Ticao Island resorts
Ticao has more places to sleep than the rest of Masbate Province put together, and almost none of them are on the booking sites. All ten, checked on Facebook and Google in September 2026.
See also the Manta Bowl guide and the Ticao guide for the falls, the shark nursery and island hopping.
Pins are approximate, placed at street or barangay level.
All ten at a glance
| Where | Town | Best for | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticao Island Resort | San Jacinto | Diving the Manta Bowl | 4.3/5 (123) | ₱1,900 |
| Ticao Altamar Boutique Resort | San Jacinto | Couples | 4.4/5 (58) | On request |
| JPS Beach Resort & Convention Center | San Jacinto | Events & functions | 4.3/5 (10) | On request |
| San Jacinto Waterpark | San Jacinto | Families with kids | No rating | On request |
| Tacdugan Lodge | San Jacinto | Budget | 2.8/5 (8) | On request |
| Zandra's Beach Resort and Convention Center | Batuan | Batuan & the east coast | No rating | On request |
| Marceli Beach Resort | San Fernando | Off the map | No rating | On request |
| Aeon Flux Place | San Fernando | In town | No rating | On request |
| Francjoreen Beach Resort | Monreal | Closed, see San Jacinto instead | No rating | On request |
| MGM Farm Resort | Batuan | Views over the sea | 4.1/5 (7) | ₱13,200 |
Ratings come from Google, Tripadvisor or Facebook depending on where the property is reviewed. Prices are indicative and change.
San Jacinto
The mother town and the dive side. The ferry from Bulan lands here, the Manta Bowl boats leave from Tacdugan, and five of the island's ten places to stay are in this municipality. If you are coming to Ticao for one thing, you sleep here.
The dive resort that put Ticao on the map, and the reason most foreign visitors come to Masbate at all. Eleven beachfront bungalows facing the Ticao Pass, a PADI dive centre on site, and the Manta Bowl a boat ride away. Remote on purpose. There is nothing else within walking distance, which is the point.
The comfortable option on Ticao: a small boutique resort with a pool, a clubhouse and beachside dining, rather than a dive camp. Good if you want the island without giving up a proper bed and a cold drink by the water.
A local beach resort with a function hall attached: the place San Jacinto uses for weddings, reunions and barangay events rather than a dive holiday. Handy if you want to be near the town rather than out at Tacdugan.
Ticao Island's first waterpark, opened right on the shore at Brgy. Burgos: pools and a jacuzzi on one side, the sea and kayaks on the other. This is the one to know if you are travelling with children, who will get more out of it than out of a dive resort.
A small beachfront lodge on the same Tacdugan shore as the big dive resort, at local rates. The cheapest way to sleep on that side of Ticao. Expect a simple room, not a resort, and check its current state before travelling.
Batuan
The south end, about an hour from San Jacinto. Bongsanglay mangrove park is here, and so are the island's only online-bookable room and its beach resort with a function hall.
Batuan's beach resort, on the east side of Ticao at Brgy. Canvanez, built specifically to give the municipality somewhere to put visitors. The base to use if you are exploring Batuan and the east coast rather than diving off Tacdugan.
A hillside farm resort above Lagundi, in Batuan, looking down over the sea rather than sitting on a beach. It is the one property on Ticao that is genuinely bookable online at a resort price, and by some distance the most expensive thing on the island.
San Fernando
The north-east, and the quietest of the four. Almost no visitor reaches it. Two small places, both local, both by Messenger only.
A small beach resort at Buyo, in San Fernando, the quietest of Ticao's four municipalities and the one almost no visitor reaches. Local, unpolished, and empty most of the year.
A holiday spot in San Fernando town itself, at Poblacion Silangan. Being in the poblacion means shops, food and transport are on the doorstep, rare on this side of Ticao.
Monreal
The north-west corner, where the boats from Pilar in Sorsogon arrive and where island hopping to Halea Nature Park starts. Nothing is open to sleep in, so plan to move on the same day.
Listed as permanently closed. Google Maps marks this Monreal property as closed for good and it has no Facebook page, so do not plan a night here. We are leaving the entry up because Monreal still matters: it is where the boats from Pilar in Sorsogon arrive, and there is currently nothing formal to sleep in on that side of Ticao.
Getting to Ticao
| Route | Time | Departures |
|---|---|---|
| Bulan (Sorsogon) to San Jacinto | 1 to 1.5h | 08:30 · 12:30 · 15:30 |
| San Jacinto to Bulan | 1 to 1.5h | 05:30 · 10:00 · 13:00 |
| Masbate City to Ticao via Lagundi | about 1h on the water | mornings only |
Most resorts will meet you off the Bulan boat if you tell them which crossing you are on. Full ferry timetables and fares.
Questions people ask
How many resorts are there on Ticao Island?
Ten properties that take overnight guests or day visitors, spread across the four municipalities. Five are in San Jacinto, two in Batuan, two in San Fernando, and the one listed in Monreal is permanently closed. Ticao Island Resort and Ticao Altamar are the two most visitors have heard of.
How much does it cost to stay on Ticao Island?
Ticao Island Resort runs about ₱1,900 to 2,300 a night for a standard sea-facing room, which is the only regularly published rate on the island. MGM Farm Resort in Batuan is listed near ₱13,200 a night on the booking sites. Everything else quotes on request and is cheaper, usually well under ₱2,000 for a simple room.
Can you book a Ticao resort online?
Barely. Ticao Island Resort and MGM Farm Resort appear on the booking platforms. Everywhere else takes bookings by Facebook Messenger or phone, which is normal here and usually gets a reply the same day. If you want a confirmed room before you fly, those two are the ones.
Where should I stay to dive the Manta Bowl?
At Tacdugan in San Jacinto. Ticao Island Resort is the PADI dive base and runs its own boats, Ticao Altamar is a few kilometres south and arranges diving without being a dive camp, and Tacdugan Lodge is the budget bed on the same beach. Day-tripping to the Bowl from Masbate City is not practical.
How do you get to Ticao Island?
The usual route is the Barrun Sealines boat from Bulan in Sorsogon to San Jacinto, about an hour to an hour and a half, leaving Bulan at 08:30, 12:30 and 15:30. From Masbate City you cross from Lagundi port, and from Pilar in Sorsogon there are boats to Monreal. All crossings are mornings to early afternoon, there is nothing in the evening.
Is there anywhere to stay in Monreal?
Not at the moment. The one property listed there, Francjoreen Beach Resort, is marked permanently closed. If you arrive at Monreal port, plan on continuing to San Fernando or San Jacinto the same day.