Tinian

In 2007, we took a short trip to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, spending a total of 3 days on Saipan and 1 day on Rota. This year, on New Year's weekend, 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. These are U.S. territories, so English is the spoken language, dollars are the currency, 110 is the voltage, and treacly American hip-pop is what’s on the radio. I've done a mini travel post for each of the three islands, so if you're thinking of visiting, read on!
> Read about Saipan here.
> Read about Rota here.

Read about Tinian below.


1. Moment; 2. Holes

The Lonely Planet's South Pacific and Micronesia book (purchase just the Northern Marianas section in PDF form here) can give you a basic introduction to the geography of these islands. As a quick introduction, here is a little map I sketched:


1. Airport; 2. San Jose; 3. Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino; 4. Old Japanese communications center; 5. Unai Dankulo; 6. Unai Masalok; 7. Unai Chiget; 8. Blowhole; 9. North Field; 10. Atomic bomb loading pits; 11. Unai Lam Lam; 12. Unai Chulu; 13. Mount Laso; 14. Japanese village ruins; 15. Hidden little beach and Yapese cemetery; 16. Suicide Cliff

We slept
Lorilynn’s (#2) – The Lonely Planet’s description made it sound appealing enough, but when we got there, their restaurant appeared shuttered for good, and the girl at the front desk seemed honestly surprised that we wanted to stay there. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to see the room first?” I hesitate to characterize it as a dump, but there WAS a spider living in the faded curtains and the bathtub faucet leaked a rusty drizzle of water. I think $55 should get you a better deal than this. They don’t have a website or e-mail (or the ability to take credit cards) so if you want to reserve a room, call them at 1-670-433-3256.

Fleming Hotel (#2) – On our second night on Tinian we stayed at the Fleming. The Fleming Hotel has large, tidy rooms, and they even sprang for matching wicker furniture, a decorative pillow, and an abstract painting of a fish. All for only $10 more than Lorilynn’s. The “Hotel Nikko” printed on the bathroom towels gives a hint as to where they might have gotten their new décor: the (now-defunct) Hotel Nikko Saipan’s fire-sale, perhaps? They’ve got a well-stocked store and a decent restaurant too. The Fleming Hotel's website is all in Japanese, but you can email them here: tinianmf[AT]gtepacifica[DOT]net or call them at 1-670-433-3256.

Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino (#3) – We didn’t stay here, but I suppose I should mention it because it appears to be the island’s current main attraction. Busloads of Japanese, Chinese and Korean tourists come here to get their gambling on. In the casino, the tables all look like they were inherited second-hand from another era. There’s a SEGA plastic mini-horse-racing track that you can bet on that looks circa-1970s. The lobby interior is an excellent example of Plastic Disneyesque Baroque. Kind of… amazing… in a disturbing way.

We got around
In a rental car
There are Budget, Avis, and Islandar car rental booths at the airport, so take your pick. You could opt to rent a scooter instead, but there are a lot of dirt roads on Tinian so it could make for a bumpy ride. Don’t forget to take a copy of the car rental map – it’s pretty detailed and shows all the points of interest. Most of the unpaved, grassy roads are navigable with a compact car, so you won’t really need a 4x4.

Streets
Tinian’s network of streets was initially paved within a span of 4 months by the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1944. They are straight, wide and efficient-looking, leading directly from the dock on the southern end up to the airfield on the northern tip and giving Tinian the appearance of a giant aircraft carrier, which is essentially what it was from 1944-45. I imagine that 65 years ago they were heavily trafficked, but today the main roads are desolate, the smaller side streets are overgrown, and the odd Stop signs still stand at lonely intersections with nary a human in sight. Orienting yourself is easy if you’ve ever been to NYC. Tinian is shaped like a fat Manhattan; Broadway and 8th Avenue run north-south and 86th street runs “crosstown.”

We relaxed
Just south of town, there are three popular beaches, each a 5 minute walk from the other, each with it's own parking lot.

Kammer, Taga and Tachogna Beach -- Kammer Beach seems to be a hit with the local picnicking crowd. The strip of sand is narrow and doesn’t allow much room for sunbathing. Some steep, rocky concrete steps lead down to Taga Beach and to a diving platform where local teenagers challenge one another to jumping contests. The water is crystal clear and the drop-off is sandy but steep in this tiny little cove. Tachogna Beach is the most secluded of the three beaches in town. We watched some amazing postcard-worthy sunsets here, and the rocks just off-shore are worth a snorkel.

The more secluded beaches are on the north side of the island.

Unai Dankulo (#5), Unai Masalok (#6) and Unai Chiget (#7) -- These beaches are on the northeast side of the island. To get there, turn right off Broadway onto the dirt roads just north and south of the abandoned Japanese Communications Center. The beaches are pretty large, but a lot of crushed up beach garbage seems to wash up on shore here.

Unai Lam Lam (#11) and Unai Chulu (#12) -- These two are on the northwestern shore, close to the abandoned airfield. Lam Lam is hidden little cove protected by a rocky cliff. You won’t be disturbing anyone but the hermit crabs here. Chulu’s peaceful seclusion belies its history; it’s where American forces landed in July 1944, quickly overtaking the Japanese and setting the stage for WWII’s end.

The coast just southwest of Tinian’s airport is a short rocky cliff, but there is a wonderful secluded beach hidden in a cove somewhere in there (#15). I won’t tell you exactly how to get there; you’ll have to discover it yourself since that’s part of the fun. Hint: don’t be put off by the landfill on 8th Ave.


1. Empty; 2. Air Operations Building

We ate
All the restaurants are in San Jose (#2)

Take 5 – Take 5 is a simple little café near the post office that serves your choice of Filipino or Chamorro breakfast. Not the best value, though, cuz most of what you get is rice with only some tiny longanisa (sweet sausages) or cornbeef hash on the side.

JC Café – This café was crowded with local Japanese families when we went, seems pretty kid-friendly, and has a karaoke stage should the urge to sing in public strike you. It’s menu is diverse, covering Chinese American, Japanese, Korean, Filipino and American standards. I didn’t get a chance to try the Japanese, Korean and American food, but I’d recommend staying away from the Chinese American stuff. The Pinoy dishes were hearty and flavorful in an unhealthy, fatty sort of way. Free WiFi here, if you need to check in with the office. But why would you want to do that?

Kerida’s BBQ – This is both the best value and the best meal on the island, I think. The Filipino-style barbeque (your choice of chicken, pork or stuffed squid) is prepared and grilled on the spot and you can enjoy it on the picnic tables out back.

Minako’s Coffeeshop – Minako’s is located in a little strip mall on Broadway in downtown San Jose. A decent cuppa joe, Pinoy style breakfast, and local Tinian hot sauce for sale up at the counter.

Things to see
Suicide Cliff (#16) – From the rocky cliff on the southeastern tip of the island, Japanese soldiers and civilians jumped to their deaths rather than face surrender when American forces took the island in 1944.

Blowhole (#8) – At a spot north of Chiget Beach, the incoming waves hit a craggy shoreline of volcanic rock to create an impressive spray mist every 30 seconds. Go here for guaranteed rainbows.

An old Yapese Cemetary (#15) – I remember reading somewhere that some Yapese had been involuntarily moved from Yap to Saipan during colonial occupation, and I guess some of them ultimately ended up here on Tinian. We’ve been intrigued by Yapese culture ever since we visited the Federated States of Micronesia last year, so we spent a moment of silence here. All but two of the graves were unmarked. They were a long way from home.

Old Japanese Communications Center (#4) -- It’s located near the turnoffs for the Chiget and Dankulo beaches, on the northern end of Broadway. First a Japanese Communication Center, subsequently an American Communications Center where U.S. forces kept Japanese POWs and finally a slaughterhouse for a now-defunct cattle-ranch.

North Field (#9) -- In the summer of 1944, the newly arrived U.S. forces built North Field directly on top of the Japanese airbase (Ushi Field). Here, you can explore deserted and overgrown runways, abandoned air raid shelters, the crumbling Air Administration and Air Operations Buildings, and the two atomic bomb loading pits where Little Boy and Fat Man began their infamous journeys.

Tinian isn't exactly entertainment heaven, although the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino might offer some respite for you if you're a gambling addict. It's hard to forget Tinian's important role in WWII here with all the war ruins scattered about the island; you can read more about their history here. While locals don't seem as effusively friendly as on the even tinier Commonwealth island of Rota, Tinian's desolate beaches interspersed with abandoned WWII relics will give your experience another feel entirely. North and south of town, the island is practically deserted. It can be strangely peaceful but sobering to sunbathe in the morning, and stroll amongst war ruins in the afternoon.

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.

Saipan

1. Mini pinecone, 2. Windy

[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 Rota here.
> Read about Tinian here.

> Read about Saipan below....


1. Palms Resort Saipan, 2. Palms Resort Saipan

Unlike a lot of other tropical destinations in Asia, there aren't a lot of options for cheap accommodations on Saipan. I mean, unless you want to pay by the hour. We came because there was a direct flight from Korea and we just wanted to veg out, and veg out we did. Saipan is also a transit point if you want to continue on to the even smaller, even sleepier islands of Rota and Tinian. Photos here and here.

The most comprehensive guide covering Saipan I could find is in the Lonely Planet's South Pacific and Micronesia book. It's a thick book, so you can just purchase just the Northern Marianas section in PDF form here. Here's a little map sketch to get you oriented.


1. Airport, 2. Hyatt Regency Saipan & Garapan, 3. Palms Resort Saipan & Pau Pau Beach, 4. Banzai Cliff, 5. Suicide Cliff, 6. The Grotto, 7. Ladder Beach, 8. Obyan Beach, 9. Lau Lau Beach, 10. * Forbidden Island, 11. * Tank Beach, 12. * Marine Beach, 13. * Jeffries Beach, 14. Mañagaha Island, 15. San Jose ( * To explore the eastern side of the island, be sure to rent a 4x4!)

We slept
Hyatt Regency Saipan (#2)
Our first time in Saipan, we stayed at the Hyatt. Their decor is kind of bland but it was clean, the service is friendly, and it's right on the beach. They have a nice pool and lobby bar. Very conveniently located smack dab in the middle of touristy Garapan. Which can be a good or a bad thing.
Palms Resort Saipan (#3)
On our second trip to Saipan, we stayed at the Palms Resort (formerly the Nikko Hotel), an 8-10 minute drive north of Garapan. The Palms is clean and comfortable, and probably looks much as it did when it was first built 20-some-odd years ago. I'm glad they preserved the hotel's 1980s heyday charm, right down to the once-modern-now-vintage Bose speakers, clock radio and telephone in seafoam blue.... I hope these little vintage accents aren't eliminated when the United Micronesia Development Association finally finds a hotelier to manage the property. They are about $60 cheaper than the Hyatt and they have their own beach too, so I'd say they're a better deal.

We got around
In a rental car
There's no public transport on Saipan... Budget, Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar car rentals all have desks at the airport and booking online. Most of the island is well-paved, but a 4-wheel drive might be helpful for the eastern side where dirt roads prevail. The maps available at the rental office are detailed and helpful, but some of those lines that city people might read as "paved road," those are dirt roads on Saipan.

We relaxed
Obyan Beach (#8)
Southeast of the airport, we bumped along a dirtroad that was gradually becoming something more of a footpath, before we spotted a very well hidden sign. The beach itself was quiet and secluded but rather small.
Lau Lau Beach (#9)
It's in a protected bay, northeast of the airport, at the end of a bumpy dirt road... It's marked on the tourist map as good for beach dives. While we were there we would be thinking that we were totally alone, only to be occasionally disturbed by divers popping out of the water and making their way to the parking lot.
Forbidden Island Beach (#10)
We didn't go. After we parked at the end of a dirt road and hiked for 20 minutes, a nice little sign warned us that there was about 40 minutes more of hiking to go, so we turned back.
Micro Beach, Hyatt Regency Hotel (#2)
I think this was the biggest beach on the island. They probably truck in all that sand. The water is shallow and calm for a good stretch so it's good for kids and not so good for snorkelers (murky, nothing to see but sea cucumbers). Nice for relaxing with a frothy drink on the beach chairs. I think technically you need to stay at the hotel to use the beach, but no one will notice if you aren't a hotel resident.
Pau Pau Beach (#3)
My favorite beach on the island, just a little bit north of the Palms Resort (formerly Nikko). It wasn't as wide and the sand wasn't as soft as at Micro Beach, but the water was so clear. It's not totally secluded but the main visitors to this beach seem to be local picnickers. We were there during Christmas, so there were at least two BBQs going on at any given time. On the eastern end there's some live coral that you need to be careful not to step on. But if you swim around the rocks you can see plenty of little fish going about their business.
Managaha Island (#14)
On our last day on Saipan, we went out to Managaha, a tiny rock about a 20 minute boat ride from shore. You can pay $20 round trip at the water sports desk on Micro Beach. Or slightly less to take a boat from the Outer Cove Marina. It's popular with dive tours so there's a lot of bigger boats unloading there. When we went it was rather too crowded and the waves were too choppy to make for good snorkeling. But that water was some of the bluest I've ever seen!

We saw
Garapan (#2)
This is the tourist town located right behind the Hyatt's parking lot. Eh.
During the day it's kind of dead. At night it lights up with private massage parlors catering to... a certain kind of tourist.
Suicide Cliff (#5) and Banzai Cliff (#4)
Where hundreds of Japanese civilians jumped to their deaths during the last days of the WWII Battle of Saipan.
The Grotto (#6)
Wow, I nearly killed my legs going down & up the steps here. If we were scuba divers, this would be an awesome dive spot to try.

We ate
Jhem's
A Filipino diner with a cozy and familial atmosphere. Tasty barbequed meats and other hearty meals. Drive south from Garapan along Beach Road, it's past the Bank of Guam on your left. If you see Jollibee you've gone too far.
Jollibee
Yay! Jollibee!
Cusina * [now closed :-( ]
This was the only Chamorro restaurant we could find on the island. We went there for dinner twice. Their venison and coconut soup was super tasty, the tuna kelaguan (kind of a tuna ceviche?) was refreshing and I loved their coconut milk steamed crabs... Mmm. They don't seem to be open for lunch.
D'Elegance
The bartender at our hotel tipped us off to the good Filipino buffet at D'Elegance (in the strip mall just behind the Galleria). Go early to get the food while it's still hot!
Winchell's
There was a Winchell's there! This was a novelty for me because I'm from the Northeast U.S. and have never seen one before. But I love old-fashioned doughnuts.
Barbeque
We spotted two barbeque stands, but there are probably more around if you keep your eye out for them. They open at night and make for savory late night or pre-dinner snacks. Behind the Galleria is Jullie's Barbeque Special ($1 for a long skewer of pork or chicken), and up Middle Road about halfway between Garapan and Palms Resort is Jane's BBQ (50 cents for short skewers).
Some other places I don't remember the names of
A Vietnamese place in Garapan, just behind the Hyatt parking lot. The food was decent, but it tasted more Chinese than Vietnamese. Also I had donkatsu (Japanese style breaded pork cutlet) bento box at one of the Japanese places behind the Hyatt parking lot. It was okay. By and large the restaurants in the center of Garapan just didn't look that promising.

Twenty to thirty years ago, Japanese tourists used to come to Saipan in droves, but today not so much. Occasionally, scuba divers and WWII history buffs come to explore the WWII relics both on land and underwater. Here and there, an abandoned mall or an empty hotel hint at glory days gone by. But Saipan still has white beaches and sun, so don't cross them off your list of beach destinations just yet...