My 4-Day Boracay Itinerary 2011 Part 2
Click here for My 4-Day Boracay Itinerary 2011 Part 1 (Days 1 and 2)
Day 3:
After we had the inclusive breakfast in TGH, we headed our way in front of Yellow Cab in Station 1 where Mang Niño, our contact for the activities, stays. The weather is still not at its best but definitely better than the past two days.
sunshine at last!
Our first activity is reef walking a.k.a. helmet diving. The price varies depending on the season, we had it at P450 per head including the CD of the pictures and video. According to Mang Niño, it is best to have this in the morning when the fishes are most active.
the helmet normally weighs 25-30Kg; but only just 2.5-3Kg under water
it's buoyancy (oha! nakinig ako nung Science class :D)
We were given small pieces of bread for fish feeding.
it's a fun experience especially when a fish bites your finger instead of the feed
The reef walk provider where Mang Niño referred us is Dalrant Co. I do NOT recommend this because we felt being rushed, ang laki pa nung natira sa tinapay. We are also disappointed by the poor quality of the pictures and videos (aren't you?). Our shots last year are way better. Click here to see the difference. If I remember it right, our reef walk provider last year is Red Coral.
We had our lunch at Hawaiian Bar-B-Que beside All Flip-Flops (Havaianas) in Station 1. We had their best seller Baby Back Ribs at P435 for the medium size which is good for two.
grilled pineapple is new to me, and I like it ;)
I really like Hawaian Bar-B-Que, their ribs are tender and the sauce tastes right for me. I would rather go here than the more famous Ghastof in D' Mall. My rating...
"I love Hawaian Bar-B-Que Boracay"
Mang Niño referred us to Blue Bird Aqua Sports Inc. for parasailing at P1,450 per head (not per ride!). Unfortunately, we had some mishaps along the way. We were about to be buckled up when the parachute machine got busted. We were stranded on the waters for quite long and the continuous left and right swing of the speed boat made us extremely dizzy.
we were very frustrated, ubos ang oras!
It took approximately an hour before it got fixed. And finally...
after 48 years >.<
So this is it!
the going up sensation is a must feel
And in no time,
bring your own camera, one of the boat men can serve as your official photographer :)
we really enjoyed the first five minutes, it gave us a nice view of Boracay from the top
However, our dizziness kept on destructing the fun. We already wanted to go down on the latter part of this activity. We wanted to vomit, pero tiniis namin lahat para masulit ang P1,450! I'm not discouraging you to try this. I believe this could have been so much fun for us if not because of the dizziness caused by being stranded on swaying waters (due to the busted parachute machine). Because of this, I also don't recommend Blue Bird Aqua Sports, Inc. I know this could only be an isolated case, pero masisisi nyo ba ako?
Last year, I was not impressed by the famous chori burger. I gave it another chance and surprisingly, I like it ;). Well, this is still not on my favorite list but now I can say that it's nice to try.
not all chori burgers are the same
Due to ealier's delay, our supposed to be camwhoring at Puka Beach was cancelled. Sayang, balak ko pa namang magpa-picture ng naka-trunks dun - no kidding, konti lang kasi ang tao run kasi secluded s'ya. We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on beach bumming.
no, this isn't just beach bumming - it's people watching :D
feel the tide and just let the waves push you (panira ng moment yung paa sa baba)
I also tried jogging along the shore bare foot. That's how sugar-fine Boracay sand is.
magpa-cute while jogging - no need for any foot support at all
Of course, Boracay is not complete without a sunset.
the golden hour
We were craving to try Boracay Regency's Sea Breeze Cafe buffet in Station 2 for dinner. It claims to have Boracay's biggest and most extensive buffet (in terms of what?).
P671 per head inclusive of service charge
Sea Breeze offers a wide array of international cuisine which includes Filipino (Steamed Oyster, Pancit Canton), Chinese (Dimsum), Spanish (Sauteed Spanish Style Seafood), American (U.S. Beef Short Plate with Red Wine Jus) among others. Mas mahaba ba ang pangalan ng dish mas masarap (o mas mahal)?
there are also vegetable salad, cake dessert and fruit sections at the side
Definitely, the ambiance is much better than most of the buffets you can find by the beach. The place, service and food presentation are generally well organized except for some instances when food were not replenished promptly.
walang mapagsidlan... another pig-out session
Overall, I would put this in the above average category but on its lower boundary. For its price, I was expecting a little bit more. Masarap, kaya lang parang bitin. Nevertheless, this is still nice to try if you have some extra cash in your pockets.
We finished the day at Club Paraw for the third consecutive night. I know, I'm a party animal. This is one of the few chances I can be. Believe it or not, I have few opportunities to go such places when I'm in Manila because most of my close friends are either shy or married :p.
a lighter one for tonight - Mud Slide at P160
(the 10th place is missing)
Day 3 Expenses: (Note: food expenses divided by two)
Reef Walking a.k.a. Helmet Diving = 450
Lunch (Hawaiian Bar-B-Que) = 275
Parasailing = 1,450
Merienda (Chori Burger and Grilled Hotdog) = 40
Dinner (Buffet at Boracay Regency's Sea Breeze Cafe) = 671
Night Life (Club Paraw's Mud Slide) = 160
Miscellaneous (water, Master Siomai, etc.) = 37.50
Total = 3,083.50
Day 4:
We skipped the inclusive TGH's breakfast for this day to try the talked about Real Coffee located in an alley along Station 1. This coffee place is best known for their calamansi muffin which is getting quite a number of rave reviews.
the famous calamasin muffin (P45)
my rating: average
I'm sorry Real Coffee fans. I tried my best to convince myself that it tastes very commendable as what many say. But I think the unique fusion of calamansi flavor to the muffin is what people really appreciate. Other than that, it's ordinary for me. Their coffee is truly a "real coffee" and above average though. Yet for its price of P100, I would rather go to the nearby Starbucks.
Since we were not so satisfied with our breakfast, we decided to have round two at Zuzuni in Station 1.
Zuzuni means "little insect"
They offer Greek food, but their best seller - Mati Chocolate Sin.
I was stunned, I was amazed, I was speechless... a sinful experience
I don't know how to start, it's just outstanding. I knew it's gonna be great but it exceeded my expectation. I usually turn down good food if it's pricey but this is an exception. At P250 (plus service charge) for a not-so-big serving, I still highly recommend that you try this at least once in your life.
Moving on, I went back alone to Dalrant Co. to get our reef walking CD. But the lady attendant insisted that ours was claimed by my-she-assumed-companion 4PM the past day. I calmly told her we were doing parasailing that time. She was rude and even challenged me by describing how my-she-assumed-companion looks like. She was overpowering me with her dirty mouth.
low quality underwater pictures and videos plus rude attendant
Dalrant Co. Helmet Diving (Reef Walking) = NOT recommended
We went to their office and got our pictures and videos retrieved. The rude lady eventually realized that all of her descriptions of my-she-assumed-companion don't match any of my true companion's. Her boss was there and I think you know what happened next.
Question Now: Would I recommend Mang Niño for the activities? He is nice and I'm more than glad to recommend him. He is honest wih the lowest prevailing activity rates and even gives suggestions and some explanations on the activities. He was with me during my Dalrant Co. argument and was very apologetic. But if possible, try to ask him for a better reef walk provider and also for parasailing. I have no complaint for the ATV though.
Mang Niño - our activity contact and guide
+63.922.8876639, +63.920.9060466 and +63.915.8722855
I also had henna tattoo at my back for P150 which I should have better had since Day 1. It lasts around 2 weeks.
obviously, I'm a Boracay addict
We had our lunch again at Smoke Resto, this time at the other branch in D' Mall. I was not amazed last year by their supposedly best tasting Sizzling Bulalo (P220). I gave it another try but it still didn't kick me. The gravy tastes buttery but that's all. We also had Chili Chicken (P95) again which is one of our favorites in the island.
chili chicken is their best for me, forget the bulalo
We prefer to buy our souvenirs in D' Talipapa which has cheaper prices than D' Mall. They have it from clothes, accessories, magnets, keychains, figurines, delicacies, etc. There's also a stall of Island Souvenirs here which has more expensive yet more stylish and probably better quality clothes.
Bong-bong's delicacies are recommended although they're actually from Bacolod
Time to pack up... Hay, separation anxiety na naman ako. Before leaving, we just love Jonah's Banana Choco Peanut shake that we had it again for take out while on the way to the airport.
Day 4 Expenses: (Note: food expenses divided by two)
Breakfast 1 (Real Coffee) = 95
Breakfast 2 (Zuzuni) = 136
Henna Tattoo = 150
Lunch (Smoke's Resto) = 157.50
Souvenirs (D' Talipapa) = 780
T-Shirt (Island Souvenirs) = 400
Merienda (Jonah's) = 110
Total = 1,828.50
Going Home Expenses:
Tricycle: Jonah's to Cagban Port (100/chartered trip) = 50
Cagban Port Terminal Fee = 50
Pump Boat: Cagban to Caticlan = 25
Van: Caticlan to Kalibo Airport = 175
Kalibo Airport Terminal Fee = 40
Miscellaneous (water, taxi, etc.) = 205
Total: 545
Grand Total = 14,489.88 for 4 days and 3 nights; or 10,339.00 excluding the pricey airfare that we got. Quite an expensive trip for us who have been trying to be on a budget. Nevertheless, it has been another memorable Boracay experience to remember. The highlight: food trip - a pricey hobby, but the experience - priceless ;).
see you soon Boracay...
(and see you sooner Treadmill)
Ron / Mang Nino is also our guide for parasailing and reef walking last year. It was Ron who gave us the CD for reef walking. I didn't have bad experiences with them. I'm just not sure if the group who handled your reef walking is the same group who handled us last time.
good tips man ;)
thanks in advance!
@ivee: uu, may highlights hehe
enjoy Boracay!
very very informative
magastos lang sa pagkain =)
Ingat at salamat uli!!!
Quel
@Mr./Ms. Anonymous: sorry no idea
ako for kids. pro personally, i don't advise na mag-reef walk sila or parasail
may idea ka how much mga shirts, sandos and souvenirs? sa talipapa? both for girl and boy.thanks so much
Indeed its very interesting and helpful for first timers like me..
Thanks again..
I'm planning to go there pa naman w/ my family and treat ko sila. waaahh!
Thanks for the detailed post. Binasa ko talaga from the day 1 ung travel mo sa Bora.