Infographic: Your guide to a well-planned Boracay vacation

MANILA, Philippines - While you’re daydreaming about walking barefoot on super fine white sand, bathing under the scorching sun, and partying all night, it’s wise to plan on how you can make your Boracay summer getaway worry-free and budget friendly.

Most travel junkies say that fun doesn’t always depend upon how much money you can spend. But these are frequent travellers who are experts in stretching a budget, creating detailed itineraries, and having the best time of their lives.

Don’t be overwhelmed!

There are just four things you need to focus on when planning: transportation, accommodation, food and recreation.

Traveling to Boracay
If you don’t mind long travel hours and if you find airfares too costly, you can go by sea or by Ro-Ro. Otherwise, book a flight to Kalibo or Caticlan during a seat sale. While flights to Kalibo are much cheaper than direct flights to Caticlan, the travel duration going to Caticlan Jetty Port is longer than your flight from Manila to Kalibo.

Finding budget accommodation

Research on rooms, rates, and amenities. Be practical and opt for a boutique hotel instead of a luxury resort. If you’re travelling with a large group, there are dormitory type rooms in the residential areas much cheaper than those near the beach shores. Book at least 30 days in advance so you can get discounted rates. If you happen to pick a bit more comfortable accommodation, consider sharing a room with friends or family to cut down on room expenses.

Hunting for good eats

There are a lot of restaurants and bars on the island. Most of the restaurants with the best reviews are at White Beach. Plan at least three meal stops in a day then multiply by the number of days for the entire trip. Ask for suggestions from your friends or read reliable, online food blogs. Most people don’t spend much on food because there are hundreds of affordable options.

Experiencing true paradise
Aside from the splendid beaches and picturesque sunset, sports activities and nightlife are among the tourist magnets of the Philippines’ top tropical hotspot. Unless you’re spending the rest of your life on the island, select the activities that stand out the most. Create a list of events and hangout places in Boracay and mark the ones that suit your penchants. Some of the most beautiful spots in the island might not actually cost you a penny. Be adventurous and make the most of your time exploring its hidden corners.

A trip to Boracay does not have to eat up all your savings. The key is to plan ahead, allot a budget and stick to it. And again, don’t be overwhelmed.

Here’s an infographic to help you prepare for your most awaited Boracay vacation:

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source: www.abs-cbnnews.com




 

World's 19th best beach is in Boracay: website

MANILA – The tourist favorite White Beach in Boracay has been recognized by a popular travel ratings website as one of the best in the world.

Named such for its powder-fine white sand, White Beach ranked 19th on TripAdvisor’s list of Top 25 Beaches in the World for 2014. For the list, TripAdvisor took into account insights from millions of the travel ratings site’s users.

Topping the list of best beaches in the world is Baia do Sancho in Brazil, followed by Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, Flamenco Beach in Puerto Rico, Rabbit Beach in Italy and Whitehaven Beach in Whitsunday Islands.

In TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Beaches in Asia list, White Beach ranked No. 1, beating counterparts in India, Thailand, China and other countries in the region.

Other Philippine entries in this list include Secret Lagoon Beach in El Nido, Palawan, which ranked fourth; and Yapak Beach in Boracay, which ranked sixth.

In 2012, Boracay was hailed by TripAdvisor as the second beach destination in the world.

 source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

WSJ article laments over-development of Boracay

MANILA, Philippines – Several travel magazines and websites may have praised Boracay for being one of the best beach destinations in the world today, but an article recently published in the Wall Street Journal lamented how the island has suffered from over-development.


In an article titled “Stranger than Paradise,” writer Wells Tower noted how Boracay has become the Philippines’ “worst-kept secret,” adding that it has “those elements of tourist culture that have already dimmed the appeal of places like Phuket.”


Tower was referring to a beach destination in neighboring Thailand which is said to be also suffering from over-development.

“Seen from above, such a profusion of windsurfers and parasails mob the limeade-tone shallows that the island looks besieged by moths. The flourlike beaches of Boracay, a narrow oddment of land a brief boat ride from the mainland town of Caticlan, have drawn throngs of foreigners since the ‘80s. Its years of hard use aren’t difficult to detect. Not many acres of this 10-square mile island remain unclaimed by hotels or houses and golf course. The few remaining postage-stamp size wildernesses are staked with ‘for sale’ signs,” he wrote.

“Boracay’s main attraction is the White Beach, a 2.5-mile stretch of bright sand along the island’s west coast. When I first arrive, I have some difficulty finding it. The beach, as it turns out, is hiding behind a long bulwark of commercial establishments, including but not limited to: the Obama Grill (slogan: ‘You want good food? Yes we can!’); a shooters bar inviting patrons to accept its ‘still standing after 15 [shots]’ challenge; the Facebook Resort; a shopping mall; and an uncountable number of t-shirt vendors, massage touts and diving tour agencies.”

He added: “Shouldering through the White Beach’s Times Square – density throngs, it’s hard to greet happily those elements of tourist culture that have already dimmed the appeal of places like Phuket: pedicurists plucking at your sleeves; Russian tourists dancing Gangnam-style at a beachfront club; restaurants lit with so much neon they look like rides at the state fair; Wilford Brimley lookalikes dining wordlessly with young Filipinas whom one can only optimistically suppose are mail-order brides.”

Despite this, Tower stressed that Boracay’s White Beach “is not devoid of appeal.” He then cited the “talipapa,” or beach market, where guests can have freshly caught seafood cooked to order.

Still, he had a hard time looking for some “less tourist-friendly fare.”

“My last full day on the island, I am still hung up on the idea of finding a spot less traveled by my fellow tourists,” he wrote before going to a bat cave near Boracay’s less populous Ilig-Iligan beach.

The government is planning to demolish at least 80 structures in Boracay to save the island from erosion.


But the governor of Aklan, the province where Boracay is located, is not very happy with the idea, saying that this may take a toll on local businesses.



On Palawan
While he is not pleased with what he saw in Boracay, Tower was all praises for Palawan, particularly Lagen Island Resort in El Nido and nearby Pangulasian Island.

He said that unlike Boracay, Palawan is a “diminishing rarity,” describing it as “a self-proclaimed tropical paradise that contains no go-kart tracks or daiquiri stands or much of anything but wild animals, water and sand.”

“I’m pleased that Palawan’s enviro-protected status has prevented people from erecting shooter bars on the hawksbill turtles’ nesting beds,” he wrote.

source: abs-cbnnews.com