Believe it or not, I’ve never heard of Boracay Island only
until last year and it was from the SEATRU’s volunteers. At first, I did not
really know where this Boracay place is situated and only after I’ve googled it,
I finally knew it was in the Philippines. This island which is approximately 7
kilometres long is located approximately 315km south of Manila. Well known for
its white-sand beaches, Boracay is also famous for being one of the world’s top
destinations for relaxation (Source: Wikipedia).
 |
| Boracay map (Source: http://boracay-resorts.com/resorts-by-location.html) |
The pictures of Boracay on the net was just so stunning, the
place sells itself and I instantly fell in love with the place. I was super
excited when I also found out that there were direct Airasia flights to Kalibo
(which is a 2 ½ hours’ drive and a 20 minutes boat ride from Caticlan Port
Jetty)! Since then I’ve been stalking the web for cheap flights until last
November, AirAsia Big Points had a 0 point promotion and Kalibo was in the 0
point redemption list. I was so satisfied with the purchase because I was only
charged with airport taxes which made my return tickets (for 2 pax) only MYR302!
Prior to the trip my friend Kairo, and I had settled all accommodations and
transportations booking. We’ve decided to stay at two different hotels during
our 2 nights stay in Boracay. We’ve also pre-booked our land and water
transportation under My Boracay Guide (MBG).
Day 1 - The 11 hours journey through air, land and water
We departed our home at 0600H to catch the first train to KL
Sentral. We’ve decided to take the Aerobus to KLIA2 and we were just in time to
board the AK608 1030H flight bound for Kalibo. Flight time was freaking 4 hours
and I was super-duper bored!
 |
| All checked in and ready to fly! |
Kalibo International Aiport was a really small international
airport. However, it is the fastest-growing airport in the Philippines in terms
of passenger traffic with more than 50% growth in 2010. After immigrations
check, we headed off to the gate where an MBG representative was already waiting
for us. The weather upon arrival was fine and hot. We were among the earliest
in their list and we got to ride on a personal hired car! What an upgrade! The
view along the way was very scenic and there were very less development in the
Aklan Province. However, we were not very satisfied with our driver because he
was speeding madly even at a very sharp curve! Thank God we made it safely to the
jetty port!
 |
| Clear sky upon arrival at Kalibo International Airport. |
 |
| Our car provided by MBG. |
We’ve chosen to travel during the off-peak season. During
this period it was forecast to be raining however throughout our 2 nights
stay it was sunny with light showers during the wee hours. Lucky us! Tips: The
best time to travel will be from every November to May. However, hotel rates
will be skyrocketing if compared to the off-peak season. Prior to our flight, we were informed by MBG
that the departure point into the island will not be from Caticlan Jetty Port
instead it will be from Tabon Jetty Port due to the high waves. It was
drizzling when we arrived at the port and an MBG representative guided us straight
to our banka (an outrigger board). The
banka ride was only 20 minutes to
Tambisaan Jetty Port and another MBG representative was already waiting for us
to send us directly to our hotel – this was another 30 minutes on a motorized
pedicabs/tricycles. In total, travel time was 11 hours!
 |
| The banka used to the island and the weather was cloudy when we arrived at the port. |
We’ve decided to stay along White Beach – the main tourist
attraction. White Beach is divided into 3 stations where Station 1 is always
the jam-packed station during the high peak season. Our first-night stay was at
Erus Suites Hotel located at Station 3. For this trip, all accommodations’ booking
were done under AirasiaGo and the rate for this hotel was MYR198.74. Accommodations rate in Boracay are very costly. Even for hostel a bed/night can
range from MYR60 to MYR150! Tips: I would personally advise you to do thorough
research before the trip for the best deals. Groupon Malaysia tend to have great value
for money deals for Boracay. So watch out for the offers.
 |
| Kairo and I arriving Boracay! |
 |
| The ride to the hotel. |
 |
| This sums up the 11 hours to Boracay. |
My take on Erus Suites Hotel: Nice rooms as all their rooms
are having unique themes and interior designs. There is also a pool (which we
did not use – blame the beach). Breakfast was included but too simple. On a
side note, their Beef Tapas was awesome! Internet was only available at certain
place around the hotel. Maintenance is highly needed for their rooms. Last but
not least, they really need to do a scheduled pest control. Initially, we were
supposed to stay at Room #2 (ground floor) but a rat suddenly ran across the
room and that really freaked me off. We were immediately upgraded to a better
room on the first floor. From a scale-out of 1 to 10, Erus Suites Hotel I will
only give it a 1 – blame the rat!
 |
| Erus Suite Hotel |
 |
| Erus Suites Hotel rooms (Source: Facebook). |
 |
| Wet Boracay upon arrival. This is the main road used on the island. |
After we’ve freshened up, we headed straight to the beach. It
was only a 3 minutes’ walk from the hotel. The beach was stunning. Majority of
the holidaymakers were mostly from PRC and Korea. The sand was white, the view
was picturesque perfect (as what seen on the net months ago) and the wind was
pretty strong (probably due to the raining season). There were lots of
restaurant and resorts along the beach. Water sports such as stand paddling,
sailing, scuba diving and sandcastle building were seen among the tourists’
favourite. As we were travelling on a budget (as usual), we opted out all the
excursions and only walked and at the same time took in the beautiful view in
front of us.
 |
| View at White Beach |
One thing I’ve realized along the way was most of the
restaurants are serving dinner buffet instead of the normal dine-in ala-carte
menu. Since it was almost time for Ifthar, we’ve decided to try the dinner
buffet at Sea Breeze Café located at Station 2. Opening hours: 1800H – 2200H
daily. My take on Sea Breeze Café: Slightly pricey (PHP756.40/pax) but it was
worth it. Dishes served were amazing. They have a wide selection of Filipino,
western and oriental cuisines to choose from. Their seafood selections were
amazing. They even have a whole corner of fish grilling station! The highlights
for this café were the live music and the impromptu dancing chefs. Their chefs
will just dance to the live music tune and if you are lucky you will be dragged
along! Such a great experience to dine with Sea Breeze Café! I gave it a 9/10!
 |
| Food served and the dancing chefs! |
Dinner that night made us bloated. So, we decided to walk
off those calories along the beach. The nightlife is just so lively regardless
it was the off-peak season. There were many performances such as live music,
dance show and fire show which sums up Filipinos are very talented people!
Tips: Those performances were meant to be for guests dining in a particular
restaurant but because it was openly performed feel free to enjoy the show! After a tiring walk along the beach, we've called
it a day and settled down around 11ish.
 |
| Fire performances along the beach. |
Day 2 – 7KM walk, ocean and S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G!
After a quick breakfast, Kairo and I checked out and walked
to our second night accommodation – Blue Marina Hotel which was located at Station 2. We’ve chosen
to use the beach pathway to the hotel instead of the street pathway. Prior to
that, we’ve googled the location and the walking time to the hotel was supposed
to be less than 5 minutes. The 5 minutes’ walk turned into a 45 minutes’ walk
instead as we were not able to locate the hotel.
 |
| Breakfast at the hotel (Top) Fruits platter (Centre) The beef tapas (Bottom) Chocolate pancakes. |
 |
| Motorized pedicabs mainly used for transportation on the island. |
 |
| That "I'm lost" face after a what supposed to be a 5 minutes' walk turned into a 45 minutes' walk. |
My take on Blue Marina Hotel:
A one floor 12 rooms boutique hotel which is only a 1 minutes’ walk to the beach. Spaces
room, great interior design, friendly staffs and a very fulfilling breakfast. Besides that, it gives you a private, bungalow-style experience set in a tropical environment. However a bit secluded and the power breakdown causes the internet to be super
slow. AirasiaGo rate was MYR226.97, a bit pricey but it was satisfying. A 9/10
for this hotel!
 |
| Marina Blue Hotel. |
Day 2 was the only full day we had in Boracay, so we went
for a swim and got some tan, grabbed some lunch and snacks at D’Mall, did some
souvenirs shopping, walk the whole 7km stretch of beach, visited Willy's Rock and ended the evening by enjoying the sunset view by the beach. D’Mall is the shopping centre in Boracay. There
are many shops, bars and restaurants located at this commercial centre. Opens
daily from 0700H – 1100H. Willy's Rock is the main attraction at Station 1. During low tide, you can actually walk to the rock and enjoy the view. However, during high tide, the only access is to snorkel. At the rock, there is a Roman Catholic Marian Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a mini chapel. Tips: Please stop by Julie’s Bakeshop (right in front
of D'Mall main entrance) for good and cheap pastries. I’ve spent only PHP17 on Pan
De Coco and Puto Cheese! For cheap groceries please visit Bora Budget Mart.
However, we bought most of our snacks and drinks from the 7-Eleven because it was the
closest to our accommodation. This is the only 7-Eleven in Boracay and was
initially officiated on the 29th May 2015 – can you imagine the
crowd!
 |
| We are off to the beach for a swim! |
 |
| Nothing can described how I misses the sea so much! Staying afloat as long as I can. Take me away! |
 |
| D'Mall at Boracay. |
 |
| Julie's Bakeshop for cheap pastries. |
 |
| Dried high quality mangoes. A must whenever you are in the Philippines. |
 |
| Lunch at Hungry Monkey. Good food but a bit pricey. Staffs are unfriendly. |
 |
| A panoramic view of White Beach. |
 |
| Willy's Rock at Station 1. |
 |
| Sandcastle building. |
 |
| Sunset by the beach. |
 |
| Souvenirs hauled from the day. |
That night the wind was very strong and we’ve decided to
have our dinner somewhere sheltered. We went for another buffet dinner at Villa
de Oro and this one was serving Filipino and Mongolian cuisines. The rate was
only PHP275/pax/type of cuisine. We’ve decided to try the Filipino buffet and
it was really value for money. My take on Villa de Oro dinner buffet: It was
delicious but very simple. They should have friendlier staffs. Seats were very
limited. To end our last night in Boracay, we went for cakes and hot chocolates
at this very hype place called Café Del Sol. My take on Café Del Sol: Their
Mango Cheesecake is highly recommendable. For only PHP160/slice it tasted
divine – not too sweet and the mango just tasted fresh.
 |
| Filipino buffet at Villa de Oro. |
 |
| Cakes and Hot Chocolate at Cafe del Sol. |
Day 3 – Homebound, another 11 hours journey!
Woke up as early as 0700H. We had a great breakfast in the
hotel’s greenhouse area. By 0930H, MBG representative, Meagan was already at
the hotel assisting us out from the island. The same route back but instead of
a private car waiting for us at Tabon Jetty Port we had to take a minivan to
Caticlan Jetty Port and changed to a bus for the 2 ½ hours ride to the airport.
The transit time was short and MBG really did a good job for the transfer. We
arrived at the airport around 1200H and we went for a quick lunch outside the
airport. The price was a bit costly. After checking in, we waited for another 2
hours at the departure hall before getting on our flight on AK609 to KUL. Although
this Boracay Adventure was a very short one but it was indeed an enjoyable
stay.
 |
| Breakfast at the hotel's greenhouse. This time its fish tapas. |
 |
| Such a lovely day to leave the island. |
 |
| Tabon Jetty Port |
Tips: Please make sure you spare PHP700 for the International Terminal
Fee. It was initially only PHP500 but since 1st June 2015, they had
increased it by another PHP200. Please make sure that you have enough cash as
payment can only be done using cash. Cards are not accepted.
 |
| Saying goodbye is hard but I will be back Kalibo-Boracay. |
My take on My Boracay Guide: Very efficient, fast and
reliable. For only PHP1,500/pax/return, it makes your transfer into and out
from Boracay Island swiftly. There are many options to be chosen at MBG. They even
cater to local activities and tours. Click here for details.
We’ve also tried the Airasia Wi-Fi services during our flight
back to KUL. This is a new inflight Wi-Fi services and currently, there are
having a promotional price on this service. For only MYR5.00 you will be
provided with 3MB data and you can chat with your love one at 35,000 feet.
However, it can only be used on chat apps such as Watsapp, Line, WeChat and
etc.
 |
| A must try on-board any AirAsia flight! |
Details on the trip spending is as below. Due to the really
cheap flight tickets, we’ve decided to spend more on accommodations.
Details
|
Amount
|
AirAsia
KUL – KLO/2pax
|
MYR302.00
|
Erus Suite Hotel (1 night)
|
MYR198.74
|
Blue Marine Hotel (1 night)
|
MYR226.97
|
My Boracay
Guide/2pax
|
PHP3,000.00
|
Aerobus/2pax
|
MYR20.00
|
Drinks
(7E)
|
PHP53.00
|
Sea Breeze
Café
|
PHP1512.80
|
Mineral
Water (7E)
|
PHP39.00
|
Julie’s
Bakeshop
|
PHP17.00
|
Bora
Budget Mart
|
PHP112.00
|
Hungry
Monkey (Lunch)
|
PHP550.00
|
Souveniers
|
PHP1036.00
|
Boiled corn
|
PHP60.00
|
Café de
Oro (dinner)
|
PHP550.00
|
Café del
Sol (desserts)
|
PHP506.65
|
Lunch at
the airport
|
PHP320.00
|
International
Terminal Fee
|
PHP1,400.00
|
Snacks and
drinks
|
PHP120.00
|
WIFI
Services
|
MYR10.00
|
KLIA
Express
|
MYR70.00
|
TOTAL (MYR)
|
MYR1602.40
|
TOTAL/PAX
|
RM801.15/USD210.64
|
*Rate: PHP1 = MYR0.0835 as on 4th June 2015, 1515H
