My four-day vacation in Bantayan Island, made me realize that the province is not hailed as the Jewel of Cebu for nothing. Although I am a lumad, or native Bantayanon, because I was born in Madridejos, it took me 24 years to experience the island’s unbelievable beauty. I always thought of Bantayan as just my birthplace; I’m speaking like a true city girl. But those four days, oh, how thankful I am for having gone on that vacation. It changed every fiber of feels I had for Sta Fe. Now, I look back at that trip and think about what I’d give up to be there again. This trip may have been my favorite so far; it was a close fight with Carnaza Island.
Don’t look for another excuse; this is your sign to visit Bantayan Island! If you have second thoughts, just read on for our delightful moments squeezed into a detailed itinerary. You’ll love Sta Fe!
Going to Bantayan Island
If you are from another region, I couldn’t tell you how exactly to go to Bantayan. I am from Cebu City, so in this article, I’ll explain how our trip began, elaborate on the costs if I can, and give a tip or two.
Cebu to Hagnaya Port
We started the day somewhat early. Around 6 AM, we were heading out to travel north of Cebu.
Pro tip 1: For your convenience, if you have a car or motorcycle, travel with it.
Since our four-day vacation was a couple trip, my partner and I drove to Hagnaya on a motorcycle. His name (the motorcycle) is Diego, by the way; named after Umbrella Academy’s number two. Okay, so much for that.
We brought Diego to Bantayan with us, and we’re quite glad because we felt free to wander at our own pace. After many stopovers, we arrived at Hagnaya Port around 9 AM and bought tickets for the next hour’s trip. I wanted to highlight this, the boat trip to Sta Fe is every hour, so you won’t have to wait long. Then we paid 300 pesos for my fare and 600 pesos for Diego’s; the vehicle fare includes the driver already. We spent more or less 1000 pesos for the fare and a couple of terminal and environmental fees.
Pro tip 2: You can also ask for help from the fixers and give them a monetary gesture; they are helpful and made things easier for us. Seriously, the extra cost meant no long lines; we’re lazy and impatient, so it is a yay.
Hagnaya Port to Sta Fe Port
It’s been years since I last went to Bantayan, and I was so amazed when the boat trip only took an hour and a half. Not sure if it used to be that short, but at 11:30 AM, we touched down at Sta Fe.
Sta Fe to Marino Bungalows
From Sta Fe port, our first destination was Marino Bungalows. That’s where we stayed for four days, and I highly recommend this accommodation!
Marino Bungalows is cheap; we only paid 4500 pesos for our four-day stay. Since we arrived early, we checked in early. But, the hostess didn’t even ask us to pay extra for that. For your convenience, I have linked a Booking.com link for Marino Bungalows if you want to book accommodation with them.
What I love about Marino Bungalows is that they have everything we need. From appliances like a fridge and kettle to extra amenities like a kitchenette, sink, and drinking water, our room has it. It’s not hard to feel at home when the room you are staying in feels like it.
On top of that, our accommodation is adjacent to many beach resorts, restaurants, and small stores. We even had a chance to shop at a walking distance market! There’s a Prince establishment nearby for your groceries and an ATM machine in the market if you get low on cash.
Lastly, for vacationers traveling in a car or a motorcycle, Marino Bungalows has a safe parking space for you.
Vacation in Bantayan Island
My partner and I are generally not active people. We love to travel but don’t cram all the travel spots in a day. There are places we haven’t had the chance to visit because we have had so little time, and we take short rests in between trips.
But anyway, this is the receipt of our four-day vacation in Bantayan Island.
Day 1 of Vacation in Bantayan Island
Ogtong Cave
After taking a short rest at our accommodation, more or less 3 hours lounging, we decided to go to Ogtong Cave. The place was huge; it reminds me a lot of Elegant Beach in San Remigio. There was a pool, a small cave, and a beach.
We paid 225 pesos for the entrance fee, which was a little pricey. Anyway, that got us to use the amenities like bathing in the cave and the beach until 5 PM. We were there on a Friday, so it’s not as crowded as you’d expect, but since the cave was small, we decided not to bathe there.
I wanted to soak in the beach and enjoy the sun, but sadly it was low tide. The water was miles away. So what we did instead was spread a blanket over, sit, and watch the island kids harvest shells and sea urchins from the long shore. There was a Sebu Cha stall there, so I would say sightseeing in Ogtong can be refreshing.
Coucou Bar
After a relaxing lazy afternoon at Ogtong, we went back to our rented room to prepare for our dinner date. I wasn’t expecting too much. Honestly, I thought the restaurants in Sta Fe were simple; after all, it’s a province. But after a short walk to Coucou Bar, I was dazed by the ambiance.
The place screams boho and hip vibe without compromising the romantic ambiance. Either we overestimated our eating capabilities or underestimated the restaurant’s serving; we had a lot of leftovers from our orders. Well, that served us well because we figured out the next day’s breakfast.
Coucou bar’s pizza and calamari were delicious! We went home with full and happy tummies.
Day 2 of Vacation in Bantayan Island
The next day, our day started early. We strolled down to grab some goods from the market like we were locals. I mean, it’s not hard to feel as if you belong on Bantayan Island because the province is literally beckoning.
After buying some fruits, dried fish, and veggies, we headed to our accommodation and prepared breakfast. We just heated last night’s leftovers and cooked the fresh greens we just bought.
St. Peter and Paul Parish
Day two’s first stop was Bantayan’s oldest church, St. Peter and Paul Parish. It was a good 20 mins drive from where we were staying. A wedding was being held when we got there, so we didn’t see what it was like inside. Also, I was wearing a sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline, another reason I had second thoughts going in. So, we settled by buying candles from the church vendors and lighting them while we prayed.
Camp Sawi
I’ve seen many friends take pictures in Camp Sawi, but the place was far from what I imagined. To be completely honest, I didn’t expect the long walk, and I had always been one to hate walks because I’m super lazy. My step tracker app recorded like 14,000 steps from me that day, my personal best.
The mangrove maze was both haunting and stunning. I’d describe it as an unorthodox beauty. However, I think I’d enjoy the view more if it wasn’t so humid that day. I mean, it wasn’t the place’s fault; it was me and my icky sticky feeling from all the walking.
All in all, it was a picturesque spot, perfect for aesthetic and Instagrammable pictures.
The Ruins
I was already dying to paddle frenziedly in the ocean like I was a fish taken out of the water. Imagine my dismay after knowing I couldn’t swim yet in The Ruins.
Don’t get me wrong, you actually can swim there. It’s just that I didn’t know how to swim, and there was no shoreline. I’d effortlessly drown if I tried to jump from the cliff.
It’s hard to come up with words to describe The Ruins. How can a place that is wrecked be so intricately pleasant? The ruined building walls were filled with graffiti and random vandalized doodle, but uniquely works and complements the overlooking ocean and steep cliffs.
There was a heap of a crowd in The Ruins that Saturday morning doing all sorts of stuff, selfies, jumping off the cliff, and swimming. Right across the street was Athena Greek restaurant. It was still 11 AM when we decided to head to our next stop, and we so regretted not stopping by to have lunch first.
Paradise Beach Bantayan
One of the best places I’ve been in my entire life. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I loved the greenery and the secluded beach coalescing in one. I’m not even going to rave over how hard it was to get there because it rained the night before, and the walkway was muddy.
For me, everything was worth it after we reached our destination. It was a hidden gem, peaceful, tranquil, and elevating.
I forgot how much the entrance fee was, but I am sure it was cheap. There were also cottages you could use for free. The only thing I hated was we didn’t get to spend a longer time there. We thought a restaurant was in place, but they didn’t have one. After an hour or so, we packed up, then bid goodbye to the literal paradise because we were famished with all the walking and swimming.
Lunch at Athena Greek Restaurant
We were back to The Ruins at 1 PM to eat lunch at the restaurant across the street. Athena Greek Restaurant’s food was an adventure for our taste buds. It may have been my first Greek restaurant, and it was superb! I forgot to take pictures of our food; I was so hungry.
Around 3:30 PM, we went back to where we were staying to chill. It was a hectic day, and we couldn’t keep up.
Around 5 PM, we took a stroll and bought some beers, ice cream, yogurt, and meds from Prince, the closest supermarket in town. For dinner, we stayed in and cooked the fish we bought that morning. Before calling it a night, we had beer, played a couple truth or dare games, and talked about life.
Day 3 of Vacation in Bantayan Island
Coffee at Balay Food Concept Store (Hungry Beach Co.)
Day 3 in Bantayan, and we haven’t had a decent coffee yet. Coffee is like our love language, so we made sure to grab one before starting our day out.
Luckily, Marino Bungalow has this leaflet where you can order coffee from Balay Food Concept Store, and they’ll deliver it. However, it was a hectic morning, and the barista took too long to prepare our orders. What we did was pick up the order and be on the go.
I loved how that played out, though. If we weren’t there to pick up the orders, we wouldn’t know about Hungry Beach Co, the food park by the beach. Right then and there, dinner was planned.
Balidbid Lagoon
This time we made sure to pack our lunch for Balidbid because we were planning to spend the rest of the day there. It was a smart choice because there was no restaurant there. Although, there was a store where you could order snacks like fries and shakes.
You’ll need to pay 100 pesos, to ride a small pump boat that’ll send and fetch you from Balidbid. It was a lake and beach merged into one. Just like a 2-in-1 ice cream, the other side was a lake overlooking the mangroves, while the other was a seemingly never-ending beach. Sta Fe, Bantayan Island is filled with many juxtapositions, and I loved it.
I really enjoyed it there. Evidently, my skin was three tones darker.
Hungry Beach Co.
Again, there was a short break before heading out to Hungry Beach Co. We went there around 4 PM to lay a blanket and chill; I wanted to be in time for the sunset, but the weather was gloomy. If it’s any consolation, it was a full moon, and I saw it fall its way down the sky.
We had a barbecue for dinner in one of the food stalls in Hungry Beach Co. There were many choices, and I wish we had known about the place a little earlier because I would have loved to try all the food there.
Day 4 of Vacation in Bantayan Island
It was our last day, and I had gotten used to the slow life in Bantayan. We never wanted to go back to the city. We couldn’t help missing the moments while we were still there because we know too well how soon it was about to end.
Hungry Beach Co.
After eating our breakfast, we drove to Hungry Beach Co. We had a quick swim on the public beach like we weren’t sunburned enough. We grabbed a coffee at Balay Food Concept Store.
I sipped on my iced Americano while savoring every last moment in Bantayan. What a bliss.
Back to Cebu City
After finishing our coffees, we went to the public market and bought some dried fish for pasalubong or souvenirs. Then, we got ready to go home, but this time I was unsure if the city was still my home. Vacation in Bantayan Island, had its way of stealing my heart.
Then, that was it. When we bought our ship tickets, we felt the inevitable coming back to the clamor of reality.