In September of 2018, an airplane extracted me from hectic Seoul and delivered me to the serenity of the Visayan islands in the Philippines. FinnSnow’s enchanting video convinced me to travel north from Cebu Mactan, to the tiny island of Malapascua. I spent five beautiful days there, and after visiting several of the local businesses to see what they offered, I put together a Malapascua travel guide to help new visitors budget for travel expenses.
Malapascua is located across the strait from the northern tip of Cebu Island. The distance between Cebu and Malapascua is under seven kilometers, and approximately a forty-minute boat journey from Maya port, Cebu.
Malapascua itself is about 2km long by 1km wide. In under an hour, you can walk from the southern to the northern coasts of the island. I didn’t see a single car there. Paths are narrow, and everyone walks or uses motorcycles.
The major tourist hub is Bounty Beach on the southern shore, however, North Beach is the gem of this island. The crystal-clear waters make this beach possibly the most beautiful beach I’ve encountered to date.
In 2013, typhoon Yolanda destroyed homes and business on Malapascua, including properties on the North coast of the island. While visiting North beach, I saw a destroyed resort which had yet to be rebuilt. I also attended a party at actress Pilar Pilapil’s property, and there, she explained that her home had also be destroyed in the typhoon. The reconstruction of her new home, she continued, was done using cement this time.
GETTING TO MALAPASCUA
I traveled to Malapascua from the North Bus Terminal in Cebu city. There are two buses that travel up to Maya port. A smaller bus, which stops at many local bus stops en-route and takes about 4-5 hours. I used this bus to get to Maya port. The seats were super narrow and when the bus fills during the popular routes, everyone is squished together. I enjoyed the experience, but even though I’m skinny, I found the tight fit challenging for such a long journey. The fee was 195 Filipino Pesos (PHP) or $4.00. The North Bus Terminal charged a small entry fee of 10 pesos (around 20 cents).
Traveling back from Maya port, I used the Ceres large yellow bus, and the seats were much wider and had more leg room than the local bus. The bus to Cebu North Terminal cost 220 PHP ($4.40). I have every intention of using the Ceres bus on my next visit to Malapascua.
At Maya port, I was surprised at how small the boat to Malapascua was. There were only around ten passengers and a crew of three people. After about thirty minutes, we transferred to a tiny boat as the water approaching Malapascua was too shallow. We landed on Bounty Beach, in front of the Little Mermaid Dive Resort beside the Ocean View. The larger boat cost 100 PHP per person, and passengers were charged another 20 pesos for the small boat transfer. When I finally returned to Maya Port from Malapascua several days later, I was charged 200 PHP (plus 20 PHP for the small boat), so prices vary when fewer traveling passengers cover the cost of the boat and crew. The boat rides were little adventures within themselves.
ACCOMMODATION STARTING PRICES: Low Season (circa September)
Based on one person/couple
High end: 2,900
Mid-range: 1,800
Low-end: 400-700
Walk-ins can receive reduced rates if the business is private, and especially if you agree to stay for several days. Guanna’s Place charged me 600 PHP per night in September (low season) since I agreed to stay for several days.
*Price approximations listed below are starting prices per night and based on low season (circa September)
High – mid range
Hippocampus Beach Resort (Bounty Beach) 3,000
Ocean Vida (Bounty Beach) 3,500
Tepanee Beach Resort (south-west beachfront) 2,500
Evolution Dive and Beach Resort (south-east beachfront) 2,000
Malapascua Starlight Resort (market location behind Bounty Beach) 1,800
Mid to low range
SLAM’S Garden Resort (south-west beachfront) 1,500
Hiltey’s Hideout (behind Bounty Beach) 900
Guanna’s Place (market) 700
Shark Tail Dive Resort (behind Bounty Beach) 950
Thresher Cove Dive Resort (center east beachfront) 450
Malapascua Budget Inn (market) 400
I tend to book through booking.com as I find their website very easy to navigate, and they reward clients with loyalty discounts on some accommodations. I booked my first two nights with Shark’s Tail Dive Resort, and later transferred to Guanna’s Place as a walk-in client.
FOOD AND DRINKS
*Prices listed below are approximations
- American breakfast: 120 PHP
- Lunch: 150 PHP
- Supper: 200-300 PHP
- Fresh juice: 70 PHP
- Bottled beer: 65 PHP
- Cocktails: 200 PHP (many resorts offer happy hour discounts/ 2for1 deals in the late afternoons)
DIVES
1400 – 3200 PHP, depending on dive type, distance traveled, and entrance fees to islands.
See my Malapuscua Adventures article to get detailed pricing for Shark’s Tail, DevOcean, and Fun&Sun dive clubs.
MASSAGE (Bounty Beach)
450 – 500 PHP/ Full body for 1 hour
I highly recommend Rosalita. She gave me an amazing massage.
ACCOMMODATION IN CEBU
I stayed a couple of nights in Cebu city, one at the beginning and another at the end of my travels to transition easily to and from Mactan airport. I booked my first night with Japanese Guest House Nodoka in Mandaue, and although booked into a shared room, no other guest reserved, so I had the large room to myself. Breakfast was great, although not included with the booking. The neighbourhood offered plenty of dessert cafes to choose from, but I didn’t see many easily accessible food options that I could walk to.
At the end of my trip, I noticed that a new hostel named Murals Hostel and Café had opened in the Mabolo area. From North terminal, I hired a habal habal (100 PHP) to drive me to Murals, and as a walk-in, paid 700 PHP for a shared dorm room which included breakfast at the café next door. At Murals, I had only one room-mate, Adanna, as many guests had all just left for Bohol earlier that day.
The owner of Murals, Tom, told me about his vision to create the best hostel experience in Cebu. I was impressed by the decor, the comfortable study space, and the safe neighbourhood. The owners and staff were also kind and attentive. That evening, I ventured to nearby Alburs to enjoy a delicious burger and fries in the company of happy, laughing locals.
BUDGET FOR 7 DAYS
I traveled alone, and spent two nights in Cebu, and 5 on Malapascua. Overall, my expenses came to about $400. Incredible, right? I chose accommodation which cost approximately 600-900 PHP per night, and I didn’t dive. I’ve yet to learn. I also love a mix of local inland as well as beachfront resort food. Finally, I didn’t drink much alcohol or buy many souvenirs. I bought a single pair of beautiful pearl earrings from a merchant on Bounty Beach. My souvenirs are my photos and memories.
Things to factor into your budget for seven days in Cebu/Malapascua include the following. Higher end accommodation will be the largest expense to your trip. Consider the activities you plan to do, including dives and island hopping tours. Also, your preference for exploring local cuisine at family-run restaurants or preference for more expensive beach resort food will determine how much cash to bring. Remember that there are no ATMs on Malapascua. Bring enough cash to last your stay.
For ideas on activities to do in Malapascua, check out my article here.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me.
Have you visited the Philippines? Can you recommend a location that was special to you?
Natasha Banky is author of Keto Brunches and Attract and Retain a Fulfilling Relationship.
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I would love to visit the Philippines so much! The island Malapascua sounds wonderful, especially North Beach! I can’t believe that you only spent $400! This is a great guide and I will definitely have to check out this little island sometime!
Never heard of this place but now you’ve convinced me to visit! The beach looks stunning and the prices are great too. Love the Philippines – we are heading to Palawan this Christmas, now you’ve given me somewhere else to add to the bucket list!
Excellent! There are so many beautiful locations to see in the Philippines. I hear that Port Barton is stunning, so if you’re headed to Palawan, check it out. I’ve yet to visit that exact location!
These sorts of posts are SO needed! Thank you for tracking your expenses so well and putting this together 🙂 🙂
I’ll be going to the Philippines in March!! I’d love to check this place out. Thank you for sharing.
I can never get over how inexpensive it is to travel in places that look like paradise, compared to what we pay to stay in some places in western countries that are…well…not paradise. 🙂 Thanks very much for breaking everything down with so much detail, that really helps!
Thanks, Leslie. I wrote the article soon after completing the trip, so the details were still fresh in my mind.
Malapascua looks so cool and so affordable! I especially like the Murals hostel! It looks great! And meeting Pilar Pilapil is just icing on the cake, I reckon! It is heartbreaking to see that the island has still not totally recovered from the 2013 typhoon. One more reason to go and spend my money there 🙂 Do you feel like a week in Malapascua in enough? If you could go back, would you stay longer?
Traveling solo sounds fun, especially when you’re able to easily meet people through lucky circumstances and a smile. Going to a local celebrity’s party must have been pretty amazing, while interacting with the locals and hearing their interesting stories. Malapasuca’s beaches look absolutely divine from your images and it looks like a perfect getaway from a budget traveler like myself.
I never heard about this island. Looks very beautiful! I’ve only been to Boracay in the Philippines so far but am hungry to explore more of the country. This seems like another underrated paradise worth visiting!