Photo Diary: Bantayan Island

It was two years ago when I first set my foot on one of the beautiful islands here in Cebu. Bantayan Island, which is famous for its white sand beaches, definitely makes it as one of the must-visit places in Cebu. The first time I've been in the island, I did not get the chance to explore it since it was a team building activity and we just stayed in the resort we booked in. Although that was quite a "limited" experience, I instantly fell in love with Bantayan Island. Since then, I have been wanting to go back and finally, last weekend, it came true.



I wish I can provide you a detailed itinerary on this blog but I'm pretty sure you can find it in other blogs. No words can describe how beautiful Bantayan Island is so I'll just throw in some of the photos we took during our weekend vacation. Two days is not enough to explore the island but I am so happy that I got to visit some of its famous tourist spots. I'm actually planning to have an annual thing with Bantayan Island so I'm already looking forward to seeing the island again next year!

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Budyong Beach Resort

Initially, I booked our stay at Budyong Beach Resort for March but since we had conflicts with our schedules, we asked to move the dates to April 28-29, which they gladly agreed. I had low expectations with the resort considering that their rooms are really affordable but when we got there, we were amazed to be honest. The resort is really nice and their rooms are pretty good too. Plus, it's beside the famous Kota Beach Resort from the Camp Sawi movie.

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Cliff Diving Spot

I was the one who planned our itinerary for our Bantayan Island trip and thank goodness, we met Sheen's workmates on our way to the island so we were able to save for the tour. The tricycle driver that Sheen's workmates rode on offered a tour for Php 800 for the five of us for five places. But since it was already 3PM when we departed, we were only able to visit three places but it was still worth it. And we only spent Php 160 each sans the entrance fees.

Our first stop was the famous "ruins" or the cliff diving spot. I had a lot of things in my mind for the photos to take but unfortunately, there was a swarm of photo-taking people when we arrived so these are the only ones that made the cut.

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Paradise Beach

Next stop was Paradise Beach. I have heard a lot about this beach resort and indeed, it's a paradise. The sands at Paradise Beach were so fine and white. We paid Php 50 each for the entrance fee and only got a few minutes to enjoy the little paradise since they strictly close the place at 5PM. I will definitely be back here next year.

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Oboob Mangrove Eco Park

Our last stop was the Oboob Mangrove Eco Park. We paid another Php 50 each for the entrance fee and strolled through the wooden boardwalk. The eco park was quite populated that time too but I couldn't do anything about that anyway. Some parts of the eco park are still under construction but overall, it's pretty decent already. Our tour driver said it would have been nicer if it was a high tide so maybe next time. We'll be coming back next year anyway.

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Bantayan Island is a really beautiful island and I hope it stays this way. I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying how beautiful it is (see the repetition? LOL) and I am excited for next year! Til next time, Bantayan Island! <3

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