The Great Sta. Cruz Island: How to Get There and What to Expect

I used to attend Pilar College in high school. It's situated right in front of RT Lim Boulevard. Looking back, every morning was filled with fog, but during the afternoon, we'd be able to see across the sea at the islands. At the time, nobody really knew what they were, just that they were close enough and that the sand were light enough to be seen across the sea.

Our family, including anybody from our extended family, have never been to those islands. In the past few years, the local government officially made it possible to visit one of the islands for recreation, while the smaller one was turned into a naval base.

We decided to finally go see the Pink Sand beach before my brother goes back overseas. On a Sunday, and appropriately enough, on Father's Day, our family, my aunt's family, and as well as a family friend and his two daughters were all at Paseo del Mar, where the Sta. Cruz Island Ferry Terminal is found.

It's right next to the Centro Latino building. Google hasn't updated Maps on our corner of the world, so you won't find the Centro Latino building on it. The terminal's location is accurate, though. Here's a shot of the, umm, terminal building.

There were 17 of us so were charged PhP 340 for the entrance fee. That's PhP 20 per person. Aside from that, we also paid PhP 70 for the terminal fee. It's supposed to be PhP5/person, but considering the number of kids we had with us, maybe the charge for kids is different. I should have been more hands-on with the costing, but my eyes were so sore that day that I couldn't even open them properly. Big eyes like mine that can't be opened properly mean that they were really sore.

The staff gave us an orientation prior to boarding the boats. Life jackets were provided and we were assisted to the boats. Each boat cost PhP1000, which was good for 10 pax, so we ended up paying PhP2000. We brought our own food and drinks, as well as a sack for garbage disposal. We booked the island from 8am till 2pm. We were also given our own escort, who happened to be my aunt's neighbor.

My little brother brought his camera with him and couldn't resist taking a short clip to show to his friends when he goes back to KSA. Take note though, the motor's really loud.

Since we had kids with us, who just can't get enough of the water, we couldn't go exploring very far. We only explored the beach. You can also buy souvenirs on the island.

Here's a short checklist of what you would and might need:

• Terminal Fee: P5/person
• Entrance Fee: P20/person
• Boat Fee: P1000/boat
• Cottage Fee: P100 - P300
• Water
• Food
• Trash bags
• Sunblock
• Ear plugs (the boat's motor is really loud, so if you have sensitive ears, bring these)

There's no potable water on the island, but the toilets are clean and water have been provided for the guests. We haven't tried using the water provided for showering, since we didn't feel like we needed to shower.

The kids wanted to play beach volleyball, so we rented this ball for P150. I think it was the only thing that I felt was overpriced. Despite having on and off showers the entire week, Sunday was just perfect for the outing. 

The beach was isolated when we got there, except for the souvenir sellers and military escorts. The island have residents as well, but you'll only find them away from the beach. I can only imagine them enjoying their own beach on the other side.

The water was cool and refreshing. I haven't said that about salt water in a while. It was so refreshing that even after swimming, we really didn't feel the actual need to shower before having something to eat. The water wasn't sticky and we never felt itchy at all, even after we got home. The current got pretty strong in the afternoon though.


If you noticed in the short clip above, the current was moving pretty quickly. If you look closer, you'd also notice that the sand is pink. The wetter the sand, the more "fabulousness" you can find.