I wasn’t really thinking of creating a blog about Boracay because we didn’t really do much but I thought about sharing the essentials. So here it goes…

The New Boracay

After the island’s rehabilitation, I expected way too much…

We’ve seen all the photos and videos and it’ll get you pretty hyped up. But before you get excited on planning your next Boracay getaway, here are the things you should know:

#1 ACCREDITED HOTELS 🏖

To “enter” Boracay Island, you need to have your accommodations sorted out first. You have to reserve rooms from accredited hotels or resorts. This rule was implemented after the island’s rehabilitation. The local government made it very clear that they won’t allow tourists to go in unless they have made the reservations ahead…

You can book your accommodations through Agoda, Booking.com or from the accredited hotel/resort websites.

You can either choose accommodations in Stations 1, 2 and 3. For now, the road going to Station 1 is still unfinished. Just prepare a mask if you’re allergic to dust or choose a hotel far from the construction area.

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#2 AIRPORT TRANSFERS 🚐

If you are coming from Kalibo, you can easily book transfers from Kalibo International Airport to Caticlan Jetty Port. Just go straight outside the arrival hall and you can see plenty of options. You can either get a van or ride a bus. After reaching Caticlan Jetty Port, you will have to go to their “holding area” where you will be asked where you are staying on the island. You have to pay the necessary fees – environmental fees and stuff.

If you’re coming from Caticlan Airport, it’ll take less than 15 minutes to get to the Jetty Port. You need to book your transfers to the port outside the arrival hall. Don’t be swayed by the transfer counters inside the airport terminal, they charge wayyyyyy too expensive!

For reference, if you are coming from Kalibo your total transfer cost would approximately be between 400 PHP – 700 PHP. If you are coming from Caticlan, expect spending for your transfers around 300 PHP – 500 PHP.

The boat ride going to Boracay island will take less than 20 minutes.

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#3 IN-LAND TRANSFERS 🛵

You can easily go around the island by hailing a “tricycle”. The island also has lots of e-bikes. Short distance transfers would range between 10 PHP – 20 PHP per person while long-distance transfers could reach 100 PHP – 150 PHP. You can negotiate the fees with the driver.

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#4 FOOD 🍕

I personally cannot recommend Boracay as a place for foodies simply because I have only tried a few of the food places there and so far I can only count the good food spots with my hands.

Here are my personal picks:

• Two Seasons Resort (BarLO) – Four Cheese Pizza and Oyster Sisig, MUST-EAT!!!
• Coco Mama – Coconut Ice Cream
• Jonah’s Fruitshakes
• Sunnyside Cafe – All day breakfast place, yum!
• Obama – Great food and pica-picas. Their cocktails are very affordable too!

Other Restaurants:

• Aria Cucina Italia – Good Italian restaurant, quite expensive
• Panama – I would’ve include this on my personal picks list but then their customer service sucks…
• Paraw – Beachfront restobar
• Real Coffee – Breakfast place, haven’t tried everything on their menu so I can’t say. Coffee is good.
• Epic – Too crowded for me, but good food reviews

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#5 ACTIVITIES 🏊🏼‍♀️

• Parasailing
• Flying Fish
• Island Hopping
• Helmet Diving
• Paraw Sailing
• Beach Bumming

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#6 IMPROVEMENTS 👍🏼👎🏼

After the rehabilitation, the beach clearly improved. It’s cleaner now. The bean bags and lounges were removed. You are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, and/or party on the beachside. BUT people are very resourceful, they bring their own mats and still manage to crowd the shore.

It’s quieter now. Holding parties in Boracay are regulated. If you walk by the beach around 10 PM, you’ll notice how peaceful it has become. Restaurants are only allowed to serve drinks/liquors until 11 PM unless they have secured the permit to extend their services after the said time.

Beach activities are no longer crowding the beach but you can still see lots of people offering them. I haven’t done any of the activities on my latest trip except beach bumming so I can’t really say much.

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#7 BUDGET 💰

You can score cheap airfares to Caticlan or Kalibo. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific fly regularly there. I was able to score roundtrip tickets to Caticlan for 1,800 PHP.

Affordable and decent hotels/resorts can cost between 2,000 PHP – 8,000 PHP a night. There are also plenty of options for luxury hotels/resorts. You can check deals here.

A safe daily spending budget would be 1,500 – 2,000 PHP. This doesn’t include beach activities though.

 

I hope this will help you plan your trip to Boracay. Feel free to leave comments if you have any questions or concerns. If you like this article and want to see and know more about my trips and tips, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

xo,

Related Links:

The New Boracay, A Scam

A Not-So Crowded Boracay