01 Jun Boracay – life is on the beach
After four hours flight from Kuala Lumpur, missed runway, additional and unplanned panorama flight over Kalibo, 3 hours drive to the Caticlan Jetty port, 15 minutes boat drive to Boracay, and 45 minutes of tricycle drive we finally managed to White beach. I was asking myself many times along the way “Is this trip agony really worth of place we are going to?”. After stepping from a narrow back road to the White beach the answer was definitely Yes. All the negative thoughts fade away in the moment, and the heavenly peace fulfilled the body.The sight was unbelievable; there is no any photo that could truthfully describe this place. It is a tropical paradise, and one of those places you wish you never leave behind, place that you behold with the tears in your eyes.
Full of tourists but still authentic in its beauty
Some say that Boracay is over commercial and too expensive, it is true that if you hit the high season from December to April you will not be alone on the island. But being there during the Holly Week which is the most celebrated holiday on the island, I can only add that yes, it gets crowded during the sunsets and along some places around D’Mall and Station 2, but day on the four kilometers long White Beach gives you countless opportunites to stay alone and to have a beach only for yourself. The only thing that is important to single out is a price of accommodation that is getting really high in a high season period. The temperature on the island is always around 29 degrees with cooler nights. The most rainy months are July and October.
There about 12000 residents in Boracay, most of them Catholic Christians. The majority speaks the Filipino language Tagalog, but many also fluent English. Residents in Boracay live primarily from tourism, which is the main source of income since the eighties. But no matter of tourism, it still feels like you are on some totally authentic and traditional place where people live simple and happy despite the life conditions that are far from brilliant. Maybe it is impossible not to smile when you live on such a magical place where the beach scenes are out of this world experience.
Seven kilometres long paradise
Boracay is a tiny ten square miles island right in the heart of the exotic Philippine archipelago.
Only 7 kilometres in length with the narrowest width measuring only just less than 1 km, The Island of Boracay is located about 300 km south of Manila, and surrounded by the deep blue water of the Sulu Sea westwards and the Sibuyan Sea in the east. These warm and clear waters around Boracay are awesome for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Carabao Island and Tablas Island are only a short boat ride away and can easily be seen during few day holiday in Boracay.
Beside white sandy beaches and turquoise waters Boracay offers an excellent nightlife, great restaurants, and other leisure activities such as windsurfing, parasailing and perfect setting for doing nothing but relaxing your eyes on a beautiful horizon. Those who like extreme activities should try out cliff diving at Ariel’s Point, also a popular spot for various activities aside from cliff diving, here it is also a centre point where many young people meet at open bar.
White Beach – one of the most beautiful beaches in the world
White Beach is considered to be one of the best beaches in the world. The four kilometres stretch of cool and sugary fine white sand and the crystal clear coral blue water is the first thing that comes to mind when you picture what paradise would look like.
This is where most of the island’s hotels, restaurants and bars are located. White beach is divided into three parts called Station 1, 2 and 3. In the middle of the beach (around station 2) is D’Mall, an area with plenty shops and restaurants, and here you will also find the majority of bars and entertainment shows. The sea in front of White Beach is full of romantic paraws (sailboats), and after perfect sunset, live music breaks out, and fire dancers make the show.
The party goes on all night. It will be hard not to party on Boracay, even if you are here with children. Everything goes on the beach, and music is all around you, you just have to choose your style.
One of the most popular bars in Boracay is the Cocomangas Shooters Bar, which draws crowds lining up to get inside. The bar is famous for challenging customers to down 15 shots of assorted booze in one sitting. If you prefer the dance clubs, then Epic Bar and Club Paraw are your place to be.
The most beautiful limitations here are those that smoking and littering are prohibited on the White Beach, and are punishable by a fine of 1000 PHP ( 20 Eur) or imprisonment.
Place for backpackers, luxury hunters, place for having fun but also for solitude
One of the great things about Boracay is the number of accommodations that is suitable for different types of guests. It doesn’t matter if you’re a backpacker or the type of person in search for luxury accommodation, you can easily find an inn or hotel that will meet your needs.
Boracay is famous for its hostels, inns, and B&Bs that provide safe, clean, and affordable rooms. Also there are many luxury beachfront hotels and The District Boracay is only one of them unique in its style and perfect location in the centre of all entertainment activities on the White Beach. If you are looking for peace and real solitude you can head north to peaceful Diniwid Beach, east to Bulabog Beach, place known for water sports, with its welcoming community vibe, or try remoteness of Puka Beach.
Lomi Lomi strokes with the sound of White Beach
Relaxing in Boracay is not complete without experiencing the massage and spa packages designed to totally ease your mind. We tried Signature Upperhouse massage in the District Boracay Hotel at Station 2, and must admit that after all Thai massages that strongly awaken the body, these one was something totally different. Rather say it is purely relaxing.
With Hawaiian Lomi Lomi strokes this massage is in direct connection with the island serenity. Relaxing tea before the massage, great combination of colors and sounds in the massage room, and one hour off children duty is something that made this massage truly unforgettable. The spa personnel in the hotel were adorable and looked after our children in the way that they didn’t want to leave spa area afterwards. Happiness for everybody.
Unique experience of the District Boracay hotel
In the heart of Station 2 there is a beautiful The District Boracay hotel, a luxury beachfront resort recognizable for its beautiful architecture and elegance. As we had the opportunity to experience its uniqueness all I can conclude is that it’s not a wonder that The District Boracay gain a spot in TripAdvisor’s prestigious list of the top Boracay hotels and resorts for 2014 to 2016.
Genuine Filipino hospitality and personalized service in the hotel is truly amazing. Everything here from rooms to swimming pool, spa and fitness centre to refine restaurants Star Lounge and Caruso Ristorante Italiano looks distinctively. Eating dinner in Star Lounge at the 3rd floor with panorama view to the White Beach and vibrant life going down on the beach is a special experience. You are in the middle of everything but have your own privacy.
Star Lounge is also well known for the great breakfast options and Best Brunch Buffet in the island from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. A la carte dishes for lunch as well as grilled-to-order dinner are also available at the Star Lounge. Also it features a stylish glow bar, and a bright and colorful LED lighting system that looks really amazing in the evening. What is even more special, there is a beautiful game of colors in the whole hotel, and together with distinctive architecture it creates spectacular image.
Even the special “Medusa Shisha” experience was full of light. This special colorful water pipe in a shape of medusa with fruits inside looks and tastes wonderfully.
Aside from the 48 modern minimalist rooms and suites, hotel is also special for prime beach position with sun loungers, 5-ft deep lap pool with Jacuzzi and Premier Lounge.
Eco friendly place to stay
The District Boracay is proud to be the one of the few Philippine resorts to use solar power as its main source of electricity for the whole property. The resort also organizes an annual Coastal Clean-Up Activity for staff and guests to join and do their share in the preservation of the island. The resort supports various international and local green initiatives (like International Coastal Clean-Up Day, Earth Day, Earth Hour, etc.) and actively participates in their activities. Aside from this, the resort maintains a team that is tasked to keep the beach in front of the property clean at all times.
D’Mall – famous Boracay open air market
Place to shop, eat and spend some time off the beach, Boracay’s D’Mall is something like a one-stop-shop open air market that doesn’t really look like market but rather like modern open air shopping centre where you can find interesting local shops with handmade clothes, bags and shoes, as well as cute little restaurants.
If you need a super market it is here, also money changers, spa, pharmacies, internet coffee shops, flight ticketing office , optical shop, dental shop, school supplies and ATMs. Here you can have fun in a mini park or on wall climbing facility in the heart of it. When you want to take a little break from the beach it is a great place for stroll.
Travel options to Boracay
There are no direct flights to Boracay. By air, you have two ways to get there.
Caticlan – is a small airport right next to Boracay. It’s the fastest connection to Boracay. Please note that only small aircrafts can land at this airport (that also means checked luggage is limited to 10 or 15 kilo per person, depending on the airline). From the airport it’s a 10 minutes walk (or 3 minute ride with a tricycle) to the jetty port. From the port it’s only 15 minutes by boat to Boracay.
Kalibo – is an airport 2 hours away from Boracay. There are nonstop international connections to Seoul (Korea), Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). If you don’t want to go through Manila, this is your airport! When you arrive in Kalibo, there are shuttles waiting outside the airport, ready to take you to Boracay. The last boat to Boracay is around 8 PM, make sure to arrive before 6 PM in Kalibo if you want to make it to the island on the same day.
Photo credits:The District Boracay Hotel, magic4.club