an Islands Banca Cruises banca
How did it turn out? First off, the Islands Banca Cruises butete truly offered a very unique experience. Instead of the usual cramped spaces I’ve experienced with other bancas, this one had a wide padded deck that added extra space for lazing around or sunbathing while cruising to your island destinations. The bow even had enough space to fit up to 5 persons. The banca seats were cushioned and were very comfortable. The beanbags were an excellent addition – very inviting for chilling out under the sun or lazing around under the shade of the banca’s canopy. If the summer heat gets to you, a variety of drinks were available for sale – softdrinks, water, sports drinks – and cold towels were available on board as well.
the butete deck (see speakers at the top of the picture)
Before the trip, I had the impression that the ipod dock on board would be an actual Apple ipod dock. I was wrong. It was just an audio jack to connect your ipod to the speakers. Islands Banca Cruises could have equipped an actual ipod dock to the banca to maintain the unique experience. The sound quality of the speakers was so-so. I would not recommend playing your ipod with the banca running on full speed since you’ll barely hear the music amid the roar of the engine.
lounging on the beanbags and bow on the way to the Gilutungan marine sanctuary
In spite of this, Islands Banca Cruises really scored high by bringing music on board. Having your favorite tunes available helps to set the mood, be it for a lazy afternoon lounge or for an all-out party on the boat.
Before we had lunch, we encountered a small hitch. The cottages in Pandanon island were not immediately available due to the number of visitors. We were fortunate that we did not have to wait long for one to become available. Since part of the package was the cottage rental, Islands Banca Cruises should have reserved a cottage in advance. This way, guests, starving from snorkeling or swimming the whole morning, can immediately partake of lunch.
subathing on deck
As for the food, lunch was adequate for the group. We had one quarter chicken barbecue, three pieces pork barbecue and five pieces puso each. If you or your friends have huge appetites, I recommend requesting for additional servings before the trip. Since there might be no other places to buy food in your trip, it’s better to be ready than to go hungry. You can also bring food from outside on the banca. Just be prepared to pay the corkage which, surprisingly, is very affordable.
I and my friends spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the cottage after a hearty lunch, enjoying the view of Bohol from the Pandanon island beach and taking a quick dip in the island's cool waters. And before we knew it, it was time to go home.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Islands Banca Cruises trip. The additions – beanbags, ipod dock, sunbathing deck, first class service from their stewards – were definitely worth experiencing. Although some improvements can be made, the positives vastly outweighed the negatives.
I’m definitely island hopping with Islands Banca Cruises in the future.
Islands Banca Cruises can be contacted at (32)2364896. You can also visit their website at www.islandsbanca.com.
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huy gusto ko din ma-try toh. kelan kaya kami balik ng cebu? :)
ReplyDeletehi tin, you should try it. kaso lang malapit na mag-end ang summer. punta kayo dito christmas.
ReplyDeleteWifi on their boats! how cool is that? :)
ReplyDeletehow can we get in touch with them? Can they also arrange a cruise just for two people?
ReplyDeletekristine, thanks for visiting my blog. yup, they have wifi on their boats. but unfortunately, it wasn't set-up when i cruised with them.
ReplyDeleteyes, they can arrange a cruise for just two people. you can contact them at the telephone number in my post. or you can also visit their site at www.islandsbanca.com.
ReplyDeletebe careful when booking with them. i booked a tour with them, then on the day of the tour, they texted me that they will cancel my trip due to the weather, and charged me 400 for it as administrative fee. In my opinion, they should waive that since they were the ones to cancel the trip. In addition to that, even if your trip is cancelled, you would still need to pay for the lunch if you ordered food from them (they'll deliver it, but frankly there are tons of better food in cebu, the only reason you'd order from them is because you're on a tour on islands without any restos.)
ReplyDelete