When in Boracay, eating at Real Coffee is a must. Well, that’s what all of other food bloggers say because in here, you’ll find the famous calamansi muffins. It’s really unique and quite intriguing, so I’m also one of those who searched for Real Coffee in Station 1 one morning after a swim near the grotto.
look out for this sign just near the Havaianas store in Station 1
If you want a comfortable ride from Kalibo airport to Caticlan when going to Boracay, try Southwest Tours coasters. They are priced higher than the normal vans and L300s, Php 300 for the coaster ride to Caticlan plus the boat ride to Boracay. You have to shoulder the terminal fee, Php 50, and Php 75, environmental fee.
Southwest Tours Boracay
Where are you heading this 4 day long weekend? Upon President PNoy’s announcement making October 31, 2011a special holiday, I’m sure a lot of people checked some destinations in and out of the country. My officemates checked out some airline promos from different websites to look for cheap Asian country flights and some local destinations. Unfortunately, most airlines and hotels also consider this long weekend as peak season so rates are higher than usual. If PNoy already announced holidays earlier, itchy feet Pinoys should have planned their travels wisely, now this is what I miss about President GMA, being generous with special holidays :p.
As for our family, we are Aklan and Boracay-bound! I am looking forward for a weekend of beach, sun (I hope!) and sand!
see you in Boracay!
Budget Accomodations:
We all know that tourists from all parts of the world flock to Boracay. And with these, prices of some commodities like food and lodging might be expensive for average travelers like me. First would be the accommodation, beach resorts in Boracay offer varied rates for their fan rooms (cheapest) and the deluxe rooms with air-con, hot water and cable TV. Beachfront hotels have higher rates as well as those hotels found in Station 1. We stayed at Casa Pilar in Station 3. Reasonable rates for a decent cottage, it has its own restaurant and security of the resort is not a problem. Rates of rooms, contact number, email and website are as follows:
Deluxe AC: lean season Php 2900 – peak season Php 4000
Superior AC: lean season Php 2400 – peak season Php 3300
Standard AC: lean season Php 2000 – peak season Php 2800
Fan Room: lean season Php 1200 – peak season Php 1800
Tel: (63 36) 2883073
Email: casa_pilar@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.casapilarboracay.com/
During our stay, we found a newly built hotel just near Casa Pilar, also in Station 3, called Boracay Sands Hotel. The curiosity in us made us ask for their room rates, the receptionist willingly showed us the rooms and boy, I made a promise to stay in this hotel the next time around. Rooms have 2 double beds, and LCD TV, and a personal ref to boot.
Room rate per night without breakfast: Php 3,850Tel. no: (036) 2884967 / 4966CP no: 0927-304-01-31
Tosilog and Chicken Inasal from Mang Inasal; Yellow Cab
Souvenirs:
For your keepsakes and pasalubongs from Boracay, go to D’Mall to find plenty of keychains and ref magnets for 7 pieces for Php 100. T-shirts that scream “Boracay” range from Php 150-500. On my first visit, I bought T-shirts from “Lonely Planet“. This time, I discovered another store that offers rocking designs called “Metamorphosis“. They sell handpainted shirts and canvass bags for Php 250-580. Just ask for discounts when buying at the store. For summer accessories, sellers can be found at the beach and just choose at your liking from a variety of earrings, necklaces and bracelets offered by the locals.
Accessories and ref magnets a plenty
Your trip in Boracay will never be complete without trying out the famous fruit shakes in the island. Jonah’s Fruit Shakes is a refreshing break from the sweltering heat of the sun after walking the stretch of Boracay Island. Aside from the fruit shakes, this humble restaurant also offers meals from seafood, Pinoy food such as pancit, sinigang, etc. and Mexican such as tacos, echiladas, etc.
I ordered Choco Peanut while Jeff ordered Mango Banana. Price range of fruit shakes is Php 75 to Php 150 depending on the combination. The most expensive ones (Php 150) are the Strawberry shake variants. I liked the consistency of the shake because of the fine ice.
Since we’re hungry from walking and exploring the islands, we also ate our early dinner here. If you’re ordering in Jonah’s, orders might take long to arrive so don’t go there with your growling stomach or you’ll die of starvation. Jeff’s Chicken Enchilada was first to arrive, since he’s hungry, I told him to eat his meal at once while I waited for my Shrimp Potato Salad. I waited for my salad for about 20-30 minutes, while Jeff already devoured his enchilada.
Chicken Enchilada
Shrimp Potato Salad
The Chicken Enchilada was good, I know because I got to taste a spoonful of it while waiting for my salad to arrive. To sum it up, you can pass up in trying out their meals but their fruit shakes are definitely a must-try! We even went back the next day to try out a different combination, Papaya Mango and Apple Mango.
Summer + beach = Boracay
How to get there:
Cagban Port
Activities:
Aside from swimming, walking along its shores, food tripping and checking out stuffs at D’Mall, there are plenty of activities you can do while in the island. In the afternoon, you can get a henna tattoo or braid your hair ready for partying at night. As for us, we hired a trike for Php 450 to get us Puka Beach and Mt. Luho, Boracay’s highest elevation. Puka Beach reminds me of Putipot Island in Zambales, it still has the powdery white sand and calm waters Boracay was known for minus the crowd. So if you want to have some peace and relaxation, then head to Puka Beach, lay your beach towels, read a book or just soak up the sun. To see the island on a different perspective, we went to Mt. Luho to see the entire island. The view from the top was breathtaking, great for picture-taking. We had a 360 degrees view of the island, a panoramic vista of the sea and the establishments in the island. The trike driver also mentioned the Bat Cave and the Crystal Cave as another tourist destination and perhaps, we’ll visit them in the future.
Puka Beach
Mt. Luho
view from Mt. Luho
One can never ran out of activities in the island. You can pass up the afternoon lulls by playing frisbee, beach volleyball, having a massage or by sipping your favorite shakes. Come sunset, you can avail of the Sunset Cruises (Php 499) to experience the sunset while in the ocean.
Travel expenses:
From Manila to Boracay:
Round trip fare (Manila-Kalibo-Manila; Manila-Caticlan-Manila): ranges from Php 3000-Php 8000 (book early to avail of promos and discounts)
Manila Domestic Airport Terminal fee: Php 200
Kalibo-Caticlan Jetty Port via bus or van (if via Manila-Kalibo): Php 100
Transportation fee: Php 19.50
Environmental fee: Php 50
Terminal fee: Php 50
Trike from Cagban Port to hotel: Php 20 per head
From Boracay to Manila:
Trike from hotel to Cagban Port: Php 20 per head
Terminal fee: Php 50
Transportation fee: Php 19.50
Caticlan Jetty Port-Kalibo via bus or van: Php 100
Kalibo Airport Terminal fee: Php 20
