Yeah I know, it’s 2014 already and I’m blogging my 2012 Boracay itinerary. Eh di ako na po ang tinamad mag-blog! Sorry, I was so busy sa pag-emote then eventually sa pag-flirt love life (btw, I’m technically single as of this writing lol).

Anyway, this was actually my third time in Boracay but this was the first time for me to be with a group – my high school friends. So for this trip, there were things that I was finally able to try for they’re more practical to be done when you’re a group of, say, at least four (we were seven). This also marked my first solo travel as I stayed for one night in the island alone (not quite actually). More of these as we go through the itinerary ;).

Preparation (including Tickets and Accommodation):

Part of any trip is the preparation. We had this vacation end of March 2012 and we actually booked our tickets September 2011 (hindi kami excited). We got:
Manila to Caticlan via AirPhil Express = P2,200 per pax
Kalibo to Manila via Philippine Airlines = P1,852 per pax
Surprisingly, AirPhil Express (now PAL Express) and Philippine Airlines had (and still have) better rates than Cebu Pacific.

the new Godofredo P. Ramos Airport a.k.a. Boracay Airport
ang lakas maka-photo bomb oh

Click here for a more detailed guide on How to Go to Boracay (Directions and Fees)

For the accommodation, we reserved at Tans Guesthouse located in Station 2 for the first two nights – the same guesthouse where I stayed in my past Boracay trips. It’s no luxury accommodation but has all the basic amenities that a traveler needs for an affordable price, not to mention the very strategic location. We distributed our group into four rooms since we were consisted of couples, sisterettes, and yours truly. I decided to have my own room for 1,500 per room per night.

Tan’s Guesthouse Room 9: my simple little room for my first two nights
Click here for my full review of Tans Guesthouse Room 9

For my last night, I transferred to Boracay Beach Resort and got a Standard Bungalow room for P3,361 per room per night; a bit hefty since it was already Holy Week (Palm Sunday) then which is considered a “super peak” season. What I like on this hotel is its central location – very near D’ Mall in Station 2, and is a beachfront property. Reservation was done through myboracayguide.com.

Boracay Beach Resort Standard Bungalow
it’s a native style old room but is maintained and clean nevertheless
Click here for my full review Boracay Beach Resort Standard Bungalow room

Ticket and Accommodation Expenses:
Round-trip Airfare = 4,052
NAIA 3 Terminal Fee = 200 –> no need to pay this separately starting July 2012!
Tricycle: Caticlan Airport to Caticlan Jetty Port (50/chartered trip) = 17
Environmental Fee = 75
Caticlan Jetty Port Terminal Fee = 50
Pump Boat: Caticlan Jetty Port to Cagban Port = 25
Tricycle: Cagban Port to D' Mall (100/chartered trip) = 34
Tan's Guesthouse (1,200 for 2 nights) = 2,400 –> solo in the room
Boracay Beach Resort = 3,361 –> solo in the room
Miscellaneous (bottled water) = 17
Total = 10,231 –> or 6,179 excluding the airfare

Day 1:

My friends left me the responsibility of picking the must-try food places. Our first stop was at the famous Smoke Resto which is actually more of a carenderia than a restaurant.

I recommended them Chili Chicken which is one of the bestsellers and they like it. It has always been my favorite dish in Smoke Resto. Beef Salpicao is also really good and my second favorite here ;). Another bestseller is Sizzling Bulalo but I personally find it as just average.

a Smoke Resto must-try! affordable at just P100
[picture grabbed from my 2011 Boracay post]

Strolling around D’ Mall after lunch para matagtag ang kinain.

For the activities, we initially had a certain Mang Danny as our contact person/agent. He was recommended by another travel blog but I won’t be posting his number anymore as we had a not so good experience with him (details later). We had an hour of ATV ride as our first activity for P350 per head. Our activity provider where Mang Danny referred us was Red Coral.

the ATV site/starting point; and there was an amusement park under construction
[again, this was during my Boracay 2012, this could probably be operational by now]

very crappy ATV’s by Red Coral; ask for another ATV provider!
there were instances where our ATV’s stopped along the way, duh!

Part of the ATV ride was a stop over at Ocean Tower where we had an overlooking view of Boracay. Entrance fee is P50.

Ocean Tower seemed to had overtaken Mt. Luho Viewpoint as the default place to have a 360-degree view of Boracay

We had a free ride from the ATV site going back to the beach through Red Coral’s shuttle service.

One of Boracay’s trademarks for merienda – Jonah’s Fruitshake!

Most of us ordered the bestseller Banana Choco Peanut Shake; while others preferred the simpler Chocolate Milkshake which they said was like Sustagen hehe. Both cost P110 then.

awww, lost ang diet!

At around 4:30PM, we met w/ Mang Danny again for our Paraw Sailing activity. I was very excited as I wasn’t able to try this on my previous Boracay trips. We were seven so we were given a bigger than usual paraw boat for 1,200 (price per boat, not per head) for an hour of sailing.

you can do this at day time but it’s best to have this approaching sunset ;)

Boracay sunset is lovelier watching it while paraw sailing. It was actually a little cloudy the day we had this; we still loved the experience nevertheless. The boat was driven by the wind, no motor at all – which made the navigation calm and serene. It was such a relaxing experience.

this is definitely a must-try activity

Now, this is the reason why we don’t recommend Mang Danny, our activity contact person/agent that day. Before boarding the boat, we initially paid him P500. When we gave him the additional P700 to complete the payment, he claimed that he can’t recall that an initial P500 was paid. We ended up paying another P500 (total of P1,700 instead of just P1,200) to avoid further arguments. He actually looked sincere. But whether he was lying or not, what happened was still a big disappointment to us. The two paraw boatmen advised us to deal directly with the boatmen next time. Oh well, charge to experience.

Moving forward, we went back to our rooms to have a break and freshen up for the night activities. We then had a buffet dinner at Alf’s Resto located in front of D’ Mall in Station 2.

Whoa, it was already P380 per head! It was just P350 the previous year

Dishes were mainly Filipino; and the same with my remark on my 2011 Boracay – the food was just average. But we were so hungry then kaya keri na rin. In fairness, the kaldereta is good. Actually, ‘yun lang ang naalala kong ok.

dinner buffet along the beach front; very common in Boracay at night

Of course, always present ang mandatory picture with the very entertaining fire dancers.

these fire dancers perform nightly in front of a restaurant in Station 1
passersby are most welcome to watch

Tip: Get yourself BEHIND the fire when having a picture with the fire dancers. Otherwise, ganito ang finish product:

against the light (take 2 please)

The fire must be in FRONT of you para maliwanag. Ganito:

maghanda ng barya, tip of at least P20 will do

Before midnight, we just passed by Club Paraw in Station 1. We didn’t order anything; as in literally, dumaan lang kami. There was no entrance fee back then, I’m not sure now.

Club Paraw used to be my favorite bar in Boracay. But it was getting more of a prostitution den now. So many pokpok (prostitutes) infesting the bar, waiting for their customers – mostly foreigners. It was getting less classier at Club Paraw, ugh!

this used to be the place “where memories are made”
bring back the glory of Club Paraw please

The club was so full and we were very tired already. Most of my companions are not also that fond of partying. We decided to just go back to our rooms and have a good night’s sleep.

Day 1 Expenses:
Lunch (Smoke Resto) = 100
ATV = 350
Ocean Tower Entrance Fee = 50
Merienda (Jonah’s) = 110
Paraw Sailing = 243 –> 1,700 divided by 7pax (originally at 1,200 only; story above)
Dinner (Buffet at Alf’s Resto) = 380
Fire Dance Tip = 40
Miscellaneous (tricycle, water) = 65
Total = 1,338

Click here for the Part 2 of this Boracay Itinerary (Days 2, 3 & 4): Reef Walk, Paluto, Banana Boat, Still Standing After 15, and more! :).