With a length of 7km and a narrowest part of the island of 1km wide, Boracay Island is a great place to enjoy your upcoming summer vacation. This is a small island of the Philippines, about 315km from the capital Manila, 2km from the northwest coast of Panay Island in the Western Visayas. The island consists of 3 small districts: Manoc-Manoc, Balabag and Yapak in the Malay autonomous region of Aklan province. The beaches here have a gentle sandy shore that stretches out to the sea and the water level is only up to the chest, making it ideal for sea activities.
Besides its white sand beaches, Boracay is also known as one of the top entertainment destinations in the world. At the same time, being on the list of the most peaceful and exciting nightlife destinations, the island was voted the best island in the world by the prestigious American magazine Travel + Leisure in 2012.
Coming here, you can relax on the 4km long White Beach with fine white sand, along with countless resorts, shops and restaurants. White Beach is divided into 3 small beaches. Beach 1 in the north is the most spacious place with the best and most expensive resorts and hotels. In the middle is Beach 2, where tourists often go to enjoy delicious food, shop or organize lively parties. If you want to enjoy a quiet space, Beach 3 is the ideal place for you. Because the sea in White Beach is usually very calm during the Amihan season (from September to May of the following year), this is the peak season for tourism on the island.
Bulabog Beach is located on the east side of the island, opposite White Beach, and has strong waves and strong winds all year round. This is an ideal beach for tourists who are passionate about surfing or windsurfing. In fact, Bulabog Beach is considered one of the top destinations in Asia for windsurfing. Since Boracay attracts tourists from all over the world, the island has a variety of culinary options, from Chinese, Indian, American and Mexican dishes to French, Italian, Dutch and even Moroccan! When you come here, you cannot miss the delicious seafood dishes on the island. You just need to walk along the beach and choose. Don't forget to try a fruit smoothie made from tropical fruits like bananas and mangoes when visiting the island.
The island paradise has a plethora of activities for tourists, so every day in Boracay is like a vacation. You just relax and enjoy. Wake up in the morning, sip a cup of coffee and choose your favorite activity such as sailing, surfing, snorkeling or diving. Boracay has about 25 diving areas for all types of tourists. If you are an explorer, you can take a boat to visit the caves in Yapak or Bat Cave on the other side of the island. You can also experience parasailing or try paraw sailing – the island’s signature boat ride to travel around.
After enjoying the water activities, indulge in a massage on the beach or at one of the island’s spas; drink a fruit smoothie at Jonah; relax by the pool at Shangri-La Resort while looking out at the ocean. You can also shop for seashell jewelry. When the sun sets, Boracay comes alive with its array of bars. Listen to and soak up the lively music while sampling a cocktail, beer or wine at a beach bar.
With a vacation on this island paradise, you and your family will have the opportunity to enjoy memorable moments of a lifetime.
More information:
+ Best time to visit Boracay
The weather in Boracay is typical of the tropical zone. The average temperature ranges from 24 to 31 degrees Celsius. The best time to visit Boracay is the dry season, from September to May. This is the tourist season in Boracay with most visitors coming to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the tropical beach. The rest of the year is the rainy season.
+ Currency
The currency of the Philippines is the Philippine Peso (PHP). You can exchange money at hotels, major grocery stores, banks, and money changers. However, you should exchange money before arriving on the island. 100PHP = 2.4 USD (about 50,000 VND).
+ Travel
From Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, Philippine Airlines has flights to Manila. From Manila, fly to Kalibo or Caticlan, both of which are gateways to Boracay Island. Caticlan Airport is only about 5 minutes by tricycle from Caticlan Pier (where you get off the boat and travel about 10 minutes to Boracay Island). Kalibo Airport is about an hour by car from Caticlan Pier, with a bus route of more than 2 hours (should take the yellow bus, with a price of 107 PHP/person). Although it is only a domestic airport with a relatively short runway, due to the advantage of being closer to Boracay, the ticket price to Caticlan is much more expensive than the ticket price to Kalibo International Airport.
Although the procedures are quite complicated, Caticlan wharf is always bustling. Tourists buy boat tickets and pay port and environmental fees, then line up at the security gate, remove their luggage for inspection, and then get on the boat. There are two types of boats to the island: one is a large hydrofoil-like boat that departs at a fixed time, the other is a small wooden boat that departs immediately after 20 passengers. Before getting on the boat, you must go through another security check to ensure safety.
+ Accommodation
Boracay has many types of rooms for visitors, from motels to luxury resorts, with prices ranging from 17 to 500 USD/person. Microtel Boracay, Boracay Regency Hotel & Resort, Discovery Shore, Monaco Suites de Boracay, Shangri-La's Boracay Resort and Spa... are the most prestigious places to stay here with prices ranging from 103 USD to over 500 USD/night. 2-3 star hotels cost around 36 - 60 USD/night. Budget motels cost from 17 USD to over 55 USD/night.
+ Food and drink:
- Since Boracay attracts tourists from all over the world, the island has a variety of culinary options, from Chinese, Indian, American and Mexican dishes to French, Italian, Dutch and even Moroccan! Especially the fresh seafood. Squid costs an average of 150 PHP, shrimp is 180 PHP, lobster is 280 PHP. The famous roast chicken and spring rolls at the Patio Pacific hotel restaurant, crispy pata - crispy fried pork leg with salt, rice dishes such as tapsilog - grilled meat rice, bangsilog rice with fried fish, geoducks, blood cockles, mantis shrimp... are attractive options for diners. People here usually only dip their food in soy sauce. The buffet here costs from 250 to 350 PHP/meal (about 120,000 to 300,000 VND). Drinks like beer or soft drinks at Boracay's bars are very cheap, for just around 100 PHP you can have a drink while listening to live music from a Filipino band.
- Reference: Smoke Restaurant - serving Filipino food; True Food Restaurant - serving Indian food; Best Mestizos - serving Spanish food; The Hobbit House - serving Italian and Filipino food. In addition, there are a number of other restaurants and cafes such as Prana Restaurant, Manana Boracay, Bom Bom Bar (Beach 1, White Beach), Charhls Bar (Beach 2), Cream Café (Beach 1, White Beach), Crafty's Rooftop Boracay.
+ Sightseeing: White Beach, Bulabog Beach, Puka Beach, Baling Hai Beach, Bat Cave, Ariel Point, Luho Mountain, Dead Forest, Kar-Tir Museum...
For more information and to book a tour, please visit the website:www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.vnor contact the Philippine Tourism Authority in Vietnam at: (+848) 3 551 2202 F – (+848) 3 551 3800 | Facebook: Philippines Tourism – Vietnam.
