Yooneek Beach Resort Bantayan Island Cebu

Long beach. Long walk. And.. it was a pretty long day for me on my first day in Bantayan Island Cebu City, Philippines. Having a great help from one of the locals Kuya Tata Paccial, I was able to get a reasonably priced room for the night. Mind you, we checked all the affordable hotels in the island lol. Good thing Kuya Tata was very patient with my budget lol. And the winner is.. 

Yooneek Beach resort!

Beach front hotel in the shoreline of Sta. Fe Bantayan Island captured my need as a backpacker plus my wants as a traveler. Being there for the first time wouldn't hurt to go a little extra and make it a staycation!

They have a lot of rooms for groups and also for honeymooners or for couples but I got the best one that day. With all the travels I've gone, I have to say its the best hotel room I've stayed in. What more can I ask for? homey feeling because of the Nipa hut design and structure, clean and neat washroom, 2nd floor with no neighbor, veranda facing the beach, its like staying in a peaceful haven.

It's just a few minutes motor ride from the port and you can even walk from the hotel to the town where you can buy pasalubong and dine. They also offer food but their kitchen closes by 7pm so the time I woke up after the tiring walk, I needed to take a walk for dinner. But it's quite fine because its very very safe. A little dark along the way but I got my mobile phone fully charged so I just turned on my flashlight and there are also some tourist that walked with me.

Staff are friendly too and they're very polite everytime I ask them details about the island. The following day, I didnt hesitate to take a plunge into the awesome sea. Oh its really relaxing and I can't even describe how I felt soaking my self in the clear beach. I felt uhmm beautiful. lol. nakakaganda and waters lol. And since it was a weekday, there's a minimal number of beach bummers so I mostly enjoyed it by myself. 

I simply recall that morning when I got up and just saw that beach from my window. sigh. makes me wanna go back there. I'll just let the photos speaks for it self. It a great first day in Cebu City! I highly recommend this hotel for family trips or group glamcation! It's also perfect for people like me who, ahem, moving on. Finding ones self. Just needed a place to breathe and escape from the hussle of the concrete jungle of the suburbs. 

Cebu Chronicles day 1

Cebu City, Philippines. Dubbed as the Queen city of the south. Known for alot of great stuff and it's time for me to explore it. 

Planned for a year, unfortunately, due to unfavorable circumstances, I have to take the trip on my own. and honestly, I had no idea what to do or where to go there!! good thing I got some great friends from Cebu and who are from there to fetch me some details and help me fill my empty IT. Landed safely in Mactan Airport, I was told to take a bus or a white cab. Lazy me, after galloping from the plane, I took my time in the washroom fixing my gadgets, my self, doing this and that because I thought that the cabs are just all queued up and there's no passengers YET so the time I went out.. omg. again, its the airport so expect tons of people dropping off from the plane. Eerr itchy feet. I though I could just go outside the airport and look for a cab for myself (like in terminals in Manila). Walked and walked and walked and gosh it took me far off and no signs of an available cab. It doesn't work that way there. trust me. With hundreds of steps and sweat, I went back to the airport and poof, i just saw all the cabs all organized and a lot of them are just waiting for their turn to go to the ramp. urgh, Nuff said about the cab lol. So yeah i went back to the washroom and waited for my turn to take a cab. I was actually scared that I might get a driver who will charge me higher because I'm not from there or run me in circles and stuff but luckily the driver was kind enough to keep me comfortable and take me to where ever I was planning to go. I told him I want to go to Bantayan Island so he took me to Cebu North bus station where rides to the port are getting their passengers. Cab fare was just roughly less than 250 php and almost an hour or so.

From the bus terminal, i decided to take a van because they say its faster. its just less than 500 php and more than an hour drive. I tried to get some sleep but a family of around 8 are my fellow passenger and they got kids. toddlers. babies. and oh, they were crying the whole time and one of them even, you know, uhmm it was smelly :( 

Famished from the trip, we arrived in Hagnaya port just a few minutes from that one stop over. I checked the ferry schedule immediately and luckily I had a few minutes to grab a bite before they call us on board. There's a lot of food stalls in the area so I was able to munch some appetizers.

Honks! honks! honks! All aboard and I went to the best seat inside. But it was taken so I ended up seating near the window. Been to many roro rides but this one, i wasnt prepared to see what i saw. As we approach Sta Fe port, I stood up and walked towards the front area and when the anchors were dropped, it went down with my jaw. Oh.. My.. Gosh!!!! the port itself is a resort!! the BEST PORT I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE! the water is ssssoooo clear and so blue and so wowowowowow!!! i wanted to jump off and swim already!! indeed a remarkable paradise at the onset!

There are motor cycle rides being offered when you drop off the port but hehehe again, my feet just chose to lead the way. And this time, its a good idea lol. Though it was a pretty long walk, i was able to reach the shoreline and goodness gracious, its divine! I can just put up a tent and just stay there!! Its a long mile of white sands and clear sky and ethereal waters. Oh wow. just typing it reminds me of that "aaaawwww" feeling. So I just enjoyed the feel while I sat under a coconut tree shade for a few minutes, took off my shoes and walked by the beach.

As the sun is almost about to set, I decided to look for a ride to look for the best place to stay. There I met KUYA TATA PACCIAL. as his last name implies, he became my tour guide in the island and he helped me find the best resort I can stay in. 

TATA PACCIAL

Sta Fe Bantayan Island Cebu local guide

+63 943 657 9753