Hola Bora

It’s been dubbed as one of the beautiful places in the Philippines. People from different parts of the world go to Philippines to visit Boracay.

For me, I’ve always thought Boracay is overrated. The place is very expensive and only foreigners can afford it. There are many beaches more beautiful than Boracay, and a lot more cheaper. But I went there because I want to scratch it off my “places-i-wanna-visit” list.

Getting There

I travelled to Boracay via Iloilo, and the ride was at least 6 hours via bus. I’m not really a fan of travelling a very long time coz I get bored easily. I slept most of the time, and when I’m not, the view of the mountains is refreshing.

Travel Info (Land trip from Iloilo):

Arrival:
Bus ride from Tagbak Terminal (Iloilo City) 
to Caticlan -- Php 340 (aircon bus)
Caticlan-Boracay Ferry - Php 25
Caticlan Terminal Fee - Php 75
Environmental Fee - Php 100

Optional: tricycle rides around Boracay cost
around Php 10-30 depending on the location

Departure:
Boracay Terminal Fee - Php 100
Boracay-Caticlan Ferry - Php 25
Bus ride Caticlan-Iloilo -- Php 340 (aircon)

TOTAL: Php 1,005/pax travel expenses

Place to Stay

We stayed at Crown Regency Boracay (at Station 2). It was not really that expensive since we got an awesome deal at Metrodeal with Php 3500/night for 4 people. Basically, Php 875/night per person (not bad). The hotel is very nice and clean, and they have a Surf Pool (a pool that generates waves). It was pretty awesome actually.

When we roam around the place, we found out that there are a LOOOOT of cheap places to stay there. It’s best to search the internet very thoroughly and read blogs about travellers who went also to Boracay. They can recommend you a lot of cheap places to stay. Unfortunately, I don’t have any recommendations for now.

Travel Info (Accomodation):

Crown Regency Stay (2 nights 3 days, no breakfast)
  * Php 7000/4 people -- Php 1750/person
  * Info of the deal (already expired, sorry): click here

TOTAL: Php 1750/pax accommodation expenses

Boracay Activities

There are a lot of things to do in Boracay: Jetski, Parasailing, Island Hopping, ATV, etc. Locals are everywhere in the beach area offering you deals and packages for the activities you like. In our case, we went for Parasailing, Helmet Diving, Fly Fish and ATV experience.

I’ve always wanted to try Parasailing so I told myself that when I go to Bora, I will definitely try this one. The experience was mind-blowing. We get to see the whole island from a parachute. It was really nice.

Then we went Helmet Diving. I was pretty pissed during this because I didn’t bring with me my underwater camera thinking it was too deep for it. It was in my bag the whole time, and when I got under, I was regretting it the whoooole time. Thank god we still have pictures under. I thought there were no fishes under, but surprisingly there’s a whole lot of it. It was fun.

Then there’s Flyfish. On how excited I am for Parasailing, it was the opposite for Flyfish. I wasn’t really looking forward to it because I think it’s scary. I was shaking when we started riding the inflatable boat. When the motorboat started driving really fast, dragging our ride, it was really fun actually. I was laughing the whole time because we were literally flying and if you didn’t hold on to the boat really tight, there’s a big chance you get thrown off the boat. I saw my friends got thrown off a couple of times, and I was even proud I didn’t until the “finale” where there is no escape for the three of us. It was really really awesome, and you should really try it at least once.

During the afternoon, we tried the ATV adventure. You basically drive going to the top of Mt. Luho (the highest point in Boracay). When you get there, you get to climb another 100 steps to a viewing deck (Mt. Luho Viewing Point). There you can see the island 360 degrees. The view there was really nice, and you can see a lot of beaches hidden from the public.

There’s also an amusement park called Happy Dreamland where the ATVs are parked. They have a mini-zoo, illusion-art gallery, and some rides. There’s also this ride called Sky Cycling where 2 people bike around a sort of roller-coaster rails 100 feet from the ground. It was scary, and the whole time I was praying the bike won’t outbalance and cause my death. It is also a must try for adrenaline junkies, and be sure to ride the bike alone to add more thrill. 🙂

Travel Info (activity expenses):

For the activities, it sometimes vary depending on
how well you made a deal with the locals, and how many
you are in the group. In our case, we got a cheaper deal
for 4 activities because there's 3 of us
(minimum people for most of the activities).

For 3 people:
Parasailing - Php 800
Helmet Diving - Php 450
Fly Fish - Php 450
ATV - Php 450 with free entrance to Happy Dreamland
Amusement Park and a SkyCycle Ride

TOTAL: Php 2,150/pax (4 activities for 3 people)

Food, Drinks, and Night Life

This is the thing I’m worried in Boracay: the restaurants are pretty expensive. Good thing we found some cheap places to eat. Actually there’s a lot of it, you just need to find it. Here are some suggestions for places to eat:

• Station 3 – Lots of carenderia that serves yummy food in affordable prices
• Mang Inasal – The price of the meals are more or less the same, plus unli-rice
• Station 2 Talipapa Market – The market sells an array of fresh seafoods, and around the area there are carenderias that cook these seafoods in a small charge. Depending on the kind of recipe you want for your food, the charge is affordable and the food is really great.
• Also, try Jonah’s Fruit Shake and Snack Bar . Their shakes is really good.

It’s always also a party every night at Boracay. The bars are almost full during nights, and the people are everywhere. You can see fire dancers in the beach doing their thing, it was pretty amazing to watch. I had the chance to experience this “night life” and it was crazy. We were seating in the counter when the bartender suddenly got up and gave free tequilas to everyone. I had no choice but to indulge too, and it was so fun. They also did some exhibition where people order weird drinks and then the bartender starts lighting up the counter with alcohol. It was so nice to watch.

But then again, we go back to the important factor: Bars in Boracay are expensive. ‘Nuff said.

Boracay Not Overrated

All in all, I would say the experience was really great. I was wrong when I thought Bora was overrated. The place is expensive but definitely not overrated. I didn’t regret any of my expenses because it was all worth it. So if you’re an avid traveller, experience Boracay at least once in your life, and make sure you have enough money prepared to spend.

Photos

flyfish

boracay sunset

flyfish

fighting dragons

from mt. luho

boracay sunset

jonah’s fruit shakes

boracay island from mt. luho

the art-trick gallery in happy dreamland

sand castles at night

up in the air

parasailing

the boracay island view from the top of mt. luho

rides in happy dreamland

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