Those looking for a place where there’s nothing to do other than laze on a beach with your beautiful girl.
You will love Bantayan Island. There’s no diving, no cannoning or volcanoes to scale, just a blinding white-sand beach, fantastic food and lively drinking spots.
The relaxed, bucolic town of Santa Fe on the island’s southern coast is where you’ll find the nicest stretch of beach and low-key resorts.
Hire a Motorcycle and explore this Beautiful island
Destination was Kota Park, located north of the island in the town of Madridejos around a Spanish fort in Bantayan where we spent the afternoon enjoying this historic site and of course each others company
A small fishing village is there.
We stayed at Santa fe located south of the island, so it was quite a drive to get there.
Hired a motorcycle which was very cheap, it took roughly one hour to travel from Santa Fe to Kota Park, you will pass by Bantayan Island's rural landscapes, tree-lined roads and the island's commercial centre.
Kota Park was built in the 1790's, by the Spanish to served as a Spanish fort (kota, kuta = fort).
It was used by the locals, to protect themselves from pirates, and by Spanish militiamen as a camp and a watchtower, given its strategic location at the northernmost tip of the island.
After the Spanish occupation, the fort became a public cemetery, making it the burial ground for many of the locals' departed beloved. It remained a public cemetery until the 1950's. Obviously now, the fort has been rehabilitated into a park. Still, inside the structure, we found relics and artefacts displayed in each of the four corners, including a tall wooden cross marking this fort's historical value to the island.
Just past the fort, but still part of the park is a small narrow beach.
You will see all the locals.
Recommend a visit to this island if you are in Visayas Region
How to get to Bantayan Island:
From Cebu City. You can take a ferry directly from Cebu City to Santa Fe, Bantayan or take a bus to the port at Hagnaya which is at the north tip of Cebu island, then a ferry to Santa Fe. You'll have to check the ferry schedules in the Cebu Sun-Star