25 Apr 2024
We enjoyed this tour a lot; we had a lot of amazing experiences such as riding on top of a jeepney (like a local), visiting Tappia Waterfalls and experiencing the rice terraces of Batad and Banaue. Detailed feedback/suggestions are below:
- Our driver (Jay) was prompt and arrived early to greet us at hotel. He was friendly & was happy to be flexible with the drive (in terms of stops for lunch or toilet break etc). The van was clean and very comfortable.
- Banaue Homestay B&B - nice accommodation ran by a very friendly lady, she also took upon herself to go through what to expect for the next day instead of local guide (when local guide didn't show up for orientation at 5pm)
- Local guide (Effy) was knowledgeable and was lovely to have him around showing us the area and explain to us what we were seeing and how plantation works
- Batad Simon's Inn was fine, although our room had a side window that could not open, so room was a bit hot/stuffy with the curtains down (to keep bugs out as there were no flyscreens). As there were no flyscreens, bugs were hitting curtain in the dark trying to fly into the room. Shared toilets and showers were OK, although other guests left rubbish after them in the shower which was a bit unpleasant, and toilet paper was not readily available (but luckily we brought some tissues with us).
- After we booked this tour, we were messaged by the tour operator with items to bring. We suggest to clearly state that the towel to bring is for showers as they are not provided in Batad (we brought a towel for swimming which we ended up using for showers), and to bring own toilet paper.