Boracay Island, Philippines
If there’s one beach the Philippines and Filipinos are proud of, it’s this stretch of island on the eastern part of the country: Boracay. Located north of Panay Island and south of Manila, Filipinos and tourists all over the world cannot and will not forget the beautiful sands and water of Boracay.
Boat Trips
The best thing about Boracay is its proximity to other islands. You can rent a boat for a couple of hours and hop to other islands to further explore the territory. Explore the caves of Crystal Cove, but be careful not to fall into its strong currents. Drop by Puka Beach to grab some of the world’s rarest gleaming white puka shells. It costs about P150 (US$3) per person to rent a boat for four hours. Two people accompany the boat to serve as your navigator and tour guide.
Water Sports
Because there’s not much land near the island, water sports dominate activities in Boracay. You can rent jet skis, sailboats, snorkels, banana boats and a lot of other equipment. There are equipment rentals that also offer introductory diving courses for a small fee. You also can go parasailing and connect yourself to a parasail, a specially designed parachute and hoisted from 24 feet to 42 feet high.
Massage
These activities can be really tiring but don’t worry! It’s so easy to find someone who’ll untangle all those tight muscles. You can opt to go to a fancy spa (try Mandala Spa) or your hotel/resort in-house spa facilities or you can hire one of the massage therapists roaming the sands of Boracay. You can opt to have your massage right there on the beach or in your room. A A full body massage usually costs about P250-P300 (US$5-6) for the beach massage and as low as P2,850 (US$57) at the high-end spa.
Restaurants and Bars
There are so many restaurants, bars and cafes in the entire 4-km stretch of Boracay. No matter what you want to eat or drink, you’re sure to find it here. Go to Real Coffee for their sandwiches, Aria for Italian food, Cyma for sumptuous Greek food, Lemon Cafe for anything with lemon, Jonah’s for amazing shakes or practically anywhere for a good chorizo burger.
Just a warning though: Boracay is a great place to go to anytime of the year except during the months of June to September. This is typhoon season for the Philippines, and the chances of all your plans on the island being canceled because of the rain and strong waves are very high. Any time between October to May is a good time to go. Just be aware also that the Christmas and New Year season, as well as the Holy Week season, is considered super peak season, so make sure to book your plane tickets and hotel rooms months in advance to ensure you get to enjoy the island on these dates.
