Batad Hotels

Transient House: Very nice and Cold!

• Opinion of Price: least expensive
• Written February 23, 2010

Our Transient House Balcony/Dining Area

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Hillside Inn: One great holiday in Batad

My friends and I spent one great vacation in Batad. Just the right escape from the busy streets of the metro, and the busy life. The weekened trip was worth it. We arrived in Batad before lunch, had a big hearty meal in Hillside Inn. Then off to the waterfalls that afternoon. The hike was not easy but once you get the sight of the falls, it will make you alive again. I recommend getting a guide. Lots of them in Batad. For the four of us, we were charged P800 but we gave P1000 as extra tip for a cheerful guide. Back to the hotel, we ate to our hearts content. The meals in Hillside Inn were just perfect for a tired body and hungry tummy. Try their pita and pizza meals. The inn keepers are nice and friendly. They accept reservations too. You may dial 0917-7574411 or 0905-7699796 and look for Maya.

The Batad Kadangyan Lodges Project: native Ifugao huts amidst the terraces

The Batad Kadangyan Lodges Project is a complex of several native huts located at Sitio Balihong, on the way to the Tappiyah Waterfalls. It is found amidst (not above) the rice terraces, which makes you feel like you're embraced by the terraces.

The beautifully restored houses have basic amenities, decorated with native carvings and utensils. With each visit, you hire a guide-cum-butler who will be with you throughout your stay. He will take care of everything, from hiking tours to cooking your food.

I've been there several times with different sets of friends, and they're always blown away by the experience!

Check out the website at www.batadkadangyanlodges.multiply.com

Unique Quality: The most unique aspect of the Batad Kadangyan Lodges Project is its being a restoration endeavor with the additional goal of promoting community-based tourism.

The project aims to restore old and damaged native houses in Batad, and then later develop them into owner-managed homestay lodges. Thus, each guest not only enjoys the beauty of Batad, he or she also contributes to the preservation of culture in this lovely village.

Hillside Inn

I am glad to read about Batad here and I want to share my experience during my first time in Batad and I hope it would help our fellow travellers. this is with regard the "guides". You see me and my group were surrounded by lots of guides in Banaue offering their services to bring us to Batad. With sympathy since they told us they are there for long hours waiting for tourists, we took one. The service was good, except that when we were along the way, I thought, we need not a guide for this path! Just follow the path and you will reach Batad. Upon reachng Batad, they had this Guides association and I just shrugged off and regrettted that I took a guide from Banaue when I can actually get one from Batad. So anyway, our guide brought us to Batad Pension for a night. The next day my group and I realized that our guide made lots of money from us. Banaue to Batad costs us P1000 a day so for two days that is P2000. And we also learned that he had a commission from Batad Pension and that was the reason why he took us there when we wanted to stay at the Hillside Inn because my friends told us that the view of the terraces from there is awesome and the caretakers are warm and fiendly. All the inns in Batad charge P150 per person for a night but we were charged P200 in Batad Pension because P50 goes to our guide. I exposed this experience because it is unfair that the guides in Batad are not benefitting fromtheir own special village because of these not-s0-fair guides from Banaue. I suggest that you get your guides from Batad. After all, they are more familiar with the village as it is their own. By the way, try the Malawach with cheese and tomato sauce at the Hillside. It's delicious!

Hillside Inn: A Great Place to Stay

The staffs are friendly, the rooms are clean and there's a restaurant where you can order food. The facilities though are not that excellent but if you plan of staying for a night or two, it's a good place to stay because it's less expensive.

Unique Quality: The open window of the room faces the great view of Batad rice terraces and it's truly a great experience to wake up in the morning where the amazing landscape flaunts right before your eyes.

The foods are also great and you can choose a variety of those on their menu. While eating you will also be entertained by the great sceneries around you.

• Opinion of Price: least expensive
• Address: Batad, Banaue, Ifugao
• Phone: +63919-3368337; +63919-3799599
• Related to: Budget Travel, Hiking and Walking, Backpacking
• Written July 16, 2007

a shot from Hillside Inn

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Simon's Inn: Simon's Inn - simple but great!

We were planning to stay in batad for one night, perhaps two. But is is such a stunning place, and the accommodation very pleasant, if basic, that we ended up staying for five nights. It's really cheap, the food is good, the owners very friendly and helpful, and the impact all these have on travelers can be seen by all the letters left on the wall at the dining area.
We did 4 days hiking around batad, each time going for 5-6 hours walk, and coming back before it started to rain (we were there in May, just before the rainy season). It was a great experience which we will always treasure - the people are very simple and very kind, the scenery is magnificent, but above all it's so peaceful, green and quiet, in stark contrast with Banaue which is noisy and polluted.

Unique Quality: Simon's has great views, especially from the easternmost rooms which overlook the valley and the village down below. The menu is inexpensive, simple, varied but almost everything is tasty. The rooms are all wood - only a bed, a table and a light, but the simplicity and the atmosphere are what makes the place so great. Very hospitable owners, a lot to do and see, and such a relaxed feeling!
rooms are really inexpensive (100 peso per night per person, about 2$).

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Address: Not applicable
• Phone: N/A
• Related to: Backpacking, Hiking and Walking
• Written June 20, 2007

View from our room toward Batad village

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Ramon's Homestay: Sleep in an Ifugao Hut

The extremely friendly service you get at Ramon's homestay cannot be found in any 5-star hotel. Here, you are family. There is no electricity in Ramon's homestay, but it was quite an experience using only a gas lamp at night. Bonfires are brighter here.

Manong Ramon hasn't put up a restaurant yet, but you can ask him to cook simple meals for you. His nephew, Romy, can procure eggs and other canned goods. You might also want to bring some canned goods like meat loaf, tuna and luncheon meat and have them cook it for you. There's a restaurant at the nearby Batad Pension which has more food to serve like fried chicken and pizza.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to experience how it is to live as a Batad Ifugao. And all this for just 150 pesos a night! Feel free, though to leave more money to help Manong Ramon in his crusade to save Batad culture (he's trying to earn money to buy and restore Ifugao houses).

Unique Quality: Being a true culture vulture, I was soooo excited to get accommodations at Ramon's Homestay, just several minutes hike down the Batad Chungchong Viewpoint. The owner, Manong Ramon Binalit is the quintessential guardian of Batad Ifugao culture. He would talk to me about the different customs and practices of that village. I was even lucky enough to get to watch him make rice wine!

I stayed in his century-old Ifugao hut (the other hut in his place is quite new), which is filled with his heirlooms and other collected artifacts. I brought some canned goods and ate meals with his family. He used his old mortar and pestle to de-husk Batad rice for our meals! He even makes his own coffee from the small plantation in his backyard! I'm telling you, this is the ultimate cultural experience!

• Opinion of Price: about average
• Phone: +63927-678-3932
• Related to: Backpacking, Mountain Climbing, Arts and Culture
• Written March 3, 2007

in full hunter's regalia outside my hut

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Hillside Inn: The Village

Nice place. Overlooking the rice terraces. Good food.

• Opinion of Price: least expensive
• Address: batad village
• Related to: Mountain Climbing, Hiking and Walking, Camping
• Written June 26, 2005

sunrise by hillside

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Rita's Inn: Batad Village Pension Houses

I go to Batad once a year and I always stay at Rita's. It has a good view of the Rice Terraces [which is actually same with other pension houses]. I like the toilet and bathroom facilities, very clean.

Unique Quality: I like also the solar-powered bulb they use at night, so you can stay on playing scrabble and stuff.