Boracay Philippines is a beautiful place and not quite what you might expect. You may have heard that this little island has reopened after a government enforced clean up. Well it was stunning before so its probably even more so now.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Boracay in my mind is a very family friendly island, it is peaceful, and the main demographic that visits seems to be couples and families , particularly from neighbouring Asia. There is security on the main strip preventing hawkers from approaching tourists, and pleasant cafes and restaurants that line the beach.
SUNSET
There are a few vantage points to see the perfect sunset over the water, one of these is at the bungalow styled hotel called ‘The Spider House’ (don’t worry there are no spiders)found on the rocky outcrop at the northern end of Diniwid Beach. This interesting hotel is made predominately of bamboo and wraps around the hillside with rooms partially overhanging the ocean, very rustic but stunning views. The photo above is taken from the popular beach White Beach at sunset.
Unlike the likes of Phuket and Cancun this little island gem mainly consists 3-4 star low-rise beach condo’s. Its a fairly modest destination, beautiful naturally, commercialised slightly with plenty of friendly tourists. Away from the main tourist strip it is possible to find some smaller private secluded beaches where you can enjoy the beautiful sunset all to yourself.
BEACH & EAT
The Beaches, the main beach is called White Beach and this is where most of the accommodation and restaurants are. The beach is lined with stunning palm trees the sand is white and the water is clear. Unlike Thailand the water temp is slightly cooler but still refreshing. Being a more tourist focused island it is rare to find traditional filipino food on this particular popular beach strip. You are more likely to find American based franchise style restaurants and European cuisine. There are a few more secluded beaches on the opposite side of the island worth visiting for a walk or swim, but White Beach seems to be the most picturesque. The photo above is taken from a small beach just north of White Beach called Diniwid Beach.
Just slightly further north Balinghai Beach is a tiny secluded spot where you can have dinner on the beach and likely to yourself. The sunset from this little beach is beautiful, you can access the beach from the boutique hotel attached to it or catch a boat around from Diniwid Beach.
HOW TO GET HERE
There are a couple ways to get here. Firstly there are no direct flights to Boracay. So one option is to fly to Kalibo, flights are cheaper to Kalibo, but its a 60km bus or car trip to the port to cross over to Boracay. Or option two, fly to Caticlan which is much closer it is right next to main port to get to Borarcay. Then hop on a 10-15 minute boat across to Boracay.
