Santa Fe Beach

Santa Fe Beach sits on the southeastern tip of Bantayan Island, the strip nearest the ferry port that most visitors arrive through after the crossing from Hagnaya on the Cebu mainland. The sand runs fine and white, the water shallow enough for a long wade before it drops off, and the west-facing shoreline gives a clean sunset most evenings without obstruction. Bantayan’s other identity — bigger, economically, than its beaches — is milkfish: the island is one of the country’s major boneless bangus processing centers, and the fish served at a beachfront grill here likely passed through a local deboning operation before it reached the pan.

• Snorkeling works best close to shore here, since the shallow shelf runs out a good distance before deeper water starts.
• Sunset is the reliable draw — west-facing beach, few obstructions, worth timing dinner around it.
• Rent a bike or scooter from town to reach the smaller coves and local cafés outside the main beach stretch; distances on Bantayan are short enough to make it worthwhile.

Explore More in North Cebu Mainland

• Maravilla Beach
• Orongan Beach
• Baigad Lagoon Beach