Bantayan Island still makes it to the fifth spot of the top 10 best beaches in the Philippines as dubbed by CNN. Despite the influx of guests especially during summer and Holy Week, the island has managed to control commercialism and continued to preserve its rawness. No doubt, the long stretch of white-sand beach in this island remained to be a favorite of both local and foreign tourists.
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| breathtaking view of Bantayan Island |
It's one of the places in Cebu that I'd never tire of visiting despite the number of times I've been there. Personally, Bantayan will always be my go-to place when I think of summer or just any time of the year.
When it's not the peak of the season, it's a bit easier to book hotels or resorts in Bantayan. Sometimes, you don't really need a reservation at all if you've frequented the place.Walk-ins are always welcome with an array of choices of beach-side resorts/rooms.
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| I could bask all day. Nope, just kidding. |
Since it's going to take 3-4 hours of travel, I and my friend chose to start about our 2-hour bus ride at 11 PM at the North Bus Terminal. We were offered the Island Bus ride bound for Bantayan Island. We thought choosing that ride would save us time in getting the shipping tickets but when we arrived at Hagnaya Port at around 1:30 AM, there was a long queue of passengers. Well, we didn't mind the cue on the wee hours. After 30 minutes, we got our tickets but the departure time was at 3AM so we had an hour to sit around and eat.
The only great about the Island Bus ride was we were able to skip the hassle of getting a ride from Bantayan Port to the resort but most of the time, resorts there would offer port-to-resort pickup as part of their accommodation. We got in there too early [maybe around 5AM] and the resort was still closed so we settled on the colorful wooden chairs along the beach.
THINGS TO DO
1. Beach resort hopping is pretty normal in this island given a number of beaches adjacent to each other. You can bask under the summer skies and lounge in the sugar-like sand or take a dose of photo sesh. The broad daylight and the cerulean sky that meets the aqua blue seas surely would add perfect detail to any photos; just don't forget your sunscreen! :D
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| Me in that 'blagir' (blogger) pose LOL. |
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| Yooneek Beach Resort |
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| Kota Beach - home of the famous Camp Sawi |
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| the place got sensational after a movie was shot here, right in this spot LOL. |
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| spotless public beach made me speechless |
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| Other resorts we passed by |
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| with the Goblin's wife LOL |
3. Spelunking is another activity you shouldn't miss when in Bantayan island. Sto. Niño Cave and Ogtong Cave are two of the most popular caves in Bantayan situated within the resorts and are really accessible. It's pretty convenient to get there and even to get inside the cave as these don't really have dangerous terrains.
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| the mystic glow inside the Sto. Nino Cave |
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| taking a quick dip because it's just too creepy waaaa |
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| oh, hi fans down there HAHA |
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| the only spot that I don't get elbowed by people |
4. Mangrove garden could also be part of the itinerary but I won't recommend this. The Obo-ob Mangrove Garden is not as interesting as I thought it would be. After a hot afternoon stroll through its timber bridge, I just wanted to go back to the hotel or get somewhere else relaxing. I wasn't prepared for Mr. Sun because I thought it's going to be a little shady in there due to the mangroves plus it was in the afternoon. I was a bit exhausted. The place was not very impressive as I felt that it wasn't maintained well but I hope this would be given attention by its management as it could be a promising tourist destination.
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| bamboo bridge |
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| their own version of Camp Sawi |
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| at the end of the bamboo path, a hut awaits |
5. Street foods are probably not only popular in Bantayan but also in other parts of Cebu or the Philippines [the universe, rather? lol] Check out MJ Square that's just a walking distance from all beach resorts. It's a food avenue not only for street food lovers but also for those who'd like to try Asian cuisine or even European taste. They have tea shops, pizza parlor, desert places, and even the Filipino 'carinderia' (Filipino term for restaurant) if you miss the lutong-bahay stuff (home-cooked meals).
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| MJ Square signage, you'll never get lost |
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| Incredibly delicious |
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| Famous lechon is here! |
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| cute themed coffee shop;I didn't really expect I'd find one here |
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| the budget-friendly brekky at P60 alongside the beach |
7. Strolling around Bantayan Island, as classic as it sounds, would be worth it. You could visit their churches, ruins of old buildings, and other heritage sites. Some also rent motorbikes/scooters to stroll without limits.
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| the town church |
Even before leaving the island, I was already anticipating of my next visit. [lol, that's how excited I was]. After 2 days [well not exactly 2 days] of the Bantayan escapade, I did not feel tired or what-not, I felt rejuvenated instead. [woah!]
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| Sta. Fe Port |
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| I'll be back, Bantayan! |
ITINERARY
I'm sharing our itinerary below but it's more of an unplanned one since we didn't really have an actual planned schedule upon going there [lol]. Anyway, here's the schedule we had with the places we went to and some activities with the corresponding price tags.
DAY 0
11:00 PM - Island Bus ride to Hagnaya Port [fare: P200]
DAY 1
1:30 AM - Arrival at Hagnaya Port
2:00 AM - Got tickets for Island Shipping Lines bound for Bantayan Island [fare: P170]
3:00 AM - On board Island Shipping Lines
5:10 AM - Arrived at Yooneek Resort [beach stroll and dozed off]
7:00 AM - Breakfast [left our baggage at the front desk; check-in time was at 2PM]
8:00 AM - Beach Resort Hopping [Photoshoot]
11:00 AM - Early lunch at the marketplace
12:00 PM - Hired a tricycle to Ogtong Cave Resort
12:30 PM - Spelunking & swimming at Ogtong Cave
2:00 PM - Went back to Yooneek and finally got our room keys
3:00 PM - Afternoon strolls & Swimming
6:00 PM - Barbecue food trip [yehey]
--walked back to the hotel and got lost --- [some streets were a bit creepy because it was really dark]
DAY 2
6:00 AM - Early call time for island hopping [P500 boatride - good for 2]
8:00 AM - Arrived at Virgin Island [sightseeing: P100] updated fees here
*had breakfast there; food-not bad
9:00 AM - Hopped to Nature Island Park and Resort [P200 entrance fee]
*went caving to Sto. Niño Cave
- Galingan Island [check out my blog here] NO entrance fee
11:00 AM - Early lunch
- Stroll around the market place for some pasalubong
- visited churches and plazas
2:00 PM - Mangrove Garden [P50 sightseeing fee]
3:00 PM - MJ Square *tried their superb halo-halo
4:00 PM - GOING HOME
Till our next laag!
#AdventureAwaits
Travelsome Chic ❤
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