Sugar Beach & Alice Beach, Bantayan (2026): Fees & How to Reach Them

TL;DR: Sugar Beach and Alice Beach are two lower-key stretches of Santa Fe’s coastline, both a short walk or tricycle ride from Kota Beach and the Santa Fe port. Sugar Beach is the widest beach in town, with soft sand, beachside restaurants, and a ₱30 entrance fee (about US$0.50); Alice Beach sits further north with no entrance fee, and doubles as the pickup point for island-hopping boats to Virgin Island. Neither is empty on a good day, but both beat fighting for space on Kota’s sandbar. Verified July 2026.

Everyone who plans a Bantayan trip hears about Kota Beach first, and fair enough — it’s the postcard shot. But Santa Fe’s coastline doesn’t stop there. Walk a few minutes north from Kota and you hit Sugar Beach, a wide, soft-sand stretch that’s practically part of the same shoreline, then keep going and you reach Alice Beach, quieter still and doubling as the main launch point for boats out to Virgin Island. Neither is a secret — locals and repeat visitors already know them — but both see a fraction of the day-trip traffic that piles onto Kota at low tide.

This guide covers what each beach actually looks and feels like, what it costs to get in, how to reach them from the port or Santa Fe Beach, where to eat, and which one to pick if you only have time for one. It’s written for anyone staying in Santa Fe who wants a calmer patch of sand without leaving town.

Sugar Beach vs. Alice Beach at a Glance

	Sugar Beach	Alice Beach
Location	Center of Santa Fe, right next to Kota Beach	North of Sugar Beach, on the channel side facing Virgin/Hilantagan Island
Entrance fee	~₱30 (~US$0.50)	None reported
Extras	Tent/cabana rental ₱150–200; SUP rental ~₱600/2 hrs	Boat tours, food, and gear rented separately
From Santa Fe port	10–15 min walk or ₱50 tricycle	₱50–100 tricycle, ~10–15 min
Food	Beachside restaurants, bars, coconut stalls	Mostly small local eateries; thinner options
Best known for	Wide soft sand, easy walk-in access	Island-hopping boat launch, calmer swim spot
Crowd pattern	Steady tourist flow, busiest midday	Busiest in the morning when tours depart

Fees and fares from operator listings and recent traveler reports; ₱58 ≈ US$1. Confirm the exact entrance fee on arrival — it has crept up a few pesos over the years. Verified July 2026.

Where Are Sugar Beach and Alice Beach, Exactly?

Both are part of the same continuous Santa Fe shoreline as Kota Beach, just further along it — Sugar Beach right next door, Alice Beach a bit further north. Sugar Beach sits close to the center of Santa Fe town, so close to Kota Beach that the boundary between them is unmarked — you’ll cross from one to the other without a sign telling you so. It’s billed as the widest beach in Santa Fe, stretching roughly a kilometer and up to 90 meters across in places, which is why it never feels as packed as the narrower sandbar section of Kota even when it has visitors.

Alice Beach continues north from there, facing the channel toward Virgin and Hilantagan Island. That orientation is exactly why it’s become the go-to pickup point for island-hopping bancas — boats can launch straight out toward the islands without weaving around the town pier.

What’s the Vibe — and Who Are They For?

Sugar Beach suits anyone who wants an easy, resort-adjacent beach day; Alice Beach suits early risers and people catching a boat. Sugar Beach has a settled, low-key resort strip feel — sun loungers, the occasional beach bar, coconuts for sale, and enough space that you’re not shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers even on a decent day. It works well for couples, families, and anyone who wants to walk five minutes from a Santa Fe guesthouse and be in the water.

Alice Beach has a more functional, in-transit energy for part of the day — bancas lined up, tour groups gathering, drivers and boatmen doing the morning routine — before quieting down once the boats leave. If you show up outside that window, especially early (around 6 AM) or mid-afternoon, it’s a genuinely calm stretch of sand with a clear view north toward the islands you might be heading to the next day.

What Do the Sand and Water Actually Look Like?

Fine, pale sand and calm, shallow water at both — the same character that makes the rest of Santa Fe’s coast popular for swimming rather than snorkeling. Sugar Beach earns its name from sand that’s genuinely soft and fine underfoot, with a handful of palm trees along the back of the beach giving some natural shade. The water stays shallow and gentle close to shore, good for wading and casual swims, less so if you’re hoping for reef to snorkel over.

Alice Beach has a similar profile but faces more open channel toward Virgin and Hilantagan Island, so it can pick up a bit more wind and chop than the more sheltered Sugar Beach stretch, especially outside the calmest months. If it’s been breezy, ask locally before assuming it’s flat-calm.

How Much Does It Cost to Get In?

Sugar Beach charges a small entrance fee — around ₱30 per person (about US$0.50) — while Alice Beach has no reported entrance fee. At Sugar Beach, that ₱30 is the baseline; renting a tent or cabana for shade runs an extra ₱150–200 for the day, and stand-up paddleboard rental has been quoted around ₱600 for two hours through beachside operators. None of this needs to be booked ahead — pay on arrival, cash only, and bring small bills since change can be limited.

At Alice Beach, the beach itself is free to walk onto, but you’ll pay separately for anything you do once you’re there: a seat on an island-hopping banca, food or drinks brought in from outside some resort sections, or gear rental. If you’re coordinating a boat trip to Virgin Island, budget for that as its own line item — Virgin Island itself charges its own entrance fee on top of the boat fare, something we cover in our Virgin Island guide.

How Do You Get There from Santa Fe?

Sugar Beach is walkable from the port; Alice Beach is a short tricycle ride further north. From the Santa Fe port or town center, Sugar Beach is roughly a 10–15 minute walk, or a five-minute tricycle ride for about ₱50 if you’d rather not carry beach gear that far. It sits close enough to town that most Santa Fe guesthouses can point you there without needing directions.

Alice Beach takes a bit more effort — figure ₱50–100 and 10–15 minutes by tricycle from the port or your accommodation. If you’re planning to hit both beaches plus Kota Beach and Santa Fe Beach in the same day, or want to time an early Virgin Island departure without waiting on a tricycle, renting a scooter for the day (₱250–500 through most Santa Fe guesthouses) gives you far more flexibility than flagging rides back and forth.

Where Do You Eat?

Sugar Beach has actual restaurants and bars on the sand; Alice Beach doesn’t, so plan food around Sugar Beach or Santa Fe town. Along Sugar Beach you’ll find a run of beachside restaurants and bars, plus vendors selling fresh coconuts — enough to make a full day there without leaving the sand. Nearby resorts along this stretch, including spots like Amihan Beach Cabanas and Santa Fe Beach Club, also serve non-guests at their restaurants.

Alice Beach is thinner on options — a handful of small local eateries serving simple Filipino dishes, and whatever food your resort provides if you’re staying along that stretch. If you’re spending the whole day at Alice Beach waiting for a boat or just relaxing, either bring snacks and water or plan on a short tricycle back into Santa Fe town for a proper meal.

Sugar Beach or Alice Beach — Which Should You Pick?

Pick Sugar Beach if you want an easy beach day with food and shade sorted out for you; pick Alice Beach if you’re catching an island-hopping boat or want the calmer, less commercial stretch. If you’ve only got a spare afternoon and want to swim, eat, and relax without much planning, Sugar Beach covers all of that within a five-minute walk of most Santa Fe accommodations. If your Bantayan itinerary already includes a Virgin Island trip, you’ll likely end up at Alice Beach anyway for the boat, so it makes sense to arrive early, enjoy the beach while it’s still quiet, and let the tour groups arrive around you.

There’s no wrong choice — plenty of visitors do both in the same day, since they’re close enough together to combine with Kota Beach and Santa Fe Beach into one long beach-hopping loop.

The Honest Take

Neither Sugar Beach nor Alice Beach is an undiscovered secret — Santa Fe’s coastline is small, and word travels fast on an island this size. What they offer isn’t solitude, it’s a bit more breathing room than Kota Beach’s most photographed stretch, especially outside midday and outside the island-hopping rush at Alice Beach in the morning. Sugar Beach’s small entrance fee is genuinely minor and buys you a cleaner, better-maintained stretch of sand; Alice Beach’s lack of a fee is offset by fewer amenities and a working-beach feel for part of the day. Go to either expecting a solid, relaxed Santa Fe beach experience — not a private-island fantasy — and you won’t be disappointed.

Round Out Your Bantayan Beach Day

Both beaches slot naturally into a longer Santa Fe beach-hopping day — start early at Alice Beach if you’re catching a boat, swing by Sugar Beach for lunch and shade, then finish at Kota Beach for the low-tide sandbar or Santa Fe Beach for sunset. For the full rundown on getting to the island, where to stay, and stringing all the beaches together, see our Bantayan Island guide and where to stay in Bantayan Island.

Book a beachfront room in Santa Fe on Agoda before you arrive, or compare Bantayan Island tours and island-hopping packages on Klook if you’d rather have the Virgin Island boat sorted in advance.

Sources

• Beach Break: Sugar Beach, Bantayan, Cebu — Hey Miss Adventures
• Sugar Beach Bantayan Island: Ultimate Guide — No Postcode
• Alice Beach — Evendo location guide
• Alice Beach — BeachAtlas
• Entrance fees, tricycle fares, and food/amenity details cross-checked against recent traveler reports and existing Bantayan transport fares. Verified July 2026.