Madridejos

Madridejos sits at the northern tip of Bantayan Island, one of the fishing and boat-building communities that have defined the island’s economy longer than tourism has. The town’s Kota ruins are what remain of a Spanish-era watchtower, part of the same coastal-defense network built across the Visayas to watch for Moro raids — a common pattern along exposed island shorelines during the colonial period, not unique to Madridejos, but a genuine piece of it. The fish port is still the town’s working center each morning, well before the beaches draw any visitors.

• Walk the Kota ruins, one of the surviving Spanish-era watchtowers built to guard this stretch of coast.
• Visit the fish port early, when the day’s catch comes in and the town’s real economy is on display.
• Eat where the fish lands — the seafood here doesn’t travel far before it reaches the table.

Explore More in Madridejos

• Chobby-Chobby Restaurant
• Bantayan Proper
• Alegre Guitar Factory