Last week I went with a friend over to Bantayan Island for a night.  I wanted to stay longer but unlike him, I’m not on vacation but I am on a budget, which is blown.  My friend though, he’s still over there.  Seems he likes the place as much as I do.

I wish I could get over to the Island at least once a month but I just can’t seem to make that happen just yet.   Its not an expensive place to go.   It can be but it doesn’t’ have to be.  My overnight stay  cost about $65.00 and that included transportation to and from the island.

My last visit was a peaceful one, nothing out of the ordinary happened, nothing but fun and one topless girl but she was too far away to see her at all.   She was out in the water as was Joe and I so we headed that way and the top went back on quickly.  LOL  Oh well.  Shhh I probably shouldn’t even mention such a scandalous thing. 

I Finally got a chance to take my underwater camera underwater!  That resulted in some pictures from an unusual perspective.

We stayed out until fairly dark.  I looked around and noticed none of the locals were in the water and decided it was time to get out.    Probably the worst that would have happened is not being able to see where I put my foot.

The next day, we headed back out at low tide and went further out than we usually go.  Saw a beautiful Sea urchin that looked like a cactus.  Then I realized why it was a bad idea to stay after dark.   One needs to see what they are putting their feet down on.

The way the sun light gets focused into dancing lines on the sea floor fascinates me for some reason.  I’m sure those that are frequent beach goers would not be so easily amused but I am.  I would have cropped this picture off more but I love that dancing light.

I have too many pictures great to post in one article.  I’ll include more in a gallery at the end of this article.

The water was warm, almost hot in places.   That made it very pleasant.  When we went in February, the water was quite cool but that also probably helped to keep the urchins further away from the coast line.

Speaking of the coast line.  It changes quite a bit.  When we were there two months ago, the sand was piled high on the beach at Tristan’s.  Now that is gone, leaving a high step to get on the steps from the beach leading to the restaurant at Tristan’s.  The sand has moved because the currents have changed creating this sand bar.

I don’t know exactly when but that sandbar will later disappear again.

The day came to an end and we found that we had to return home.   On our trip home we had a bit of excitement, not that I look for excitement when on a ship!  We heard someone on the bridge yell something and the boat made a hard turn.  We never did know what that was about.  Some one the bridge had their heads hanging out the window watching something.

I don’t know if we nearly ran over a fisherman or if there was something in the water and the maneuver might have been routine because of some type of hazard.  I have twice noticed dredging going on in that area so I suspect there is some kind of hazard there that the captains know how to avoid and that’s all that happened.

We nearly missed our boat home!  Normally, the last boat leaves Bantayan Island at 4:30pm but there was some kind of problem with one of the ships.  I had noticed that there were two ferries in port at the same time and usually there is only one.  The ships gate was not positioned correctly on the dock, looked like it was teetering on falling right in.

One of Tristan’s employees had learned of this and raced back to the resort to tell us we needed to leave now as the last boat may not leave today.  He took us by pedicab to the dock, by passing some of the normal steps so that we didn’t miss what probably turned out to be the last boat of the day.  Its the kind of service that Tristan’s provides on a normal basis.

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It is my goal to stay at each beach resort on Bantayan Island at least twice and give you the inside information on each one. I would like to go every month but I probably wont be able to do that unless you want to take me! Well, I can dream. Last month I stayed at a resort with a modern, active feel.

Tickety Boo Beach Resort

In March I had the pleasure of staying at Tickety Boo Beach Resort. Its nestled back off the road a bit. Its quiet with an exquisite garden and well landscaped courtyard. The first thing that got my attention was they had a swimming pool at the resort and that is a major selling point for me. I didn’t find any information on their web site that they had a pool so I was surprised to see it.

Tickety Boo Bar and Restaurant

Accommodations

The room was spacious but nothing extravagant. Simple rooms are what you should expect in most places within the Philippines. The cost for these is much lower than you might expect. Our room with an air conditioner (aircon) and a good size bed and an extra bed for our friend cost us P1750. A two person room with aircon would be P1500. They also have rooms without aircon for a bit less. You can get twin beds or queen size bed.

Don’t expect a full size mattress any where in the Philippines unless you ask before hand. Most places will have a foam mattress and inch or two thick and they are more comfortable than they look. Some places have full size mattress but you should ask for that if it is important to you. And ask before you get there.

The Resort Staff

The staff was awesome through out the resort. Very friendly and quick to respond to request. They met us at the dock with a Bantayan Island style limousine. Okay, I jest. Its a small truck commonly called a multi-cab in the Philippines. The more expensive resorts offer fancier vans but this was fine for us. After a year of living in the Philippines, I’m use to the less than extravagant amenities. They provide transportation to the resort.and it was much appreciated. They found me as soon as I got of the ship.

Tickety Boo Beach Resort Restaurant

Once we were settled into our room we headed to the restaurant. It has a view with an awesome view from the balcony. It over looks Santa Fe Bay and onward to the Visayan Sea. The resort has an umbrella like canopy provided by the coconut and palm trees.

We had a snack of calamari which is similar to onion rings except there are no onions. Instead of onions the batter surrounds squid. Jessie and Jean had Mango juice. Its a bit too sweet for me but that’s partially becomes I so rarely have anything with sugar in it. Natural sugars or otherwise. Even non-diet soft drinks are way too sweet for me.

Calamari Rings At Tickety Boo Beach Resort

Jessie drinking Mango Juice

After our snack we went exploring the island for a bit. On our return we went to the beach and into the water. First into the sea. To continue reading and to see pictures of the beach, please visit the NEXT PAGE.

During my March 21st visit to Bantayan Island we stumbled upon the floating bar.  We had seen it before but had not been close enough to actually visit.  This time we rented a multi-cab and drove as close to it as we could.   There was a boat that took us out to the bar.

This was a really hot day but out on the Floating Bar there was a nice breeze making it very comfortable there.  I loved it there.  If you do get hot, you can jump in the water!  I couldn’t because I had a camera and a phone.  Not sure how to handle that, not to mention a billfold!  There were not a lot of people out there but there were a few and they had no problems getting into the water.

We decided to go back to our hotel and go swimming and then come back to the floating bar to eat.  The restaurant at our hotel was just too hot.  And this place was perfect with very friendly waitresses.  I had the feeling they were open to dating some of the single expats that were there.  Lots of giggles and such.  Of course, when one goes fishing in unknown waters they should be very careful.  You might catch a barracuda or something even worse!

They don’t cook on-site they take your order and send a text to a kitchen who prepares your food then they send it back via boat.  We ordered a pizza for Jessie and myself.  I don’t remember what Jean got.  The pizza was good but too small for my liking.  Still that was okay, I gained five pounds while on the island in March.

The service was on time and friendly.  I’d give the place five stars out of five. I don’t know how they could do anything better.  They also played a lot of rock and roll but later went to cheesy pop.   I would be sure to include it in my plans.  Its a great place to hang out during the hot part of the day, the only better place would be the water.

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