Rusty Ferguson

I’m an American expat living in the Philippines since February 2008. Bantayan Island has had my interest since shortly after I arrived and read about it in the paper.

Once I visited I fell in love with the place. My goal is to visit often and share with you, what I find.

19 responses to “St Bernard Beach Resort — Bantayan Island”

  1. kushitafuto

    hi rusty =)i just wana ask if the electricity in bantayan still fluctuates?because when i went there last 2004 the owner of st.bernard suggested that we just get a fan room (600 per day back then)since every other day it is brown out.im planning to go back there again this year so i would like to know.thank you so much!

  2. Tommy

    awsome Rusty i really can’t wait to visit here ! I didn’t know abt the birds either thanks !

  3. Marvi

    Hola, Rusty

    I think the the Danish guy who runs St. Bernard´s is Flem(m)ing. I live in Iceland and made reservations through their website when I visited last year. They were really easy to deal with. At the moment, I am making plans to visit Bantayan again this year and hoping for a bit of information about some kind of tour around the island. Bantayan is after all the oldest parish in the Philippines (used to be part of the Northern Marianas parish) and have documents written on animal skin still existing. It can´t be all that boring when it’s not the Holy Week :-)

  4. jex

    i would like to ask the contact number of st.peter and paul parish convent if you do have.. i have plans of visiting the place and i want to see an old friend working in the convent.thank you.. and i’m glad you visited philippines

  5. antonio s. go

    hard decision if to stay at st. bernard at marlins.
    it will be our first trip together.
    will u advice if ur going to decide to choose which one will u get and why?

  6. Joy

    Kumusta? And here goes my review.

    I stayed in St. Bernard’s from October 17 to 19 of 2009. We booked Cottage #6 and didn’t realize it was a tad too small for us 3 girls but loved the cute bed and circular windows. It was our “Hobbit” home. We would have transferred but the other 2 decided to stay for the reason we were too darn tired from all the swimming and touring. Cottage #1 was bigger and was along the beach front. Amazingly, there wasn’t any noisy neighbors that I have read we would expect there.

    Food was absolutely great. Even if we weren’t able to taste Tristan’s pizza, we had and loved their banana and mango flambe pancakes. A must to eat too when you visit Sta. Fe. We loved how big their serving size was. We may be petite but we had an appetite of a larger homo sapien.

    Service was excellent. Eden, Flemming and the crew made us feel at home. I don’t know what kind of service other people expect in resorts but it fit what we liked. We got to tour Virgin and Hilantaga-an islands with our 3days and 2 nights package. It was a bit cloudy at the time and we were told to come back during the summer months. The sky would appear just like how it looks like in a postcard. If you love the heat of summer on a beach like me, I’d heed their advise.

    I loved their beach (compared to my stony black sand beach in San Joaquin). White sand and still teeming with life. Don’t expect Boracay-like shores. They’ve got loads of seagrass, little shells, crabs, sea urchins, fishes, starfishes, sea cucumbers, sea urchins (yes, the black spiny ones with red and white spots), and sea horse (i just saw one, hence, singular noun). There was one blue bird, I forgot what is was called. This is separate from the ones Flemming had. This one was wild and we just happened to see at 6am while admiring the view.

    Tita Nene Dondon and Tito Glen Mansueto toured us in Bantayan Is (TY to Tito Ben for the van). But we did manage to attend Sunday Mass in St. Peter and Paul Church on our own by hiring a tricycle. One could probably go around well in these. Pedicabs are available if you don’t like walking around.

    I could type more good reviews about my stay in St. Bernard’s and in Bantayan Is. but I think this will suffice. I will definitely be back during the summer months when the beauty of Bantayan Is. is at its greatest.

  7. ge

    hi joy, im just wondering how and where did u get the 3days & 2nights package and how much. we’re planing to go there after valentines and were from manila. thanks :)

    1. Joy

      Oops, I meant wowbantayan.com

  8. Jake Cool

    hi rusty,
    just stumbled upon this site of yours bout bantayan, i was searching for some places to go to cebu and found it, good job ur doing here, helping out promoting the place, i’ve just one request, can u please post more reviews of resorts in bantayan and their contact numbers, would highly appreciate that.. more power to u!!

  9. Joy

    Hi ge! In response to your query (and a very very late one too…sorry), I got mine via WowPhilippines.com. Hotels that are featured there offer discounts when you tell them you got it from that website.

  10. James Fendley

    I had Monica my wife call you from the Philippines, I live in USA…I WANT TO BOOK BOTH COTTAGE
    Cottage no# 2
    Cottage no#7
    for August 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,15 .. WERE STAY AT
    I need to know if you take Visa Card.. If its Money transfer through Western Union I never done this…Can you give me information to do this ? I can do it tomorrow after work…But I need complete address and what to put on it. BOOK IT NOW PLEASE FOR THESE DATES.
    SEND ME THE INFO TO SEND YOU THE MONEY AND ENSURE DATES ARE OPEN
    I NEED COMPLETE TOTAL ADDED UP
    CAN YOU GIVE DISCOUNT ON THIS SINCE WE ARE DOING TWO COTTAGES SEVEN DAYS ?

    JAMES T. FENDLEY
    320 E. ALLISON DR.
    QUEEN VALLEY, ARIZONA 85118
    520-463-2522

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