Fine white sand and pristine turquoise waters. Relaxation and serenity. This is Bantayan Island- a far-flung island at the northernmost part of Cebu.
I learned about Bantayan Island several years ago from a friend who stayed in Cebu for a few months. At that time, I did not take her stories about the island seriously. Bantayan was not yet well-known and it was not one of the places I had in mind for vacation. Thanks to Cebu Pacific's promo fare to Cebu, I decided to see Bantayan Island last July.
So let me share my Do-It-Yourself vacation:
How to Get There:
From Mactan International Airport, we took a cab to North Bus Terminal. Initially, upon exiting the airport, we only saw yellow metered cabs with a P70 flag down rate. However, it was a good thing that we saw some people crossing the street and lining up for the white cabs with P40 flag down rate. (So yehey we got a cheaper deal!) We paid around P140.
It only took us 30 minutes to get to the Terminal. We had to shell out P10 for the taxi's entrance to the terminal. Upon alighting the taxi, several men swarmed us offering assistance with our luggage which we didn't need. We had to pointedly ignore them and go directly to Ceres Buses bound for Hagnaya Port. We took the air conditioned bus because based on my research it will take 3 to 4 hours travel to Hagnaya Port. Our bus fare was P150 per person. If you want a cheaper deal, take the ordinary buses. There's also a chartered plane going to Bantayan from Mactan Airport which costs P1500 per person. This is offered by Mid-Sea Air.
We arrived at Hagnaya Port at past 1 pm. From the port, we had to travel via small sea vessels for two hours going to Sta. Fe Wharf. The fare was P170 per person. Upon arrival at Sta. Fe, we were met by driver from Beach Placid Hotel where we made reservations. Personally, I think it's good that we made reservations because upon arriving at Sta. Fe, several men, again, swarmed us to offer assistance in finding transportation and accommodation. I highly recommend Beach Placid.
The resort is about 10 minutes from the Wharf. We arrived at the resort at around 4 pm. So yes, we had a very long day. Our first day was largely spent travelling, sitting and sitting in the bus! But the breathtaking sight of white shoreline and clear waters was worth the effort. It was also a good thing that we decided to stay for two nights in Bantayan. Otherwise, we would have spent all our time travelling.
As much as we wanted to go swimming, the tide was so low that the shore extended for several meters. So there was nothing to do but take pictures, eat and enjoy the view until bedtime.
Recommendations:
See more of my Bantayan Trip in my next entry!
I learned about Bantayan Island several years ago from a friend who stayed in Cebu for a few months. At that time, I did not take her stories about the island seriously. Bantayan was not yet well-known and it was not one of the places I had in mind for vacation. Thanks to Cebu Pacific's promo fare to Cebu, I decided to see Bantayan Island last July.
So let me share my Do-It-Yourself vacation:
How to Get There:
 |
| Arriving at Mactan International Airport |
From Mactan International Airport, we took a cab to North Bus Terminal. Initially, upon exiting the airport, we only saw yellow metered cabs with a P70 flag down rate. However, it was a good thing that we saw some people crossing the street and lining up for the white cabs with P40 flag down rate. (So yehey we got a cheaper deal!) We paid around P140.
It only took us 30 minutes to get to the Terminal. We had to shell out P10 for the taxi's entrance to the terminal. Upon alighting the taxi, several men swarmed us offering assistance with our luggage which we didn't need. We had to pointedly ignore them and go directly to Ceres Buses bound for Hagnaya Port. We took the air conditioned bus because based on my research it will take 3 to 4 hours travel to Hagnaya Port. Our bus fare was P150 per person. If you want a cheaper deal, take the ordinary buses. There's also a chartered plane going to Bantayan from Mactan Airport which costs P1500 per person. This is offered by Mid-Sea Air.
 |
| Crossing the sea between Hagnaya and Sta. Fe |
We arrived at Hagnaya Port at past 1 pm. From the port, we had to travel via small sea vessels for two hours going to Sta. Fe Wharf. The fare was P170 per person. Upon arrival at Sta. Fe, we were met by driver from Beach Placid Hotel where we made reservations. Personally, I think it's good that we made reservations because upon arriving at Sta. Fe, several men, again, swarmed us to offer assistance in finding transportation and accommodation. I highly recommend Beach Placid.
The resort is about 10 minutes from the Wharf. We arrived at the resort at around 4 pm. So yes, we had a very long day. Our first day was largely spent travelling, sitting and sitting in the bus! But the breathtaking sight of white shoreline and clear waters was worth the effort. It was also a good thing that we decided to stay for two nights in Bantayan. Otherwise, we would have spent all our time travelling.
 |
| Sta. Fe shoreline with low tide |
As much as we wanted to go swimming, the tide was so low that the shore extended for several meters. So there was nothing to do but take pictures, eat and enjoy the view until bedtime.
Recommendations:
- When going to Cebu, make Bantayan your first stop because of the travel time required to get ther
- Take the earliest flight you can get so you can arrive early.
- Make reservations for your accommodations beforehand.
See more of my Bantayan Trip in my next entry!
Very helpful tips! I'm bound to Bantayan next week for the first time. Glad to find you blog. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Have a good and restful time there! :)
Delete