Friday, April 9, 2010

Boracay



This trip was my first trip to Boracay – believe it or not!  I like going to the beach but somehow I’ve never been to Boracay.  So I’m going to give you a perspective from a Boracay first-timer. 

Boracay is so popular that I think I’m the only one I know who’s never been there.  And a lot of people keep telling me that Boracay is not that nice anymore and all other reasons why I shouldn’t go there. 

But based on my trip, I would say, of all the beaches I’ve been too - (Palawan, Ilocos, Batangas, Puerto Galera, Bantayan, Cebu, Sentosa, Sabah, etc… )  I still think Boracay is the best I’ve been to yet.  Hubby’s been to Phuket and still prefers Boracay. 

The white sand in Boracay is something I don’t think  I’ve ever encountered in a beach before.  It’s like polvoron or even powder!  And I love that you can go out far into the water and still have the water come only up to your knees.  That’s important for me because hubby and son can’t swim and I don’t want to have to constantly worry about them being washed away by the undercurrent.   What’s more there are not much stones to hurt your feet when walking on the sand. 

I’d understand why westerners would love to stay there.  It’s like a secret paradise hideout. 

We stayed at True Home hotel in Station 1.  For me, a person not so fond of crowds – especially at the beach, staying at station 1 was probably the key to my having a blast. 
The hotel had a beach front and our room – the Junior Suite -  was facing the beach and had its own private balcony.  As soon as you open your eyes in the morning, you are greeted by the view of the beach!  (without having to see the people and them seeing you)

View from the bed
True home is really value for money as compared to where my brother stayed at – Friday’s - which is also in Station 1 but at the far far end.  I told him that the total I spent for 3D/2N with transfers was still much less than his 1N stay at Friday’s.   But it really all depends on how much you want or can spend.  Friday’s is a nice resort but a much pricier.

The breakfast was great too except they ran out of tapa on our last day so I had to settle for tocino.  It’s not buffet type but it’s definitely better than the breakfast we had at the Discovery Suites in Tagaytay which I feel is horribly overpriced.



I’ve been told to try the famous Jonah’s shakes which were good except nobody told me the food wasn’t as good.  I tried the enchilada and sorry Jonah but it was ulk.  It was a few gound meat with lots of extenders swimming in a sea of Mother’s best ketchup - not exactly my type of food.



There are other activities you can do on the island like going around in an ATV and going up the lookout point where you can see Boracay from a bird’s eye perspective.  We also got to see the beach at the opposite side of the island where we saw a lot of kite boarders.


The beach at Boracay where the resorts are is called White Beach and is divided into stations 1,2 and 3 because the boats used to dock at these stations although now there’s just one station where all the boats dock and you’ll need to either ride a van or a tricycle to get to your resort.

The great thing about Boracay is if you want to get away from the crowds you can stay at station 1 but the moment you miss the convenience of civilization then you can ride a tricycle or walk over by the beach to D’Mall where there’s all sorts of nice boutiques and restaurants.    I think this is what I like most that I don’t find in other beaches.  I can sit and relax under the sun and if I suddenly crave for Yellow Cab, or I get sick of grilled seafood eaten ala Survivor style and want the ambience of a nice restaurant, it’s there.



There’s an area at the beach where you can party all night, but there’s also an area where it’s just quiet.  How convenient is that!

I totally had a blast and I’m definitely coming back soon! 

To get there from Manila, the best way is to take a flight to Caticlan instead of Kalibo.  We went the Kalibo route and the land travel is about 2 hours vs if you go via Caticlan where it’s just a few minutes to the jetty.  The 2 hours is a total waste of time.  Oh and another thing I liked about Boracay is the boat travel to the island is only about 10-15 mins.  I always dreaded having to go to an island where I have to travel by boat for more than 30 mins.

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