Rota

1. Dried coral, 2. Rain coming, 3. Broken fence, 4. Flower

[Edited Jan 09] For Christmas 2007 we went to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, spending a total of 3 days on Saipan and 1 day on Rota. Then for New Year's 2009, we returned to revisit Saipan and check out the third island, Tinian. If you're living in Asia and looking for a low-pressure, long weekend getaway, the CNMI are a lovely island trio to explore. I've done a mini travel post for each of the three, so if you're thinking of visiting, read on!
> Read about Saipan here.
> Read about Tinian here.

> Read about Rota below...

Rota was just so laid back and charming that if she were a person, I'd hug her. And if we visit the Northern Marianas again, I think I would spend most of my time on Rota, just transitting through Saipan or Guam via Freedom Air. Check out my photos from the trip here.

When researching for our trip, we had a hard time finding stuff on the internet about tiny Rota. She's only about 32 square miles in land area, and there aren't really any detailed maps that I could find online.

For a good geographic introduction, take a look at Lonely Planet's South Pacific and Micronesia book (purchase just the Northern Marianas section in PDF form here) and Wikimapia can also help you get a lay of the land. Ultimately, the most useful map for us was the one we got at the car rental. And here is a little map I sketched to give you a sense of where things are....


1. Airport, 2. Coconut Village Resort, 3. Guata Beach, 4. Teteto Beach, 5. U.S. Memorial Beach Park, 6. Song Song (Rota's downtown), 7. * Mt. Taipingot (Wedding Cake Mountain), 8. Old Paupau Hotel (abandoned), 9. Japanese cannon, 10. * Tropical gardens, 11. * Bird sanctuary, 12. * Latte stone quarry, 13. Mochong Beach, 14. Swimming hole (* we only had one day here and it was Christmas, so we didn't get to visit some of the attractions)

We slept
Coconut Village Resort (#2)
We didn't try booking through the Agoda website linked above, so I don't know how that works. But you can just as easily call them at (670) 532-3448. Rates are from $55/day, sooo much cheaper than Saipan! Coconut Village is Japanese-owned, and their bungalows are spacious (although the bathrooms are Japanese-style tiny), and the rooms are clean, comfortable and have balconies. I liked it so much better than the overpriced Hyatt on Saipan.

We got around
In a rental car
Budget and Hertz have car rentals here. You might need a 4-wheel drive, especially for the southern side of the island which is unpaved.

We relaxed
Guata Beach (#3)
Rocky but picturesque beach with not much sand.
Teteto Beach (#4)
Our favorite beach on the island. Virtually deserted except for the one guy who rents beach chairs there. He seems to get there pretty early in the morning to rake the sand and set up his operation and he packs up at sundown. What a job. The water was shallow, but when we were here the currents were pretty strong, so swimming was difficult.
U.S. Memorial Beach Park (#5)
A small, relaxing beach. There is a rusted boat on the eastern end.
A beach a little to the east of Pinitang Park (#6)
Just east of Songsong (the town) there's some beach access. There is some grass, but no sand, just lots of smooth (and slippery!) rocks (beach shoes are helpful). The water is very calm due to the protective line of rocks about a hundred meters off-shore, so it makes for a very calm swimming pool. Colorful fish cling to the rocks and sea cucumbers colonize the sandy bottom.
Mochong Beach (#13)
On the eastern end of the island, after a long bumpy dirt road. Very secluded and beautiful, but the water was quite rough when we were there.
Swimming Hole (#14)
It would have been lovely to swim here, but it looked like this when we went. So, no swimming.

We ate
As Pari's (#6)
Pretty tasty Philippino and Chamorro cuisine.
Tia's Cafe (#6)
Homey little restaurant serving Philippino and Chamorro food. Delicious!
BBQ stands
Throughout the island there are roadside counters (some with awnings and picnic tables) that advertise BBQ for $.75 or $1. But they were always closed when we passed. Probably because it was Christmas weekend...

We saw
Beautiful, picturesque scenery along the unpaved dirt roads on the southern edge of the island.
Changeable weather that was rainy one minute and sunny the next. And friendly locals, ALL of whom wave at you when you pass.

If you're into lots of water sports and resort activities, Rota definitely is NOT the place to go. But if you just want to check out of society for a bit and sleep on a beach all afternoon with the water lapping at your toes, then by all means do it on sleepy little Rota. Every account about Rota I read mentioned how friendly everyone was, and it's true! It might catch you off guard at first, but EVERYONE on Rota waves hello, and by the end of your first day there you will be waving to every passerby too.