BORACAY

Boracay

Pristine waters and powdery white sand beach in the Philippines. What comes to your mind first? BORACAY!

Who is not familiar with this island? I bet none! How to get there? Where to stay? What to do? How much does it cost? We’ll go into details one by one, but let me touch a little bit of its history. This island is originally home to a group of people called “Ati”. According to history, they inhabited the island even before the Spaniards discovered the Philippines. The island to me is a beautiful place, but I can’t help but think that it was a whole lot prettier when it was untouched by commercialism.

We (I & my husband) recently decided to check this place off our bucket list. This is where we start. How to get there? Let’s proceed to the quickest way – via plane! There are two entry points you can choose from. The closest to Boracay Island would be the Boracay airport in Caticlan because from there you can rent a tricycle to take you to Caticlan Jetty port which will be your point of entry going to the island. The other option will be the Kalibo Airport – from the airport, you will be greeted by transportation providers that will take you to Caticlan Jetty Port either via van or bus. They offer one way trip including a one-way ticket for a pump boat ride that will take you to the island as well. This is a good deal for me already and less hassle. Your entry point will be Caticlan jetty port and you may arrive at Cagban jetty port or Tambisaan port.

Cagban jetty port at Boracay

Upon arriving at the island, there are tricycles waiting outside the port. If you don’t have a pre-arranged transportation booking, you can hire the whole tricycle to take you to which station you are headed to or you can wait for joiners if you want to save on fare.

As a budget conscious traveler, we opted to stay in a simple cottage situated in Station 3. BTW, the island is divided into 3 stations. Station 1 is where you can find the high-end, 5 star & luxurious hotels. If nightlife and fun is what you are after, you are very much welcome in Station 2! Accommodation here is still quite a bit pricey, but not as expensive as in the hotels in Station 1. In station 3 is where you can find affordable places to stay. There are still some hotels that are kind of pricey, but affordable – depends on your budget really.

We stayed at Moreno’s Cottages in Station 3. How much per night? Well, the perks of booking online and ahead of time! We stayed here for 3 days & 2 nights, and for a cheap accommodation, there is really nothing much to complain about. It was a good location for people who are conscious with their budget yet prefers an accommodation near the beach. It’s not “by the beach”, but only a few steps away.

What to do in Boracay? Well, this question has a variety of answers! For me, if you go to Boracay to just sit back and relax will be rather boring. This place is full of life and the energy of the people around is so contagious! You can walk from one station to another or might as well visit all 3 stations. In station 2 is where you find the famous D’mall where you can shop (for pasalubong especially) and dine to the fullness of your heart. As for activities, well there’s a lot to choose from really. You can haggle with activity providers whom you will get to meet as you explore the island (there're a lot of them offering their services - I promise!). We opted for two types of activities during our stay, island hopping and parasailing. Island hopping is ideal in a sense that you get to explore neighboring islands. Parasailing is exciting and it gives you an amazing aerial view of the island other than the helicopter tour of course. A helicopter tour is another activity you can enjoy by the way.

Overall, for you to enjoy Boracay you really have to be equipped both physically and financially. I am a thrifty traveler, thus the sub-domain name of my blog (lol), but no matter how thrifty you are, it will really cost to visit places. Will I go back to Bora? Yes, but won’t be anytime soon. I’d like to take my kids there when they are a bit bigger. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and have found it somewhat helpful in your plan to visit Boracay soon.

To GOD be the Glory!