VALENTINE’S DAY IN PARADISE WITH MY PARTNER. THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN VIRGIN ISLAND, BANTAYAN, CEBU (PHILIPPINES)

Tan lines fade but memories will last forever

My partner and I planned this trip in December. I wasn’t planning to go back to the Philippines just yet, but I haven’t seen my partner for over 4 months. She asked me to come home to see her, celebrate valentine’s day and our 4 year anniversary.

Ok, I was not forced to come home because I wanted to see her too. I’ve asked her to book our holiday in Bantayan Island in Cebu.

Bantayan Island is a small island with lots of beautiful beach resorts which has become one of the famous islands in Cebu. We chose Kota beach resort, where I’ve seen in one of Pinoy movies and I’ve got mesmerised with the sceneries. And I know that it’s perfect for me to just relax and have a wonderful time with my partner. We stayed there from 10th to 15th of February.

My partner and I rarely celebrate any special occasions together like v-day as we are in LDR. So, as we are together on v-day this year, we both wanted to do something special and memorable. However, we haven’t planned anything fancy.

On 14th February Vday, after we had our breakfast, we headed to the shore. It was quite gloomy and was raining that day. My partner rented a private boat for just the 2 of us. The boatman told us that we are going to see two islands.

We stopped at not so shallow part of the sea near the first island we were meant to go. My partner enjoyed snorkelling. I stayed in the boat and feed the fish to attract them and come near us.

WELCOME TO VIRGIN ISLAND

FUN THINGS YOU CAN DO:

• Snorkelling
• Cliff jumping
• beach volleyball
• sunbathing on the pristine white sand
• eat, drink, chill

After an hour of snorkelling and feeding the fish, we decided to head to the next island. The Virgin Island, it was a 30 minutes boat ride from where we last stopped. Virgin Island is one of the famous tourist attraction in Bantayan Island.

If you are budget-conscious travellers, just to mind you, Virgin Island is quite expensive than usual. It is private, well-maintained in a very good condition.

TRAVEL TIPS:

• Visiting Virgin Island is more ideal for big groups, minimum of 5 pax. You can divide and share all expenses. But if you are a solo or couple travellers, the best way to save some cash is to book and join a group tour from the main island.
• Everything is expensive on the island. Bring your packed lunch, water or anything that you need during your trip to the island. Bring your own snorkelling gears too or you can rent them from the mainland as it is cheaper there.
• They have cottages, tables/chairs, lounge area and even cabanas to rent. However, if you don’t want to pay for these amenities, you can bring your own portable chairs, a picnic mat or just sit under the shade of trees.

As a beach lover, the island is so perfect for me and my partner. We explored the island, enjoyed and just chilled there. That day was gloomy and I had no chance to get more tanned. But that didn’t stopped us to explore the island.

My partner is more adventurous than me (most of the time). She told me to walk a few meters away from the beach to the cliff diving area. So, we walked through a forest area of the island and found another paradise on the other side.

RATES AND OTHER EXPENSES:

• Boat- ₱800 plus tips for the boatman.
• Entrance Fee- ₱500 for the first 2 guests, ₱100 additional per person.
• Cottages- from ₱300 up to ₱1500
• Cabanas- ₱1500 (up to 4 pax) additional ₱200 for extra per person.
• Air-conditioned rooms/cottages- starts from ₱3000 to ₱7000

*rates may vary depending on the season.

FEEDBACK:

Even though the weather was miserable that day, we both had so much fun. My verdict is, Virgin Island in Bantayan is not so virgin anymore, however, the beach is pristine and water is clean. They put too much shell decorations that made the island looked cluttered and so unnatural. Everything there is so expensive and in my opinion, the entrance fee is quite unreasonably high. I know it is a private island and they have to maintain everything properly but I think they can do better. Would I recommend Virgin Island? Only to those who don’t mind spending some money for a short day out, adventurous ones and who just want to have an amazing day on an island.

There we have it, thanks for taking the time to read my blog post. I will be writing a blog post and a review of the beach resort where we stayed in Bantayan, Cebu so stay tuned.

Lots of Love,

Rainne xxx