIR no longer flies to El Nido airport. At present, the only airline using El Nido airport is Island Transvoyager.  

Island Transvoyager is the official carrier of El Nido resorts. So the Manila-El Nido flights are usually reserved for El Nido resorts guests. If you are not an El Nido resorts guest, the Manila to El Nido flight is only bookable 5 days before the flight. Email Island Transvoyager for more information.

The El Nido-Manila Island Transvoyager flight, however, can be booked in advance through El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe. 

Half-Day Cultural Heritage Tour of Batanes (First Day)

Half-Day Cultural Heritage Tour of Batanes

(First Day)

If you stayed at Fundacion Pacita several years ago like we did, the package included a complimentary half-day cultural heritage tour of Batanes. The itinerary below is the complimentary tour we took at Fundacion Pacita in March 2010. We arrived in Batanes in the morning and took this tour in the afternoon. 

Since October 31, 2011, Fundacion Pacita phased out its complimentary tours. However, I still think this itinerary will be useful to those who wish to take half-day tours, combining a slow, relaxing morning with some sightseeing in the afternoon. The guide we used for this tour is Roger Doplito.

But take note: this half-day tour does not include all the must see sights on Batan Island, like Marlborough Hills. I still recommend that you take another half-day tour which includes Marlborough Hills. This tour is best taken in the afternoon of your arrival as a nice introduction to the Batanes you will see in the next few days. We also took another tour in the afternoon of the second day of our trip. More of that in a subsequent post.

Advantage of taking half-day afternoon tours

You don't need to wake up early and rush into sightseeing.

Disadvantage of taking half-day afternoon tours

You pay the guide twice instead of just once for the whole day tour. The van rental depends on the number of hours you use it. But the guide is paid on a per day basis. Everything however is negotiable. So perhaps you can negotiate a discounted rate with your guide, especially when you arrive during low season.

What is included in the complimentary half-day cultural heritage tour of Fundacion Pacita
The half-day tour is conducted the day of your arrival. It lasts from 2pm-6pm. The tour includes the ff:

2:00PM:

1st stop: Radar Tukon

Our guide, Roger Doplito, explaining how this device records 
how sunny it is during different parts of the day. When the 
sun is out, the heat of the sun burns a path on the piece 
of paper inserted in the device.

Because of the strength of Batanes winds, hedgerows are planted to shield their crops from the strength of the wind. 
The crisscross pattern that you can see above are the hedgerows.

3:00PM

2nd  stop: Chanarian View Deck 

The Chanarian view deck has stairs you can use to get a closer view of the site. 

This is halfway down the steps.

The view below. 
You can still go further down if you want to.

3rd stop: Mahatao: San Carlos Borromeo Church

4th stop: Oldest house

4:00PM

5th stop: Ivana

Ivana Church

Ruins of the 1st Church of San Jose

Ivana Port with Jackstones

Honesty Coffee Shop

Outside Honesty Coffee shop

Inside Honesty Coffee Shop

The Rules inside the coffee shop

Vakul (Batanes headress) for kids
being sold at Honesty Coffee shop

5:00PM

6th stop: Naidi Hills

A Batanes woman wearing the traditional vakul

6:00PM

7th stop Basco lighthouse

7:00PM
Dinner at Basco lighthouse
Note: We paid driver and van overtime because we went beyond 6pm

The Best Room at Fundacion Pacita

The Best Room at Fundacion Pacita

The best room at Fundacion Pacita is the Idawud Suite. This is the terrace room on the left side of the main building. When you book online, one of the accommodation choices is terrace room (main building). There are 2 terrace rooms in the main building: the one of the left and the one on the right of the dining room area. If you're traveling as a couple, or just 2 in a room, the room with the best location is the Idawud Suite (sometimes called the Sophia, or the upper sunrise terrace suite). See the location of the Idawud suite in the photo below:

Encircled above is the location of Idawud Suite 

Why is the Idawud Suite the best room at Fundacion Pacita?


The private view deck in the Idawud Suite has both the view of the sea and the rolling hills.  
The other terrace suite is on the right side of the building and only has a hillside view.

This is the view from the personal viewdeck of Idawud suite

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You can watch the sunrise from the comfort of your bed.
Since the window at the foot of the bed faces the east, you can watch the sunrise without leaving your bed. 

The foot of the bed is by the window.

This is the sunrise view from the foot of your bed

________________________________________________________________________


The Idawud suite is conveniently located beside the main dining room of the main building. 
You don't have to walk a long way to take your complimentary set breakfast. You just open the door of your room and you're at the dining room. The more expensive premier suite is located at another building a few meters away from the main building so it's a bit inconvenient walking far from one building to another to take your breakfast, especially when there are strong winds, which Batanes is usually known for. The premier suite has the same view as Idawud suite. But the premier suite is fairly isolated, especially at night. The staff is more accessible when you're staying in one of the rooms in the main building.

This is the dining room of Fundacion Pacita where the free breakfast is served.
The door on the left is the door of Idawud suite

Traveler's Review: Why I Love Fundacion Pacita

Traveler's Review: Why I Love Fundacion Pacita

FOR THE VIEW...

....From our room

We can watch the sunrise and sunset while lying on bed. There's no need to get out of your room to enjoy the beauty of Batanes.

FOR THE VIEW...

... From our private viewdeck

FOR THE VIEW...

... From the garden

FOR THE TASTEFULLY DECORATED ROOMS

This photo is from the facebook page of Fundacion Pacita

FOR THE BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS

For the amenities.

Aside from the usual amenities of airconditioning, private toilet and bath, free towels, daily housekeeping, they also provide complimentary set breakfast, drinking water, glasses, plates and utensils, and good quality toiletries. So you only have to bring your clothes when you visit Batanes and be within the 10kg weight limit of Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR)

For the service.

It's a small country house where the staff treat you as part of the family.

For the ease of booking

You get instant confirmation when you book online and they have a secure website where you can make your 10% downpayment via credit card to guarantee your reservation.

MY TIP:

The room we got is a terrace suite (main building). There are 2 terrace suites in the main building but with different views. If you wish to get the same room as ours with the terrific view of both the mountain and the sea in our private view deck, request for the Idawud suite. It's the room on the left side of the building. Check out my post, "The Best Room at Fundacion Pacita, " for more details.

No other resort in Batanes truly compares to Fundacion Pacita's location and beautiful architecture. The privilege of staying in these beautiful surroundings is truly worth its expensive rate.

Contact info of Fundacion Pacita:
http://www.fundacionpacita.ph/index.php
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fundacion-Pacita/50375946779