Since Mario’s Homestay was fully booked during our visit, we ended up at Ronor’s Lodging. The owner of the resort and its busiest attendant is Ate Nor, along with her daughter, who was pregnant at the time of our visit. Her eldest grandaughter also helps out as a personal assistant for small things. It’s basically a family business so you can expect a personalized service.
This homestay is very basic and some may even find it too simple for comfort. I guess you’ll be okay if you don’t set any expectations before you arrive, or keep it at its lowest. 🙂
I’ll start with the good things (pros) then move on to the not-so-nice experience for someone who is not used to this kind of accommodation. During my visit, I went with someone who is used to a full resort service so I’ll be talking about her experience in the cons.
Positive Reviews
Ate Nor and her family are very pleasant and offers personalized service
Since this is a small family business, you can expect a personalized service from Ate Nor and her daughter. Anything you need and cannot do by yourself, you can ask some assistance from them. The guests from the other room wanted to buy some soda but did not know where to buy them from. I think there are only a few stores in the island selling softdrinks and might be a bit of a walk so Ate Nor offered to be the one to get one for them.
In between her busy schedule, she would spend a few minutes chatting with her guests while at breakfast or while hanging out in the common areas of her lodge. She tries to get to know them like where they are from, what they do, why they chose her lodge, etc. and in return she also tells stories about her family. She’s very friendly and talkative but definitely not to the extent that she’s already a bother.
Room has all the basic things you’ll need plus a balcony
Despite being a very simple homestay, everything you’ll need to get a comfortable sleep during the night is present:
A clean queen-sized bed with blankets
I just have this notion that it’s clean but it’s not fragrant unlike those in resorts. Almost always, fragrant is equated to clean. This one has no smell whatsoever, which is a good start. Overall, I just know it’s clean.
Mosquito net
This was probably not very basic but Ate Nor wanted to ensure guests get a good night sleep. Since the homestay is mostly made of wood, it is apparent that there will be lots of mosquitos during nighttime.
Electric outlet
Although electricity was only available at 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM, rooms have their own plugs. The only problem is that it was way up the wall (at eye level) so those with very short cords will have to make do. I think it’s because the same plug is used for the wall fan so it has to be higher than usual.
Night stand
What could be more important than a night stand, where you can place your cellphone and all your other things you need when you wake up? This was not very basic but Ate Nor’s rooms also have it.
Balcony
The balcony was very useful for us. It is not for the view because there wasn’t one anyway except for the neighbors’ roof and backyard. It was very helpful in drying our clothes because all balconies have a laundry line. The balusters can also be used for this purpose. The sun was really hot during our visit so it only took a few hours to dry our wet clothes. The balcony was also a nice place to sit down and bask in the morning sun as our balcony was facing east. 🙂
Door lock
The doors at Ate Nor’s rooms were quite old so there was no proper doorknob. She instead provides an old padlock and key to keep your rooms safe. The only problem is I don’t know if she has duplicates of the keys so if you lose yours, I don’t know what will happen.
Safety is her utmost priority
In the evening, Ate Nor would lock the gates of her property for safety. This is definitely a plus but in the morning if you need to go see the sunrise at the viewdeck, you will have to wake up someone to get the gates unlocked. It was quite embarrassing to wake someone up at 5:00 in the morning but we really, really wanted to go see the sunrise. Anyway, you can just wake up Ate Nor’s son-in-law who usually sleeps in one of the open cottages where Ate Nor’s kitchen is. Most of the time, he acts as the homestay’s “security guard”.
Cheap but with free breakfast
The rate is obviously pretty cheap but Ate Nor still offered us free breakfast the following day. The night before, she mentioned that there was free breakfast and that we need to let her know what we wanted. If she had to ask, then I would have to tell her bacons, pancakes and a bowl of cereal. Hahaha! I forgot to tell her what I wanted that night so I ended up having rice and 2 pieces of scrambled egg on my breakfast plate. But the best thing is I get to have free coffee!!! 🙂 I don’t mind if it’s just Nescafe instant coffee, it is still coffee! Anyway, what can you expect from P500 a night, right?
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Decent common areas
The nice thing about backpacking alone is that you learn to hang-out with strangers and very pleasant common areas add comfort to this rather awkward circumstance.Ate Nor has a lot of chairs provided at the second floor common area (photo on left). There’s another set of chairs near the doors of the rooms (photo at bottom). There was this one time, a family of four was sitting at the lounging area and asked us to join them, which we did, and we had a very pleasant conversation with them as well.
Downstairs, there is only one open cottage with one big table which you will share with other guests having breakfast. Some may not find this comfortable but in places where island hopping is very expensive to do alone, this is your chance of having someone to split the boat cost with.
Negative Reviews
My friend who was not used to backpacking did not like the idea of having a shared bathroom. When backpacking, this is usually what you’ll end up with on your very tight budget. That was fine with me but others may not find it appealing. Just think of it: shared bathroom or you’ll have to pay more. If you want your own private T/B, then you should probably stay with more upscale resorts.
No flush
The toilet also did not have a flush function so you’ll have to flush using the water dipper.
The bathroom did not look clean
My friend also did not find the bathroom clean. She opted not to take a shower which was okay since she did not snorkel or swim. Well, generally it looked to me like it was a bit unkept. And to add to that, I think a guest probably used the bathroom and left several dirt marks on the floor. I’m not sure how often they would clean the toilet but I haven’t seen them clean it during my stay. Anyway, I was out most of the time so I’d give them the benefit of the doubt. I hope they clean it at least once a day though.
Water comes from a seemingly unkept tank
As you’ve read in my other entries, water in Apo Island is bought from Malatapay since the island does not have its own source of water. At least once a day, water is brought in from Malatapay and distributed to the houses. At Ate Nor’s, the water tank inside the toilet is also accessible from the outside. You would actually see light coming from the other end of the tank. Someone will pour water to the tank from the outside (so as not to bother the guests) until it’s filled up. Again, I’m not sure how often they clean the tank.
The doorknob lock doesn’t work
Yup, locking yourself up inside your room was not possible so in this case, we had to sleep with an unlocked door. At 10 o’clock in the evening, we were awakened by a crowd passing by the road outside the lodge. They were talking really loud and we kind of felt a bit unsafe with our doors unlocked. So what we did was pull out one of the night stands and pushed it against the door. Just in case. Anyway, we learned that the gates, front and back, were locked anyway so it’s pretty safe. Anyway, Apo Island seemed to me like a zero-crime place.
There was a limited dining area
The common dining area has only one table underneath an open cottage. There’s another one that is supposedly for the family but I’m not sure if they open it up to guests during peak days. If you are not comfortable using one big table together with other guests, then you might as well just eat your breakfast somewhere else.
Lunch is quite expensive at that time
Lunch cost P150 per head for one piece of fried fish and rice. Well, I must admit that the rice was a lot but I can’t finish that much rice in one sitting. The meal also came with a bowl of salad with cucumber, tomatoes and onions. I hate cucumbers so it was far from being appetizing. :)To be fair to Ronor’s Lodging, a full meal in the island really costs a lot so if you are really trying to keep your expenses to a minimum, do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else before heading to the island.
Other blog posts on Apo Island |
Contact information |
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For those interested to stay at Ronor’s Lodging, you can text/call Ate Nor through this number:
0915-775-2422 |
