After - Boracay

Hoho... Hubby decided to go to Boracay again this year December before Christmas with friends.

We have Andrew and Jason and their wife in list at this moment.
We plan to depart on Friday night and check out on the following Saturday, 9 days 7 nights.
Cost estimate of the expenses is around RM5~6k this time.
Our last Boracay trip (21st Mar - 1st Apr 09) was about RM7k for 11 days 9 nights.

The Island of Boracay is shaped like a dog bone. It is 8 km long, and 1 km wide at it's narrowest. White Beach and Bulabog beach are the primary and secondary tourism beaches, both located opposite of each other.

Boracay is a tropical island in the Philippines, an hour flight from Manila.
It's 4km long, powder white sand beach and the crystal clear blue water is #1 of the world's best beaches.
It is the most popular beach destination in the Philippines.
Boracay Island is about 7km long, and has several other more remote beaches around the island, as well as Bulabog Beach, which is the best kiteboarding and watersport beach in Asia.
There are all kinds of activities on the island, most famous for the diving, kiteboarding, and windsurfing.
There are many fantastic restaurants on White Beach with food from around the world.
Boracay is above else famous for it's nightlife, with pubs and bars of all kinds that are jumping until very late at night.

Getting There
- By Air:
1. Caticlan Airport is a smaller airport 5 minutes from Boracay. There are domestic flights from Manila and Cebu. A motorized trike will take you to the Jetty Port, less than five minutes away. This is definitely the preferred airport for ease and convenience. Due to the small size of the runway, smaller turboprop airplanes are used.

2. Kalibo Airport is a larger airport 90 minutes from Boracay. This airport that has some international flights, and accommodates larger jet airplanes. An air-conditioned van service will take you from Kalibo Airport to Caticlan for 150 PhP, or by Jeepney for 65 PhP.

Airlines that serve Caticlan from Manila/Cebu (in order of price for early booking)
http://www.cebupacificair.com/
http://www.palexpressair.com/
http://www.asianspirit.com/
http://www.flyseair.com/

- By Land:
The Strong Nautical Highway is a both an overland route and a series of Roll-on/Roll-off ferries. The trip is 16-20 hours with stopovers and dependant on sea conditions. It's locally known as the RORO Boracay route. (A/C bus 1500 PhP)

LAND Manila -> Cubao 2 hours
SEA Cubao -> Calapan 2-3 hours
LAND Calapan -> Roxas 2-3 hours
SEA Roxas -> Caticlan 4-5 hours

Getting In
1. Caticlan Airport to Caticlan Port – After getting out of the small airport, there will be a line up of Motor Tricycles. The ride costs 50-100 PhP per trike for the five-minute trip to the port.

2. Caticlan Port to Boracay Port – The Jetty Port has Bangka pump boats that ferry between the Caticlan mainland and Boracay Island from Sunrise to Sunset. There are sometimes ferries after dark, but not reliably so. The Bangka trip is 25 PhP, however non-residents also pay a 50 PhP environmental fee, and a 50 PhP Terminal fee. You need to get these tickets outside the Jetty Port before you enter. The trip from mainland to the island is 20 minutes. If you have heavy luggage, there are porters to assist you at 20 PhP per item tip.

3. Boracay Port to White Beach – Depending on the season, you will arrive at one of two Boracay Ports – Cagban Port in the High Season and Tambisaan Port in the Low Season. The distance from either to White Beach is about ten minutes. There will be a long line of Motortrikes to take you from the port to White Beach. This trip is 60 PhP per motortrike, or 100 PhP if you are foreigner.

4. White Beach – The Motortrikes cannot go to the actual beach, but will leave you on the Main Road with a path that leads down to White Beach. The larger paths have pedal trikes that can take you down to your resort, or you can walk the five minutes. The Motortrike drivers should know the right place to drop you off.