1. The Quest: How to Actually Get There
2. The Price Tag (Because Adulting is Hard) Let’s talk expenses so you don’t cry at the ATM later.
3. Things to Do (Aside from Feeling Like Zeus or Athena)
4. Recommendations & The Hard Truth
5. The Conclusion (Or, Why You Should Go)

Let me paint you a picture. One minute I was scrolling through my phone, kinda jealous of my friend’s beach photos. The next minute, I was holding a spear and an armor in the ruins of a Greek temple, pretending to be a Athena goddess of warefare while waves crashed 200 feet below me (well at least that how I see myself in this photo) 🙂

Welcome to Fortune Island, Nasugbu—”glitch in the matrix” adventure I’ve had this year.

If you’ve ever wanted to visit the Acropolis but your budget only allows for Lomi or original Batangas Goto and Kapeng Barako, listen up. Here is exactly how my chaotic, sunburnt, but absolutely epic trip went down.

The Quest: How to Actually Get There

First, forget what you know about normal beach trips. Fortune Island is not a “park your car and walk” kind of place, although I did park my car in a resort.

Manila to Nasugbu (2-3 hours): My friend and I rented a van (because we are bougie on a budget), but you can take a bus from PITX or Taft bound for Nasugbu. Tell the driver to drop you at Brgy. Wawa. Fare? Around ₱200-₱300.

The Boat Ride (45 mins of pure adrenaline): Once you hit Wawa Port, you’ll see bangkero (boatmen) offering “island hopping.” The rate for a private boat to Fortune Island is usually ₱3,500 – ₱6,500 (good for 6-8 people). Split that with friends, and it’s super cheap.

Pro-tip: Hold onto your hat. The open sea gets violent. I held on like I was riding a bull. By the time we saw the island’s silhouette, I was soaking wet and grinning like an idiot.

The Price Tag (Because Adulting is Hard)
Let’s talk expenses so you don’t cry at the ATM later.

• Entrance Fee: ₱300 per head. (Worth it for the Instagram content alone).
• Parking fee: ₱150/ car, I parked my car at the resort parking area
• Environmental fee: ₱30 per head
• Cottage Rental: If you hate sand in your shorts, rent a cottage for ₱1,500. We’ll we love sand and we’re kind of stingy LOL so we just stayed under the tree shades (its free) and laid a mat. Or bring your own tent no fee to put it up.
• Tent Rental: ₱300 up if you’re staying overnight (do this!). If you have your own tent them bring one or two.
• Food: Bring your own! We brought rice, roasted chicken, boiled eggs, smoked milkfish, watermelon, melon, some alcohol (wine & vodka), canned coconut water, chocolates and 6 liters of water. Don’t forgte to also bring ice chest full of ice!!! No restaurants here—just pure nature.
• Life Vest / Snorkel at the resort but I didn’t ask for price. Again if you have your own, bring one.

Total damage for my weekend: Around ₱2,500 for the day tour. Oooopss I didn’t include gasoline for the car. For a trip that looks like you flew to Europe? That’s a steal.

Things to Do (Aside from Feeling Like Zeus or Athena)

Don’t just sit on the shore. Unleash your inner explorer.

1. Climb the “Greek Temple” (The Acropolis of Nasugbu)
Yes, it’s technically an unfinished resort project from the 90s. Yes, old and not so white. But standing between those massive broken columns while looking at the infinite ocean? Cinematic. Bring a white dress or a linen shirt—you’ll thank me later. We didn’t think about this when planning, so we ended up like the low cost version of Greek gods LOL. Here’s are some photos of us having fun and playing with Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s single take feature.

2. Jump off the “Helicopter Pad” (The Rock)
There is a massive limestone cliff that juts out into the sea. If you’re brave (and not afraid of deep water), the locals will guide you to the jump point. I didn’t jump there are no guides nor life guards! So i just ended up hanging or clinging on a rope.. making sure that the strong current doesn’t take me to Atlantis.

3. Snorkel in the island
The guide told us that there are a lot of colorful fish and sometimes sea turtles can be seen in the island. I put on a mask, stuck my face in, and saw lovely colorful fish feeding in the sea grass and corals. While swimming also met local boatmen who were holding a huge sea turtles, I had to intervene and told them to let the turtle be. Apparently he was helping the turtle by removing sea barnacles on its shell, they then let it go after.

4. Stargaze (Stay Overnight!)
We made the mistake of doing a day trip. Looking back, we should have camped. The island has zero light pollution. At night, the Milky Way looks close enough to touch.

Recommendations & The Hard Truth

• Go with friends. The boat is pricey solo. Bring a group of 3 minimum if you don’t wanna pay for an airfare ticket to HK 🙂
• Leave at 5:00 AM. Seriously. The island gets crowded by 10 AM, and the midday sun will fry you like fish crackling.
• Wear aqua shoes. The sand is white and powdery but it burns on mid-day. Ouch.
• Bring more water than you think. You will sweat buckets climbing those ruins.

The Conclusion (Or, Why You Should Go)

Lying on that boat on the way back to the mainland, sunburn stinging my shoulders, salty water in my ears—I realized something. We spend so much money on plane tickets to look for “paradise,” but sometimes paradise is just a three-hour drive away.

Fortune Island isn’t fancy. It’s wild, broken, and a little dangerous. But standing on top of that Greek pillar with no one else around but the sky, why not?

It felt like I had discovered hidden treasure near Metro Manila.

So, pack your bag, rent that boat, and go chase your fortune. Just don’t forget the sunscreen. I learned that lesson the hard way.