MERGED: The Boracay thread

Do have the pizza at cocomangas while having a jam jar during happy hour!
Do go for a walk to see all the sights. My first time to Bora (as the kids call it now) was in 1990. I walked the white beach side from end-to-end!
Don't limit yourself to the white beach side, check out Bulabog Beach on the opposite side to see windsurfing and kiteboarding action.
Do get a massage from the roving manangs at sunset. Da best! Bring your own lotion if you don't want to smell like coconut.
Do try the Indian Cuisine at True Food (if it's still there).

[Edited on 11-12-2004 by freeformula]

 

cool! glad you started this thread... it'd be helpful for us as well, since it's goin to be our first time there, too. we're goin for the atiatihan festival in january and will be statyin @ fridays...

hope bora lovers here will give us more input...

thanks penmanila:beer:

 

Sayang! A bunch of us are planning to go this January. A PhilMUG-Boracay meet sounds fun.
I stayed at Pink Patio once. The place is not bad and the service was good. You will have to take a short walk to reach the beach though. Short lang.

-Do dine at the Talipapa
-drink fruit shakes from Jonah's (Mango Rum is my favorite)
-rent a Parao during sunset.
-laugh at the name "D'Mall D'Boracay"
-Don't go snorkeling.There's nothing much to see.
-Don't take that island tour where they take you to that tacky island filled with silly statues and that "cave". It will rob you of precious beach time.

 

Eat crepes by the beach for breakfast.
Take a walk by the beach at night. Throw some money for the little kids who make those sand sculptures.
Have a fruit shake. (Jonah's is my favorite)
WiFi at Waling-Waling or Nami.
Do NOT lie down on the beach from a night of drinking. The tide will get you. Believe me.
Do have a fresh seafood meal at the talipapa.
Have a massage by Manang Baby (0918-7266210). She's one of the roving manangs and in my opinion, the best of the lot.
Ride a banana boat with your whole family.
Take the island boat tour. Why the heck not.
Have a meal at Caribu. YUM.
Chill out at Bom-Bom. Grabe the thumb organ when it's jam time.
Have a pizza at Hey Jude. It was sooo good. I don't know if it was the pizza or the Kamikazes I had.
Do bring your iPod!

Have fun!! Inggit ako!

 

hello all,

might as well contribute to this thread since this is the season everyone is either going to boracay or coming back...

i went to bora for the first time last december 2003 in between christmas and new year with my high school friends, stayed at seawind [which i really recommend because it has the best accomodations, food and location heee heee heee my daddy went to ateneo with the owner too!] so here are my do's and dont's...

food: must try true food [yes, tj i know what you mean]; the shakes in jonah's, especially the bailey's shake! the liempo in gastoff; friday's for lunch [i love their salads and sandwiches]; the crepe place near d'mall isn't that good anymore though, or maybe i was there on a bad day?; my friends and i frequented aria, the cibo-like restaurant in d'mall...

drinks: blue illusion at cocomangas and the bailey's shake in jonah's... need i say more?

water sports: must try the flying fish... it's a contraption that is pulled by a speed boat, for 6 people max... ooooh the exhilaration!! hehehe!

massage: mandala spa all the way! though i recommend you make reservations even before you get to boracay!

that's all... will add more when i think of something. tell us about your trip when you get back! cheers!:beer:

 

Don't take your PowerBook with you. Seriously, if you don't absolutely need it, leave it behind. For starters, you want to avoid the risk of salt air damage. Secondly, it's a bit risky to leave in the room when you are out in the beach (I've heard lots of horror stories of rooms being broken into). Lastly, you shouldn't really be working. You should be frolicking in the sand, wading in the water and enjoying the local restos.

However, if you and your PB can't be separated, you can always limit usage to the usual before-sleeping moments. As for security, you can also hand your PB over to the hotel management for safekeeping when you step out.

Enjoy the beach, Butch. Don't worry about the beer supply, there's lots of it!

[Edited on 11-12-2004 by elbertc]

 

Last time I was there, anyone could stay at the cabanas in front of Waling-Waling. It's a nice place to park and spend the afternoon, and get a massage. At the time, the kitchen was run by San Mig.

True food is a must as well. I recall a nice view of beach on the 2nd floor. You might catch a nice sunset from there.

Do bring your camera. Oh yeah, a waterproof case for wallets, watches and cams if you're taking boat rides.

 

my friends and i went to boracay last july. it was my first time to go. we stayed at waling waling. i just loved it there. im planning to go back next summer and staying in the same place. the worst thing you can do is go without sunglasses. i totally forgot mine at home and i suffered. the sun is just blazing and it gets really bright. there are a couple of places worth coming back to. jonah's for instance has excellent fruit shakes (yum!). the indian restaurant in station 2 is also not bad. nami has a really nice view of the island (see below)

have fun!

[Edited on 12-11-2004 by catrina]

[Edited on 12-11-2004 by catrina]

 

that's right, bring lots of ziplock bags.

 

Do's:
(1) Bring a simple, point & shoot digital camera (so you can have other people take pictures of your whole family without confusing them ).
(2) Try the mango shake at Jonah's (spiking it with rhum is a good idea)
(3) On your iPod, make an airplane playlist, beach playlist and drinking playlist hehehehe
(4) Put on sunblock even if you want a tan don't forget to put behind your ears and in your face.
(5) Eat chori burger.
(6) Eat the baby back ribs at Gustav.
(7) Eat the taco and burrito at Mañana.
(8) Chill out in Bom-Bom.
(9) Don't bring board shorts, mas mura pa dun kaysa dito sa Manila.
(10) Know the standard tricycle rates

* Don't bring your mac. Disconnect muna hehehe

 

Hi Penmanila,

FYI,

The owner of Pink Patio is the sister of newbie MUGger and very recent MAConvert, Dr. Dicky Boncan DMD "dboncan."

I'm told that it is a bit 'off the main drag,' but other than that, it is an excellent place to stay while in Boracay.

Could you please take some pictures and post them here ?? Bon Voyage !!

[Edited on 12-11-04 by El CaMOTe]

 

Sarap naman...baka kailangan mo ng 'kodaker' puwedo ako ex-deal... basta me beer at sisig at crispy pata... :beer:

You may want to bring a small mini-DV video cam as well.

 

Pizza and Beer-Hey Jude
Tenderloin Steak-Boracay Steakhouse
Mango Rum-Jonah's
La Pinay Crepe-Cafe Breizh

 

Question, has anyone tried to get to Boracay using the Ro-Ro bus-ferry scheme? How was it? Am planning to try it out for "adventure's" sake...

EDIT: And how long does it take to get there using the bus?

[Edited on 11-12-2004 by wari_aktiv]

 

Banana boats - ha ha ha, i remember the time I got left behind in the water because I had to jump again to dive for my water proof pouch - it contained the payment contributions of my friend for the banana ride.

If you're bringing a digicam - bring an image tank, or an iPod media reader. Or you could borrow the latter from any member here . It's lighter and safer than bringing your laptop. Boracay at night is a good photo subject (especially the kid's lighted sandcastles), so try practicing those settings for long exposure. The moon phase that weekend will be around "waxing Gibbous", 60% showing, so that would be able to light up a few treetops for you.

Load up your iPod with island beats and party music (sample some Putumayo discs from Tower records) para your music will match your environment.

The luau at Seawinds is good, and their make-it-yourself pasta is nice. A bit pricey but its eat all you can at P500, i dunno if the rates up now. Just pray it wont be a windy night, or else you'd have more than pepper and parmesan on your pasta.

In the island tour, once you get into the island enter one of the caves to reach the other side. the opening is enough for a man to crouch through, but once you get to the other side, you will enjoy it there. Just do it while its low tide, or else the hole im talking about will be under water.

Count how many "Gandalf-the-White and Lady-Hobbits" pairs you can see.

Walk the beach around 11pm-1am, you might see some "skinny-dipping".

Finish the 15-drink cocktail parade alive, and get your name listed on their wall of fame (plus you get a t-shirt). I promise I'll try to go beyond 13 without falling off my chair. I forgot the name of the bar though.

Call the hotel you are staying in and ask for a complete list of activities in Boracay during your whole stay there.

If you are doing a write up (for that ex-deal package of yours), might as well ask for a local guide that they will assign to you. It's better than wasting around asking questions.

Get a "beetle" henna tattoo for P150.

Join at least one local contest or sports tournament just for fun (beach volleyball - but you will know as soon as you get the fax of the island's scheduled activities.

DONT: dont dring those luggage with wheels - they WILL NOT WORK, and worse, and the fine sand can clog up the gears on the wheels, and you'd end up carrying it, and you know how heavy they can be.

SHOPPING: buy your stuff here in manila, if you forgot something, and need to buy it before hitting the beach (like suntan lotion, 35mm film, batteries, and bedtime snacks), Gaisano in Aklan is cheaper than the island marts. That is if you're flying via Aklan.

Have a nice, safe and enjoyable trip

 

Hi Butch, lucky you!

Going there, if possible, fly Asian Spirit straight to Caticlan then a quick tricycle to the pier, then take a 15 min pump boat to Boracay. Don't take PAL and land at Aklan then you have to pay a Hi-Ace van and take a bumpy, tiring 1-2 hour drive to Caticlan.

Pink Patio isn't a beach front hotel if I remember correctly. Its located along the main road, behind, a stones throw away from the beach front hotels at Station 3. The island is divided into 3 or 4 stations if I remember right.

When getting around, walking is ok, but might get tiring. You can walk to the main road and catch a tricycle to commute from station to station. Costs about P20-30

If needed, there's a drugstore along the main road between station 2 and 3 I think. The tricycle drivers will know.

I like the restaurant strip near Boracay Regency, its got 4 restaurants (including Tapas tapas) side by side so you can sit and order from each Japanese/Chinese/Filipino menu. Its got a nice fish pond inside which makes for nice picture taking at night.

During the island tour, don't buy the shell/bead trinkets from the islands, they're also available and cheaper at Boracay. The island tour costs about P800 or P1000. Underground Cave 1 isn't bad, ok for picture taking. But don't bother going to cave 2 where you have to crawl through a long narrow opening, not worth it. I liked snorkeling, fascinating to see all the marine life. Nothing much to see on the other islands though.

If you want to hang around the beach, the best spot is at station 3, where Waling Waling hotel is. The sand is finer and the beach is nicer.

Look for Viva/FHM hot babes and have your picture taken with 'em. Say Hi to Jen for me

Get an Apple logo hena tatoo? I forgot to do that when I was there Warning though, it will stain bed sheets and the hotel might charge you for that.

Most of all, enjoy!

[Edited on 11-12-2004 by Kenneth]

 

sigh..boracay...i just came from there last week! having withdrawal symptoms :wound:

Do go to the talipapa and try the king prawns there (they are big as bananas and cost only approx 100 bucks each!!!)

:drunk:

 

Butch, you'll have no problem sticking to your North Beach diet while you're in Boracay.

[Edited on 11-12-2004 by elbertc]