Bantayan Island: Paradise of Cebu

Year 2010 when I noticed about this PISO(1 peso) seat sale of Cebu Pacific Airline that really thrilled me. Due to my curiosity, I started searching the truth about this promo and how it really works. Eventually I started learning about the right booking process added with some cup of patience and voila I gained my first successful booking of roundtrip Piso Fare for 8 pax Manila-Cebu-Manila. It’s the best economical way to travel outside Luzon for shoestring traveler like us. (For more booking tips on Cebu Pacific Seat Sale promo, pls. click here)   I personally heard a lot of good things about the famous Queen City of the South its rich culture and beautiful beaches that’s why choosing Cebu as our first Visayas travel really excites us because we know that a new discovery adventure awaits us; the right time to level up our travel!


After some planning and discussion, we come up with the idea of exploring Bantayan Island and Cebu City for 4 days. Bantayan Island is located west off the Northern tip of Cebu province. It is a notable tourist destination in Cebu because it boasts of long stretch of white sand powder beach and azure calm water.  One can reach Bantayan Islands by 3 to 4 hours bus ride from Ceres bus terminal. If you’re coming from Mactan International Airport you can hire a taxi that will take you to North Bus terminal (near SM Cebu) for about 150 to 200 pesos. Bus fare from North bus terminal to Hagnaya port is about 100 to 120pesos for air-conditioned buses and 70 for ordinary. Once disembark at Hagnaya Port get some ticket for an hour of Ro-Ro ride all the way to Sta. Fe wharf. After docking expect hounding porters that will insist to carry your luggage and just give them a courteous “no” if you’re not getting their service. Outside the port you can hire a trike to your preferred hotel accommodation.


Accommodation in Bantayan Island is not a problem because hotel and inns are lined-up just along the stretch of white beach. We preferred staying at Budyong Beach resort because of its budget friendly rate and good reviews on the web. The resort offers fan and air-conditioned rooms ranging from 500pesos to 2,200pesos for up to 8 pax.  Located almost right in the middle of everything, BBR offers beachfront huts in the middle of several coconut trees that both affordable and convenient for the tourists. Each hut has a small front porch with a wooden bench and table great for relaxation. Around lunch time when we finally reached the place and after settling our things in our room we’ve met Eddie, resort staff that is so friendly and approachable. He is always ready to attend our needs and even offered fresh coconut juice to drink while giving us ideas on how we can enjoy our stay in Bantayan Island. He even arranged our boat for island tour in Virgin Island. So if you’re on a budget and wants to have a complete relaxation near the Beach of Bantayan Island, Budyong is a recommendable place. 


Here are some shots taken at Budyong Beach Resort:

cottage with CR good for 8

scenic view that will greet you in the morning

For more Hotel Accommodation in Bantayan Island, here is the list:


Kota beach resort  
 Tel. +63-2-6647266  (Manila line) ;  +63-32-410-7069 (Cebu Globelines)  
+63917-626-2242 (GlobeCell) ; +63922-852-5150 (SunCell)


Beach Placid 
+63-32-318-6807       
Mobile: 0917-722-2993


Ogtong Cave 
Telephone: +63-032-438-0165 & 438-9129; +63-32-438-0165/438-9129
Mobile: +63-920-899-9456      


Sugar Beach 
+639217755058


For more Accommodation choices in Bantayan Island check out this website of WowBantayan. It’s really a big help for your planning. 

Before heading home try not to miss visiting old churches in town like the St. Peter & St. Paul Church and Bantayan church which is one of the oldest churches in the country built on 1580, destructed by fire but rebuild afterwards. 

Inside Bantayan Church

Our trip to Bantayan Island is an awesome experience especially on the 3rd day of our stay where we fully enjoyed the beach and the resort from waking up in the morning to witness the sunrise until the rain started to pour in the afternoon. The beach at dusk was so surreal when blue sky gradually turned into dark rain clouds and found ourselves playing in the rain. It was a magnificent moment we will never forget. So if your planning to visit Queen City of the South try dropping by to Bantayan Islands, and it's worth visiting this paradise.

For additional information please check this helpful sites:

http://www.budyong.net/

www.wowbantayan.com

Continuation of our Bantayan Island Advenute here

How to have successful booking during Cebu Pacific promo fare?

For backpackers like us we made sure that in our every travel we consider our pocket. As we always say, “Traveling need not be expensive as long as there is teamwork, and right budgeting.” We always consider cheapest deals on accommodation, food and DIY tour so our pockets will still have some air to breath. One biggest factor to mull over on your trip is your airfare. When you spend less money on your airline tickets, you have more money that you can put towards your vacation. Depending on the amount of money that you are able to save, you can enjoy a nice meal, add an extra activity to your to do list, upgrade your overnight accommodations, and much more. Proud to say that all our tour outside Luzon was made possible by airline’s promo fares like what Cebu Pacific always share to its patrons. Occasionally, Cebu Pacific offers promo fare that every Juan can hardly resist. It slashes its domestic and international airfares into 50% off up to 1peso and Zero fare and we are so lucky to avail most of their Piso fare. Some say that this is just a marketing strategy and faux promo because once a promo has just launched, many will say that all tickets were “Sold Out” already. But for so many times that I successfully booked (P1, P25, P88), I guarantee that these promos are all true. Just carry with you lots of patience and dedication. 


So what are the things to consider when booking this kind of promo fares? Here are my personal tips:

Subscribe to Cebu Pacific newsletter
It’s an advantage if your job comes with a personal computer and online presence for 10 to 18 hours. Just be sure to subscribe with Cebu Pacific’s newsletter that will automatically update your email beforehand once a promo fare is announced. More effectively, be connected with CP’s Facebook or Twitter page that will give you timely updates about the promo in your News Feed. 


Sign up with Cebu Pacific’s CEB Club Member
If you are registered with CEB Club Member (mostly frequent flyer), aside from it will keep you posted with updates, it will save your time from filling the forms for you and your friends/family’s personal information while on the booking process. It saves time, and cuts the inconvenience!


Be updated
Always be updated not only to Cebu Pacific’s promo but also with other local airlines like Air Philippines, Zest Air and Philippine Airlines so you still have an option in case that you missed Cebu Pacific’s promo. Usually, Cebu Pacific posts their Seat Sale promo before noon time and if there is special holiday like Christmas (P25), Easter Sunday (P0) etc. be sure to check their website during midnight to hunt for great price cuts or discounts on their airfare. 


Prepare details of your trip ahead of time
Like what I usually do with our group, we discuss ahead of time what and when will be our next trip so the members will have enough time to save their budget. Then I gather the important details about the date of our trip (that usually falls on a weekdays of summer or -ber months), the participants – their important information like birthdates and passport numbers for international flight, and the destination (must have at least 2 options in case your original choice is not available in the seat sale).


Be alert, early and accurate


At times, Cebu Pacific announces their Seat Sale ahead of time. Like for instance 12 midnight of a particular date they will posts their Seat Sale, so you must be alert and sure to be online at least 30 minutes before 12 midnight because connection usually slows down once the promo starts due to cluster of netizens who also hunt for the seat sale. Remember: Early bird catches the early worm. Moreover, booking a seat sale ticket is all about alertness without compromising accuracy. While it’s recommended that you fill up the forms with important details that fast, it is also necessary that you pay attention to what you’re doing in every step. The last thing you should put in mind during a seat sale promo is buying an airline ticket booked on a wrong date, the wrong destination or for the misspelled names. 


Mode of Payment
Keep your Credit Card (VISA & Mastercard) ready. For some, it is the most convenient way of availing tickets online without the hassle of dropping by to ticketing outlets. Others can also use their ATM cards however banks that are affiliated with Bancnet are the ones who can use this option. But how about flyers without these cards? Worry no more because you can also book online and pay over-the-counter at Banco de Oro (Just fill up BDO’s payment slip, the orange paper), MetroBank, Robinsons Savings Banks and LBC Bayad Center.


Bucket of Patience

Booking Cebu Pacific’s Seat Sale is not that easy because competition is very tight and website always gets a down time due to volume of seat reservations, so you must grab the promo fare that you want immediately after you see it. Promo Seat Sales are limited and available slots can last out with just a blink of an eye. Bear in mind that available slots fall on a weekdays so choose date that falls from Monday to Friday. But if you are lucky enough you can hunt for an available promo on a Saturday or Sunday. Most online bookers catch a seat sale to Boracay, but no worries! If Caticlan displays “Sold Out” you might wanna consider going to other world-class but budget-friendly destinations like Kalibo, Cebu, CDO, Palawan, Busuanga, Bohol, and many more that are just waiting to be discovered. Philippines is made of 7,107 islands and always ready to flaunt its beauty to the world. Moreover, see to it that you can maximize or adjust the time frame of your preferred all-out getaway in case that your target date is not available and look for another dates until you snap an available slot. During the last process which is the payment option, errors usually pop out but instead of aggravating, patiently start the process all over again. It always happens to me but I don’t mind the frustration rather bring out the big HOPE that I can catch another slot. 




If you want traveling as part of your life and if you’re also a believer like us that Traveling need not be expensive, you will need effort to hunt for great deals that will fit your budget. Perhaps, traveling is our stress reliever that can widen our knowledge & thoughts, meeting different locals, discover hidden treasures, gain memorable experiences that we can share to the world and it let us enjoy our lives without sacrificing our pockets. Thanks to Cebu Pacific, truly they make Every Juan flies!


For latest promo, online booking and changes on your flight please check CP's website: http://www.cebupacificair.com/Pages/default.aspx

Lucky 11-11-11

Last November 11, 2011 aside from my sister's 18th birthday, I've got the chance to book Cebu Pacific's seat sale 11pesos to all domestic & international destination. I've got Manila-Palawan good for 8pax for only 3050pesos and Manila-Hongkong good for 2pax for only 1000 pesos. Instead of spending thousand and thousand of bucks to other airlines, im lucky I can travel with my friends with just few pesos. Yes I'm so proud to our group because we've got the chance to travel top tourist destination here in the Philippines with the help of CP's seat sale. Some of their seat sale promos that I've booked in the past are, 1peso fare, 15 peso fare, 25 peso fare, 10 peso fare. But I should warn you that before availing CP's promo you should prepare lots of patience and alertness coz it's first come first serve basis so you must be subscribe to their newsletter or FB page just to be updated with their promos. So much excited after seeing our Itinerary Receipt send via email by Cebu Pacific.

We can now visit Puerto Princesa Underground River which is included with the provisional list of New 7 wonders of Nature. We should see that awesome God's creation before everyone else does coz i know once PPUR proclaimed to be one of the official New 7 wonders, flock of tourist will come to Puerto Princesa.  

Other destination in the New 7 wonders provisional list based on the first global counting are Amazon, Halong Bay(Vietnam), Iguazu Falls(Brazil), Jeju Island(Korea), Komodo(Indonesia), and Table Mountain(South Africa). Congrats to PPUR and all Filipinos, hoping for the best till the end of validation process and hopefully inauguration. ^_^ So much fun 2012 for us. Cheers!

>>>Admin Aey<<<