Alpha Xperian Edventures: Bantayan Island, Cebu

8 things I did in Bantayan Island
December 20-22, 2015

CouCou Bar, Restaurant and Hotel
Beach Bumming
Motorbike Adventure
Bantayan Church
Bantayan Wet Market
Madridejos Municipality
Ogtong Cave
Food Trip

Notes

Van fare from Maya port to Bogo Don Pedro junction drop off - P50
Tricycle to Hagnaya port from drop off - P20
Ferry ticket - P170
Terminal fee - P10
Hotel per night for 2 - P1800
Motorcycle rent for 24 hours - P300
Seafood cooking fee - P100
Hotel/Pier pick up and drop off is free
Ogtong Cave Resort entrance fee - P100
Aircon Bus from Hagnaya to Cebu City - P200

December 20

At Maya, everyone except me decided to go back to Cebu City because my auntie was so traumatized with the water from that Malapascua incident, that she doesn't want anymore to ride any forms of sea vessel and cross to another island again. We all jumped into the van and they just dropped me off at Bogo junction, the rest of them went to Cebu City. This was my chance to go to Bantayan, a bittersweet decision to push through. The van traveled about an hour to the junction where I rode a tricycle for 15 minutes to Hagnaya port.

Upon arriving at Hagnaya, I bought a ticket to Bantayan and boarded a Roro vessel. Travel time is about an hour.

And voila, I'm in Bantayan Island. I was picked up at the port and arrived at the hotel in just 5 minutes. I checked in and had lunch in the hotel's restaurant. Check out my lunch here.

The staff were accommodating and approachable. My room is quite nice and comfortable, it has the cleanest bathroom I have seen, so white and spotless. The amenities are TV, mini ref, air-condition, closet, vanity desk, bedside desks, hot and cold shower, soap, shampoo, towels and wifi.

My hotel is not beachfront but it's only 2 minutes away by walk from the beach. So I donned my rash guard and strolled the white, powdery sand of Bantayan. I went to the east side beach of Sta. Fe. What's unique in this little paradise is the shallow water that stretches almost up to a hundred meters to the sea and still enjoy the fine white sand and tranquil waters. No rocky bottom or sudden changes in the level of the sea bed. The perfect scene to wade in the water. I think you can play ball, catch and throw, running game or set up a floating stage far into the sea and let a live band rock while the audience are slammin' in the water. I don't know, whatever. Just so mesmerized how far I am from the beach and still waist deep.

Never been a cam whore with my Sony action cam, but being alone all along and nothing to do, just captured nature at its best and took selfies with it.

I stayed out until sunset and then went back to the hotel, washed up and slept. Not in the mood for dinner this time.

December 21

Early in the morning, I rented a self-driven motorcycle from the hotel to roam in the island. They said that I can cover the three municipalities in a day. I'm staying in Sta. Fe, my first destination was the town of Bantayan located in the south west. It's the capital of the island. Travel time is about 20 minutes.

Bantayan. The first attraction I visited was Bantayan Church (Saints Peter and Paul), considered the oldest parish in Cebu. It is always nice to visit churches when traveling because they are visually attractive inside and out.

In front of the church is the Bantayan park and a few more meters away are the town hall, public market and fish port.

The locals recommended me a noodle dish called Bam-i (pancit bihon) at Jelas, so I had it for breakfast. Check out what I had here.

Because a fish port is nearby, I was looking for a seafood restaurant for my lunch but can't find any. They said that fresh seafood is always available in the market. They just buy it and cook it by themselves in their homes. They suggested me to buy my favorite seafood and bring it to any restaurant to cook it for me.

I was really looking for lobsters and prawns but it's almost lunch time and they have been sold out. Then I saw this shellfish, looks like a big snail, they called it Binga. I bought some, they prefer to eat it like ceviche, but I don't want to try that, not raw. I'm alone and I don't want any setbacks. I brought it to a food court and they suggested to boil it in water. That's it, just boil it, no seasoning. But the shellfish took about an hour to make it tender so I just wandered around the area and came back for my lunch. They sliced the meat of the Binga and removed the parts that aren't edible. They also prepared some sliced tomatoes and onions in vinegar and soy sauce as its side dish. It is delicious and tender like squid but so meaty. The saltiness tastes naturally from the sea.

While waiting for my Binga to become tender, they also prepared my scallops. They just boiled it in water with no seasoning also. It just took minutes to get cooked so I dug in already. Oh my gosh, it is damn good, tender and tasty. So fresh you can taste the saltiness of the sea in it. The best tasting scallops I had.

More information with my seafood experience here.

After a delightful seafood meal, you need the finest refreshment to go with it. Happy tummy!

Madridejos. Done in Bantayan, I head up north to the municipality of Madridejos. It's about 30 minutes away. The main attraction is the Kota Park, Boardwalk and the fishing village. Nothing much to do here for me, just took some pictures.

Kota Fort Ruins

Fishing Village

Boardwalk

Sta. Fe. Now heading back south to Sta. Fe, where the famous beaches and resorts of Bantayan is located. Here are my stopovers along the way:

Somewhere in Sillion, with panoramic views of the Virgin Island and Hilantagaan Island.

Baigad Wharf, with views of the Virgin Island and Hilantagaan Island.

Did some motorbiking along the sandy beach of Montemar Resort.

Visited the Anika Island Resort.

Ogtong Cave. I was already in the town proper of Sta. Fe at around 4pm where I was staying. Too early to go back to the hotel. Suddenly, I remembered the cave. So I looked for it. I found it and learned that day tour is until 6pm only and no more walk in guests will be allowed. So I rushed back to the hotel to change and back again to the resort. Thanks to the owner who was there and let me in for a 50% discount because I only have an hour left to stay.

The cave entrance is located near the pool. A man-made stairs leads you down into a small body of still fresh water in the cave. It's so clear, I thought it was just knee deep. When I stepped in, it was deeper than that and I fell into the water.

This is pretty much as far people can go but the cave goes a long way.

It's almost sundown and getting darker in the cave by the minute so I went out to the resort's beach. It is located in the south side of Sta. Fe. The shallow waters with smooth powdery sand also stretches meters away into the sea. Spent the rest of the afternoon here.

Done with the day, went back to the hotel and returned the motorbike. Happy and satisfied with my two-wheel adventure. Didn't go after island hopping because I'm leaving the next morning, no more time, and it's too expensive for me alone. Maybe next time.

Washed myself up and went out for dinner at Blue Ice Bar and Restaurant. Check out my food here.

Before going back to hotel, I went to the beach one last time. Walked barefoot in the cool sand, savored the refreshing sea breeze while listening to the waves under the moonlight, it was so relaxing. Great way to end the night.

December 22

Check out time. On my way to the port via hotel transfer. Time to leave the paradise.

After an hour and a half of travel via passenger vessel, I am now in Hagnaya for my bus to Cebu City and reunite with my relatives. The bus terminal is just beside the public market.