Travel Diary: Boracay, the THREE-peat

Destination: Boracay Island, Philippines

What to see and do: White beaches, water activities, hiking, food tripping

Duration: 4 days and 3 nights

Companion/s: Charles

Boracay; the first place you'll ever think of when you hear the word summer, that is at least for me. This trip was my third time and definitely won't be my last. With pristine white beaches, great ambiance, and lots of food selection - it's the ultimate summer getaway!

Flights, transportation and why we were there

View from the inside of DZR Airport, Tacloban City

Our ride

It was me and my boyfriend's third anniversary last April 29. In my excitement and anticipation, I booked our flights early last February 11 and I have been counting the days since. We went there on April 28 and left early morning of Laboracay, May 1. I wanted to go to a place that Charles and I have not visited yet but somewhere I was familiar with. He wanted to go to the beach more than hiking so Boracay was really the first thing on my mind.

We rode a total of six planes when it was supposed to be only four. Tacloban airport had unexpectedly underwent its much-needed repairs on the dates of our travel. Unfortunate as we were, we still made the most of our trip and just thought of it as an adventure. I called Cebu Pacific and had our flights redirected so we've had stopovers in Cebu to and from Tacloban. It was a good thing that I packed lightly, surprisingly even for myself.

Accommodation

Logistics guy from My Boracay

I am a comfort-first kind of girl. I prefer paying for more when it comes to hotels. I initially wanted to book a hotel on the other side of white beach since it was my third time but because it was Charles' first, I wanted him to have the white beach experience. I looked and booked for our hotel at a site called My Boracay. They have a wide selection of hotels and they occasionally have sales. I think I'll dedicate an entire entry for them soon! Anyway, I opted for a beach-front hotel that was decent enough. I like low to mid-range hotels that still offer premium products and service to customers. The Rose Pike is definitely a hidden gem in Boracay. They have unique and pleasantly colored rooms. Breakfasts were delish and best of all - when you step out of the establishment, you'll see the white beach! More on The Rose Pike soon!

The general manager asked us to pose outside the establishment for their Facebook page

Our spacious and freshly colored room

One of the best pancakes ever from The Rose Pike

Food

First dinner

Ahh, the best part of the entire trip! I was literally always bloated. I didn't even care how big my stomach looked anymore. When we walked along white beach, we saw so many restaurants, most of them where part of hotels. I have to warn you though, if you want to experience the food white beach style, you'd have to prepare at least Php300.00 per meal for one person. You could get away with Php100.00 but you'd either be eating at McDonald's or Leylam! Lol. When I travel, I make the most out of the experience which means I want to try the best food that a place has to offer. As long as there's good food, I am in my comfort zone. In fact, on normal days, I spend more than 50% of my money just on food! As much as possible, I wanted to eat at places that were not available in Tacloban City.

Perhaps the best baked scallops I've ever had; Cooked at Maya's Kitchen, D' Talipapa

Make your own pizza at Project Pie

Great lunch at Lemoni Cafe

The bar at The Rose Pike

Our food destinations included D'Talipapa, Maya's Kitchen, Lemoni Café, Cristina's, Project Pie and many others. More on my food journey soon!

Activities

Island hopping

Since it was my third time, I told Charles that I wanted to try activities that I've never tried before but also let him experience some of the best ones that I've had. Travel and activity agencies are scattered along white beach. And although middle men were not allowed anymore, a lot of them were still there but are less conspicuous. You really have to make sure that when you book for an activity, safety must come first. During our trip, we did not have any accidents or anything which was good. We did island hopping, snorkeling, helmet diving, cliff jumping, and much more. We tried the services of different middle men and agencies. I'll dedicate an entire entry just for those activities in case you're interested.

ATV Ride

Helmet diving

Cliff jumping

Ariel's Point

View deck

Kissing Spiderman at the Trick Art Museum

Budget

I do not want to disclose to the public how much we've spent for everything. The flights were really pricey and I know I could have gotten cheaper tickets. Just a tip, when you travel, make sure you know what you want to experience and how much you are willing to spend for it. If you are on a tight budget, research on activities that you can try and note everything down. But if you're like me who loves to be spontaneous, just prepare a certain maximum point for your expenses and forget the rest! To me, it's all about the experience. Carpe diem!

Here are a couple more pictures. Ciao!