When you speak about Romblon, one of the things that come to mind are the marbles! Join us on our trip to Romblon, Romblon–the Marble Capital of the Philippines–as we get to know its attractions beyond the solid rock formations.
The best way to tour around Romblon is by foot or tricycle because it is such a small town, the sights are only a few minutes away from each other.
Here’s your complete guide on making the best out of your Romblon Town visit…
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- Romblon Food Trip: 8 Local Dishes You Should Try!
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How to Get There:
Philippine Airlines is the sole carrier that flies from Manila to Tablas (Romblon) every Wednesday and Sunday at 11:00 A.M. and returns on the same days at 12:00 P.M.
Tip: We suggest taking the 1 hour flight from Manila to Tablas, if you wan’t to skip the hassle of taking a 10 hour trip by boat.
We enjoyed PAL’s excellent customer service and free snacks on board, plus the free baggage allowance was perfect for our marble shopping finds!
Going by sea via Manila port take 10 hours and 8 hours via Batangas port.
Then take an hour ship ride from San Agustin port (Tablas) via Montenegro lines.
Going around:
Getting around Romblon is usually done via tricycle, jeepneys, and pump boats.
Important Reminders:
Although there are many dialects spoken in the province, the locals are also well versed in Tagalog and English.
ATMs are available around Romblon Town. But bring cash, especially when traveling to other islands as ATMs are not readily available.
(Note: Our Day 1 Itinerary in Romblon Town starts with our trip coming from the neighboring island Sibuyan.)
Romblon: Romblon Town Itinerary
Day 1 Itinerary (Sibuyan- Romblon Town)
9:00 am ETD to Magdiwang Port
10:30 am Magdiwang Port to Romblon Port
12:00 nn Arrival at Romblon port (lunch and check-in)
1:00 pm Marble carvers at work
2:00 pm Bonbon Beach (20 minutes by trike from Romblon Town)
6:00 pm Dinner at JD & G Italian Foods in Romblon Town
Day 2 Itinerary (Romblon Town- (Odiongan) Tablas)
7:00 am Breakfast at the Wet Market
8:00 am Cresta De San Jose Church or Fuerza de San Jose Fort
9:30 am Marble Shopping Center
10:30 am Early Lunch
12:00 nn Romblon Port to San Agustin Port (Tablas)
1:00 pm Arrival at San Agustin Port
Transport Fees and Entrance fees:
PHP 228.00 (Sibuyan to Romblon) Via Montenegro Lines
PHP 96.00 (Romblon to Tablas Island) Via Montenegro Lines
P100 tribike to Bonbon beach from Romblon town good for 2/3 people
All sites are very close accessible via tribike or walk.
What to Buy:
The marble sourced in Romblon, Romblon is at par with the world’s best, with export quality material giving it high value to sculptures and builders around the world.
What makes its special is that the Romblon marbles are mature making it very tough, unlike the Bulacan version that has the tendency to break up into small parts.
Marble is one of the most sustainable form of mining. The island is blessed with sizable deposits of raw minerals that do not run out because of its inexhaustible supply.
They have a lot of variety of marbles such as the black, green, blue, white, Italian white, century and century-cream.
But the most expensive are the 100-year-old century and the rare Romblon black (Black Onyx) marbles.
Marble Shopping Center
The best place to buy intricate marbles ranging from small to big souvenir items.
You can find keychains, lamp shades, vases, sculptures and etc here at a low price.
For instance, keychains with customized engraving would go for P30, a medium-sized mortar and pestle for only P60, marble lamps for 650, ashtrays for P65 to P85, little buddha sculptures for P750 and beautiful gold century marble vase for P500.
Tip: Keep in mind your luggage won’t be overweight.
Marble craft workshops
But if you’re looking for much more bigger sculptures, you may venture to small marble craft workshops, which is only a 20-minute tricycle ride from town. The marble sculptures crafted there have oriental and religious -themed carvings/designs that are of export quality
You’ll even enjoy watching them carve and polish the marble sculptures.
Sculptures would range depending on the size and details: the Chinese dog for P28,000, the 4 feet Mother Mary statue for P34,000 and P7000 for the smaller version.
Where to Go:
Bonbon Beach
Considered as Romblon’s best and probably most beautiful sandbar.
Located just 5km away from Romblon town, the beach is a must-go-to-site when visiting the island, with frequent locals and foreigner visitors alike. Besides its beautiful 2km stretch sand, it’s unique feature is that it connects all the way to uninhabited Bang-ug island.
Tip: We recommend you visiting during the low tide so you can cross all the way to Bang-ug, but be extra careful as we heard the tides come in fast from both sides of the beach.
The sands vary from powdery white …
… to rough corals sands depending where you are.
The beautiful turquoise water is ideal for swimming.
We loved how there are no commercial facilities or resorts around the area.
(Tip: Bring packed lunch and water.)
P100 tricycle to Bonbon beach from Romblon town good for 2/3 people
Fuerza de San Andres (Fort San Andres)
The coral and brick structure has once guarded the people of Romblon against Moro (pirates) raids.
The 17th-century old structure has been renovated back to its former glory and is now a functioning weather station.
Tip: You can see the whole town from up here!
The fort is conveniently located beside the town and is accessible by walking or tri bike. Just make sure you can handle the 200 steps to the top.
St. Joseph Cathedral and Belfry
Built by the Recollect fathers, the 15th-century limestone and brick church is the oldest church in Romblon. Inside, you can find the oldest replica of Senor Santo Nino de Cebu adorned in gold, who is enshrined in the church for hundreds of years already.
Where to Eat:
Breakfast at the public market or local carinderia for local delicacies.
What you should look for is Sarsa is a local dish found only in Romblon.
The dish is made out of small shrimps caught in streams, mixed with young coconut and chili. It is then wrapped in coconut leaf giving it that local touch. You eat the dish paired with rice.
Best to buy early in the morning before it runs out. It can be found in their local carinderia and wet markets.
Tip: Sarsa was actually very hard to come by especially when they’re not in season, ask the local tourist office near the Marble Shopping Center for assistance.
Taghilaw is pork meat and intestines cooked in vinegar sauce. A dish similar to how you prepare “dinuguan” but minus the blood.
Sihi, a local edible shellfish. One cannot normally eat by sucking it out of its shell, but instead, with an aid of a pin, you slowly take the meat out from the shell.
When fishermen aren’t able to get a good catch of fish for the day, they would often resort to looking for these shells by the shore.
Often cooked in coconut milk.
JD & G Italian Foods and Pizza
For dinner, we had authentic Italian homestyle cooking at JD & G Italian Foods. The owner is an Italian national that settled in the Philippines with his Filipina wife. The pizza was just ok for us, but we loved the homemade pasta and bread.
The locals of Romblon town are lucky to have authentic and affordable Italian dishes served in their hometown.
JD & G Pizza (P300)
JD & G are the names of their two sons.
Everything on the pizza are the two son’s favorite toppings like ham, mushroom, bacon, black olives…
Tagliatelle with Seafood (P350)
We liked how their pasta and bread are made fresh daily. My favorite would be the seafood pasta with ragu sauce cooked in red wine for hours.
Gnocchi with Pesto Sauce (P250)
Fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
Best to pair their pasta with their homemade ciabatta an Italian white bread. I liked the porous and chewy interior followed by a slightly crunchy crust.
Lasagna
The lasagna was also our favorite we loved the generous serving of meat and cheese gooing out of the plate.
Fresh fruit shakes
For a refreshing treat we recommend tropical flavors like the avocado, mango, and dragon fruit!
JD & G Italian Foods and Pizza
Republika Street, Brgy. 1 Poblacion, Romblon (Near the port)
Mobile: 0917-876-0072
Operating hours: 6am-9pm
Overall, we loved how everything is so near each other, even Romblon’s most beautiful sandbar is just 20-minutes away! We recommend a trip to the Marble Shopping Center, marble craft shops, Bonbon Beach and to try the dish sarsa which can only be found in this region.
I’m happy with our finds, I bought myself a beautiful century vase that’s probably three times the retail price in Manila, a P60 peso mortar & pestle and a P30 peso customized marble keychains with our names on it.
Thanks Marbelous Romblon for having us!
Live an Awesome Life,
Team Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Our flights were sponsored by Philippine Airlines. We paid for our own food and activities. We wrote this article with our biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. If your in need of directions, the tourist information by the port near the marble shopping center were a great help!
Related Articles:
- AWESOME ROMBLON: Awesome Guide to Tablas Island! (Itinerary)
- SIBUYAN, ROMBLON: Backpacking “The Galapagos of Asia”! (Itinerary)
- ROMBLON, ROMBLON: A Guide to Marbelous Romblon Town! (Itinerary)
- Romblon Food Trip: 8 Local Dishes You Should Try!
- ROMBLON: 8 Awesome Places You Should Visit!
Where to Stay:
Accommodations in Romblon Town (Poblacion Area Establishments):
Blue Ridge Hotel
Blue Ridge Hotel Get Real Romblon Fetalvero Avenue, Romblon Town
Mobile: +63919 991 8132
Parc Bay Mansion
Magallanes St, Romblon
Mobile: +63921 575 7760
Romblon Plaza Hotel
MA Roxas Ave, Romblon
Mobile: +63917 805 0385
Stone Creek House
Fetalvero street, barangay 2, 10010 Romblon
Facebook: stonecreekhouse
Mobile: +63906 212 8143
Anassor Hotel
B Marron St, Romblon
Mobile: +63920 824 5954
Casa Joebelle
MA Roxas Ave, Romblon
Mobile: +63929 721 0309
Muravian Hotel
Poblacion
Mobile: +63906 735 1882
Felmar Pension House
National Road, Romblon
Mobile: +63920 731 4842
Resort is located between two to five kilometers away from town and offering great scenic views of white sand beaches.
Anchor Bay
Sitio Lusod, Barangay Lonos, Romblon Town
Mobile: +63918 247 9942
El Khrimhoff
Barangay Lonos
Mobile: +63998 433 8937
Three P’s Dive Resort
Sitio Babangtan, Barangay Lonos,
Romblon Island, Philippines
Facebook: TheThreeP
Mobile: +63929 440 7135
Dream Paradise Resort
Brgy. Mapula, Romblon
Facebook: DPMResort
Mobile: +63908 748 2272
Cordova’s Resort
Kahuyong, Ginablan, Romblon, Romblon
https://www.facebook.com/Cordovas-Resort-Romblon-Romblon-Philippines-1072431299450462/
Mobile: +63920 359 9157
Talipasak Marble Beach
Barangay Ginablan
Mobile: +63928 273 0515
marble is not inexhaustible. the marbles in romblon is a limited resource that can last up to 100 years.
thanks for the write-up. i enjoyed reading. 🙂
Please send me a catalog with prices. Small marble figures. Dolphins etc