Located at the southeastern side of Bantayan Island, Kota Beach Resort is one of the famed shooting locations of the local movie Camp Sawi. According to the filmmakers, they chose the scenic island and the resort because of the need to have a beautiful setting for their story.
We would have to agree that a beautiful and peaceful beach experience is one of the few that the sawi or the broken-hearted needs to get away from all the pain and have some quiet time for reflection.
But does Kota Beach Resort live up to this screen name and provide a perfect destination for the hurting? Read through to find out.
Location
Kota Beach Resort's location is one of its main advantages. It is nestled on the southeastern point of Bantayan Island which is blessed with a long stretches of white powdery sand and pristine blue waters.
The entrance to the resort is situated at the very end of F. Duarte Street in Sta. Fe giving it a bit of a secluded and quiet ambiance.
It is a 25-minute walk and a 10-minute drive from the Sta. Fe Port. It is only a few meters from the municipal police station and two blocks from Batobalonos Street which is lined up with a number of restaurants geared toward both local and foreign tourists.
Kota Beach Resort offers free round trip transfers from the port to the resort. The resort confirmed on the morning of our arrival that we just have to send them an SMS for the schedule of our ferry service so they can pick us up. Sadly, they called off at the last minute advising that their driver went on half-day. They told us to just take a tricycle to the resort for PHP20 and they'll reimburse it but they forgot as soon as we arrived at the resort - just like how your years of love have been forgotten.
Reservation
Kota Beach Resort has its own website for reservation of rooms. The rates published on its website are the following:
The hotel is also listed in online travel agencies Agoda.com, Hotels.com, and Booking.com. Since the rooms are offered at lower rates plus a credit card discount through BPI cards, we decided to book through Agoda.com. For a Deluxe Cottage in the 2nd row, we paid PHP1,781.44 nett per night.
Moving on may come at a very high price but not the rooms at Camp Sawi.
Check-in
After a long 6-hour bus and ferry ride to Sta. Fe, we arrived at the resort at around 4:00PM. The resort's Front Desk is located towards the right side upon entering the gates of the resort. It is seen after passing through the Camp Sawi signage.
Check-in was a breeze as our cottage was ready. But it was not the warm and memorable experience the broken-hearted would like it to be.
Resort Layout
The resort is blessed with its own private beachfront and beautiful white sandy beach. Its shoreline changes form on a daily basis due to the winds and tides. The beach front offers generous sundecks for hours of relaxation under the sun as well as beachfront pavilions where guests can lounge with a book, simply take in the fresh sea breeze, or to let things go. A good number of coconut trees also dot the property providing partial shade from the hot Philippine sun and preventing the sawi from adding sunburns to their pain.
The resort's cottages are arranged in rows. The 1st row cottages come with unobstructed views of the blue waters of the Visayan Sea while the 2nd row cottages come with porches that allow guests to still enjoy the ocean breeze and semi views of the beach. The 3rd and 4th row cottages also have private porches but no longer have views of the sea. At the back of the resort is a multi-story building where the Standard Rooms are located.
At the right side of the resort is the open-air Kadlawon Restaurant and the adjacent bar. As it is just a few steps from the rooms, it is a good spot to shamelessly get drunk.
Our Cottage
Service and Experience
Although already popular, service at Kota Beach Resort leaves so much to be desired. Aside from the staff missing to provide their "promised" free round trip transfers, they lacked friendliness and warmth throughout our stay. Certainly not rude but service was really stodgy. All interactions with the staff were mere transactional moments and there were no attempts to personalize and provide a touch experience. Sawi, parang ex mo lang.
Overall, we generally have mixed feelings about Kota Beach Resort. We loved the beauty of the place and we still had reasons to enjoy. We just hope they could be inspired to work on improving their service so the resort can live up to its Camp Sawi name and be a perfect destination for travelers, broken-hearted or not.
For more information about the resort, visit their website here. You may also contact +63 32 438 9042 or +63 956 276 4410.
Read about our other Cebu posts:
Location
Kota Beach Resort's location is one of its main advantages. It is nestled on the southeastern point of Bantayan Island which is blessed with a long stretches of white powdery sand and pristine blue waters.
 |
| Kota is blessed with white powdery sand and pristine blue waters |
It is a 25-minute walk and a 10-minute drive from the Sta. Fe Port. It is only a few meters from the municipal police station and two blocks from Batobalonos Street which is lined up with a number of restaurants geared toward both local and foreign tourists.
Kota Beach Resort offers free round trip transfers from the port to the resort. The resort confirmed on the morning of our arrival that we just have to send them an SMS for the schedule of our ferry service so they can pick us up. Sadly, they called off at the last minute advising that their driver went on half-day. They told us to just take a tricycle to the resort for PHP20 and they'll reimburse it but they forgot as soon as we arrived at the resort - just like how your years of love have been forgotten.
Reservation
Kota Beach Resort has its own website for reservation of rooms. The rates published on its website are the following:
Room Type
|
Published Rate Per Night (in PHP)
|
Standard Non-Aircon Room
|
1,000
|
Standard Aircon Room
|
1,600
|
Deluxe Cottage 3rd-4th Row
|
2,100
|
Deluxe Cottage 2nd Row
|
2,800
|
Beachfront Cottage
|
3,600
|
Beachfront Suite
|
4,000
|
The hotel is also listed in online travel agencies Agoda.com, Hotels.com, and Booking.com. Since the rooms are offered at lower rates plus a credit card discount through BPI cards, we decided to book through Agoda.com. For a Deluxe Cottage in the 2nd row, we paid PHP1,781.44 nett per night.
Moving on may come at a very high price but not the rooms at Camp Sawi.
Check-in
After a long 6-hour bus and ferry ride to Sta. Fe, we arrived at the resort at around 4:00PM. The resort's Front Desk is located towards the right side upon entering the gates of the resort. It is seen after passing through the Camp Sawi signage.
Check-in was a breeze as our cottage was ready. But it was not the warm and memorable experience the broken-hearted would like it to be.
Resort Layout
The resort is blessed with its own private beachfront and beautiful white sandy beach. Its shoreline changes form on a daily basis due to the winds and tides. The beach front offers generous sundecks for hours of relaxation under the sun as well as beachfront pavilions where guests can lounge with a book, simply take in the fresh sea breeze, or to let things go. A good number of coconut trees also dot the property providing partial shade from the hot Philippine sun and preventing the sawi from adding sunburns to their pain.
 |
| The beautiful beachfront |
 |
| The pavilions, perfect for relaxation and reflection |
 |
| The pavilions, perfect for enjoying the views and taking in the fresh sea breeze |
 |
| Coconut trees dot the property |
 |
| Kadlawon Restaurant |
 |
| The bar with pool table |
We booked and stayed in a Deluxe Cottage in the 2nd row. The cottages are bahay-kubo inspired units where almost all materials are made of wood and light materials.
The cottage lacked the modernities of a TV, phone, or Wi-Fi connection. But it has a homey feel and a nice bed. It's perfect for finding your own quiet place.
The cottage lacked the modernities of a TV, phone, or Wi-Fi connection. But it has a homey feel and a nice bed. It's perfect for finding your own quiet place.
 |
| The Deluxe Cottage c/o Kota Beach Website |
Although already popular, service at Kota Beach Resort leaves so much to be desired. Aside from the staff missing to provide their "promised" free round trip transfers, they lacked friendliness and warmth throughout our stay. Certainly not rude but service was really stodgy. All interactions with the staff were mere transactional moments and there were no attempts to personalize and provide a touch experience. Sawi, parang ex mo lang.
Overall, we generally have mixed feelings about Kota Beach Resort. We loved the beauty of the place and we still had reasons to enjoy. We just hope they could be inspired to work on improving their service so the resort can live up to its Camp Sawi name and be a perfect destination for travelers, broken-hearted or not.
For more information about the resort, visit their website here. You may also contact +63 32 438 9042 or +63 956 276 4410.
Read about our other Cebu posts:
Sad that it did not live up to expectations.
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