Wandering Off to the Island of Boracay Philippines

Boracay Island is a beautiful paradise located at Malay, Aklan, Western Visayas, Philippines. Original wander plan was just to have a bit of Iloilo food trip (air fare promos to Iloilo: hooray!) for the weekend. However, flexible plans mean flexible and the Sisters of Wander have never visited the island yet, so we booked a hotel in  Boracay Station 3 and we took the Ceres bus from Tagbak terminal in Iloilo and rode the Caticlan-bound bus. This trip fare is P350.00 and you will be dropped at the Caticlan Jetty Port. It took us around 6 hours when normally according to friends it only stretches to about 4-5 hours. The delay might have been caused by the road repairs.

We knew that going to Boracay will be quite costly for a trip since it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the Philippines. Despite this knowledge, it was still  much to our surprise that prior to riding the bangka or boat to the island of Boracay, we paid a total of P200.00 (around $4.60) for the following:

Bangka/boat from Caticlan Jetty Port: P25.00
Environmental fee: P75.00
Terminal fee: P100.00

Fret not. Just try to remember that it is a very arduous task to maintain the cleanliness of an island that gets thousands of visitors each year while sustaining employment. 

And if this is the initial view that you see, you wouldn't really mind, would you?

The bangka ride takes about 5-10 minutes before it arrives at the terminal port on the other side. 

You can take the Boracay multicabs for a fee or take the tricycle just as we did. Simply tell the driver where you are checked in and they'll try to drop you at the nearest entrance point in your station or hotel.

It was dusk when we arrived and the scenery further blew us away. Just take note however that it is quite warm when you are not on the beach side because of the wind breakers that are situated in front of hotels and other establishments. 

Despite being surrounded by the sea, this island has a Yellowcab, Starbucks, McDonalds, Lonely Planet, Crazy Crepes, Gerry's Grill, Shakey's, Fruits in Ice Cream among a plethora of local and MNC establishments as well as spas and bars.

There a lot of activities to choose from while in Boracay. People convince you to have activities from the moment you start strolling along Boracay island. You can do scuba diving, ride banana boats or speed boats, go for helmet diving, island hopping, parasailing, snorkeling, jet skiing and a whole lot more!

Being on a budget trip meant fewer activities but more reasons to go back! We tried helmet diving and enjoyed the view underwater feeding fish and posing for photos. 

We went island hopping for three hours as well and we visited Puka beach and picked up shells and little corals on the shore and were not quite sure (pun not intended) if that was legal. Teehee!

Before going back to our station, we went to a snorkeling area (snorkeling fee: P20.00 per person) and looked at the beautiful creatures under water. Be careful though, there were tiny invisible creatures that pricked us a couple of times while we were on the water. Ouch!

The nightlife in Boracay is equally exciting for the party animals out there. Several bars, clubs, and live entertainment are present during the night. There are fire dancers everywhere and live bands as well. Shopping is also exciting at night after an entire day of adventures.

Souvenirs and Fire Dancers make the nightlife even more exciting.




And since the sisters of wander craved for (1) seafood and (2) a buffet, it is only practical to visit a Seafood Buffet and we found  Victory Beach Resort's Seafood Buffet for only P280.00. What a treat! This is the face of one of the sisters too excited about her unlimited oysters:

 I think she ate about 200 of them. Sorry oysters, that was genocide done by one sister of wander. :P

So if you guys feel like visiting Boracay, you can choose the route we took via Iloilo or you can book a flight to Caticlan. But, whichever route you decide to take is OK because for sure no matter what activity you prefer in the island of Boracay, whether it be swimming, partying, water adventures, food trip, or just chilling, this little paradise in Panay can surely accommodate your vacation needs. :)

 Thank you Boracay for an amazing weekend. Hope this love affair will never end. So this isn't a goodbye but a see you soon!

[Sisters of Wander]

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