Why Bantayan Island is a Must-Visit Place
I'm mostly an introvert who adores being inside the house reading a book or watching a movie, but today is different. It's finally Summer! These past few months, I have been longing to go to the beach and swim to my heart's content (by the shallow part of the sea since I don't know how to swim lol). So, I've decided to ask my college friends if they'd like to go on a trip to Northern Cebu. Only 1 was available so it was final then, Cecil & I are going to the hidden gem of the North: Bantayan Island.
We both have it on our bucketlist: to visit Bantayan and finally we now have the chance to tick it off.
Day 1
4:00 AM - Went to North Bus Terminal for a direct bus going to Hagnaya Port. Unfortunately, the earlier bus has left at 3:15 AM and the next one would be at 5 AM. We were left with an option to join another group inside a V-hire (or van). Oh, and look at that gorgeous sunrise! I am always in awe of how God has made the Earth so beautiful. Hope we can take good care of it properly.
5:30 AM - Cecil & I talked a lot about many things, mostly reminiscing our college days which was absolutely fun! By the way, I haven't had any sleep at all! I decided not to sleep so as not to risk being late for the early morning bus ride. My eyes have been wide open for the rest of the trip. I also hated the road since it was really winding and made me dizzy. Good thing I had my trustee #mentos with me and loads of chika with my travel buddy.
6:30 AM - We finally arrived at Hagnaya Port. We paid P170 each for the van. It took faster than expected. We didn't know which way to go afterwards so we just followed the group that were inside the van with us. It was funny, really!
6:30 AM - Just in time for the 6:30 AM trip for the ferry! Unfortunately, the queue was too long and there were a lot of tourists so the ticket got sold out pretty quickly. We decided to take the 7:30 AM trip instead which was fine by us. For adults, each ticket costs P170 pesos and the rest of the details are posted on the photo above.
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| Our ticket! Be careful not to lose it ;) |
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| This isn't half of the passengers. What you see is just a portion of the tourists and locals who want to travel to Bantayan Island. The weather was also pretty humid and sunny that day which was perfect for summer! |
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| Going towards our Ferry. We rode the Super Shuttle Ferry. |
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| Good thing we got on the ferry earlier than everybody else so we can find a good place to sit. Unfortunately, the trip was really hot since the right side of the boat needed to be draped with the cover to protect others from the sun. Bummer! :( |
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| The calm blue ocean - oh how I remembered Moana! |
Anyway, before going on to this trip, I tried to check the weather forecast. It said that it had a chance of scattered rain showers! But look how magnificent the sea is! Thank You Lord for a great weather for travelling!
9:00 AM - After a gruelling 1 hr and 30 minutes of travelling by boat and trying to doze off in the most uncomfortable position, we have finally arrived! Now I can say #touchdownBantayanIsland. The place was buzzing with tourists, locals and porters alike.
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Upon arriving, we were asked if we had a transportation waiting for us. Apparently, we didn't plan for this meticulously so obviously we have no proper preparations. We decided to trust the Porter and led us to a local who drives a tricycle.
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| Kuya Driver
Good thing he was good although not a really talkative tour guide. If you ask him questions, he'd gladly answer. So far so good. We paid P400 each for his service. He took us all around the area (which was supposedly for the whole day but we ended earlier for some reasons).
My advise is either you plan ahead, bring your car or something and/or rent a motorbike or a bicycle if you already know the place. But if not, then you can opt for this choice which is to hire a "tour guide/driver" to tour you around.. Also, it gets cheaper if you are in a big group compared to going there alone or in small packs.
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| Our first stop was Kota Beach Resort. Having your picture taken here is FREE. Unfortunately, this place has been fully-booked so we have to look for another place to stay. (Which was also why they didn't reply to my inquiry the night before going here) |
10:30 AM - After a lot of inquiries around the area, we finally had an accommodation. It was at Garden Cabana across La Playa Resort. The room (good for two non-aircon) was P800. I tried haggling because it was small and non-aircon but Ate didn't agree (sad). We took it.
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| After looking for a place to stay, we decided to grab some breakfast. We went to MJ Square or something and chose Panyang as our food provider. Lol. I had Bacon and eggs with rice and Cecil had a similar order. We paid P135 per head (inclusive of drinks of your choice) My tip is that if you do not want to spend too much on food (since it is really costly on restaurants and eateries, try to cook your own meal instead. A good cup of rice, some egg and canton will not cost one much, I'm sure. |
Moving on, we were now ready to visit the next spot: Oboob Mangrove Sanctuary. From this point on, I wouldn't be placing in the time since Cecil and I lost track of it already and I didn't want to check it either.
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The road going to the Mangrove Sanctuary. I was seated at the back and it was really a bumpy ride.
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The entrance fee cost us P50 each. Children's fees are lesser at P20 and so on, and so forth. We paid and then went inside the sanctuary. It was low tide at that time. Kuya Driver also told us that when one of the most devastating typhoon hit the island of Bantayan, the mangroves were severely affected and which was why they appear to be just sprouting now on some parts of the area.
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| Upon entering, you are greeted with a nice, and sturdy bamboo walk and this pretty sign. |
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| The beautiful overlooking shot of the Mangrove Sanctuary |
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| You can actually choose to go on a quick dip. But I decided not to :D |
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| Cecil & I |
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| Camp Sawi - I haven't seen the movie yet so I can't relate :P |
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| Next stop - Paradise Beach (one of my favorite places) |
We arrived at Paradise Beach Resort. But going there wasn't easy. We had to travel going to the area and then walk for about 10-15 minutes under the heat of the sun and on a rocky walkway. But you know what? I really believe that if you are given a challenge, the reward after is totally worth it and it was! We were greeted with a pristine beach, white, fine sand and a crystal clear water. We had to pay P50 each for the entrance fee and then you can enjoy the place.
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| The fine white sand and the crystal clear water |
Trust me, the sand is super fine (though I think not as fine as Panglao, Bohol). The water was also really cool once you get to have a dip. Splish splash! I wouldn't trade this for the world. I'm still amazed at how places like this exist. You get to enjoy a relaxing place away from the crowd. There weren't so many tourists flocked in Paradise Beach. Cecil & I played on the water for a while. You can see a lot of fishes swimming with you underneath. The sun was hot but it was not scorching. Just enough to let you feel the summer vibes. ;)
P.S. I finally wore my bikini I bought 2 years ago. Haha!
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| The view of Paradise Beach at a different angle with me in it. Haha |
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| Cecil sitting on her very useful roundy |
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| The Ruins - but I couldn't appreciate it because it was said that this was just an old house owned by a foreigner now bought by another buyer. So, where's the artistry in that? Haha |
Our next stop was "The Ruins" - I am not a fan of the so called ruins but the view was amazing! The place is actually a diving spot as well though not as great as the famous ones. I don't know how to swim so the idea of diving never existed in my head. Hahaha
After this, we headed to Ogtong Cave but it was closed because it was filled with people. So we decided to head back to MJ Square again and have lunch. After eating at, yes, you guessed it right, at Panyang's, we went to Mayet's Resort or something to rent a bike.
I was really hesitant at first because I am not confident that I can bike around the street. But we were fated to rent them since only two cute bikes were left, 1 pink, 1 blue and with baskets on them. They have met our requirements so we took it. We paid P150 each.
After getting our bikes, we biked going to Garden Cabana and then had an afternoon nap.
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| Breathtaking Bantayan Sunset - worth every sweat |
Cecil woke me up because we agreed to see the sunset. Man, it wasn't easy! First, it wasn't easy to get up when you're in the mood for a deep sleep (remember, I haven't had any sleep at all), and second, deciding which way to bike is a tough choice. We decided to bike up north where the light is the brightest. Hahaha Gosh, I have no sense of direction. Good thing we were able to catch it!
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| Mine's the pink one and Cecil's the blue one. |
After appreciating the setting of the sun and catching every drop of its light, we biked going to MJ Square to have dinner. We were dripping with sweat (especially Cecil hahaha) and arrived at the Square after biking and almost risking our lives over that inclined route. The place had become so lively compared to the atmosphere in the morning.
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| We shared a Pork Sisig and rice. As always, a mango shake is always present. |
We had dinner at Panyang's again. We enjoyed the meal and talking and looking at our photos. It had been a fun day but it didn't end there. After dinner, we biked going back to our room and decided to go to the beach front and see the stars. It was indeed a very wonderful experience to be lying down the sand, the sea was calm, and the stars were really bright. We enjoyed a nice cold beer as well. How I wished Alex (my partner in crime boyfriend) was there with me. :(
11:00 PM - I finally looked at the time. It was 11 and we decided to call it a day. We went home, cleaned up and rested. The rest was indeed pretty well needed.
DAY 2
"Jedde, wake up."
I fought the urge to lie down in bed. I knew why Cecil woke me up as early as 5:30 AM. We planned to watch the sunrise. After beating gravity and finally stood up and changed, we hit our bikes down the road and once more got confused which way to go. We followed where the light was coming from. We didn't know it was already the HIGH WAY! Hahahahaha. I can't believe I biked down a highway. We arrived and finally:
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| Totally worth it!!! Thank You Lord God for Your marvellous creation and for giving us another chance to live. |
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| Our legendary bikes |
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| Breakfast time! P135 still |
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| The Church |
Our next stop was Ogtong Cave (which we weren't able to visit the day before due to # of crowd). We biked all the way to the place and parked it outside. Cecil & I paid P100 each to enjoy the swimming pool, the cave and the beach.
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| Ogtong Cave signage |
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| An epic fail hair flip inside the cave. |
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| The very tempting swimming pool with a crazy depth! |
Imagine in one pool they have 9ft, 8ft, 7ft, 6ft, 5ft and the kiddie pool. All in different directions! For someone who doesn't know how to swim would definitely not appreciate it so much. Hahaha.
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| Beach front |
We enjoyed swimming since it was low tide and there weren't so many people. A very nice place to contemplate and marvel at the beauty of Bantayan Island. After visiting Ogtong Cave, we headed back to our place, returned our bikes, cleaned, and then packed up.
Lunch was served at a place across Panyang's. It was called Sizzling something. I couldn't remember. We rode a tricycle and paid P20 each going to MJ Square to have lunch and another P20 each going to the Port.
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| Buzzing port! |
The 12:30 PM schedule was already full so we took the 1:30 PM trip instead. We paid another P170 each and I forgot to mention earlier that you need to pay P10 for the terminal fee back and forth.
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| Going to the Ferry - huhu look at that sparkling water! |
We arrived back to Hagnaya Port at 2:45 PM and rode the non-aircon bus and paid P132 going to North Bus Terminal. It took us until 7:00 PM to reach Mandaue City since we got caught in traffic at some cities. That marked the end of our memorable journey in Bantayan Island.
Bantayan Island is surely a must-visit place simply because it's breathtaking! It is a friendly place where you can be yourself. A hidden gem in the North of Cebu, the island is a complete package - from its pristine beaches to the seafood, the hidden cave and the peaceful mangrove sanctuary and of course the beautiful starry night - all these make you feel happy and lucky to be alive. It gives you hope and it makes you look forward to discover more about the world. But most importantly, it brings you peace of mind away from the busy city life. I am proud to be a Cebuana and a Filipino.
Now I can say: Bantayan Island CHECK!!! ;)
Love,
MJ
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