Things to Do in Bantayan: Cebu Tour Day 2

There are no malls and no movie theaters in Bantayan. There's only one bank-Allied Bank serving the whole town.This is where life seem simple and uncomplicated. 

Aside from enjoying the beach, here are some of things we did in Bantayan which you may also want to do.

1. Biking

I love to bike following nature trails and rough roads. When I learned that biking is a form of transportation in Bantayan, I really planned to do some explorations using bike. After all, it is so seldom to be in the place where it is safe to go biking.

Biking in Bantayan

After eating breakfast and exploring the shore on our second day, my fiance and I rented bikes from Beach Placid Resort. Rental is P30 per hour. The weather seemed to agree on what we planned to do. It wasn't hot and humid. The sky was not overcast. Just a cool breeze and some light gray clouds. Perfect day for biking!

Small park, playground and school in the background

We followed a residential trail. This is opposite of the National Road. By following this trail, we were able to see the simplicity of lifestyle in the island coupled with lush greenery. The people were friendly who readily smiled and waved at us. We also saw a small school, a small park and a chapel.

2. Town Hopping and Motorbiking

In the afternoon of our second day, we had a tour of town using a rented motorcycle. Rental was P50 per hour or P300 for 24 hours. We were the ones who also fueled motorcycle which costs P67 per liter. It was enough for a half day tour around the island.

The National Road was clean and safe. There were few vehicles and most of them were motorcycles too! I like the sight of yellow flowers lining up the highway. Be sure to gas up and make sure that your motorcycle is in good condition because fuel is far and between.

Aside from riding the motorcycle, here are the places that we saw which you might also like to see.

Bantayan Town Proper

Bantayan Town Plaza

 From Sta. Fe, where most of the resorts are located, Bantayan town is about 40 minutes to an hour away using a motorbike. What's there to see? A really old church - the St. Peter and Paul Church, plaza and market. This is also where Allied Bank is located- just before reaching the town hall on the right side. We didn't have to go down the motorbike. We just drove around the plaza and we saw everything in a glance. (Besides, we're not that interested. )

Old, old church across the Plaza at Bantayan

You can also buy your supplies here. In our case, we bought some mineral water and chips. I would also recommend to buy your pasalubong of danggit in the market here. It's cheaper than the ones in Cebu City.

 Madridejos Town and Kota Park

Walkway at Kota Park

Shore at Kota Park

The old fort at Kota Park

An hour up north of Bantayan is the other town in the island- Madridejos. It is smaller than Bantayan Town but for me, this is worthier to visit than Bantayan Town because of Kota Park. From the plaza in Madridejos, Kota Park is just about 5 minutes away. Historically, Kota Park was a fort against the attack of Moros. Then it became a town cemetery before becoming a park. What makes this place worth seeing is the view of the sea, and I think the sunset would also be a sight to behold. The sea looked untamed and wild yet looked to inviting. There's also a walkway where you can barely hear yourself when the winds are strong.

Madridejos is at the tip of the island so you'll basically pass through all the barangays when going there.

DON'T EAT HERE!

 On a side note, avoid eating at Victoria's Inn. Their food is terrible and their pizza sucks!

Ogtong Cave and Sta. Fe Beach Club

Honestly, if you're pressed for time, you can skip this. The only reason why we visited this place was because it was one of the places mentioned in a blog. There's really nothing special about this place, at least on my opinion. On our way back to the resort, we just decided to take a look after we saw a sign.

Ogtong Cave

Sta. Fe Beach Club's grounds

The cave is inside Sta. Fe Beach Club. Entrance fee is P100 per person which really is not worth it. Ogtong Cave is small and dark. We're not even allowed to enter the cave just view it from some steps. So I was really wondering why did the people in the reception allowed us to enter and got our money when it was closed at that time. (Normally, people can swim in the cave)

To at least compensate the P100 we paid, we just explored the grounds of Sta. Fe Beach Club. I think it was one of classiest resorts in the area. The view of the sea was really nice. Actually, we're not really supposed to explore the grounds but there were no roaming guards so we might as well see the place.

3. Dining at Tristan's Restaurant

Three reasons why we enjoyed dining at Tristan's.

First, the location of the restaurant's really great. It's overlooking the sea. (Yes, I really love the sight of the sea). It's romantic! Pity that we dine here when it's already dark.

Second, the service was warm and prompt. I'm a sucker for good service so I really appreciated this place.

Pizza at Tristan's!

Third, of course the pizza was great! Their marketing catch is that they make the best thin-crust pizza. Well, it's true! 'Nuff said. And the carbonara that we ate also tasted good. Yum!

By the way, Tristan's place is at Poblacion, Sta. Fe. It's about 10 minutes away from the Wharf. It's not along the road so you have to be careful in catching their sign.



Recommendations:

• If you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, make some arrangements with your hotel or with a traysikad. 
• Allot around 5 to 6 hours for town tour. 
• Bring water! 
• Ask  a map from your hotel. 

Cheap Hotel in Cebu City : Verbena Suites

I just stayed at Verbena Capitol Suites in Cebu City for two days. Coming from the North Bus Terminal, it took us about 40 minutes to reach the place via taxi due to heavy traffic. I think, from the airport it would also take about 40 minutes to reach Verbena Capitol Suites minus the traffic. Verbena Capitol Suites should not be mistaken fromVerbena Pension House. Both places are managed by the same people but they are the same. Although, not too far from each other, Verbena Capitol Suites is the newer establishment between the two.

Verbena's Lobby

On the surface, Verbena Capitol Suites is a picture of simple elegance. And I must say that the management seem to be trying its best to make the place comfortable. However, the place fell short of what I expected- at least during my last visit.

Here are my reasons along with an overview of the hotel:

On Reservations: 

Based on their website, people can reserve through email, text message or phone call. I'm used to doing online reservations whenever I travel. So far, all the online reservations that I made in other places were answered except when I made reservations here in Verbena. There was a confirmation of the receipt of my reservation but that ends there. I was unsure whether our reservation was confirmed or not so I texted the cellphone numbers posted on their website. I did this twice but there was no reply for confirmation. I had no choice but to call. The person who answered said she did not receive any text message nor email. I could probably believe her but I received a confirmation of my email while I texted them twice during normal working hours.

So I guess, what I'm trying to say here is if you want to stay here call them directly just to be sure. I just hope the management would improve their reservation system. They boasted that  people can make online reservations but the staff can't handle it.

Twin Room at Verbena (Our room before leaving)

On Service:

The place is not keen on service. The staff seem to be lax and I did not feel a warm welcome from them. I'm not expecting a super welcome gesture but I did expect a little help and courtesy.

Why do I say these things? First, upon arriving the guard did not extend any helping hand to us as we carry several luggage. He just stared at us while my boyfriend and I were having a hard time alighting the taxi and entering the lobby. Even during the several times we went in and out of the hotel premises, the guards did not have an automatic gesture to open the door or to help people carry things even when they are obviously having a hard time carrying time.

Second, the front desk person did not smile to us even once during our stay. You might think I'm too sensitive but this is the first time that I encountered a person from the front desk who seemed to be annoyed with the clients. She also did not accommodate my request to be transferred to another room because of the noise. Our room was just behind the lobby and we can hear the comings and goings of people. Just to settle the matter, we had the TV on and had it on a loud volume to drown the outside noise.

Lastly, the service in their cafe and restaurant should really be improved. When we went there for breakfast, there was no one whom we can place our order. We had to wait for about 15 minutes until someone from the kitchen came out. As I was going to place our order, the girl said something which I think means " Sandali lang," then went to get the order of another man who arrive later than us. We had to wait again even though we're supposed to be catered first *sigh*

The small bathroom- a puzzle where to bath esp. for big people

On the Facilities: 

As I've said before, Verbena Capitol Suites seem to be trying to be a comfortable place. In terms of facilities, the place has a general relaxing feel and quiet luxury. All rooms have cable TV. Wifi can also be accessed from the room. The beds are comfortably firm and the airconditioning is good. The room is generally clean. They provide towels and soaps. The room we rented, twin bedroom, has a minibar and a heater just in case you want to have hot drinking water. In general, the sleeping area is good especially with the hotel's high ceilings giving a spacious impression.

On the other hand, I felt trapped because there were no windows. The noise from the staff room (beside our room) can be heard. The faucet in the bathroom sink had no water during our stay. There was no hot water in the bathroom even if the hotel said that they have. The bathroom itself is small. There was barely space for bathing.

Now let me conclude this by saying that Verbena Capitol Suites has a lot of potential esp. if they improve on their service. But honestly, I wish I could have stayed in a different place in Cebu City since there are a lot of budget places in the area with the same facilities.

Beach Resort in Bantayan: Be Wowed at Beach Placid Resort

Beach Placid Resort is located at Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island in Cebu. It is a bed and breakfast inn that boasts of a long stretch of fine white sand and clear waters. The beach rivals that of Boracay shores without the mad crowd. Though the facilities are basic and austere, the service is world-class.(As in!) All the staff- from the reservations to the driver are always ready to give a smile and to assist the guests. Budget wise- it's more than what you paid for!

Beach Placid's Shore

 Accommodation and Facilities:

Beach Front Rooms at Beach Placid Resort

Beach Placid has two types of rooms based on structure- the native cottages and the modern ones. For this trip, we rented a native cottage good for two. The facilities are very basic but clean. The room has a bed, a closet and a CR. The CR doesn't have a door but a curtain. This is just worth P500 with free breakfast so I think, we're not supposed to expect more. They also provided transportation services from Sta. Fe Wharf to the resort. They also provided soaps and towel and the room doesn't smell. It's not also airconditioned but the fan along with the sea breeze was enough to keep us cool.

Native Cottage good for 2 (Our room before leaving)

The only thing that bothered me at night was the swish of the coconut leaves. Before going to bed, I kept on wondering whether it was raining or not. There was also some coconuts that fell on the roof of our cottage.

As for facilities, Beach Placid has a bar and restaurant which is open until 11 pm, I think. They have a fixed menu at a reasonable price- not too expensive for resort rates. The seafood are great especially the danggit. They also have massage services.

Activities: 

Based on my experience, the best time to swim on the beach is around 9 am to 3 pm. Before and after those times, the water is so shallow that the shoreline expands for several meters.

Aside from swimming, we also rented bicycles and motorcycles from the resort. Here are their rates as of August 2011:

Bicycle:                30/ hr
Motorcycle:         50/hr,    300 for 8 hrs,  450 for 24 hours
Island Hopping:   900 for 2 pax, 1200 for 3-5 pax, 1500, for 6-9 pax

You can also rent skim boards which I didn't get the price.


How to Get There:

From Mactan Airport, take a cab to the North Bus Terminal. Ride the metered white cabs, they cost less. Without traffic, the trip would take less than 30 minutes. At the terminal, ask for the Ceres Bus bound for Hagnaya. I recommend to take the airconditioned ones because the trip would last for 3 to 4 hours depending on the traffic. Hagnaya is the last stop for the buses and you can easily see the port upon your arrival at Hagnaya terminal. From Hagnaya Port, take a ship or a ferry that would transfer you to Sta. Fe Wharf. The sea ride may last for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. From the Port, the shuttle of Beach Placid will be there to meet you!

Cost of Transportation:

From Mactan to Terminal via cab:      P150
Bus Ride to Hagnaya Port:                P150 (Ceres Bus- Airconditioned)
Ship Fare:                                         P170


Other Tips:

1. Take time to buy or bring your own drinking water esp. if you're on a budget.

2. You'll enjoy the place better if you know how to ride a motorcycle than hiring a traysikad.

3. Allot at least around 3 days and 2 nights to make up for time you spent on traveling.

4. Be prepared to understand Cebuano. 

Whether you're in a budget or not, take time to visit Beach Placid. Good facilities, better shoreline and the best service!