May 30, 2021
I've been seeing lots of posts about their Summer getaway and I'm just envious of them. Although I can go to the beach, my friends have a different working schedule so we can't go out together, and I don't want to go out alone either. After reading @JulyAnn beach getaway, I decided to create this article.
Every time I see photos of beaches and Summer destinations, there is one place that I always remember. Aside from Bantayan Island Cebu, another place that I want to visit again is Virgin Island Cebu. It is where I have toasted my skin but gave me an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Welcome to Virgin Island. It's not an island for virgins 🤭 but an untouched and pure island.
As I have mentioned in my previous article When On Bantayan Island Cebu, A Memories Of Yesterday, I worked on Bantayan for nine months and I had so many happy unforgettable memories on that island.
Bantayan Island is indeed one of the most pristine islands of the Philippines with a plethora of beautiful attractions you can find around the island. The white sand beaches are the most visited tourist spots on the island, especially in Sta. Fe Bantayan municipality. And one of the most words of the mouth part of the island is Virgin Island.
Virgin Island is one of the places I wanted to visit even before I worked in Cebu. It is not only famous because of its name "Virgin" but also because of its untouched white beach and crystal clear water. And that is where it got its name because the beach is untouched and pristine, perfect for tourists who love the heart of the beaches.
From Sta. Fe Bantayan Island we traveled to Virgin Island. It is 30 minutes boat ride from Sta. Fe Bantayan Island and during that time, we have paid Php1400 two-ways for the boat.
We visited the island last 2014 election day since we can not cast our votes. A week before the special day, we already have planned what to prepare like foods, reserved the boat, and even bought Summer outfits. We are going to an island, at least match the outfit with it 😅. I wasn't that confident to show my body, so I chose a see-through outfit that was comfortable enough to cover my body 😅, the two ladies did the same as well.
Seashells, corals, white sand, pebbles, and stones will welcome you on the entranceway. The entrance today is quite different though when I searched about the island on Facebook and there are air-conditioned cottages already.
There are cottages on the island and the price varies from the type of cottage that ranges from Php300 to Php1500 and they were quite expensive for us.
So we chose the table underneath the huge tree with at least gave us some sheds through the canopies of the tree. I forgot how much the rent of this table and the entrance fee 😅. But nowadays, everything is expensive on the island.
There aren't so many facilities and amities on the island by that time. We only saw cottages, umbrellas, tables, a not so fine restaurant, and their comfort rooms and showers are still under construction. No clean water to use for rinsing as well and only using beach water for flushing the toilets. So after that day, we just bathed at Sta. Fe beach resort before going back home.
Just from the photo below, you can already feel how relaxing and peaceful the island is. Not too many tourists by that time as well since the majority were busy casting their votes. The blue and cloudy sky, salty breeze, greeny stress, white sands, perfect scenery and place to unwind from busy work.
Snorkeling is also best on the island. Some people assisted us and taught us how to put on the snorkeling equipment and how to breathe under the water. But I was having difficulty breathing using the snorkel, and I was quite worried about the hygiene of the equipment as well. What if they didn't clean the mouthpiece well? Too late for me to think about it though because I already have put on the mouthpiece 😅 but I didn't continue because I can't breathe well under the water. I guess I was doing the wrong way 🤣, so I just watched my friends swimming happily (with life jackets lol 🤣) and became their photographer. I did swim in the shallow part of the water because I was afraid to go to the deeper part.
We actually planned to wear T-shirts printed with Bantayan island on them, just like the shirts of these two ladies, but I forgot to bring mine lol.
On our way back, we saw this beach couch with a pretty mosquito net and took a photo on it. It is best to stay on this couch at night if you want to stay overnight on the island.
After the whole day eating, swimming, chatting, and roaming around the island, we got what we wanted - toasted skin, I mean, a worthy island experience. We were supposed to go to another island but it was afternoon already when we decided to leave the island, so we chose to go back to Sta. Fe beach resort to continue our island-hopping journey.
If I will go back to Cebu again, I would choose to visit these two islands, Bantayan and Virgin Island, and visit my friends on Bantayan Island as well. And if you want to visit Bantayan and Virgin Island, you can search the information on how to get there and the fare on the internet.
It's already Summer, let's go to the beach 😁
Hope you like this, and thanks for reading 😁
Related Article:
When On Bantayan Island Cebu, A Memories Of Yesterday
Shout out to @Glez for this awesome banner 😁
Wow, ngayon ko lang nabasa ito, been absent for quite a long time. Thanks for appreciating my hometown and birthplace, Bantayan Island. Magaganda na rin ang road networks ng Bantayan Island kaya mas marami kayong mapupuntahan kagaya ng Quarry area sa Kabangbang and Kangkaibe na tinatawag namin dito na mga locals bilang little "Grand Canyons of Bantayan"