When people picture a true tropical getaway, they’re thinking of the Filipino island – Boracay. This is the most visited beach island in the Philippines and with a 3 mile beach that perfectly faces the amber setting sun it’s no wonder why. A four star hotel is around $50 a night, a nice dinner is under $10, and the affordable excursions are only limited by your time. Pack a light bag with your swimsuit/shades and dive into our favorite beach island – Boracay.
Our top 5:
1. Walk White Beach (with a drink)
This island seems to have been created for long beach walks. It’s famous White Beach is 3 miles long with cafes right on the sand. Grab a drink, get a massage on the beach, wade into the water, and poke through the local owned shops. We did this down and back about ten times and found something new each trip.
2. Cliff Diving Magic Island
Take a boat ride over to the cliff divers paradise – Magic Island. Here they have a handful of high dives built into the sheer rock edge. Go as high as your stomach will allow and plunge into the deep blue water. This excursion also included a visit to two other islands. First, a stop by a private beach. Here you can enjoy time in a cabana soaking up sun while having drinks and fruit brought to you (hard life). The second island included lunch with a view. The food is a bit underwhelming, but we were surprised a meal was included in this $15 excursion. This locals BBQ was cooked for us beach side and best enjoyed in the sun.
3. Enjoy Pool Views
Our hotel (Hotel Soffia) had a beautiful pool ontop of a hill overlooking the ocean on the northern part of the island. We found ourselves enjoying a breakfast poolside and then reading for a few hours in the morning. A relaxing dip into a cool pool was always welcome on these toasty 90 degree days.
4. Parasailing
At only $12 per person how could you not give parasailing a try. We hopped into a boat from the beach and within a few minutes were flying high above the island. This was our first time parasailing and we found it to be very relaxing. A good excursion to bring a Gopro along for – just keep your wrist strap on 😉
5. Sunset Dinners on the Beach
With dozens of great restaurants, you can find any cuisine on this beach. Start exploring about 2 hours before sunset, and pick a spot with a table right on the sand. The sun here dips right into the ocean and there is no bad seat on this side of the island. We typically opted for dinner one place and then went to a bar with bean bags on the sand for drinks to enjoy the last of the twilight glow. This has been our favorite beach so far.
Time slows down on this island. Enjoy the warmth of both the locals and the sun. This place you could make memories by doing 15 crazy excursions or by simply doing nothing at all. After a week in Boracay you’ll feel completely renewed.
Tips:
- Best season to visit is October – June (moderate temperatures and little to no rainfall)
- Renting scooters is not a thing on this island, just take the tricycles and agree on a price before you hop in.
- Spend some days going on excursions and then plan on some days doing nothing at all. Take a moment to relax here.
- Check out their new small shopping center CityMall and grab coconut smoothies
- Find a friendly local with a laminated paper with all of the excursion options. They will help you with questions. Don’t feel obligated to book something on the spot, say you’re thinking about it and that if you’re interested you’ll come back.
- Barter on excursion prices. We typically got them 30% off.
We also got tattoos at a little shop on this Island.
