Hello Hiveians!
I promised to have our Camiguin trip as my next series under Kim's Quest, but I have to insert another travel before that one. When I reviewed my Google Photos, I realized I still have to post about our Bantayan Island trip. Immediately a week after Siquijor, my classmates in college decided to go to Bantayan Island. I didn't have enough money for the trip because it was already spent on Siquijor, but that didn't stop me from going with them. I knew that the trip would be epic and very different from the one in Siquijor. That will be the one I'm going to talk about in this series.
I already gave a hint about our Bantayan Island escapade when I wrote about the reasons why you should visit Cebu. I made a promise back then that I should create a separate post for Bantayan Island and here it is. By the way, if you're interested in about that post about Cebu, you can check it out on the link below:
I also made a post about Sillon Island or commonly known as Virgin Island in Sta. Fe, Bantayan which was actually part of our Bantayan trip. I just realized it's weird because the island hopping experience was posted first before the main excursion. Well, I'm weird. Anyway, you can read that post in the link below:
As it turned out, the reflective vacation in Siquijor was balanced by the quirky Bantayan Island stint. I can't complain because I'm always in for adventures. Since we're still stuck because of this pandemic and I'm now itching to go to the beach, let me share the beautiful white sand beaches of Bantayan as we went there last April 2018. It's been ages and I'm already longing to go back, but it's not yet allowed.
I already mentioned several times that one of the best alternatives of Boracay Island is Bantayan Island. I've been to Boracay after its closure and rehabilitation and I was really impressed. With a lot of white sand beaches in the Visayas, my standards are really high. Boracay and Panglao are top-notch. As for Cebu, Bantayan and Moalboal could be at par with those two, but other smaller beaches like Lambug and Maravilla are not lagging behind either.
On Transit
Bantayan Island is located west of the northern part of Cebu. Across Tañon Strait, it is located specifically west of the towns of Medellin and Daanbantayan, but the port is located in Hagnaya, San Remigio. To maximize time, it's best to depart at Cebu North Bus Terminal at around 2:00~3:00 AM via bus going north. We boarded a bus that included Bantayan Island as its route.
From Hagnaya Port, the bus would board a RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) ship to Bantayan Island. It was a very sunny weekend 😎, so we knew that the trip would be epic since the weather was with us.
Two of our friends were already in the island the day before because they had a company outing. Actually, they were the ones who invited us to join them for the rest of the weekend. I can still remember everyone's excitement that time. We rarely had time together because everyone's busy building their own careers.
Arrival on Bantayan Island
They say that the port in Sta. Fe has the clearest and cleanest sea in all of Cebu. It's not surprising because just a few meters from the port are beach resorts and hotels.
There were still constructions going on in the port at that time because they were trying to expand the area to accommodate more cargo and passenger ships. What really amazed me was the water. I said to my friends that I really wanted to jump from the ship to the water. I felt like the sea was drawing me in and I couldn't resist its call. I was already satisfied by the looks at the port alone. How much more when we explore the whole island.
It was so funny because we boarded on the bus again going to the municipality of Bantayan when we should have stayed near the port in Sta. Fe. Most of the beaches are located in Sta. Fe and our friends who had a company outing were staying in Sta. Fe. When we knew about this, we were already on the other side of the island. We had to hire a tricycle to take us back to Sta. Fe.
Look at these beautiful ladies!
Roaming Around Bantayan
I find it the best to roam around Bantayan through a bicycle. Of course, there are other modes of transportation like tricycles and vans for far places, but it's enjoyable to bike around Sta. Fe. Establishments are within close proximity with each other anyway so renting a bike is ideal if you're on a budget.
May it be finding something to eat, going to a souvenir shop, or going to the beach, I would say having it on a bike is more convenient and faster than to hire a tricycle. Plus, you can freely take your time somewhere or take a detour on some less conspicuous places just to find something new. Well, that's if you know how to ride a bike. Motorcycle is another good option, but it's more expensive.
Souvenirs from the island revolve around the tropical theme with seashells and coconut shells as main raw materials. Those are just perfect for pasalubongs and gifts and especially for memories, but I'm satisfied with taking photos.
Kota Beach
For the main selling point of Bantayan Island, it's beaches, there are quite a lot of choices, but Kota Beach is the biggest and most famous after it was featured in the Filipino movie Camp Sawi. Of course, there's Sandira Beach and Sugar Beach which are just very close to Kota Beach. They're also worth visiting.
What's amazing about Bantayan Island is that there are times of the year when you can have the whole beach to yourself. It was summer and we were amazed that only a few tourists were there. Maybe because it was after Holy Week so the tourists have left already. There were only a few foreigners on the island, unlike in Panglao and Boracay where I felt like I'm in a different country.
I usually don't swim when I go to the beach. I know I'm weird, but I enjoy more in just simply sitting in the sand while watching the subtle changes in the place than swimming. Just feeling the breeze while playing the fine, white sand beneath my feet makes me very happy. While my friends were all having the time of their lives in the water, I'm just sitting there, taking everything in and enjoying every view.
Of course, the quirky stuff will always be there when you're with your friends.
Now, I'm not entirely sure, but I think those first two photos above are from Sugar Beach. One time, we just entered a small path from the main road going to the beach and we have no idea where we were exactly, but the place was awesome so we stayed there for a while. I'll just share more photos here.
Again, I did nothing there. Just sitting under the shade of a Talisay tree because it was a really hot summer day. I enjoyed everything I see so I was satisfied even without getting wet or my skin tanned.
On the Way to Virgin Island
I already shared about Virgin Island or Sillon Island which is in the link above. You can head there for that epic adventure. I'll just share more photos of the sea and sky while we were on the way to the island.
I guess that's all for this post. It's just pure sand, sea, sun, and summer vibe. That's Bantayan Island. I'll leave this here: a happy kid on a hammock with his friends.
See you in my next post! I'm not yet sure what will it be. Maybe Camp Sawi.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.
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