Bantayan Island

Bantayan Island hosts some of the best beaches in the province of Cebu, in the Philippines. Traveling to Bantayan Island from Manila takes a little over an hour by air, four hours over land, and then another hour over water, with a good amount of waiting time in between. However, if you’re up for an adventure and wouldn’t mind dealing with the effort of several transfers, Bantayan Island is the worthy paradise destination you should visit –  a rustic island getaway, surrounded by sun, sand and other beautiful islands ringed by white sand and crystal blue waters. Just enough of nothing to get your mind off the concrete jungle you lemft behind. And compared to Boracay, it is relatively uncrowded. So, here’s our Bantayan Island Travel Guide to help you get there, get around, plan your itinerary and activities and choose your beach resort and hotel accommodations.

About Bantayan Island

Bantayan Island is located in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It is west of the northern end of the island province of Cebu. There are three towns in Bantayan Island: Bantayan (same name as the island it is in and its largest municipality covering the central part of the island). Madridejos (covering the northern part) and Santa Fe (covering the eastern part). It is Santa Fe that invariably defines the Bantayan Island experience for travelers seeking a tropical island beach getaway, since the best beaches – the wide, white and fine stretches of sand of Sugar Beach and Alice Beach – can be found in the southeast corner of Santa Fe.

The port of Santa Fe, Bantayan Island

How to Get To Bantayan Island from Manila

From Manila, take a plane going to Cebu City (Mactan International Airport), which is the capital of the island province of Cebu (technically/geographically, the airport is in Lapu-lapu City). If you don’t plan to spend few hours in Cebu City, then try to book the earliest flight you can find from Cebu Pacific (tied with Tiger Airways), Philippine Airlines or Zest Air (tied with Air Asia).

For some international travelers you can skip Manila and fly straight to Cebu City via Korean Air (from Seoul); Air Busan and Jeju Air (from Busan); Cebu Pacific Air (from Seoul, Singapore and Hong Kong), Cathay Pacific Airways (from Hong Kong); Philippine Airlines (from Hong Kong and Tokyo); Zest Air (from Hong Kong); Tiger Airways (from Singapore); Silkair (from Singapore); and Air Philippines (from Hong Kong).

Upon landing in Cebu City, you need to get to Hagnaya Port in the town of San Remigio, north of Cebu, which is the jump off point for the boat ride to Bantayan Island.

A kid carrying a bucket of mollusks, Alice Beach, Bantayan Island

Three ways to travel from Cebu City to Hagnaya Port in San Remigio

Via taxi – This is the quickest and most convenient, albeit expensive, way to get to Hagnaya Port immediately upon stepping outside the airport. Rates vary depending on your haggling skills with the cab driver. Note that there are two types of taxis: the yellow taxis that are found immediately outside the arrival area and the white taxis that are found further out at the curb of the public road.

The yellow airport taxis run at rates about twice that of the regular white taxis.

Via rented van aka V-Hires (Van for Hire) – From the airport, take a very short cab ride to the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City where there are vans and buses bound for Hagnaya Port. The North Bus Terminal is near the SM City mall. Vans are faster than buses since they make fewer stops, but if you happen to be the first passenger aboard, you’d have to wait until the van gets full before it leaves. However, if you’re travelling in a large group, around 10 or so, a van may be the way to go. Expect your group to pay anywhere from PHP 3500.00 to PHP 5000.00 (USD 77.00 – USD 110.00).

Via bus – This is option we usually take. Again, from the airport, take a short cab ride to the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City. Find the bus bay for the air-conditioned Ceres Liner bus bound for Hagnaya Port. The Ceres buses seem to be always new and comfy – the coach we rode on had a Yutong brand decal, presumably made in China. They have buses leaving every thirty minutes starting at 5:30 AM up until 7:30 PM. This is the reason why we suggest that you take the earliest flight out of Manila – so that you can board the earliest departing bus. Travel time is around 3 – 4 hours with two stopovers at Carmen Town and Bogo City. Fare is around PHP 150.00 (USD 3.50). Enjoy the ride (and whatever Jason Statham movie is playing on the bus). You’ll be passing through interesting towns and rural landscapes.

Motoring through downtown Santa Fe, Bantayan Island

From Hagnaya Port to Santa Fe Port, Bantayan Island – Ferry Schedule

Hagnaya Port Schedule: At Hagnaya Port, there are two shipping companies operating Roll On-Roll Off (RoRo) ferries plying the Hagnaya – Sta. Fe route: Super Shuttle Ferry and Island Shipping Corporation. These two companies have interspersing ferry schedules so that you have a ferry leaving for Sta. Fe every hour starting at 4:00 AM up to 5:30 PM. Regular passage is Php 170.00 (USD 3.70) plus a Php 10.00 (USD 0.20) terminal fee. If you’re a student, show them your school ID and pay only Php 145.00 (USD 3.00). Travel time is an hour to an hour and a half.

Caveat though, the departure time is sometimes arbitrary, if the shipping company higher-ups determine by departure time that there still aren’t enough passengers to make the trip worth their while they may delay departure a little longer. So there – assuming you check in at the airport 2 hours prior to your flight from Manila to Cebu City, it’ll take about 10 hours to set your feet on Sta. Fe Port, Bantayan Island.