First Time: Boracay Itinerary 2010 Part 1
It has been 10 months since I first set foot to Boracay. Nevertheless, I'm posting here my Boracay itinerary since I noticed a lot of people in the office and at online forums keep asking questions regarding the island. I hope this article can be of good help to those planning their trip. Just bear with the limited and low quality pictures as we only used my phone as our official camera :D
Pre-Boracay (Tickets and Accommodation)
If you want to get good rates for Boracay fare with travel dates landing on a summer (end of March to early May), better book them not later than January (at least a quarter before your trip). We got ours for 2,600 pesos for a round-trip ticket to Kalibo via Philippine Airlines. It's already a good rate considering that it's not on seat sale.
my very first plane ride :)
We selected Tan's Guesthouse (TGH) as our home for 3 days and 2 nights. It's a budget guesthouse located in the middle of Station 2; it's not on beach front but it's just a few seconds away to the shore, no sweat! The rate is 2,000 pesos per night but we got a 10% discount when we mentioned to the staff that we heard of Tan's in the forums so it's down to 1,800 per night (they provide discount for forum readers).
Pre-Boracay Expenses (in Philippine Pesos):
Round-trip airfare = 2,600
Tan's Guesthouse 50% deposit divided by 2 pax = 900
Total = 3,500
Day 1:
We headed to NAIA Terminal 2 (Centennial Terminal) and paid for the terminal fee which costs 200 pesos. The flight to Kalibo is on time. Outside the airport, you can already find lots of vans going to Caticlan. We paid 200 pesos inclusive of the boat ride from Caticlan Jetty Port to Cagban Port (Boracay). At the jetty port, we paid another 50 pesos for the Environmental Fee and 50 pesos for the Jetty Port Terminal Fee. The boat ride took us to Cagban Port (Boracay) for approximately 7 minutes. From there, we hired a tricycle service up to D' Mall Budget Mart for 100 pesos. Before checking in, we settled the remaining balance of 1,800 pesos for the accommodation. TGH is a good find for budget travelers for its clean and nice room, proximity to places of interests and above average customer service ;)
Namaste Room F1 (photo taken from http://www.tghboracay.com)
For lunch, we ate at Ghastof which is famous for their baby back ribs. We ordered, of course, the ribs and another one which I forgot. The ribs really are tasty; but personally, it's overrated and overpriced - bill is 275 pesos each.
We took some rest then haggled for some activities in the afternoon. We first tried ATV at 400 pesos per hour per person. Other expenses include: 50 pesos round-trip tricycle ride from white beach to and from the ATV site, 60 pesos entrance fee at the Butterfly Garden (1st stop, which I found boring), and 50 pesos entrance fee at Mt. Luho (2nd stop, good 360-degree view of Boracay). I don't recommend our contact for this activity because of the very crappy ATV's provided (can't remember his name).
Fruit Bats at the Butterfly Garden (you can touch and spread their wings)
Crappy ATV Ride
We had our merienda at the ever famous Jonah's shake (don't confuse this with its neighbor Jony's shake) at Station 1. I ordered their best seller - Banana Choco Peanut shake which costs 110 (note: service charge included). The flavors taste very natural compare to those you can find in the metro and I think that's what makes them stand out among others. We also tried Chori Burger which is abundant along the shores starting in the late afternoon for 40 pesos. It's just a regular chorizo-type longganisa (Filipino sausage) inside a bun. Chorizo is quite common in Manila so there's nothing special for me.
Banana Choco Peanut Shake
We tried the buffet at La Carmela de Boracay located at the end of Station 2, almost near Station 3, for dinner worth 250 per head. The food is above average although the variety of viands is a bit limited for a buffet; still worth it for its price though as it already includes unlimited beverage.
Buttered Clams (just the shells)
The crepe tastes good even without any filling inside.
Yummy Choco Crepe
Some restaurants provide free entertainment at night even for non-customers; very popular are the fire dancers.
Fire Dancing
Day 1 Expenses:
NAIA Terminal Fee = 200
Van From Kalibo to Caticlan Jetty Port (inclusive of boat ride) = 200
Caticlan Jetty Port Terminal Fee = 50
Environmental Fee = 50
Tricycle fare divided by 2 pax = 50
TGH Remaining Balance = 900
Lunch (Ghastof) = 275
ATV = 400
Tricycle To and From the ATV site = 50
Butterfly Garden = 60
Mt. Luho Entrance Fee = 50
Merienda (Jonah's and Chori Burger) = 150
Dinner (La Carmela) = 250
Total = 2,685
Timely ito kc pupunta kami ng Bora on FEB (masabi lng) at di ko na kailangan pang mgresearch on diff forums..
Hope you could add more place (resto, hotel, bars) and activities that's nice to try in Bora.
Lastly, I wish you millions of hits in your blog and feature more destinations to explore.. Good Luck Char!!! -- Dens
welcome to blogosphere! dami mong hahabulin iblog, kita ko sa FB album mo andami mong past travels. go blog them all! ^_^
can we exchange links...?
i love your travel stories...