Foreigners relax with their drinks on the beach of Virgin Island in Sta. Fe, Bantayan island. (CDN PHOTO/ MICHELLE PADAYHAG)
There’s a new getaway for beach lovers who are fed up with overcrowded island destinations.
A private island across Sta. Fe town in north Cebu recently opened to guests who want to relax in its serene powdery white sand or to enjoy a dip in a blue-green sea that teems with marine life.
Virgin Island, known by locals as “Pulo Diyot,” is owned by the family of former Madridejos mayor Letty Villacarlos-Mancio.
The island got its “virgin” name from its remote, untouched status as an island with no inhabitants.
The place is a 30-minute ride on a motorized banca from Sta. Fe town in mainland Bantayan island.
Aside from the white sand beach, the soft chirping of birds, mostly black Siloys, greet guests as they arrive.
Lexes Pielago, who manages the island for tourism, said that for many years, only an ancestral house of his in-laws, the Villacarlos family, stood within the 33-hectare island.
“The family opened the business two years ago for the public to experience the island,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Guests can feed fish in the area, which is abundant with gray mullet and thread fish, as well as yellow and green corals.
Guests can rent snorkeling gear for P100 or rowboats for P100 per hour and swimming floaters for two hours.
Cottages with strands of white shells for curtains are available for P300 for day use. Coconut trees and hammocks surround the huts.
A floating cottage is also available.
At present, facilities are not available for overnight stays. There are only two rooms for rent, at P1,500 for two persons.
“We are still in the process of expansion,” said Pielago.
About 20 guests a day arrive in Virgin Island.
They are advised to bring their own food.
Grilling is not allowed in order to protect the area from air pollution.
Sta. Fe Mayor Jose Esgana said he wants to emphasize cleanliness.
“We will soon implement a policy where guests have to bring back their garbage to the mainland,” he said.
The municipality still has to pass an ordinance on this.
“We will coordinate with our Solid Waste Management Board especially in identifying the specific dumping site,” Esgana said.
To get to the island, one can ride a bus from the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City for the three-hour road trip to Hagnaya port in San Remigio town at P170 per person.
A roll-on/roll-off vessel also takes passengers on a 45-minute ride to Sta. Fe port for the same price.
Terminal fee is P10.
At the Sta. Fe port, bancas take visitors to Virgin Island.
Boat rental fees range from P700 to P1,500. Docking fee at Virgin Island is P500 for two persons.