Bantayan Island - Cebu City
We kicked off this year with a getaway plan. Since Philip came home this January, we planned to have different trips so we could make his one month stay worthwhile. His bestfriend was planning a trip for it was their 6-year anniversary of his girlfriend so they asked us if we would like to accompany them, we gladly accepted the invitation of course! So there, our first stop: Bantayan Island and Cebu City! I've been to Cebu before but I didn't have the chance to go to Bantayan Island because of the bad weather during our stay there. I must say, Bantayan Island is one of the must-visit places in the Philippines! I instantly loved the beach! The only thing I hated is how you can get there. You need to travel from North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya Port (it will take you almost 3 hours get there). You may check Ceres Bus schedule here if you want to visit there one day. Then at Hagnaya Port, you'll need to ride a ferry that will bring you to Santa Fe, where Bantayan Island is (approximately 1 1/2 hours to get there). Here are the transport schedule of the ferries from Hagnaya to Santa Fe and vice versa. See, it will take you almost 5 hours to get to Bantayan Island. Maybe a tip I can give you is that take an early flight to Cebu so you can arrive there at noon or in the afternoon. Travelling to Bantayan may be exhausting, but the beauty of the island would definitely wipe all the exhaustion away!
We arrived at Bantayan at around 2pm I guess, our accomodation is at Kota Beach Resort, the resort was fine, it's simple but with a great place at the beach. We had our late lunch at HR Music Bar and Restaurant, but were too tired that day so we slept the day off (and Philip's sick also), so we explored the beauty of the island the next day. We walked on the sandbar the next morning and guess what? Mr. Starfish was there to accompany us. Island hopping and snorkeling was also my favorite that day! We went to Virgin Island, we rented a boat for the whole island hopping activity and mind you, the price was cheaper than what I expected. Virgin Island was a great attraction for us first timers for it was a secluded beach far, far away from Santa Fe! I love how "virgin" the Virgin Island is, the place is really pretty and I looove the food! The caretakers of the island could cook food for you. I don't know what's the name of ther native fish is, but it's really good and I miss that fish!!
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| Enjoying Bantayan beach, with our little friend, Mr. Starfish! |
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| Virgin Island |
After Virgin Island, we had our most awaited snorkeling session! I will forever love the beauty of the sea, on how pretty the fishes are, and on how the community takes good care of it. It is one of our country's priceless possessions and I am glad that I got to see a part of its beauty. We went to Bantayan Island Nature Park after, and it has infinity pool!! Amazing! It's an 8-hectare land perfect for tourists and for those who wants to have a peaceful place to breakaway from all the stress or to simply have a beautiful view to look out upon waking up. They have this Sto. Niño cave, preserved and well-taken care of the employees there. You can also see a mini-zoo there, a fish spa, a garden, and a place where you could also stay. It was a perfect place for nature-lovers and the people there were super nice that's why you'll love to stay there even more.
We went back to our resort just in time for the sunset; but because Philip and I stayed at the sandbar, we talked the sun away that we forgot to watch the sunset! We're even too busy enjoying our time together that we didn't noticed that it went dark already which was our cue to go back to the resort. It's one of those times that I love having little moments with him, how we can talk about anything, everything we have in mind. The next day, which was our last day at Bantayan Island, finally we didn't miss the sunrise! It was beautiful and it will always be our favorite sunrise to date.♥
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| While waiting for the sunrise....♥ |
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After a lovely 3-day stay at Bantayan Island, we went back to Cebu City so they could still explore what's in Cebu. We arrived at almost dinner, tired again from travelling from Bantayan to Cebu City. BUT BUT BUT! Our hotel is so amusing, I can stay there forever. We stayed at Hotel Stella, one of the classiest hotels in Cebu but will definitely fit through your tight budget! Imagine a 999 rate for a Standard Room without breakfast? Plus approachable employees and a nice, nice room to sleep in? It was super sulit for us. Sky Adventure was our next stop after resting a bit for that long-travel back. Philip was afraid of heights that his palms are sweating like there's no tomorrow and his sweat was cold during our Edge Coaster and Sky Walk experience! Hahaha! I instantly hugged him after for he conquered his fear just to try that.:) I am so proud of you babe! I experienced those already but it is my first time to try it at night and with the person I love. (yiheee! segway kung segway lang haha)
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| The lower right photo was dedicated to Antonio.:) We even asked the photographer for a wacky shot! Hilarious.:)) |
Our last day in Cebu was of course for pasalubong and for the city tour! The streets were busy too in preparation for the Sinulog Festival, that is why there are activities here and there especially in church. It rained during our tour but thankfully, it stopped after an hour. We didn't get the chance to visit Lapu-lapu Shrine and Mactan Monument due to our flight schedule, but I believe we had a blast during our whole stay.
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| Places we visited in Cebu |
It was a wonderful time well-spent with him and his friends, I love that we got to have moments like this during his limited stay here. I look forward to more travel moments with him... thank You and to babe for this, for the time and for the lovely trip. Happy Anniversary to Rowell and Iza! ♥ Looking forward to our next adventure!
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