Boracay

General information about the island of Boracay in the Philippines

Boracay is an island about 7 km long and 2 km wide at its widest point. Its famous WHITE BEACH stretches for about 4 km, with talcum-white sand formed by the erosion of corals that turn very white. An unspoilt sea makes it the perfect beach, making it look more like a big swimming pool. The seabed slopes gently, making it ideal for swimming at any hour; with the sun or with the moon you'll see the seabed and it will be like paradise. For those who want to snorkel, I can recommend the rocky beach located at the start of White Beach, where as soon as you enter the water you'll be "greeted by a great barrier of small and large rocks where fish and corals nestle.

The island has a main central road parallel to White Beach where most of the resorts are generally located; in the evening there are clubs and restaurants with all kinds of cuisines, from Filipino, Korean, Italian, American (fast food), Portuguese, Thai, and many others.

On the central road parallel to White Beach there are also many shops and bazaars selling very beautiful floral clothes and swimwear for women, men and children; what could be better than wearing a swimsuit and a very colourful shirt on a tropical island like Boracay.

Nightlife in Boracay is coloured by the numerous bars and a few clubs present on the island. Venues on the beach with live music, very good local bands that perform all kinds of music excellently. But this year Boracay has made another leap in quality: internet connections are now faster and information technology professionals can now afford to stay longer in this paradise, working with convenient 256kbps ADSL lines and WIFI hotspots at affordable rates, and for guests of some facilities browsing is free.

How to get to Boracay

The journey you have to face to reach the pearl of the Philippines, Boracay, is quite long; this obviously has advantages and disadvantages: it's a great filter for mass tourism that turns the most beautiful places into overcrowded places in a short time; the disadvantage is having to take about 15 hours of flight and at least one night in the Philippine capital to wait for the domestic flight to the domestic airport of Caticlan. In fact, once you arrive in Manila (capital of the Philippines) a quick transfer is needed from the Nino Aquino international airport to the national airport (domestic airport).

The companies that offer flights to the Philippines are numerous and the prices for the flight vary according to the season and how far in advance we book. They can range from a minimum of €650 up to about €1400 for economy class. etc. A tip - outside the international airport there are many taxis that offer this transfer for 15 - 20 USD; their price is simply a tourist price; leave the airport and take a normal taxi on the street and the cost is about 2 or 3 USD, leaving you free to give a little extra as a tip. The stretch is really short; sometimes it would be better to do it on foot (about 20 minutes) since Manila traffic at certain hours is really heavy.

The domestic flight can be booked directly at the domestic airport or (recommended) booked in advance by email or phone on the websites of the airlines Fly Sea Air or Asian Spirit

The cost for the Manila - Caticlan round trip transfer is about €100 including taxes and with luggage up to 10 kg. each extra kg about 200 pesos

One tip is to always travel light with the bare minimum, and always carry only one piece of hand luggage. On the island there are lots of shops with swimwear, tshirts, floral shirts etc, very beautiful. Given the convenient prices of the swimwear and their beauty, I recommend buying them here and stocking up for the summer.

The transfer from Manila to Boracay is painless and takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes; the plane, depending on the airline chosen, may be an 11- or 40-seat turboprop. Fly Sea Air has recently introduced a Turbo Jet that takes 35 minutes at the same prices and fares.

Once you arrive at Caticlan airport, located on the large island of Panay, we have to take a boat that takes us to the island of Boracay; this transfer costs less than 1 euro and about 30 minutes of navigation. Depending on where you get off remember that if it's boat station 1 2 3, you'll have to wade into the water up to your knees (for the boys) and for the girls, the Filipino sailors can carry you on their shoulders to the beach without getting wet.

BORACAY POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES

water ski, parasailing, kite surfing, jet ski, dive, motorbike, mountain bike, trekking, horse riding

WHITE BEACH seems to be the main attraction of Boracay, but there's much more the island can offer, such as water sports, water skiing, parasailing, kite surfing, sailing, jet skiing, dive diving, beach volley, motocross on Boracay's mountain roads, mountain biking, trekking, horse riding, tennis, golf and the discovery of new beaches and coves far from the busy spots...

Mambo number 5 is the way here to describe a bit of sailing, wind surfing, a bit of scuba diving, a bit of trekking, a bit of mountain biking and a bit of golf.. activities possible on Boracay Island.

PRICES for activities

diving with equipment 28 usd

jet ski 25 usd / 30 minutes 2-wheel motorbike 200cc 10 usd / 2h

BORACAY RESORTS, RESTAURANTS AND PRICES

In Boracay you can find lots of resorts by walking along the beach and if the period is April - October (low season) I recommend going without a booking as you can find excellent prices by seeing and assessing according to your taste the resort to choose.

The resorts are very numerous and each has different characteristics; prices can vary a lot depending on the type of rooms, the position of the resort (more or less central) and the beauty of the resort. Rooms per night can range from a minimum in low season of 500 pesos / day (€7.5) for the more modest resorts, mid-range resorts charge around 1000 - 1500 pesos per day (€15 - €22) up to certain very beautiful resorts that charge European prices from €50 to €100 per room. In high season prices double for many resorts. High season is the period from November to March, it rarely rains and the sun beats down decidedly well.

As the main factor of my stays is the warmth of the people more than the beauty of the room or the resort (since the sea already offers everything), I present a few resorts that I've experienced first-hand.

Mabini's Place

budget resort Boracay

I mention with honour MABINI's PLACE resort, far from the social life of Boracay, with very simple and spartan bungalows on the beach 10 metres from the sea; this resort is run by a Filipino family, very large and friendly. The rooms are furnished very simply with a double bed and a third service bed. The room also has a small bathroom with facilities and shower. The bungalow is made entirely of bamboo and inside there's a standing fan.

Resort "Da Mario" little corner of italy

Boracay resort - Boracay rooms - Boracay restaurant

near Mabini's Place there's another very beautiful resort, the "Da Mario" resort, little corner of italy, known throughout Boracay for its famous pizzas, crispy and excellent, perhaps the best place to eat a pizza here in the Philippines; it has comfortable rooms for every pocket. Its restaurant offers a variety of Italian dishes so you don't miss our beautiful Italy when we're in this paradise. Mario and his wife will be happy to welcome you to their resort, (Mario always complains that there are few Italians here), but with the advertising I'm doing for him there will certainly be more;-))

to contact Mario directly, who as I also learned directly from him has opened a new resort right in Boracay, you can write to him at

littlecornerofitaly@yahoo.com

treehouse_damario@yahoo.com.ph

and of course mention me as a contact if you want!

His specialities, besides the Italian ones such as Pizza, boast the best Choco Pancake on the whole island.

Aria and Cafè del Sol

I mention with honour a restaurant in the centre of Boracay's life, ARIA, run by an Italian with excellent Italian dishes and an excellent pizza. ARIA in Boracay has an Italian chef and is located in an excellent central position; you can sit outdoors on WHITE BEACH with comfortable tables and chairs. The menu of ARIA Boracay is quite rich and the price is European; what does European mean? that it's a little higher than the average of Boracay's restaurants, but the central position certainly makes it exclusive. Also near ARIA there's CAFE' DEL SOL, an excellent café with delicious cakes. Cappuccinos and tiramisù, or chocolate cake and coffee, excellent and delicious, will make you feel at home. ARIA and Cafè del Sol are very central in the DMALL area of Boracay, very close to WHITE BEACH, I recommend them

ps. I was told by the kind Fabrizio that in Boracay there's an Italian restaurant, with a wood-fired oven for pizza and a menu that has nothing to envy to the best Italian restaurants back home: it's La Nuova Capannina, located at station 3 near the Tourist center.

Another restaurant where you can eat delicious Thai food is SULU THAI my favourite order is the vegetable red curry, delicious and spicy!!! you'll find it to the right of boat station 3