BORACAY ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

TOTAL EXPENSES per PERSON: P6269.25 ($149.26)

(3 days & 2 nights getaway in Boracay)

Savings: P10,978.25

Two-way Promo Airfare: P1181.75 (regular two-way fare using Caticlan Airport is roughly P10,000)

Accommodation: P1687.50 (regular rate for Crowne Regency Prince is P3360 per night for two with breakfast plus regular rate for La Carmela which is P487.50 per head)

Food (lunch, dinner, snacks): P700

Transportation (van, tricycle, boat from Boracay to Manila vise versa): P400

Activities (parasailing & helmet diving): 1300 

Souvenirs (food, other items): 600

Tax (terminal fee, environmental fee, admission fee): P400

Note: Exchange Rate: $1 = P42

Flight

We booked our flight in Cebu Pacific last December 12 last year via online and got the promo fare bound for Caticlan from Manila for only P661.50 (USD 15.75) per passenger, inclusive of terminal fee.

express lane for people with disability (pwd) and elderly

Our trip started as early as 3 in the morning last August 7. It was hard to get a cab that time so my uncle offered and drove us to NAIA Terminal 3. Unfortunately, we had to be there 3 hours earlier to assist my parents from checking-in and boarding the plane. Good thing, however, the airline has special assistance for unaccompanied people with reduced mobility such as expectant mother, elderly, handicapped, or people with disability without any extra charges. This special request can be made online or thru phone.

the airline's shuttle that transfers you to the aircraft

My parents were able to reach Caticlan Airport without any hassle at all. Then we (Yuki, Mae, and Cathy) took our flight this time. I noticed that the ground steward was getting not only the weight of our baggage but our body as well. I should have anticipated that the aircraft was smaller compared to the aircraft that I am used to. To be honest, I was quite frightened at how small the aircraft would be because I knew for a fact that it had high rate of crash in the past.

The ATR-72-500 turboprop is an 72-seater aircraft with 2 seats on each side, assisted by 2 flight attendants.

It was exactly 6:30 am when the aircraft took off and reached Caticlan Airport after an hour with no delay.

The weather was exceptionally perfect for a quick escape in this paradise.

Contact Information:

Hotline: +63-2-70-20-888

Fax: +63-2-851-4107 or call us at +63-2-851-8769 or +63-2-290-5242 

Address: 

Airline Operations Center Building 
Manila Domestic Airport Complex 
Old Domestic Road 
Pasay City 
Philippines 1301 

Website: http://www.cebupacificair.com/Pages/default.aspx

This was actually my 2^nd time here and I may have said that so many things had changed.

Almost a decade ago, taking a flight to this destination was highly costly and only a few could afford. In contrast, nothing could halt us from visiting the island. To save money, we chose to take ‘Ro-ro’ (land and water transpo) that took us 15 hours to reach Caticlan. After this exhausting trip, I promised myself that I would never do that again ever.

As I recall my memory, we arrived in Caticlan Jetty Port at around 6am, and the office usually opened at 8am, so we needed to wait for another 2 hours for a small boat that would bring us to the island. On the other hand, since Caticlan Airport (aka Godofredo P. Ramos Airport) nowadays receives flights almost every hour from various airlines such as Cebu Pacific Air, Air Asia (Zest Air), Tigerairways (Air Phil), Caticlan Jetty Port is available as well at any time of the day.

What disappointed me about this tour were the endless fees or taxes you needed to pay and the expensive tricycle fare. 

These are the things you have take into consideration to reach your hotel from Caticlan Airport 

First, take a tricycle located in front of the airport's arrival area for P50 ($1.1)

It will take 3-5 minutes to Caticlan Jetty Port

Then you have to pay terminal, environmental, and admission fee 

at Caticlan Jetty Port for P175 ($ 4.16)

way to Caticlan Jetty Port's departure area

Next, take a boat for P25 (USD 0.59) per passenger

You can reach Cagban Jetty Port from Caticlan for 

5 minutes if the weather is fine

Finally, take a tricycle from the terminal to any destination 

in Boracay for P100  (USD 2.38) per ride

Itinerary

August 7 (Wed)
        NAIA Terminal 3 ETD 6:30 am to Godofredo P. Ramos Airport 
        Strolled around D'Mall
        Lunch at Andok's 
        Checked-in at Crown Regency Prince at exactly 2 pm
        Rest for a while
        Parasailing at around 3 pm
        Visitted Starbucks 
        Dinner at I Luv Backyard BBQ
August 8 (Thur)
        Buffet breakfast at 6:30 am
        Helmet Diving at 8:30 am
        Lunch in an eatery in front of the hotel
        Check-in at La Carmela de Boracay Resort and Hotel at 1 pm
        Dinner at Mang Inasal
August 9 (Fri)
        Set Breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 am
        Departed Boracay at 7 am
        Took Southwest van ETD 8 am
        Lunch at an eatery in front of the airport's arrival area 
        Flight back to Manila ETD 12:40 pm

Accommodation

1. Pearl of the Pacific Boracay

It was already 9:00 am and my parents were allowed to have an early check-in at the Pearl of the Pacific.

We got this awesome deal from www.cashcashpinoy.com (one of the famous and reliable online shopping in the Philippines). Instead of a regular rate of P12,700 per night, we got it for only P2,599 (USD 61.88). This promo also includes 2-way hotel transfer from Caticlan Jetty Port (boat and van transfer) and buffet breakfast for two. When I found out that this promo only applied for rooms located at the hill side and the guests needed to walk 75 steps to reach their room, I asked the hotel personnel if they could transfer my parents’ room to pool side with the same rate. Unfortunately, they have to pay extra charges if they will change the room.

The guest must deposit P2,000 for the entire stay. 

This will be refunded upon check-out.

Surprisingly, when my parents received the key, their room was located on the ground floor and it was at the poolside. For senior citizen like them, the location they got was very accessible to the reception and the dining areas. 

Rooms at the poolside

The dining area

relaxing moment at the beach front

Pearl of the Pacific can be found at the Station 1, a few meters away from Willis rock. This hotel has been operating for several years now so its age is very evident on its exterior. To my astonishment, the interior is well preserved with its contemporary amenities.

This accommodation has firm mattress, comfy pillows, a clean towel for each person, flat screen TV, and. a small refrigerator. In addition, it includes 2 tiny bottles of shampoo, and 2 round soaps, 2 complimentary bottled mineral water, but they don’t have slippers. Rooms at the poolside have their own veranda.

The staffs are very hospitable and willing to attend to your needs. I never had any problems with their personnel at the receiving area except with one utility guy on duty that day. We didn't actually check-in at Pearl of the Pacific, but my parents did, so from time to time, I visited them whenever possible. My friends and I decided to see them at noon, but when we checked the room it was locked. When this guy saw us, he never asked anything and assumed we were using the room, then opened it using his universal key. I was really shocked when he did that. What if somebody would try to steal my parents' valuables. Right there and then, I told the staffs at the reception area and informed them that this incident should not happen again.

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.pearlofthepacific.com.ph/

2. Crown Regency Prince Resort

Non-beachfront room rate: P2400 ($57.1) for 2 pax, 2d1n (promo rate from metrodeal)

- with buffet breakfast for 2 

 It is located at Station 1

Contact Information:

E-mail: info@crownregency.com

Tel #: (02) 812-8219 / 812-4326 / 812-5382 / 812-5293

Cebu (032-418-8888) Mactan (032-341-4586) Makati (02-813-5902) Dava0 (082-225-8582 Boracay (036-288-1888)

Fax#: (02) 812-4298

Website: http://www.crownregency.com/

Where ever I go or travel, I always bring something to eat. Strolling along the shore of the island could be quite tiring and make you hungry, so there's no way to refuse from the extraordinary taste of these nibbles. A contrasting flavour between that saltiness of the chips and sweet zest of the biscuits is a perfect match.

3. La Carmela de Boracay

Contact Information:

La Carmela de Boracay

Corporate Office: Net Lima, 10-A @ The Net Metropolis, 5ht Ave. corner 26th St., E-Square Cresecent Park West Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Metro Manila 1634

E-mail: sales@travelonline.ph

Skype User Name: www.travelonline.ph

Call Center Hotline: (632) 467-8826 / (632) 467-9550

Trunk Line (632) 669-2767

Fax Line: (632) 873-2753

Cellphone: Globe (0917-559-8096) Smart (0939-904-5140) Sun (0922-801-7225) 

Viber: 0922-801-7227

Facebook: Travelonline

Standard Room rate: P1950 ($46.42) for 4 pax (P487.50/head)

- inclusive of set breakfast for 2 

our accommodation for 4

The dining area of the hotel

This limited assortment of viands is being served that day 

Menu of buffet breakfast that day:

- Chicken Adobo

- Scrambled egg

- Sunny-side up egg

- Toge (been sprout)

- Kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage)

- Bacon 

- Hotdog

- Fried Rice

Instead of buffet breakfast, we tried the set meal at the convention hall. This meal includes refillable orange juice, coffee, or tea.

If you will be staying in La Carmela for a few days, they have a list of meals prepared on particular day of the week. 

Below is the complete list of set breakfast from Mondays-Saturdays with 2 options to choose from. I just wonder what meal they will serve on Sunday. I never saw one.

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.lacarmeladeboracay.com/

Activities

1. Parasailing

When my friend asked me what activity I'm gonna try in Boracay, without any hesitations, parasailing was the number one on my list. I was not able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime adventure due to budget constraint when I was in Bali, Indonesia in 2011, so I said to myself that I would never miss this chance one more.

We were not permitted to have an early check-in at Crown Regency Prince that morning, so we just left our baggage at the reception area. 

While strolling around D'Mall to the coastline of Stations 1 and 2, we met a lot of tour guides along the way. Until we got to know Mr. Manuel showing the photos of activities he was offering nearby Willis Rock. After searching for a reasonable price for this specific activity, we decided to accept his deal. 

Contact Information:

Mr. Manuel

Cellphone #: 0932-760-9970 / 0949-687-3284

Price of Parasailing - P1000 ($42) per head for 20 minutes (inclusive of speed boat transfer)

Initially, we would be doing this activity on our second day. Thank god that I had listened to my partner because the weather the next day was overcast. 

Without wasting any minute in the island, we called Mr. Manuel to meet us in front of Budget Mart, located at the other end of D'Mall. 

Then he brought us to the registration area and assisted us to take the speed boat.

After 5 minutes, we transferred to another speed boat but bigger this time. 

You cannot really avoid doing this activity without other people on the boat and you have to queue and wait for 15 to minutes for your turn.

Usually the parachute can carry 2 persons at a time, but others can lift up to a maximum of 3.

Before they'll strap you from the harness, the guide will tell you about some safety precautions during the ride. 

2. Helmet Diving

You'll come across with many tour coordinators holding photos of their activities everywhere you go in Boracay; however, only a few could offer affordable prices of those famous beach and water activities. Until we met Ms. Janeth Monteza who has been in the business for nearly a month. The price she offered was reasonable especially for those who were on a tight budget like us. For other tour coordinators, the price of helmet diving ranges from 400 to 500 pesos per person, but hers was only 300 pesos ($7.14). Besides, Ms. Janeth never left us until we docked at the shore and assisted us in taking photos during the entire activity. 

Contact Information:

Boracay Seasport & Activities

Janeth Monteza

Cellphone #: 0905-612-0822

Facebook: Janeth Monteza

Price list of the activities (according to her)

     Parasailing - P 1000 / head for 20-30 minutes

     Island hopping- P 1500 for 3 hours

     ATV- P 300 / head for 1 hour

     Zorb - P 250 / head

     Flying fish - P 450 / head for 15 to 20 minutes

Once you agreed with the price, you will have to go the registration area and pay for your chosen activity.

Wait for the speed boat which will transfer you to the helmet diving site, a few meters away from the shore. This ride takes for a few minutes.

At the helmet diving site, one of the coordinators will orient you the do's and dont's of this adventure.

This helmet weighs 6 to 7 kg. 

After putting the helmet on, a diver will assist to submerge you up to sea floor. The depth is usually from 15 to 17 feet.

I know how to swim and dive but this new experience almost freaked me out due to mild claustrophobia (fear of enclosed space) and pain in my ear. We were told that there would come a time that the pain is felt when going down the water but once you reached the sea floor, it will be lesser. Generally speaking, the pain often disappears once you do the equalizing technique. I just made myself adapted to pressure and could settle at the bottom. Thank God! I was able to plunge in the last year's number one beach in the world and had a breath-taking experience to feed those colorful fish up close and personal.

our under water video taken by our diver 

Restaurants along D'Mall

D' Mall is a long strip of various shops selling wide selection of interesting items and foodies.

1. Andoks

Andoks is one of the country's famous chicken restaurant for many years. These days, it serves wide variety of Filipino dishes using fish, pork, and chicken. 

If you think restaurants along D'Mall don't suit your budget, Andoks is the best place for you. The price is inexpensive and the meals have sufficient serving. 

From top to bottom

- Tapa Meal (Tapa = beef) with sunny side-up egg and steamed rice) 

- Relyenong Bangus (stuffed milk fish = with bits of onion, tomatoes, and some spices)

- Chopsuey (Stir fried vegetables = cabbage. carrots, green or red bell pepper with spices)

- Pork chop = grilled pork

- Sinigang = Filipino stew with sour and savory flavor mixed with either fish or pork)

Price List: 

Pork Belly (Meal 4) or Pork chop with rice - P77 good for 1 person

Fried Chicken Meal (with 1 steamed rice)- P65 good for 1 person

Chopsuey (Ala Carte)- P73 good for 2 persons

Pork Sinigang- P79 good for 2 persons

Tapa Meal- P79 good for 1 person

Steamed rice- P12

Coke (1.5 liter) - P61

2. I luv Backyard BBQ

What's exceptional about this place is the eye-catchy brief and 

pithy expressions found on its walls

From the right - honey mustard spareribs, cinnamon glazed bacon 

skewers, stark naked in all their glory, and plain (steamed) rice 

I like the taste of the grilled spareribs dipped into honey mustard. It was not too spicy and greasy which makes it tastier when mixed with the sauce. 

Bacon skewer is not a typical kind of bacon where it is often fried and oily. Instead, they boiled and glazed it with cinnamon making its taste unique.

I was not satisfied with the 'Stark naked in all their glory.' It was just a plain fried chicken wing with a usual flavor and the serving is too few for the price.

Price per order:

> Honey mustard spareribs - P225 (good for 2 persons)

> Cinnamon glazed bacon skewers- P135 (good for 3 persons)

> Stark naked in all their glory- P175 (good for 3 persons)

> Plain (steamed) rice- P20 (you can request the other variant which has soy sauce)

> Coke in can- P40

Tip: If you will be trying this restaurant, be there earlier during the rush hour to avoid waiting. 

Orders are generally served for more than 5 minutes so you have to bear the wait.

For additional options, I took some photos of other restaurants or diners along D'Mall, but I never had a first-hand experience in these.

3. Hama Japanese Restaurant

4. Sa'neh Thai

5. Crazy Crepes

6. Ole 

along Station 1

Cafes & Refreshments Store

1. Starbucks

This Starbucks store is composed of 3 floors with a veranda on the 2nd floor.

(first floor)

(2nd floor)

(our purchase for that day including Starbucks newly-launched reloadable card)

Icon mug is P495  ($11.78)

Demitasse set is P335 ($7.9)

Starbucks card is P300 ($7.14)- you can use amount for buying any beverages or merchandise)

2. Red Bean Halowich

Contact Information:

Red Bean Halowich

Add: Phase 4, Units 80 & 81, D-Mall, Balabag, Boracay, Malay, Aklan, Philippines

Telephone #: 036-288-6752

Celpphone #: +632906-228-1243 

The best soft ice cream ever! 

This is a must-visit ice cream store in Boracay. Frankly speaking, I hardly found ice cream flavors like Mango Holic with perfect toppings, sweet and tangy strawberry syrup, and cherry and Sweet Holic with the crunchy feeling of the choco biscuit, multi-colored button-shaped candies, and the choco wafer stick in Manila.

Each old separately (P70 or $1.6)

You have to try this one after an exhausting day in the island . I took the complete price list of the store's best sellers and other beverages.

Souvenir Shops & Convenience Store

1. Bora Budget Mart

Contact Information

Add: Phase 4 D' Mall of Boracay

Balabag, Boracay, Malay, Aklan

Location: Corner of D'Mall of Boracay, along the main road

This is where we bought our pricy mineral water.

Nature's Spring Pure Water (4 liters)- P77

Nature's Spring Distilled Water (4 liters)- P91.75

2. D' Talipapa

D' Talipapa is a vast area of different products being sold, cheaper than in D'Mall. You can also see wet and dry market, more than a hundred stalls of souvenir items, some known restaurants and eateries, and a small supermarket.

You will see this signage along the main road

Mang Inasal is the landmark for D' Talipapa entry way

(ceramic ref magnet - P80 per piece)

(wooden ref magnet - P100 ($2.38) for 8 pieces)

colorful key chains and phone accessories 

with many designs to choose from 

3. Island Souvenirs, Inc.

Location: D'Mall

Souvenir shirt for both men and women is P 199.75 only  

4. Station 1

5. Dad Ram's

Pasalubong

Contact Information:

Dad Ram's Pasalubong Center

Cellphone #: 0920-542-5887

Location: In front of Kalibo International Airport, along the main road.

Price: P95

Price: P95

Price: P80

Price: P130

Price: P120

Price varies according to flavor

Price: P110

6. Suman (glutinous rice with fillings)

Tip:

She sells 15 pieces of suman for P100 ($2.38) with 4 variants, but you can request to make it 20 pieces.

Location:

In front of Kalibo International Airport, right across from the main road.

Transportation

By the way, from Cagban Jetty Port, you need to pay terminal fee for P100 then take a boat which costs P25 per passenger

1. Southwest Tours Boracay Inc.
My friend, Cathy advised me to try this way instead of taking an FX van. Although the fare is the same, but their vehicles are more spacious than FX. They have buses for group tour or coasters for few passengers. 
I like this option because there is enough space for your baggage, it was not congested inside the coaster, and they depart and arrive on time.
Procedure:
You have to contact the travel agency first and choose the service you prefer:
a. Hotel - Caticlan - Kalibo Int'l Airport
b. Caticlan - Kalibo Int'l Airport
Then do the payment thru their bank account being emailed by their travel agent. 
Scan the receipt and send it via email and you will receive the voucher. 
Have the printout of the voucher and present it to the staff of Southwest located at Caticlan, a few feet away from Caticlan Jetty Port. Secure the pass for inspection and verification before boarding the bus.

Fare: From Caticlan Jetty Port to Kalibo International Airport - P200 ($4.76) per passenger (P160 for senior citizen)

Contact Information: 

Southwest Tours Boracay Inc.
Sta. Monica St. Andagao, Kalibo, Aklan 5600
Telephone#: (+63) 036 - 2685100

Cellphone: Globe (0917-322-1901) Smart (0947-891-1658)

For more services, visit their website

Website: http://www.southwesttoursboracay.com/our-company

Kalibo International Airport

After checking-in, you need to pay another terminal fee

They have just posted the notice that effective July 1 this year, 

the said fee would increase from P40 to P100 per local passengers and P500 for foreigners

Courtesy of Innovata Map

Our flight was at 12:40 in the afternoon in Kalibo International Airport, which took 2 hours to travel so we had to leave Boracay at around 8am. There was no seat sale from Caticlan to Manila so we took the flight from Kalibo, but the flight that time was 20-min delayed. 

Cebu Pacific Promo Fare: P520.25 ($12.38) per passnger 

(terminal fee is not included)