Ramon’s Native Homestay – Experiencing Ifugao Nipa hut in Batad

Ramon’s Homestay and Restaurant is a popular choice amongst travelers in Banaue because of its proximity to Batad Rice Terraces and Tappiya Falls. This hotel is also 9.6 mi (15.5 km) from Banaue Museum and 10.8 mi (17.3 km) from Banaue Rice Terraces.

When we explored Batad Rice Terraces and Tappiya Waterfalls to celebrate a friend’s birthday we stayed at Ramon’s Homestay for one night. It’s great to know that Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray also chose this place for her backpacking experience and immersion into the Ifugao culture shown in her youtube channel. Even the famous actor Piolo Pascual choose to stay here during his trip in 2015.

Ramon’s Native Homestay has these native huts available for around USD 20 a night, each with a maximum capacity of 4-5. You can book these huts through AGODA. 

In this blog, let me share with you our experience in staying here and give you a little insight into what to expect when you choose to stay here as well.

Ramon’s Homestay and Restaurant, Banaue

There are no concrete pathways going to Ramon’s Homestay. Trekking and hiking were inevitable. From the jeepney stopover, we walked for about 3-5 minutes going to the homestay.

The entrance of the place is already giving us the “probinsiya” province vibes. The hotel’s peaceful atmosphere extends to its recreational facilities which include a garden. Even the breeze of the fresh air made us comfortably settled and gave our trip a more homey feel. We need this, I needed this – being away from the noise of cars, pollution in the air, and the busy city life. Not to escape but to recharge and be with nature even for a short period of time.

The Ifugao Nipa Huts

Instead of sleeping in normal rooms with air-conditioning, our group opted to stay in the nipa huts. Known locally as a fale, the traditional Ifugao hut looks like it’s all roof on stilts, kinda like a bobblehead house. It has three functional levels — the ground floor work area which is actually the space beneath the house, the second floor which is the living quarters and social area, and the third level which is used as a granary.

If you want the full Batad experience, sleeping in an Ifugao hut is a must. We stayed in their biggest hut. It can sleep five – three on beds and two on floor mattresses. The inside of the hut is much bigger than it looks on the outside. Also, there’s no electricity in these huts. They do provide us with candles but it’s still very dark inside. We used our flashlights and lamps in the evening.

Powerbank – Multi-Functional Portable Powerbank Fast Charging

Headlamp – Waterproof Headlamp

Another thing, make sure to bring your blanket. It can be freezing in Batad at night. The staff also provided us padlocks to secure our belongings but they still highly insist that their guests bring their valuables with them whenever they leave their huts.

There is a common shared bathroom. Obviously not the most glamorous or hygienic, but management does try its best to keep them clean.

We also noticed that the underside of the roof is often embellished with animal skulls. Apparently, these animal skulls are a source of pride to the hut owner as per the staff. Ifugaos are animists so they offer animals to the gods during their annual rituals. Both freaky and cool!

View at the Restaurant

Ramon’s Homestay provides a full and open view of the rice terraces and neighboring mountains. You can wake up early in the morning to view the sunrise and stay late until the sun sets.

There are no standalone restaurants in Batad so wherever you’re staying is pretty much where you’ll be eating all your meals. The food options in this place are very few and a little expensive but reasonable given the fact that it is hard to bring supplies here. The morning we came here a staff welcomed and guided us at Ramon’s Homestay and Restaurant. We ordered tea right away while our friend Jeysen took over our check-in process.

We did not eat lunch here because we still have the fast food takeaways that we took to eat at Tappiya Falls. But we had a great dinner here. We ordered fried native chicken, chop suey, and rice.

The activities we had while we are in Batad are – Batad Rice Terraces in Ifugao Province – Travel Guide and Tappiya Falls – Behold to this Majestic Falls in Batad.

They charged us for food and drinks right before we check out though I hope they allow guests the option of paying after every meal. For a budget traveler like me, I want to be sure that my expenses and budget are in order.

This is us preparing to check out. Overall, if you truly want to experience and feel the whole of Batad, Ramon’s Homestay will be your best bet. Definitely recommending Ramon’s Homestay.

Ramon’s Native Homestay, Batad Rice Terraces, Banaue, Ifugao

Batad Rice Terraces, Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines
Mobile: 0935-130-2911 / 0930-962-7348
Facebook: RamonsHomestay
Email: ramonshomestay@gmail.com

APPROXIMATE ROOM RATES:
Native Ifugao Hut – Around USD 20 per Ifugao hut (good for 3-4 pax)
Standard Room – Around PHP 250 per person

Make a Reservation via AGODA – Ramon’s Homestay and Restaurant

Make a Reservation via KLOOK – Ramon’s Homestay and Restaurant

HOW TO GO TO RAMON’S HOMESTAY AND RESTAURANT

To get here, you need to take a bus bound for Banaue first.

1. From Cubao or Sampaloc in Manila, take a bus bound for Banaue. There are two bus lines that go directly to Banaue: Coda Lines and Ohayami Trans. Travel time is about 9 hours. The bus fare will be around Php 850 to Php 1200. You can book online via Klook – Manila to Banaue P2P Bus Ticket (Deluxe/Super Deluxe) book via 12G0 –From Manila to Benguet
2. Upon arrival at the Banaue bus terminal, you can take a tricycle to your hotel or you can start your tour right away. The Banaue Rice Terraces can be viewed directly from the roadsides and view deck.
   Going to Batad:
3. From Banaue proper, you can take either a passenger or private jeepney to Saddle point. The jeepney between Banaue and Batad runs approximately once or twice a day, but not at the same time. It means you simply have to walk around and ask the locals what is the schedule for today. The cost of the jeepney was PHP 50 per person. Most tourists spend a night at Banaue in case they missed the jeep available for the day.
4. From Batad Saddle, trek downhill toward the village. Once there, follow the signs to Ramon’s Homestay. It’s a pretty small village but if you get lost, just ask someone and they’ll point you in the right direction.

In case there is no public jeepney, and you do not want to wait, you have three options.

You can either rent a private jeepney, which is an expensive option, around 2500 PHP (you can try to gather more tourists wanting to get to Batad the same day), or rent a tricycle which will take you to Batad Saddle for PHP 500 (a tricycle can fit two to three people depending on how much luggage you have), or the last option is to take a public jeepney to Bangaan, get off at Batad Junction, and from here walk (it is three kilometers grueling uphill climb and then three kilometers downhill walk, so think it twice).

WHAT TO BRING IN BATAD?

Prepare for your trip with our must-have travel essentials.

Waterproof backpack & phone case: Dry Bag (2L 3L 5L 10L) Ocean Pack Waterproof Bag and Universal Waterproof Glow Dark Case for Mobile Phone Pouch
Quick dry microfiber travel towel: Naturehike Quick Drying Pocket Bath Towel
Action camera:  KIMSTORE GoPro Hero 11 – Black Aqua Shoes: Aqua shoes Summer Unisex No-Slip Prevention Rubber Beach Shoes Men & Women
Aqua Shoes: Aqua shoes Summer Unisex No-Slip Prevention Rubber Beach Shoes Men & Women
Rash Guard: rash guard for men and Rash Guard for women Blanket – Portable Flannel Blanket Plain Foldable Travel Pillow Powerbank – Multi-Functional Portable Powerbank Fast Charging Headlamp – Waterproof Headlamp

Have you been to Ifugao already? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below!

You may also check our Tappiya Falls – Behold to this Majestic Falls in Batad

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