Welcome to the Bontoc Seaview Guesthouse! We guarantee a travel and "staycation" experience you will rave about for a long, long time. Quaint and rustic, and always clean, the place is owned and operated by us, Romy and Anne Trono, and our three children. Our rooms blend with the overall character of our Guesthouse showcasing designs and colors from the Cordilleras and a collection of curios, souvenir items from our travels. Our food is a well contemplated fusion of dishes with twists of western, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian offerings served alongside typical dishes from Bontoc, Mountain Province and spicy delicacies from Bicol Province in the South. Definitely a unique, rare, and unbelievable gastronomic experience! If you have no any experience in SCUBA diving, yet, we encourage you to avail of our Introductory Dive. You may also enroll in one or more PADI diving courses with us. Come and visit our Guesthouse and experience your own Ridge to Reef adventure!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
My beautiful Filipina wife, who comes from this resort’s immediate area in Anilao, insisted that we stay at the Bontoc Sea View Guest House, also known as the Bontoc in Batangas Bed & Breakfast, and she couldn’t have been wiser! I’ve traveled around the world and lived in Asia, but I’ve never encountered a vacation resort as special as this. The establishment is run by Romy Trono, a world-renowned conservation activist, marine biologist, and biodiversity expert, his lovely wife Ann, their wonderful daughter Abby, and their terrific family.
The hospitality is unparalleled. You can tell they consider every need of their guests, from the umbrellas furnished in the guest rooms (this is the tropics, you know) to the flashlights and emergency lights. My wife and I made the mistake of spending a night at a famed nearby resort (which shall remain nameless, but hint: it’s named after an eagle), and there was no comparison either in terms of hospitality, food quality, or ambiance. At Romy’s place, my wife needed to use a scanner to submit her corporate expense report, and Romy volunteered the use of his personal scanner—something you’d never get at other resorts in this area. The free Wi-Fi is also excellent, where it never functioned properly at the other establishment.
And the food… My wife, son, and I had a terrible problem. We kept coming back to the delicious buffet table for seconds and thirds at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The cuisine offered is incredibly varied—we never had the same dish twice in our five-day stay, and you get a selection of at least five different kinds of outstanding food served at each meal. It’s prepared by Romy’s wife Ann and her daughter Abby, and guys, it was to die for. I’ve been visiting Japan for 25 years and lived there for a year, but I had the best octopus in my life here. The ingredients are incredibly fresh—that day, Romy went out of his way to buy a live octopus for the meal, and the locally-sourced fish, meat, fruit, and vegetables used for the meals—well, I’ll never see food of this quality in New York City, where I live (sigh). The soup served here is exceptional in its quality. Never had better. We invited members of my wife’s family and her friends for lunch and dinner numerous times, and they were always knocked out by the quality of the food. They kept wanting to come back!
Even more astonishingly, for a very reasonable daily rate per person, all three meals are included, as well as fantastic all-you–can drink rum-and-cokes from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
My wife, son, and I were treated to the spectacular upstairs rooms (we were asked to sample both), with a spacious double bed on the lower level and an upstairs loft that offered three comfortable beds. Five people can easily sleep in each room, and they’re creatively decorated with wood carvings and imaginative decorative touches, as is the entire resort.
My wife took the Introduction to Scuba Diving course, and she was impressed by the instructor’s personal attention and his ability to make her feel comfortable in the water on her first dive. She was astonished by the variety of species of colorful fish she saw in the shallow coastal water. But as Romy will tell you, this area is the center of marine shorefish diversity in the world, which is why word-of-mouth attracts experienced divers from around the globe.
Incidentally, Romy was once the personal divemaster of Rob Walton, the head of a little-known chain of department stores known as Walmart, and Mr. Walton supported Romy’s conservation program in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia (the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape) by contributing millions of dollars to Conservation International Philippines.
Romy, a committed idealist, has spent his life protecting the world’s flora and fauna, and he was key to saving the Philippine’s crucial sea turtle population—as you’ll be able to tell by the profusion of delightful sea turtle images and carvings scattered throughout the resort.
Formerly Romy was the Country Executive Director for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Conservation International’s Philippines (CI) operations and advised the Philippines government at its highest levels, counseling the national president and cabinet members on matters pertaining to conservation and biodiversity. He’s still active in the fight to preserve our planet’s vital natural environment. Ask to see the amazing photos of him posing with Harrison Ford, one of his former bosses at Conservation International!
All in all, this is an incredibly charming place. Whether you’re a diver or not, this is a great place to stay in the Batangas area or if you’re simply looking for a fascinating international getaway vacation. Just look at the unanimous rave five-star reviews featured here on TripAdvisor—folks, they don’t do this paradisal, laid-back place justice.
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Date of stay: January 2016
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Top-floor rooms can easily accomodate five people
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On everyone of my trips you come across a place that completely shell shocks you with their hospitality, atmosphere, decor and of course food. Bontoc in Bataganas B&B does all that and more! Started by Romy (pronounced Roamy), who prior to retirement was the Philippine Country Chief with Conservation International. This place offers incredibly hospitality mixed with a unique opportunity to learn about the Philippine environment. The downstairs eating/living areas is stocked with books and trinkets explaining the history of the Philippines and the efforts to preserve both its culture and environment and if something doesn't make sense, you can look it up on the free Wifi (or just ask Romy). This is a bed an breakfast place operated by a family for friends and family. As with B&B your fee is all inclusive and very resonable. Per person it came out to be about $55/night. Prices include every meal (and they are large meals, buffet style), as well as your choice of A/C rooms or the incredible top floor rooms. The glory of the architecture and decor of this place cannot be adequately described in words. Designed personally from the ground up, this place is something completely different and wonderful. Ornate carvings, cobble stone showers, all complete with just the right flare of decor. The building sits perched on top of a mountainside and is three stories tall. The view from the top floor overlooks the amazing bay. There are two cabin rooms on the top floor that can fit families or friends (up to 4 a room with a little to spare) that come with attached bathrooms but there is also a public bathroom and shower on that same third floor. The second floor contains the A/C rooms that have common bathrooms. We included a dive package with our reservation and it was wonderful. Romy is a huge figure in Philippine marine conservation and it makes sense why he would set up a business in Bataganas, the diving was top notch. What really hit me was the quality of the food, it was amazing and they never served us the same thing twice! Even our vegetarian was happy with the selections! Nights consist of bottomless Rum and Cokes (the drink of choice of your benefactor) and of course Karaoke which you simply must participate in. This is definitely going to the be a place that i will return to and a once in a lifetime experience.
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Date of stay: January 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:definitely chose to stay in the top floor guest rooms.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A very cozy place to stay in Mabini. Managed by the Trono family, youll feel the warmth, passion and love that is invested in this place. Pros 1) superb food by Chef abby! Her food prep is in itself a must visit already 2) warm staff. Special thanks to kuya jessy and bj for assisting our group during our stay 3) unlimited rum coke from 5:30 to 7:30. 4) reasonable rates for island tour with picnic lunch. 5) excellent customer service 6) clean and well maintained rooms 7) excellent and one of a kind interiors every corner has an interesting piece of art that will make you take a second look. 8) very affordable full board rates that come with a wonderful gastronomic experience.
Cons 1)The roof deck rooms are the prettiest place to stay in the resort. However these rooms do not have air conditioning. 2) The rooms on the second floor though have air-conditioning but does not have an en suite bathroom.
Thank you again to the management and staff for a wonderful stay and for sharing your place to us. May only more good things come your way.
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Date of stay: May 2018Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Romy T, Owner at Bontoc Seaview Guesthouse
Responded May 27, 2018
Thank you so much for your review. We will continue to work towards guests enjoyment and satisfaction! Looking forward to your next visit!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I have stayed in this place several times and I haven't reviewed it nor rated it since I felt one should keep one's home private. Yes, home is what we call this place and we would love to keep it a secret. This quaint B&B started as a private place in Anilao for the Trono family to relax. However when friends started visiting and staying over, the treasure that it was, was not a secret anymore. The rates are very reasonable with the quality of food(buffet) and the personalized service that one gets. I love the coffee they serve and the unlimited rum coke and videoke at night. Due to the numerous friends and friends of friends, the word quickly spread about how wonderful the place and people of BBBB are. Recently they had to renovate and expand to accommodate more people. A function room and several a/c rooms have been added. A billard table is a new addition to the expansion. Whenever we visit, my kids play billiards, chess which is a nice change from video games. Just a few meters is the sea and on the balcony or even on the terrace of the rooms one could just gaze at the sea the whole day. To work off the calories from the sumptious meals served, we either swim or run up to Bagalangit and back. The food, privacy, and the homey atmosphere is worth the money you paid. Coming here is like coming home to one's ancestral home in the province.
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Date of stay: April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My son and I had a wonderful 8 days staying with Romy and family at the Bontoc in Batangas Bed and Breakfast. We needed a restful place to stay while enjoying time in the Philippines together. I found such excellent reviews on Trip Advisor so decided to book for a week. Our stay was so wonderful in so many ways. The food was so delicious, beyond our expectations. Romy's daughter is an experienced trained gourmet chef and provided us with more than 3 meals a day and there were evening snacks and merienda snacks as well. Every meal was a delight for the eyes and taste. We also tried out snorkeling and found it to be so wonderful in the protected waters by the house that we signed up for our first scuba diving lesson. It was an adventure for both of us and a fabulous experience. Our diving instructors were the best. We had such person attention and kindness every day, I would return as soon as possible. Highlights for us that we will remember always were our encounter with a giant sea turtle while diving, our delicious meals, our entertaining evenings just hanging out and listening to singing with this kind family, and the beautiful surroundings.
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Date of stay: March 2018
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here for nearly four weeks with a couple of colleagues working on a project in the area, it is a family run business; by Romy and his Wife Anne, Abby and her husband Jorge and two lovely children, and other members of the family and staff.
Our great service started from the personal pickup from the airport by Abby and we arrived at the guesthouse in the early hours of the morning. Because it was dark it was difficult to see the guesthouse properly, but we were amazed by the construction of the place from natural hardwood and the amazing sea life scene painted on the walls on the way to our rooms.
We had small but comfortable rooms with fans, air-conditioning, towels, and our rooms had a beautiful balcony looking out over the sea.
The food we experienced here is probably the best I have eaten in my life, and will explain how I managed to put on weight during the trip! Each day there was a wide variety of different foods to try and all tastes were catered for- I don't eat sea food and I had plenty to eat at each mealtime. I loved the Kaldoretta that Anne cooked and on our last day she showed us how to cook it in the kitchen- I am looking forward to trying it now I am at home!
The service of the staff was faultless. Water was topped up at the table without you noticing it, and rum and cokes were replaced swiftly when they were empty. Nothing was too much trouble for them and I was consistently surprised to notice that the staff had lit mosquito coils where we sat, arranged fans, or replaced drinks without us even noticing it.
We spent a lot of our time diving and the crew were no different to the house staff- we were looked after in every aspect from carrying our kit, helping us in and out of the water, and serving us packed lunches from the boat. (The packed lunches were tasty and well presented!) Bernie worked with us on the boat every day and his attention to detail made our life very easy- he learned how we each arranged our kit, sorted it before and after we were in the water, and carried it back to the BnB each day and helped us wash it through each day.
We had two night dives with Jorge and Abby and loved them! We saw the Mandarin fish mating and Jorge pointed out some really tiny critters and nudibranch- his eye sight and spotting skills are amazing!
The evenings were great social events- at 5.30 it is "five thirsty" where free rum and coke is served, and during our stay we had many karaoke nights, social with other guests, and a night I will remember for a long time when the singer Noel Cabangon came and played an amazing set one evening along with his son, Romy and Daniel!
I had a great experience here and miss the place and family a lot. I hope I have an opportunity to come back in the future and bring more friends and family!
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Date of stay: March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Definitely a must! Forget your diet great food breakfast, lunch, dinner. Good coffee while enjoying the ambiance and bottomless rhum coke concoction to enjoy the night under the stars and cool sea breeze. Personalized service everyone's a family here. Perfect place to unwind after a dive. The place simply feels like home only better.
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Date of stay: December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's a different experience because of the great food, welcoming hosts/family and personalized service. View is also wonderful and relaxing. Thank you for the great and fun time. It's a taste of the mountain life by the sea. Highly recommended.
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Date of stay: August 2016Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The place was so nice, I didn't expect the place like that in Batangas, specially in Anilao, the place was so organized, everything you need they got it, I never see a mosquito repeller , antiseptic, lotion.all the personal things u need for personal use inside the vanity in the toilet. So many memorabilia every corner of the place plus the story of each place because of so many places the owner visited before. You learned so many things about diving , plus the best diver instructor n the first class gear they have in their office.. The food was excellent, Mang Romy, his the owner, his daughter is a culinary graduate so all the foods she served it has presentation, even the little things..
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Date of stay: January 2016
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Choose the one overlooking the ocean.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Friendly welcome and yet professional qualities all round. The atmosphere is easy as!! The food, service and accommodation is awesome (meaning perfect!). Then, we went scuba diving......with Dive Tribe (all in the family). Awesome house reef, awesome dive sites and awesome instructors/dive-master!!! Fantastic reefs, well preserved. Myriad sea life and easy diving. Gentle drift dives great for open water and above. Oh, if you like to sing or want to try, the governor, Romy, has a great karaoke system that made even me sound ok!!! Wait til you see the food!! It's presented like masterchef and tastes masarap!!! (tasty!!!).
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Date of stay: January 2016
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:All good rooms.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is access to the ocean nearby where you can swim - but do not expect a sandy shore (the shore is concrete because it is also where a few small bancas dock and there is a breakwater.) The ocean floor is peppered with huge corally rocks (i use aqua shoes) but that makes it perfect for snorkeling because there are beautiful coral reefs and fishes starting 2 or 3 meters from the shore and there is a floating hut maybe 8 meters from shore. You can rent life vests and snorkeling gear.
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