Mabuhay Boracay : Preparation

To start with the preparation, one may ask when is the best time to visit Boracay Island.


i) Best time to visit

Recomended during Amihan which it is mostly dry from November to May. Considered as the peak season in Boracay, temperature during this time ranges between 25-32 degrees Celsius. This is the time where the island expected to welcome a vast number of visitors especially from Korean. During this time all the flight tickets, accommodations and tour/activity packages become more pricey than ussual. During summer or between May to July, temperature can reach up to 38deg Celsius which is the hottest of the year.

The off-peak season in Boracay and basically all Philippine beaches is between mid-July to October, known also as Habagat. During this time, skies are cloudy, the air gives off a cool breeze, and rain showers are more common. This is also the typhoon season in the Philippines. Contrary with Amihan, the rates for flight tickets, accommodation and tour package are cheap during this season but of course it will limit your outdoor activities as most of it related with the sea. The sea wave will be rough and could be dangerous also.

As mentioned in my earlier post, check the weather forecast at BoracayWeatherStation beforehand and plan your date properly. So, if you are wondering about the best time to visit Boracay, I would definitely suggest during Amihan. No point to get cheaper rates but not enjoying the island totally.


ii) How to Get to Boracay Island

Transportation to Boracay Island has it’s own adventure. Why I said that? Well, there is no direct flight to Boracay. You’ll experience all mode of transportation to reach there which is by air, sea and land.

i) Air - Flight Tickets (KL - Kalibo Airport)
Thanks to Air Asia as starting from 2014, there is a direct flight from KL to the nearest airport with Boracay Island, which is Kalibo Airport.
Note : Previous option to Boracay Island from Malaysia was to take flight to Manila/Cebu and take domestic flight to Kalibo/Caticlan Airport or Ferry from Manila direct to Caticlan Jetty.

After checking availability from all our travel members, we had set our travel date on 5/6 to 8/6/2015, which was a week before Ramadhan (fasting month for Muslim). If you noticed, everytime if I travelled with this group (Geng Shrek), we will have to go during school holiday as one of our travel member is a school teacher. The disadvantage of buying flight ticket during school holiday is, it's normally a bit expansive compared to non-school holiday, however as it was an off-peak season in Boracay (starting of Habagat), we managed to get promo price at RM623/return as follows :

05/06/15 (Friday) - Flight AK608 : KLIA2 (10.30am) to Kalibo Airport (2.35pm)
and returned flight on
08/06/15 (Monday) - Flight AK609 : Kalibo (3.05pm) to KLIA2 (8.50pm)

Since the time we went to Boracay it was starting of Habagat (monsoon) season, we did asked with the locals on what was the current weather there. According to them it was unpredictable but still OK since it's just early monsoon so we just proceed with the date, hoped and prayed hard that the mother nature wouldn't be cruel to us that time.


ii) Land Transpotation - Shuttle Bus (Kalibo Airport - Caticlan jetty)
The journey is not yet finished. Once you arrived at the Kalibo Airport, you need to take shuttle bus/van transfer to Caticlan Jetty which where you will get a ferry to the island. You can also opt for rental car. Basically all of these agencies which offer transfer service are available upon your arrival at the Kalibo Airport.


The rates are normally as follows :
Van / Tour Bus : PHP 250/person
Rental Car (Honda/Vios) : 1000 Peso/car
It will take another 1.5-2.5hours from Kalibo to Caticlan Jetty.  So what to do during this long hour, your just sit back and enjoy the journey as I bet U will.


iii) Water Transportation- Jetty (Caticlan Jetty - Cagban Jetty, Boracay)
The bus will bring you to the Caticlan Jetty where then you will need to take ferry to Cagban Jetty, Boracay Island.

Fare :
PHP 25-30 by public ferry, approximately PHP 100 by bangka.

Don’t forget that everyone coming to Boracay needs to pay the Terminal Fee (PHP 100) and Environmental Fee (PHP 75) at the counter just outside Caticlan Jetty, if the fee is not built into the package.

Duration :
Approximately 15 minutes by ferry, 10 minutes by bangka.

Operation Hour :
Keep in mind the operation hours of the boats are from 5am to 10pm.


iv) Land Transportation (Cagban Jetty - Hotel)
Welcome to Boracay Island! Now all you have to do is find your way to your hotel. There are different modes of transportation which you can use, from simple tricycles (or the locals called it Tuk Tuk) to vans, great when travelling with friends and family.

Fare :
PHP 50 (van arranged from Kalibo Airport), PHP 100 (Tuk Tuk to stations 1, 2 and 3)

Duration :
Up to 30 minutes (depends on location of hotel)

As mentioned in my previous post, if you travel in big group, it is recommended for you to direct book online earlier before your trip. I had made my booking with Southwest Tours (most reliable agency) 10 days before our departure and the process was so smooth. I just went to their website southwesttoursboracay.com. Basically U just need to key in your arrival and departure date, number of person, any special requirement needed and they will come out with a quotation to you. They will offer a door to door service, which means direct from airport to hotel and vice versa. You make payment, email to them prove of transaction, and then settled. As simple as that!!

What I noticed here in Philippines, they mostly preferred payment by using Paypal service. So for this booking with SouthWest Tours, I received the invoice through my email where it directed the payment to Paypal. Luckily I have the Paypal account or if you haven't, just create a new account. It's quite easy and secured too!

It is advisable to take the all-in, door-to-door transfer to avoid the hassle of long queues and irregular transits. Purchase an island transfer package onboard and be taken care of from the moment you step out of Kalibo Airport, all the way to your hotel doorstep, Terminal and Environmental Fee included. Price we got for shuttle bus to Caticlan Jetty, ferry to Boracay and Tuk Tuk direct to our hotel was only at PHP 550 one way. Just proceed to the Southwest Tours Boracay Inc. counter after collecting your baggage and they will take care of you from that point on. Easy peasy!


iii) Accomodation

Ok, this is a crucial part.
On Boracay island, there are numbers of accommodation that suitable for all budgets. As mentioned in my previous post, Boracay Island is divided into few boat stations which are Station 1,2 and 3. The cheapest accommodations in Boracay can be found at Station 3 while the expansive one located at Station 1. We on the other hand didn't stay at any of these stations. The reason being that we were looking for a place that could accommodate all of us together like a suite or house. It was difficult to find hotel with 3 rooms, so we looked for a house instead however it's normally located outside the beach area. After numerous checking on the internet, we finally found the best accommodation that met all our requirements (location, room and price wise) as below :

BORACAY HOUSE
HOUSE #0507, BAYVIEW HILL, BULABOG BEACH
BORACAY ISLAND

Price
USD 369 (Including 10% discount) for 4days/3nights
Approximate : RM65/night per person

The Boracay house is basically a 3 stories house (like a townhouse). Initially we supposed to stay at the middle floor which have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room. However due to some missed-communication between the House owner with previous guest on the middle floor which they won't be checking out until 6th June (the day of our arrival), the owner had asked us to stay at the top floor for the first night at no additional cost (mind you the price for top floor was a bit higher than middle floor) due to it has a lounge and open veranda facing the sea. However there were only two bedrooms available, one bathroom and there was a sofa bed in the lounge area. Since it was only for one night, we were OK with it. We could experience staying in 2 places and to add more reason, we planned to celebrate Lina's son birthday on the first night. So an open veranda facing the sea seems to be a very perfect venue to have a party right??

What I loved about this place that the caretakers, Ms. Cheche and Dexter were so helpfull. Since the owners (Mr Buzz and Anders) were out of the country, they were the one who arranged everything for us. They will normally arranged for the pick up from jetty to the house (incase you didn't book a transportation earlier) and also recommended us the tour packages and places to eat during your stay there. The house was quite spacious, clean, kitchen also equipped with major kitchen's utensils like kettle, pots, dishes, glasses, stove, fridge and more. Located in the Bulabog beach, the area was quiet good for us to spent an intimate holiday with friends and family. It is a bit far from the main attraction, the white beach but still walkable to reach there about 10-15mins walk.

The contras of staying here that it is not suitable for those who looking for happening night lifestyle. Since the area is not located in the main area, it was quite deserted and dark at night (however we didn't encounter any bad incident even when we reached here a bit late). The other thing to consider also on location issue is that this house located quite on the hill which is very steep... like very steep until no bike or Tuk Tuk could climb it. We needed to get off from the Tuk Tuk at the foothill and climbed to the house.. Trust me it was really tiresome.

I made the reservation through Tripadvisor portal, and all the verification was done via email. Payment as ussual using Paypal Service.

Update : I just been reminded by my friend to include this "issue" on the contra point also which is... DOGS. Ya, dogs agak "berleluasa" here. For us, Muslims it could be troublesome since we cannot touch it, but they were friendly enough (well it is their nature, I know) to tail us everytime we climbed the "unforgiven" hill to the house. Climbing the hill was one story, speeding up the climb to avoid the "friendly" dogs was another tragic story. Minta nyawa betul... Imagine we had to experience this every time we went out. I'm not surprised if I built up some muscles when I came back to Malaysia after all these exercises. :D


Some photos of Boracay House :

1st Day (Top Floor)

Entrance door.

Dining Hall and you can see wooden stair to the attic which 2nd bedroom located.

2nd bedroom at the attic. Quite spacious with one queen size bed and single bed.

The kitchen

Our favourite place. This is the venue for Emmer Musa birthday party!! Ade hammock utk melayan perasaan juga.

Neighborhood. This is how the veranda looks like from above.

Besides it's function as a seat, can be multi-purpose to hang wet clothes also... Bagus kan... :D

iv) Getting Around Boracay

Boracay Island is relatively small, and its road network, narrow and limited. The general means of getting around the island is by walking, cycling and motorbiking. Those last two are available for rent on a few shops in Boracay. For public transport, there are Tuk Tuks roaming around its roadways. Minimum fare is PHP 10 for non-special trips within the White Beach Stations and PHP 20 for farther destinations. Non-special means the driver can still pick up other passengers. To make sure a driver would only charge you the minimum fare and avoid confusion and confrontation, tell him beforehand that you’re riding non-special. For special trips, where you rent the whole vehicle, fares are set at PHP 100 for Tuk Tuk (up to 6 persons), PHP 250 for multicabs (up to 11 persons) and PHP 20 for single motorbikes or habal-habal. Note that prices may vary a bit especially if your destination is quite far. There is a premium of PHP 20 to PHP 50 for special rides from 9:00PM onwards.

White Beach is the main attraction in Boracay Island. Its long stretch of powdery white sands and clear blue water is what people are here for. The long beach is divided into three sections, Station 1, Station 2, and Station 3.

As mentioned numerous time also, I repeat the attraction of each station :
Station 1: where most prime hotels and resorts are located; quieter as compared to station 2. Willy Rock which is one of the most recognizable attractions in the island of Boracay also located here.
Station 2: the centre of of most activities. D’Mall is the place to go for shopping, and eating, Party scene is crowded and happening.
Station 3: least developed and lowest priced accommodation can be found here.

Apart from the White Beach, you may also consider other beaches as below :

Diniwid Beach: located right next to Boracay's famed White Beach. It's a 10 to 15-minute walk via a footpath carved into the rock face cliff from Station 1. Diniwid Beach is home to such resorts as Nami Boracay (Resort 150 up on a cliff), Boracay Spider House (Native style resort), Boracay West Cove Resort which is said to be the resort of Manny Pacquiao (klau rajin tgk KIX channel, MMA boxing kenal la mamat nie) and many more.

Bulabog Beach: the eastern side of the island. Windy most of the time, perfect for kite surfing. It is the place where you’d want to go if you’re looking to escape to somewhere quiet and serene and this is where we stayed during our visit to Boracay.

Puka Shell Beach: A quiet stretch of white sand along the northern tip of the island with lots of small puka shells.


v) What to See & Do in Boracay

Small as Boracay is, you’ll never run out of things to do on the island, especially if you have loads of cash. All the water sports you can think of, you can enjoy in Boracay. But, of course, the main draw of the island is still its beaches; or to be exact, The White Beach.

One does not need to pre-book for most of the water sports activities. Once you hit the beach expecially at Station 2, you will be harassed by local agents offering you “attractive” packages for water sports.
You can go island hopping—which usually includes snorkeling and cliff jumping within the itinerary—or you can go diving if you’re a licensed diver, or a maybe a fun dive for a first-timer.

Others water's exciting activities you could try on the island, including :
- Paraw-sailing, which is a sailboat & with nets on the side to serve as hammocks. For sun set paraw-sailing (20-30 minutes), just wait in front of the beach around station 2 at 5 pm. All the paraws will be parked along the beach, so you get to see which paraw that you will be taking for the sun set cruise. Price approx : PHP 300/pax. Could be cheaper if book with large group.
- Parasailing – PHP 950
- Helmet Diving – PHP 340


Don't worry if you are not into the water sports or the weather is not suitable for the water activities, as there are also Inland activities you can try like :
- ATV & Buggy Ride
- Cable Cars & Ziplines
- Go to Mt. Luho Observing Deck and even a visit to an oceanarium.

You can also combine the water & inland packages for cheaper price. It all depends on your bargaining skills. Actually I had checked some of the tour agents providing these packages before our departure date, however since we were still not decided which activity we would like to take, so we didn't book any, as most of it was the first time for us. Takut nanti dah booked, once smpai sana tak berani plak nak cuba. Kan dah rugi :P Luckily our caretaker Dexter got friend who is also a tour agent; he asked us either we already booked any packages or not. When we said NO, he gave us list of activities available and asked us to choose which package we wanted to try so that he could ask his friend for a quotation. We then decided to go for Island Hoping on our 1st day at Boracay plus HALAL lunch provided so total we've been charged was about PHP 800/pax. 2nd day we searched for the ATV package to Mount Luho plus Zipline at Station 2. Total price we got for ATV was PHP 650/person including entrance fee to the Mount Luho View Deck PHP 70 and Zipline at PHP 700/person.



vi) Where to eat

You should try Paluto in Boracay. What is paluto?? Well it is not a name of a place to eat nor a name of the food, paluto infact is a cooking service. This is how it works. Since Boracay is an island, seafoods are obviously common here. Go to the wet market located inside the D' Talipapa and choose any of the fresh products they sell; named it giant prawns and lobsters, fishes, clams, squids, scallops, oysters... it's a seafood party. Just in front of the wet market stalls you'll find restaurantes with paluto service. You can ask them either to steam, baked with garlic and/or lemon, grilled, or anything. They charged per kg. There is one restaurant with Halal sign. I will tell more details in my next post.

Besides paluto, there are few Halal restaurants (mostly Arabic and Indian) located in station 2 area.


vii) Others

- Currency during our travel was RM1 = PHP 11.80, advisable to convert your money adequately, as I read in others blog that it is quite difficult to convert RM currency there however we did find one money changer at Station 2 that could accept Ringgit Malaysia.


- For back-up purpose, we just brought instant maggie mee and 3in1 drinks just in-case however to be honest, we didn't found any difficulty to find Halal foods there.


- BIRTHDAY CAKE : OK this was a little bit surprise. I didn't put it in my itinerary as the idea of having a birthday party for Emmer Musa came from his mother herself. Probably she didn't want to burden me with additional task since I was already occupied with all the main preparations, so she was the one who searched and booked for the birthday cake in Boracay. All I knew was she asked my help for the payment since like I said, they preferred payment via paypal and I already have the account. Thats all.

Incase anyone interested.

1kg of Fondant Birthday Cay from Boracay delivered up to your door house = PHP 2,500, approx : RM215. Quite pricey but I think kind of worth it with the decoration, delivery and some more in the foreign land. Checked!

- Personal things like swim wear, Sunblock, advisable to buy waterproof bag to keep your belongings during Island Hoping/water activity, waterproof camera, etc. We bought waterproof phone casing at the island around PHP 100.

New sassy luggage bought at discounted price RM380++ at Jusco, Midvalley.

So all the preparation ready... now be prepared for the adventure. Fasten your seat belts....
I'm presenting to you BORACAY TRIP....................... in the next post of course.


Trip to Boracay, Philippine Fast Link Here
Pre-Journey Tips
Day 0 – The Journey KL to Boracay Island
Day 0 – 1st Night and Emmer Mosa Birthday Party
Day 1 – Island Hopping Starting Point & Crocodile Island
Day 1 – Cliff Jumping at Magic Island
Day 1 – Crystal Cove Island Resort
Day 1 – Luncheon at Puka Beach
Day 1 – 2nd Night at Boracay Island
Day 2 - ATV to Mount Luho
Day 2 – Fairway, Bluewater & Happy Planet ZIPLINE
Day 2 – Strolling Along White Beach
Day 2 – Last Night, Shopping at D’Talipapa and Paluto Dinner
Boracay Last Day
Boracay 2015 Total Expenses