If you’re a Filipino and love traveling so much, it is a must to see Boracay even once in your life. It’s one of the most famous tourist spot in the Philippines because the beach is really long and wide, the sand’s soft, super soft and really really white. So beautiful.
Station 1, Willy’s Rock
Going there with the whole family has been on the top of my bucket list since last year (Calaguas Islands in Cam Norte and Palawan closely follow) but before I even had the chance to book for a piso fare from Cebu Pacific, I got pregnant. I didn’t really want to ride a plane pregnant so we decided to have the Boracay trip early this year (2014). I purchased a voucher from Metrodeal for a 3d/2n stay at Boracay Crwn Regency and was waiting for the promo fare for the first half of 2014 but I guess again, the trip just wasn’t meant to be that time. I was hired at the SM Store Sucat (Office). I was interviewed 2 weeks after my pregnancy. I didn’t want to work yet but I also didn’t want to make an effort looking for a job from scratch and this company has called me few times already and I have had my initial interview with them and passed. I said might as well try.
So anyway, I booked for 3d2n stay at Boracay Regency Crown Annex. I originally reserved our room last May 24-26 which was our wedding anniversary so I was really looking forward to this. But as I said, I got hired and we only have 1 off day which is Sunday and it’s really difficult to ask for permission to be absent specially since I was still new in my position. So with so much regret, I decided to cancel our reservation. It’s just sad because I decided to resign 3 months after. I can easily book for the hotel but finding cheap flights for the summer is impossible really so another option was to book for 2go which is kinda like a cruise (well, that’s what they say in their website). The travel time is about 10 hours if I’m not mistaken. Plus we have to be in Batangas port few hours before the ship will sail. We’re from Paranaque and going to Batangas would take another 2-2.5 hours at most. We didn’t want to travel that long especially since we already have kids and one is an infant. It’s really so hard to travel with the small ones so the best option is really on air. It’s such a good news that last July, Cebu Pacific offered piso fare scheduled October – November of this year. I immediately grabbed the deal. It was the first day of the promo but just about couple of hours after they announced the promo, most of the weekend flights to Caticlan are not available anymore. Tsk tsk tsk. Ambibilis talaga mag-abang ng mga tao (especially the tour agents I guess) hehehe. I tried some weekday flights but the time of departure and arrival are not ideal. Madalas gabi na ang departure at ang aga ng departure 😦 Sayang ang araw 😦 So I looked for a flight in Kalibo which is about 2 hours away from the port where Boracay is. The time I was able to book is at around 2pm and we will be arriving in Boracay at around 4 which is okay but I would’ve preferred our schedule to be earlier. It’s a blessing in disguise (I think) that Cebu Pacific (Actually Tiger Airways which is under CebuPac) rescheduled our flight since the plane that we were supposed to be on will undertake an emergency maintenance (Katakot I was imagining kung natuloy kami sa eroplanong to baka bumagsak ang eroplano huhu scary). At first, the airline scheduled us to a 6pm flight but I wasn’t gonna take that. We got the 10:30 schedule and I was really happy since we will be arriving earlier, we will be in our hotel just in time for our check-in (2pm).
Oh man, 2 days before the trip, we were crazy with the preps. Again, it’s such a big challenge to travel with kids. We had to bring stroller, milk bottles, milk formula, my daughter’s fave pillow (she just can’t sleep without it), additional blankets, etc etc… Land travel is really so much easier, there are more things that you can bring. We even used to bring an electric fan and crib, I’m just happy my baby is now 1 year old we don’t need the crib anymore :).
So, we were at the airport at 915 am. Despite the excitement, it was just so stressful, we woke up early but we were not rushing. We just realized that it was almost 830am and we were going to be late!!! That’s when everything became crazy once again and we were halfway in the airport when we realized we forgot my DSLR. Oh was I mad! I almost almost asked the cab driver to go back around but of course my husband wouldn’t hear of that. The risk would be huge and we can always use our phone cams. I guess I also didn’t want to risk it and ruin the whole thing. But if you know me, I will not take this lightly. I know it’s bad but I bitched about it for the rest of the vacation. Especially when I saw how beautiful the beach is. I got really sad because I wasn’t able to capture the beauty of the place with my phone camera. But God was still nice to us. My hubby got his company phone 2 weeks before our trip. It’s Nokia Lumia and even though it’s not a high-end phone, he heard from a colleague that the camera is really nice. He tried it and we were pleasantly surprised at the image. Very nice, like the images are really high def. I haven’t researched about the phone yet as of now but I’m really really satisfied. Even with it’s video capability. The photos I have posted here are taken from the Nokia Lumia phone. But again, these phones have their limits. You just can’t have good photos during nighttime not like with DSLR camera. So once in a while then, I will say something about it but I guess it’s my fault also. I don’t remember if it’s in the list of things to bring that I made.
At 10 am, we boarded the plane to Kalibo. It was a smooth flight and I was very proud of my kids. Kiara was super excited and Kyle was behaved. Nobody cried.I expected them to cry especially during the take-off and landing part where it could get really painful in the ears.We just showed Kiara to yawn while Kyle was able to sleep a little before the landing.
At around 11:15, we were landing at Kalibo International Airport, 15 minutes ahead of time. Galing galing 🙂 Before we got out, the Pilot went out of the cockpit and greeted the passengers. Mighty nice of him. And I was really happy when he let me and the whole family enter the cockpit and take pictures with him. I even got to sit at the Captain’s chair. What an enjoyable plane ride. BTW, just in case you want to have photos with the pilots, I suggest that you stay last. Then when it’s only you/your family and the crews, try to ask them. Many of them are nice enough to oblige. I did this with PAL Pilots before when we were going in Bohol. I guess they are more accommodating this way since you or your family are not creating traffic inside the plane and the other passengers will not see you having photos with the crew. It won’t give them any ideas that can disrupt the operations longer.
After the landing, we were greeted by a small group of people offering free buffet dinner. They’re from Astoria Hotel. Of course I’m not naive and I know that it’s not entirely “free”. There’s a catch somewhere even if the staff said that it is free but we have to go through a short meeting where they will take us to the hotel and show us around. I said okay mainly because I am interested to see the Hotel. I’ll cover more about what happened in this “short” meeting in a separate blog (It wasn’t short believe me that’s why I wanted to make a separate blog about it).
It was about 1130 am and we were really hungry. And I know that it’s about 2 hours before we reach Caticlan Port and even if we wanted to eat, pagod na rin naman talaga kami and we just wanted reach our destination kaya agad agad, we looked for a van that will take us to the port. Cebu Pacific is offering an all-in package which is 500/hd. This will cover the van/boat/shuttle ride directly to your hotel. It’s a little hefty especially since my 3 yr-old daughter will also be billed. S0 we just opted for the DIY transfers. I looked for a van and got one that also offers free boat ride for 500.00 (For all 5 of us including infant). Actually, it’s only 150/hd and since we are only 3, it should be 450.00 but the Driver asked for 500 for the whole row (which is good for 4 persons). We said yes. It’s a 2-hr ride and any moment the kids would get cranky, it would be nice to get more space for the entire drive. BTW, the vans are lined up outside the terminal, it’s very easy to see them kaya if you’re on a tight budget, wag mo ng piliin ung nag-ooffer ng all-in. One thing I like about Boracay is it’s a very accessible place, madaling makahanap lagi ng masasakyan so don’t fret. Actually, when you go outside the airport, you will immediately see the signs VANS WITH FREE BOAT RIDES AND SHUTTLES TO HOTEL ETC with their respective cost. You can always haggle. Especially if you’re a big group. But the fare will range at around 125.00 (usually vans only) to 175.00 (with free boat ride) or if you choose convenience and you just want be taken directly to the hotel, the cost will be around 250.00-350.00. Here is the breakdown of our expenses from the airport to the hotel:
Van ride and boat ride for 5 people (3 adults, 1 infant, 1 toddler) – 500.00
Terminal fee (adults only @ 100/head) – 300.00
Environmental fee (adults only @ 75.00/hd) – 225.00
Tryc to hotel – 100
I hated the terminal fee. You would think that hundred bucks is fine. But then I found out that you have to pay twice! Yes, twice!!! Upon entry and upon exit. Just too much. It would have been nice if you can really see how the money is being spent. The terminal is just too small and ordinary, actually it was borderline crappy for some (just heard this comment from a group of foreign tourists), the amount’s really ridiculous. Go to Hong Kong, you would see the difference. If the terminal is just as nice, I wouldn’t mind paying. But it just isn’t. I really really think that it’s this type of policy that’s killing our country’s tourism. Just think of this. Maybe an average of 2,000 visitors a day are going inside and outside Boracay everyday. Multiply it with 100. That’s P200,000 collection per day. Multiply it to 30 (# of days in a month) So we’re at 6,000,000 already as in 6M. Deduct about half of that for the maintenance, taxes and other expenses. About 3M a month or 36M a year. If you have been at Kalibo terminal, please tell me what you think. I maybe wrong in my assumptions but I really think that that amount should be able to cover a lot especially in the beautification of the place and it’s surrounding.
Anyway, after the 2 hour van ride, and paying for the terminal and environment fees, we went to take our boat ride. The travel is just about 5 minutes, the port to the island itself is very near but it took us about 20-30 mins before we were able to get down. Because of so many boats and there weren’t enough space for the boats to “park”, we had to wait for about 2-3 boats to get or disembark their passengers before we were able to park and get down ourselves. Good thing it did not take us long before we were able to get a tryc, there wasn’t a long line only few Koreans in front of us. We were really tired and hungry by this time.
Tulala na sa gutom hehehe
May ati atihan ata hehehe
Once we took the tryc ride, I was surprised with what I saw. I know that Boracay is already commercialized place but somehow I thought that some parts of it are still provincial and only the beach itself is very commercialized. I was sooo wrong. Though it’s not as crowded like Manila or QC or Makati but it’s already like Cavite, the crowded part of it anyway. There were so many establishment, left and right side of the road. So many people even though it wasn’t really a peak season. Trycs are everywhere. And as we’re nearing the hotel, it’s like I’m not in the Philippines anymore because Koreans are just everywhere! There are only few Filipino tourists. Most Filipinos work in the establishments. Some tourists are Caucasians, very few blacks and again I can say about 50% are Koreans or maybe Chinese. I feel mixed emotions about this situation, but certainly a part of me is sad because it should be us Filipinos who should mainly enjoy our land but it’s not the case and I feel bad. On the other hand, I feel grateful to this foreign tourists because of the business that they bring to the island. So it’s really a mixed emotion.
About 15 mins (few minutes before 2pm), we reached Boracay Regency at Station 2. It’s the annex area, really small. At the G/F are Korean establishments, most are offering tours then a small cafe. But guests staying at Annex still has access to the hotels under Boracay Regency. We just paid 2000.00 as security deposit, got our cards (No keys here anymore) and crashed our room. It wasn’t as spacious as Crown Plaza Galleria (Ortigas) but Oh Men! What a huge huge bathtub they have!!!! 3 people would be able to fit comfortably. I actually think it’s jacuzzi. Just so great. The whole family got excited and we already had plans on taking turns, but we were just so hungry so we decided to take our lunch first.
The room’s interior. I’ll post the bathtub, I’m just looking for the photos
We headed to the Dampa area which is just few minutes away from the hotel (very convenient) and bought half kilo of blue marlin, small squids for adobo and 1 kl shrimp. Just like in Manila, they have numerous restaurants that will cook what you bought for you at a certain price. Pati ung price ng cooking charge halos pareho lang din here. Another thing I like about Boracay is that hindi super mahal ng food dito. There are so many choices ng kainan and restaurants, so you’ll find one that fits your budget kaya lang dapat ready kang maglakad at maghunting talaga kung gusto mong makatipid.
If ako ang magba-budget, I’m gonna eat at Mang Inasal, Mcdo or Shakeys talagang mas tipid like 700 malaki na. But Jun said that we needed to feel that we are on a vacation talaga kumbaga itodo na kaya syempre, the choice would always be the common favorite, seafood. This is Jun ‘s 2nd time at Boracay kaya he’s already got idea kung san masarap magluto. I forgot the name of the resto but it’s the biggest one in the area and this place is the one that’s mostly full during lunch and dinner. It’s just across the wet market and the dominant color is red. I’m posting some photos so you’ll have idea.
I remember, we spent about P1,300+ for our lunch. Here’s the breakdown:
Seafood cost: P610.00
1/2 kl Blue Marlin – 180.00
1 kl squid – 250.00
1/2 kl shrimp – 180.00
Cooking Charge + Coke 1.5L: 610.00
1/2 Kl Grilled Blue Marlin – 100.00
1/2 kl shrimp – 150.00
Adobong Squid – 220.00
Coke – 80.00
Rice – 60.00
Dessert – 120.00 (Fresh Fruits)
Total = 1,340.00
What a meal! So good! So soooo good. What my hubby said before is really true. You know when a restaurant is good when there are so many people flocking in it. So good really. My favorite dampa here in Manila is Sharmila. The cooking is just as good there. So I suggest if you want to eat seafood, go to this place you’ll not be disappointed. We’ve tried a different resto the next day but the cooking wasn’t as good. So if you can find this place (really it’s just around the corner madaling makita) dito na lang kayo 🙂
Anyway, after the heavy meal, we went around the dampa area to buy some stuffs, water, snacks, more milk for Kyle etc.., we did not go at the beachfront. We were so tired and wanted to take a nap first before we head there. So after about 10 minutes, we headed back to the hotel. My hubby, sis and the kids were all asleep within 10 minutes. I wanted to join them but I had to unpack and to fix some things. It was about 4-4:30-ish. As much as I wanted to go out, I didn’t have a heart to wake them up agad so it was about 6:45 pm when I woke them up. We just fixed ourselves and by 7:15 pm, we headed to Astoria for dinner.
Even though we are used to eating at buffets, I was still excited, I just love exploring food and lalo na ung luto sa mga hotels. Since it’s quite expensive to eat in a hotel kesa sa regular resto, I always have high expectations. In this case, I guess it’s because the food’s free and just a marketing ploy, they didn’t even bothered to cook properly. Except for chicken and the mixed veggies, everything else are bland. Buti may fresh fruits. But it’s okay na rin kasi by that time, I was really excited to see the hotel and the amenities. A certain Joy was introduced to us, and dun na nagstart ang napakahabang pakikipagbolahan at mala-pyramiding style ng marketing sa amin. 2 hours were wasted and by the time I got rude dahil ayaw kaming tigilan ng Rep nila, pagod na pagod na ang mga bata at inaantok na. We were supposed to go to the beach. Naawa kami sa mga bata kaya bumalik na lang kami. Sayang nga eh, I really felt that what we did was a mortal sin. Most people, lalo na ang mga first timers, would go directly sa beach pagbaba ng gamit sa hotel because they would like to know if the rave about Boracay is really true. Kaya parang nasayang ung day namin. But I really can’t push yung mga bata especially my infant. But we had a short sidetrip before we headed back to the hotel. Since malapit lang naman as in just across our hotel, we decided to go at the main Crown Regency. It was really really nice:) Open na open, ang hangin. Before you get to enter the lobby, at the hotel’s driveway, look up and you will find an aquarium. Yup overhead. It was a nice idea but I hope they just placed small and colorful fishes there. Kasi sa totoo lang, anlaki laki ng mga isda dun, mukhang mga arwanas. A little scary for me kaya di ko naappreciate. But I really like the lobby and the pool area. So open and airy and there were lots of lounge chairs and 3 hammocks that were just too comfortable, you can really fall asleep if you lie down in one. We were there for about an hour. We didn’t want to go, mas masarap pa dun kesa sa loob ng room but the kids were really tired. We just said that we’ll come back the next day. Before we slept, we made a promise to wake up at 5 am to prepare ourselves, eat breakfast and go to the beach.
Uki, I’ll post another article for our second and third day which I promise would be a lot shorter hehehe. The next blog, I’ll be discussing more about the beach, Bora’s infamous nightlife, D’mall and syempre about food. Til my next blog 🙂 Pleas don’t hestate to like, comment or share if you like my blog. Thanks!
Tins 🙂 ❤
BTW, note to ladies, wear something comfortable. It’s one hell of a trip I’m telling you. I was wearing a dress going home because I accidentally soiled my other clean clothes (again a long story, mostly sa katangahan ko) so I had no choice. But my advise is to wear loose shirt and leggings or shorts, saka na kayo pumorma pagdating sa beach 🙂 Word of advise lang naman 🙂
Pamilyang Gala Chronicles 