The finest white sand, the breath-taking sunsets and sunrises, the calm and serene surrounding, and the clearest blue waters of the beaches found in Bantayan Island leave a distinct impression in me that no other places have given. I've been to the place several times for over a couple of years and checked out some of the resorts and spots.
Bantayan Island is located in the northern tip of Cebu islands. Traveling would take about 5 hours via bus and ferry. The locals are very friendly and it's amazing to see a lot of tourists from all over the world to spend their vacation there.
Getting There and Back
Getting there is one of the hardest things that one has to face (the other is going back) if you are on a tight budget. There are a few ways to get there. If you seek the fastest way to get to the island without worrying about the cost, there are private charter planes that could get you there in no time. The air charter trip is from the Mactan International Airport to the Sta. Fe Airport and vice versa depending on the request.
Another way is to hire a taxi from Cebu to Hagnaya and ride the ferry from Hagnaya to Sta. Fe. The taxi fare is usually priced at 1,500-2,500 pesos depending on the driver. Taking a metered taxi to hagnaya is a rare case but if ever the driver would agree to it, you usually have to pay double the charge on the meter to cover its trip back.
If you have a vehicle, you can drive to Hagnaya port and pay a fee to the shipping line to take the vehicle with you to Bantayan Island.
For those who are not that blessed to afford the means of transportation cited above or who just wants to see how the locals travel, taking the bus would be the best and only option aside from walking for days.
From Cebu, you have to go the North Bus Terminal which is near SM mall to catch the next bus trip. I ride a cab (and made sure that the taxi is metered) to go the terminal which is easier and faster than riding a public utility jeepney. When the taxi arrives at the terminal, it is recommended to pay the driver before opening the door if you want to avoid those porters from bothering you and taking your bags to the bus for a fee. When you get out of the taxi, be sure to be firm with the porters and say no if you don't want them to carry your bags. But if your baggage is bigger than you, the porters could be a big help, just make sure that you agree on the price first before they carry your bags.
One thing to always remember: always look after your bags and stuff. You can never be too sure to trust any stranger no matter how friendly the situation could get.
At the bus terminal, look for the bus that would go to Hagnaya. Most of the buses are non-airconditioned and are usually full of passengers specially during peak season so better expect the ride to be somewhat uncomfortable if you're not used to a hot and crowded ride. If it's sunny and you don't want one side of your body to be toasted before you arrive, try sitting on the aisle seat or choose the side where the sun would rarely hit during the trip (hint: you can ask the bus driver or conductor or the ones selling stuff - they usually know).
Buses would leave every 30 minutes to 1 hour and if you get hungry at waiting, there are food stalls where you can buy some snacks. If ever you get queasy traveling and ending up being "landsick" or seasick, you can buy a motion sickness pill like Bonamine or DiziTab from one of the stores and take (chew and swallow) the pill right away. Bus fare is currently 120 pesos per person for peak season (November to May).
Bus ride would take about 3 1/2 hours depending on the traffic and the speed.
The tickets for the RO-RO (roll on-roll off) ferry during that peak season was 135 pesos. Usually there are ferries that would depart every hour but it's better to check their schedule beforehand if you have want to budget your time since RO-RO schedules are not fixed. The last ferry schedule would be at 5:30pm so better arrive at the terminal and take the bus before 1:30 pm to be sure since it will not leave the terminal right away. And by the way, when the boat is set to a schedule, like 12:30 pm, it means that you have to be there on or before that time BUT it doesn't mean that it will leave right away. You have to wait several minutes (even up to 30mins to an hour in our case).
Bantayan Island is located in the northern tip of Cebu islands. Traveling would take about 5 hours via bus and ferry. The locals are very friendly and it's amazing to see a lot of tourists from all over the world to spend their vacation there.
Getting There and Back
Getting there is one of the hardest things that one has to face (the other is going back) if you are on a tight budget. There are a few ways to get there. If you seek the fastest way to get to the island without worrying about the cost, there are private charter planes that could get you there in no time. The air charter trip is from the Mactan International Airport to the Sta. Fe Airport and vice versa depending on the request.
Another way is to hire a taxi from Cebu to Hagnaya and ride the ferry from Hagnaya to Sta. Fe. The taxi fare is usually priced at 1,500-2,500 pesos depending on the driver. Taking a metered taxi to hagnaya is a rare case but if ever the driver would agree to it, you usually have to pay double the charge on the meter to cover its trip back.
If you have a vehicle, you can drive to Hagnaya port and pay a fee to the shipping line to take the vehicle with you to Bantayan Island.
For those who are not that blessed to afford the means of transportation cited above or who just wants to see how the locals travel, taking the bus would be the best and only option aside from walking for days.
From Cebu, you have to go the North Bus Terminal which is near SM mall to catch the next bus trip. I ride a cab (and made sure that the taxi is metered) to go the terminal which is easier and faster than riding a public utility jeepney. When the taxi arrives at the terminal, it is recommended to pay the driver before opening the door if you want to avoid those porters from bothering you and taking your bags to the bus for a fee. When you get out of the taxi, be sure to be firm with the porters and say no if you don't want them to carry your bags. But if your baggage is bigger than you, the porters could be a big help, just make sure that you agree on the price first before they carry your bags.
One thing to always remember: always look after your bags and stuff. You can never be too sure to trust any stranger no matter how friendly the situation could get.
At the bus terminal, look for the bus that would go to Hagnaya. Most of the buses are non-airconditioned and are usually full of passengers specially during peak season so better expect the ride to be somewhat uncomfortable if you're not used to a hot and crowded ride. If it's sunny and you don't want one side of your body to be toasted before you arrive, try sitting on the aisle seat or choose the side where the sun would rarely hit during the trip (hint: you can ask the bus driver or conductor or the ones selling stuff - they usually know).
Buses would leave every 30 minutes to 1 hour and if you get hungry at waiting, there are food stalls where you can buy some snacks. If ever you get queasy traveling and ending up being "landsick" or seasick, you can buy a motion sickness pill like Bonamine or DiziTab from one of the stores and take (chew and swallow) the pill right away. Bus fare is currently 120 pesos per person for peak season (November to May).
Bus ride would take about 3 1/2 hours depending on the traffic and the speed.
The tickets for the RO-RO (roll on-roll off) ferry during that peak season was 135 pesos. Usually there are ferries that would depart every hour but it's better to check their schedule beforehand if you have want to budget your time since RO-RO schedules are not fixed. The last ferry schedule would be at 5:30pm so better arrive at the terminal and take the bus before 1:30 pm to be sure since it will not leave the terminal right away. And by the way, when the boat is set to a schedule, like 12:30 pm, it means that you have to be there on or before that time BUT it doesn't mean that it will leave right away. You have to wait several minutes (even up to 30mins to an hour in our case).
