Travelogue: Boracay Survival Guide

Boracay, as we know it, is the one of the famous destinations among Filipinos, Americans, Europeans, and Asians here in our country. The island has everything you need – sparkling waters, fine sand, exhilarating water sports/activities, diverse shops, busy night life, beautiful sunset, and friendly locals. 

Being a well-known tourist spot, one might think that it’s too pricey to spend a weekend getaway there. Worry not because if you have the right number of friends (I have five with me), even if you’re on a tight budget, you’re still good to go. So, let me show you your easy survival guide in Boracay. 

(Note: Tight budget also means cutting off most of the water activities, bar hopping and night life.)

WARNING: Long post ahead.

Below are the benefits of travelling with your friends:

> You get to divide the expenses among yourselves (e.g. accommodation, food, drinks, transportation, activities)

> You are not alone, obviously, so that makes you happier in photos and in real life. LOL

> You have your automatic drinking buddies.

> You take each other’s photos. You won’t need tripods/monopods anymore.

> You get to enjoy the water sports and island hopping with them.

> You can borrow money from each other, if in case you forget to bring some cash with  you and you get thirsty or hungry while walking along the beach. Haha!

And the list goes on..

Reminders:

     1. Book your tickets months before your scheduled trip. By doing this, you can get cheaper airfares and you can still save up for the trip. 

     We booked ours six months ago.

     2. Research about the place you’re planning to visit. 

     In Boracay, aside from White Beach, there’s Puka Shell Beach in Brgy. Yapak. It’s a 15-minute and 25-peso tricycle ride from D’Talipapa. If you want a more peaceful and serene environment, Puka Shell Beach is for you.  Though, if you’re planning to go there alone, they might charge you as high as P150 (one way).

     3. While doing your research, don’t forget to visit different travel blogs, too. They might be of big help for your escapade.

     4. Contact or inquire about your accommodation via email, call or text. Getting through them actually depends on the resort you’re planning to stay.

     We stayed at Facebook Resort, formerly known as Villa Criselda. It’s in a really good spot because the place is near D’Talipapa. It's also just 4-7 minutes away from D’Mall and the beach, of course.

Finally, here is your Boracay survival guide (a.k.a. our pseudo-itinerary). This will work better if you’re in packs because again, refer to the Benefits section.

Meh! (Jumped from the 15-foot diving board)

Day 1:

We took a flight to Kalibo since it’s cheaper compared to Caticlan flights. The moment we left the airport premises, we saw people there who offered us van and boat rides to the island. Their usual offer is P250 pesos. The downside, they’re going to wait for the van to get full before leaving the airport. 

Luckily, we met Kuya Redford (Contact No. 0921 616 9196). He offered us the same amount but we have the van for ourselves. So, we were able to sit comfortably during the one and a half hour ride to the port. On our way there, we stopped at a convenience store to buy our water supply (P22/liter). 

Upon arrival at Tabon Port, we paid the environmental and tax fee (P100). After a 10-minute boat ride, we finally arrived in Boracay. We took a tricycle (P20) to Facebook Resort/Villa Criselda at Station 2. The drivers already know the place, so you don’t have to worry for the directions.

Hello beach!

And voila, we finally arrived at the resort. As I mentioned earlier, it is just near D’Talipapa. D’Talipapa comprises of souvenir shops, cheaper than the ones at D’Mall, fast food stalls, Paluto restaurants, and of course, the market (talipapa). You can buy fresh sea food at the market and have one of the restaurants there cook it for you. Prices may vary. Since we were already hungry, we opted to eat at Andok’s (P74 for Adobo Rice Toppings and water), so we won't have to wait long for the food.

The distance between D'Talipapa and the gate of FB Resort.

After eating, I checked the shops for a rash guard that I can use for our island hopping. I was able to find one for only P300. Their smallest size was big for me though, but I still bought it. No choice. Haha! 

Tourist feels. LOL

We were so full, so some of my friends went back to the room to rest. My friend, Joey, and I however still have some energy to take a walk along the beach. We checked Station 3 – the backpackers' and divers' station. It's more quiet there and shops are lesser compared to Station 2. Then, we went back to our station. 

Even if it's already rainy season, the weather in the island is still hot, so we bought mango shake (P70) to quench our thirst. Satisfied, we returned to our room to rest with the others.

When we were already awake, we went out to look for food. I grabbed dinner at Leylam’s Shawarma (P75 for Shawarma rice with egg) while my friends bought at McDo. On our way back to our room, we bought balut and drinks (P100 each). Woot!

Total – P1,011

Day 2:

We woke up the next day around 5am to walk along the beach. Yes, walking along the beach was part of our itinerary. Haha! It was funny because we saw people still on their way home from bars and we were already up. I just love how peaceful Boracay mornings can be. 

We went back to the resort to eat our breakfast - some bread we bought at Julie's Bakeshop in D'Talipapa (P20/person).

Having a TV with cable and a free WiFi in our room can sometimes be a disadvantage. Haha! We ended up watching the same shows over and over again. Instead of eating out, we decided to try Paluto. FB Resort also has Paluto for P100 per kilo per meal, so that was what we availed. We had sinigang na hipon, buttered shrimps, adobong pusit and rice for lunch (P168). Imagine how full we were after eating. Oh I just love the island life!

After our heavy lunch, we headed to Bulabog Beach to experience their banana boat (P250/head for 15 minutes). 

Bulabog Beach is a 10-minute walk from where we stayed. It’s were they currently host their water sports and activities, since it’s too windy at White Beach in June.  

For our merienda, we went back to White Beach. As we passed by D'Mall, we saw Halowich and their gigantic halo-halo - Oh hello merienda (Family Ice at P450/ P75 per person)! It was just perfect for six hungry and tired people.

Family Ice for everybody

We had dinner again at our room. We asked them to cook inihaw na tilapia, adobong pusit and rice for us (P150/person). On our second day also, we planned to separate the money for our accommodation. So, for our 4D/3N stay at the resort, it cost us P1,060 each.

Total – P1,723

Day 3:

To start the morning right, we bought Taho (P25). Yum! Then, for our breakfast we had bread and coffee before heading back to Bulabog Beach for our island hopping. 

We canvassed really hard to get the cheapest price available. We ended up getting it for P1800 (three islands for three hours), the cheapest we found. Note that prices depend on how many you are in a group. At first, when there were just two of us canvassing for prices, they charged us as high as P2,500. But when we told them there were six of us, they started lowering the prices.

 Tropang K (minus Gee Dee, who took the photo and Rociel, who wasn't able to come)

Photo by Leah©

My favorite! (Photo taken at the Magic Island)

Photo by Leah©

We went to three islands during our island hopping. The first island was the Magic Island. It has cheap cliff diving prices compared to Ariel’s Point. Entrance is at P150 and you already get to try their four stages of height (15 ft., 20 ft., 27 ft., 30 ft.). I braved until the third level only, since I made a wrong move at my last jump and landed butt-first. It hurts big time, so I opted to skip the final stage. LOL

Our next stop was the Crocodile Island (P120). We didn’t go to the island per se but we stopped nearby for 45 minutes to snorkel, feed the fishes and witness the beauty of the coral reefs below.

The island itself looks like a crocodile, hence its name.

For our last stop, we went to Ilig-Iligan Beach to swim. You can quench your thirst or feed your hunger there because they have a restaurant by the beach. It’s a bit expensive though, so we decided to eat our lunch in our room instead.

When we got back, we were planning to buy two whole roasted chickens at Andok’s. Fortunately, we passed by a mini lone store that sells roasted chicken for a cheaper price. Yey! Budget check for our morning adventure, including our scrumptious lunch, was only P550 all in all.

It was drizzling when we finished our food. As we miss bathing in the rain, we decided to go to the beach and swim. It was cold and windy and the waves were crazy. We ended up running and catching wave after wave. Haha! It was hella fun even if I suffered extreme arm pain the next morning. Boo!

After our unusual activity, since it was our last night in Boracay, we had two orders of Sbarro’s Festa Italiana (P989/order; P330/person) for dinner. We wanted to try the island buffets but when we checked the restaurants, there weren’t much of the food we were craving for. Hence, we ended up stuffing our tummies with pizza and pasta, and we made the right choice. Nom nom!

Before hitting the sack, we surprised our dearest friend, Gee Dee, with a cake and a gift on the midnight of the 24^th of June, her birthday, and our last day in Boracay.

Happy birthday! How old are you? :P (Photo by Leah©)

Total – P905

Day 4:

Welcome! (Photo by Leah©)

Last day! We woke up early to go to Puka Shell Beach. It is well known for its Puka shells that glimmer when the sun’s rays hit them. It purely magical. Be careful with the waters though because the sand is uneven, so it can get really deep sometimes.

 Ola Puka! (Photo by Leah©)

Chill life!

Did I mention earlier how peaceful it is there? It's a great spot to escape the noisy and busy White Beach. It's a beauty. We brought our breakfast with us, so before swimming we ate our first meal of the day. We accompanied it with fresh Buko which can be bought there for P100 each.

Buko Loco!

Photo by Leah ©

Say hello to my dark side!

Photo by Leah ©

We returned to our room before noon. After taking a bath, we packed our belongings and headed out to have lunch at Reyes’ Barbecue (P175). But of course, one should never forget the pasalubong. So, before leaving, we dropped by the shops to buy some (P700).

 Wanna surf?

Of course, I bought one for myself. Teehee! Dreamcatchers!

On our way back to the port, we hailed a tricycle (P20), and paid the terminal fee and the boat fee for P55. We contacted Kuya Redford again to pick us up at Tabon Port (P200) and take us back to Kalibo Airport (Terminal fee is at P150).

Total – P1395

Total Boracay expenses: P5,034 (4D/3N)

Alas! After a 55-minute plane ride, we were back in Manila, on a rush hour. It took us two hours to reach Quezon City. So, before I end this post, I’ll give you one last reminder. Avoid booking flight back to Manila wherein your arrival time hits the rush hour because a crazy traffic will welcome you. 

Boracay photo dump:

Photo by Leah ©

Excited faces for our island hopping! 

(Photo by Leah©)

Station Zero. LOL. That's what we call it because it's the end of Station 1. Haha!

(Photo by Leah©)

Frustrated ballerina, eh?

Two thumbs up! On our way to Magic Island.

(Photo by Leah©)

A swing! 

(Photo by Leah©)

There you go. I hope you find this post encouraging and informative. Sorry for bombarding you with photos. And oh, don’t let anything stop you from exploring the beauty God has made. Enjoy!