Bantayan Island🏝️, located in the Visayas region of the Philippines, is a stunning paradise that forms part of Cebu province. It is adored by many and is frequented repeatedly, not just once or twice.
Six months ago, we went on the second part of our vacation with my cousin and niece.
I have a special fondness♥️ for Bantayan Island, especially its island🏝️ vibes. I've visited this island six times before, each time with different groups of friends and relatives. Having been here multiple times, I was confident in taking my cousin and niece to visit one of their favorite places.
🌊🌊🏝️🏖️With this blog, I'll now bring you to Bantayan Island.🌊🌊🏝️🏖️
In the beginning of 2024, I reached out through social media to inquire about tour packages. After multiple attempts with different tour packages, I finally secured a booking for the tour package that suited our schedule and included the places we wanted to visit.
The Big Day☀️
We woke up and got ready at 4:00 am, just before dawn.
After quickly preparing ourselves and our belongings, we departed at 4:20 am. After a 3-minute wait, we hailed a taxi🚕 to take us to the north bus terminal. I paid ₱110.00 for the fare from our hotel in Cebu City and was dropped off at the entrance gate of the bus terminal.
📍Bus Terminal
Currently, we're stationed at the north bus terminal, awaiting the bus that will take us to Hagnaya Port. I've observed that, at this hour, there are a total of 10 passengers, including ourselves, waiting at the terminal.
I had initially assumed that there would be a less number of passengers traveling to Hagnaya Port, where we will catch a ferry to Bantayan Island. This led me to believe that we'd have a smooth and unhurried chosing of seat at bus. However, I was surprised to see a sudden influx of passengers within a few minutes, all heading to the same port and island as us.
At 4:50 am, the bus arrived, and the driver promptly parked in his designated spot. Subsequently, all passengers swiftly boarded the bus in search of a seat. When I observed the passengers, I saw them hoping that my vacation buddies and I would find seats. I reminded them that it's important to secure a seat for a comfortable trip during the travel hours. Fortunately, we managed to find seats – they sat together, and I found a seat near the right side of the driver. The bus departed at 5:00 am, and the fare for the bus is P260.00 pesos.
During the trip, I dozed off, and when I woke up, I realized that we had reached a part of Bogo City. It only took 14 to 15 minutes to get to Hagnaya port.
📍San Remigio
Currently, we're situated at Hagnaya port, and the bus takes a right turn toward the bus station within the port premises.
Upon the passengers disembarking, we proceed directly to the Registration area to purchase ferry tickets. The cost of the ferry fare is ₱300.00 pesos per person. My familiarity with this location from previous visits proves advantageous as I navigate without seeking assistance. After acquiring the tickets, we make a brief stop at the comfort room. Soon after, we enter the port, but prior to doing so, we settle the terminal fee amounting to ₱25.00 pesos.
Close to the entrance door is where you can find the port security and baggage scanner. When we arrived, the ferry, the Shipping Island, had already started boarding passengers. After we had our belongings checked, we proceeded directly to the ferry, where the personnel collected our tickets and gave us back the other half.
The Shipping Island allows transportation of buses, cars, motorcycles, and other private vehicles.
On another note, Bantayan Island consists of three municipalities: Sta Fe, which is the hub of tourism and where we stayed, Bantayan, and Madridejos.
Upon boarding the Shipping Island ferry, I opted for the second level. This area offers an expansive view of the islands, the ferry, various boats, the undulating waves, and the vast expanse of the sea, along with other captivating scenery.
The first level houses the restroom and the ferry's machinery, generating a noisy environment that I find unappealing. However, if I have no other option, I would still be willing to stay there and experience it at least once. Hence, when traveling to this island, I make it a point to move swiftly to secure a seat before other passengers.
📍Ferry
The ferry is equipped with a small boat and other life-saving materials for rescue purposes.
Several ferries have docked at Hagnaya Port from Bantayan Island. Notably, one of the ferries is transporting a bus, cars, and other vehicles.
As we departed the port, the Super Shuttle Ferry arrived just seven minutes before 9:00 am.
I always seek out this particular view when traveling by ship or ferry, which is why I prefer to sit in the open space and enjoy the sightseeing during the trip.
The weather was fantastic today. I could feel the warmth of the sun and saw nothing but blue skies all around, which got me excited about heading to the island again. It felt like a dream come true.
It was a beautiful day and I hope everyone has a safe trip.
As I looked around inside the ferry, I noticed some passengers who had been at the bus terminal where we started our journey.
If you're feeling hungry or thirsty, there's a small store downstairs on this ferry. My travel companions purchased some snacks, and I opted for Nova as my snack. You can also catch a quick nap during the two-hour journey.
📍Sta. Fe Port - Bantayan Island
It is currently 10:49 am, and we are approaching the Sta Fe. port.
I'm eager for everyone to witness the pristine waters of Banyatan Island in this photo.
We are all filled with anticipation!
On the lower deck, you can observe the mini store of this ferry.
We have arrived at the Sta Fe. Port, and all passengers have disembarked from the ferry that brought us here.
As pure as the sea is, so is the sky.
This area serves as the passage for vehicles coming and going.
On the left side, there is a pathway for all passengers, offering a view of the magnificent scenery.
As we strolled towards the port exit, I sent a text message to our tour guide informing him of our arrival at Sta Fe port. He promptly responded, letting us know that he was waiting outside. (Earlier in the morning, I had requested the contact number of our tour guide to update them on our travel time from Hagnaya port for our scheduled island tour.)
Our mode of transportation was a tricycle, easily identifiable by the driver's distinctive orange shirt uniform.
Just to clarify, I had booked a tour package for 1 night and 2 days. The first day's itinerary included a Land Tour scheduled for 1:00 pm, while the Island tour to Virgin Island🏝️ was set for the following day at 6:00 in the morning.
We have lunch before heading to our room. The tour guide brought us to the restaurant, and we quickly placed our food orders as we were famished.
📍Having Lunch🍽️
I have a strange feeling after discovering that my small bag and my tumbler, was nowhere to be found. I keep trying to recall where I might have left it.
While we were still waiting for our food, I decided to seek out a tour guide from the service driver and ask if we could return to the port because I had left my other bag somewhere in the exit area. The driver agreed to look for it alone and I described the bag to him so he could recognize it when he found it.
I'm grateful that "kuya" found it 😍. ("Kuya" means older brother, but some people use it kuya (in Tagalog) as a sign of respect for those older than them. Sometimes we call them uncles even if they are not our real uncles to show respect at all times.)
Following our lunch, my niece requested some time to visit the souvenir store to purchase flip flops.
Our accommodation was conveniently located within walking distance in the town of Sta. Fe, where we could find restaurants, a market, a church, souvenir stores, and beaches.
We arrived at our hotel 8 minutes before noon. Kuya dropped us off and planned to return at 1:00 PM for our land tour. Although the check-in time was at noon, they allowed us to enter our room early as it was already prepared. We were assigned a room on the third floor, and each steps stairs consisted of 6 steps.
We are currently on the balcony of our building.
We have entered our room, and we are getting into bed to relax for half an hour while charging our phones. This way, we won't miss the chance to capture the beautiful scenery during our land tour. It's going to be an exciting experience, right? We all love having nice views with us while on vacation, as capturing moments creates lasting memories.
After the half-hour relaxation, we are preparing to change into our swimwear and gather the items we need for our land tour
During peak season, I made a reservation for an island hopping tour. They informed me that they had communicated the difference between the regular rate and the holy week rate to account for the increased demand for hotels and resorts during the peak season.
🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️
The tour package I reserved is as follows.
INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE:
- Accommodation in a room
- Complimentary breakfast
- Roundtrip pickup and drop off at Santa Fe Port
- Land tour covering 5 destinations
- Island hopping to Virgin Island
ITINERARY:
Day 1
Destinations for the land tour:
- Camp Sawi/Camp Wagi (Omagieca Mangrove Eco Park)
- Sandira/Paradise Beach
- The Ruins/Diving Cliff
- Ogtong Cave
- Kota Beach Sand Bar
Inclusions:
- Driver and gas
- Tour guide
- Exclusive transportation service
- Free pickup and drop off at the hotel before and after the tour
Duration: 4 hours
EXCLUSIONS: Entrance fees
***Day 2****
Destination: Virgin Island
🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️
At exactly 1:00, Kuya texted me that he was waiting outside. We hurriedly went down with excitement.
📍Kota Beach🏖️ (The final stop on the Land Tour)
The land tour lasted for four hours, during which we explored six tourist destinations.
First, let me present this gorgeous spacious sandy beach before I describe all the tourist spots we visited.
Here is the Kota Beach sandbar, a stunning beach with beautiful fine white sand. The photo was taken at 4:08 in the afternoon, capturing the bright sun shining over the beach⛱️.
I don't spot any litter in the sand. Various vendors selling food, scallops, sea shells, and souvenirs stroll around, catering to the beachgoers.
I neglected to snap a photo of the man vending coconut juice in this area.
The coconut trees growing near the shoreline enhance the beach's beauty.
The beach is a popular destination during holy week, holidays, and vacations for all. Each of us has our own unique experiences while unwinding, yet sometimes we find ourselves in the same places. The beach is open to everyone, but the memories linger like an island, people come and go like the passing days, vacations conclude like the setting sun, and most importantly, you return like the sunrise.
I would absolutely adore staying on this island for a longer period if given the opportunity. Upon surveying my surroundings, numerous thoughts flooded my mind 😊 By the way, this is my niece (I used to take care of her when she was younger).
In the photo, it's my cousin and my niece.
We were discussing the poses we should strike for a picture with "Kuya". 😂
We have an abundance of photos here that we just keep redoing and redoing 😂
During our last four-hour land tour, we had to extend our time by a few minutes due to waiting to take a picture of the two coconut trees at the beach. Kuya was patient and understanding, acknowledging our desire to take numerous photos.
We specifically came to this beach for the purpose of taking pictures with this coconut tree, which is situated near Kota Beach.
As our land tour time came to an end, we made our way back to our hotel.
After I finished bathing and changing clothes, my cousin asked me to return to the beach we had previously visited. I agreed and took them to the beach, which was only a 15-minute walk from the hotel.
📍Watching Sunset 🌄
Upon arrival, I observed numerous people at the beach engaging in activities such as playing with flying saucers and lounging on the sand. The sunset on one side painted the sky with vibrant orange hues, while the other side was veiled in darkness.
As some people captured images and others walked barefoot, the beach was filled with a mixture of yellow and orange colors from the sunrise.
I observed everything they were doing in reality. However, I don't mind because I'm delighted to witness this scene. My friends are busy taking pictures of each other against the backdrop of the sunrise. I allowed them to continue and simply gestured that I wanted to take a walk towards the beach, distancing myself from them.
I am now quite a distance away from my cousin and niece. 😂 I sent them a text to let them know my location. They responded saying that they would join me after they finished taking pictures.
As I made my way to the beach, I marveled at the breathtaking view of the sunset by the sea. 😍
The sunset at the island🏝️
Because of the beautiful scenery, we decided to walk along the white sand beach.
Darkness came over us. And we decided to go back, it was dinner time and we were hungry too.
We just walked back. It took 13-15 minutes to walk from here to Sta Fe.
📍Dinner
We decided to dine at Tinderpoint, one of the restaurants located in Sta fe. We ordered the Trio (A) which is a Bilao feast. Bilao in Filipino (Tagalog) is a platter containing all the different dishes served to the customer.
We chose the Trio (A) (755.00 pesos)..
Rice (3 cups)
Iced tea (3 glasses)
Panga Tuna (grilled)
Scallops (baked)
Pork belly (grilled)
The Bilao Festival order was completed in 24-30 minutes. Trio(A) The food came out at 7:24 PM and we were hungry so we ate. We finished our meal in just 26 minutes and went to the grocery store to buy snacks and water.
Panga Tuna(grilled) Scallops(baked) Pork belly(grilled)
We finished our meal in just 26 minutes and went to the grocery store to buy snacks and water.
Our island hopping trip is early the next day so we need some rest and we are tired from the trip and the land tour. We want to explore this area now but we won't stay here long.
There are plenty of different people in the area.Several people are sleeping in their automobiles in the parking lot because the motels are all booked up.
Today's land tour is now finished.
✨SOUVENIRS✨
I simply want to display the souvenirs that can be found on this island.
Particularly when on vacation, you really can't forget about souvenirs, especially those that are directly related to the island.
According to a souvenir vendor, customers always buy this shell necklace from them. When I'm on the island, I really want someone to wear a necklace made of shells.
Beautiful souvenirs in a variety of colors, shapes, and styles are readily available for purchase.
They also have an anklet made of shell in this section. It is up to you to choose which of the many designs you choose to get. The cost is affordable, particularly if you purchase in bulk.
If you wish to use your own swimming gear, it is available for purchase here. Coin purses and sling bags are located in this section.
Scallop shell design on the clock. The scallop shells already have lovely, distinct hues, so coloring them is not necessary.
These are table mats with seashells on them.
The dream catcher is one item I'd like to purchase here. Upon my initial visit to the island, I purchased a seashell dream catcher.
The variety of uses for seashells is amazing.*
T-shirts are another popular item among island souvenir seekers. This section is filled with a lot of colors and patterns.
There are many of options available to you for welcoming various angkle designs. Their starting price is set at ₱65.00.
If you go shopping and discover more souvenirs to buy, add that they also have tote bags with pictures of beaches, seashells, Bantayan Island, and Sta. Fe was printed on them.
When hunger strikes out of the blue, you can tell. They also carry items from Shamrock and Titay's Product (from cebu). The island is exciting yet exhausting.
Also add this island to your list of Island destinations. it will always be a delightful place for most people. So, why not plan a vacation🏖️ to an island? I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
I'll see you in my third blog post, which covers the Bantayan Island journey👋