Bantayan Island is an island located in the Visayan Sea, Philippines. It is situated to the west of the northern end of Cebu Island, across the Tañon Strait. As per the 2010 census, Bantayan has a total population of 136,960.The island is administratively divided into three municipalities:
- Bantayan, Cebu (the largest municipality, covering the central part)
- Madridejos, Cebu (covering the northern portion)
- Santa Fe, Cebu (covering the eastern portion)
Here is the map of the island courtesy of Google Map:
Our chosen resort, Kota Beach, is located at Santa Fe where several beach resorts are located. You may also browse the site wowBantayan.com which I really find to be very helpful.
To reach the resort, we first traveled via plane for about an hour. From Mactan International Airport, we took a cab to the North Terminal for about 30 minutes. (Damage to the pocket: approx. Php 150.00) Take note that we didn't avail of the airport taxis which rates are higher than that of the regular taxi. The cueing bay for regular taxi is just across the building from the exit point of the airport. Look for the signs pointing you to the regular taxi bay or just ask the security guard to tell you the way in case you got confused.
The North Terminal has an aircon buses which ply the route to Hagnaya port. Fortunately, our bus - Ceres - has a free wifi which took the boredom from us for about 3 hours and 15 minutes with one (1) stop-over for comfort room break. (Damage to the pocket: approx. Php 160.00) When we reached the Hagnaya port at around 3 pm, we were informed that there was only one (1) available boat that would sail for Santa Fe port at about 530 pm that afternoon. The boat ride took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. (Damage to the pcoket: Php 170.00) It was already dark when we reached the Santa Fe port. From there, we took a tricycle to bring us to Kota Beach resort. (Damage to the pocket: Php 100.00)
Oh boy, it was a long and sometimes nauseous travel. It actually took us a total of 12 hours just to reach our resort!
I was really sad because I made plans to go afternoon beaching. Unfortunately, the delay in our flight and more than 2 hours of waiting time for the boat prevented us from doing so.
We dined at the restaurant inside Kota Beach and ordered grilled squid, shrimp and 2 plates (Yes, 2 plates. NOT cups) of garlic rice for Five Hundred Pesos (Php 500.00). I tell you, it is sulit!
The next morning, we wanted to have a taste of the regular Bantayan breakfast. Kota Beach rented us bicycles for One Hundred Fifty Pesos (Php 150.00) for each bike until we leave the resort. For cheap seafood, we highly recommend Daddy Doks. They have an array of fresh seafood and you can ask them to cook for you. We biked around Santa Fe and noticed that bicycles and motorcycles are the common mode of transportation in the area. Bihira ang jeep o private cars.
And finally, we hit the beach! I wish I had a better camera to capture the wonderful and serene beach of Bantayan Island. If you want to relax sans a throng of tourists and commercial establishments, we highly recommend this beach for you. We feel that we had the beach to ourselves!
And finally, we hit the beach! I wish I had a better camera to capture the wonderful and serene beach of Bantayan Island. If you want to relax sans a throng of tourists and commercial establishments, we highly recommend this beach for you. We feel that we had the beach to ourselves!
Blue skies + fine white sands + blue green water |
Our little paradise |
our nook in the corner |
No other tourists in sight |
M enjoying the sunshine :) |
Here is a little tip, if you want to buy danggit to which Cebu is famous for, you can buy straight from the fishermen. Just drop by Ogtong Cave Resort and the tricycle drivers will actually bring you to the shore where fresh unsalted danggit can be bought. A kilo will cost Php 450.00. From Kota Beach, we just biked to the other side of town where Ogtong Cave Resort is located.
We had a very relaxing weekend. Thanks to Kota Beach for upgrading our room to cottage. For more details, you may visit their website at http://kotabeach.bantayanresorts.com.
I will certainly return to this little paradise especially if I want to escape from the chaotic life of the city. There are still so many things to do here. Hopefully, I could explore more this island. :)
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