Oh my God, we’re back again! And this time, I visited Boracay’s White Beach with my love, Kevin! This is Part 3 of 4 of my September trip with Kevin! Boracay will always be close to my heart. While Kevin was hesitant to come here because of what he has heard about the island from his friends, I convinced him that we should go on this trip. (He heard that Boracay is all about parties, and I told him that gone are those days since the rehabilitation a few years back.

Tourist Requirements:

We still had to sign up at the Tourist Boracay website for a QR code a few days before we went to Boracay. I did this upon our arrival in Roxas. However, it was easier than when we went in January 2021 because when you fill out the form on the website, you get the QR code immediately. Unlike when we had to email the requirements before and the approval was done manually. Also, of course, no more RT-PCR tests as long as you are vaccinated. Accommodations still need to be DOT-accredited. I think this is no longer necessary as of the last executive order in October.

Upon arriving at the Tabon Port, we still had to present our requirements and pay all the fees. I think I need to put it out there that you don’t need to purchase the packages that are being offered by this company at the port. They are right at the door and it is very easy to mislead people that you need to pay PHP 700 (or whatever the price is) to get to your hotel in Boracay. Just go straight to the window and pay there. It is so easy to DIY it.

Roxas to Boracay

We left Roxas early because we have almost 4 hours of travel from Roxas to Boracay. There is no direct transportation from Roxas to Caticlan. For the third time in a few days, we were back at the Roxas Integrated Transport Terminal. We took our final tricycle ride in Roxas from our accommodation. At the terminal, we took a van going to Kalibo, and then another van to Caticlan. Since it has been raining, the port for boats going to Boracay was moved to Tabon Port. It was my first time going to Boracay via Tabon Port, it has always been at the Caticlan Jetty Port.

It is pretty straightforward from here – a boat from Caticlan to Boracay, and then a tricycle or jeepney ride to your chosen accommodation. We did not book a special ride from Boracay Port to Punta Rosa Boutique Hotel because we weren’t in a hurry and we didn’t mind walking.

Accommodations:

Punta Rosa Boutique Hotel

The reservation to this hotel was brought upon by Kevin’s disgust with our accommodation in Roxas. Hahahaha. You can definitely read all about it in my Roxas blog post. LOL. We were so satisfied with this hotel, and Kevin didn’t want to leave. I actually wish we didn’t, had I known that we won’t be able to go to Carabao Island via Puka Beach or Ilig-Iligan Beach. More on this later.

Punta Rosa Boutique Hotel was perfect. Let me start with the fact that the building is pink, which is totally living up to its name! We stayed in the Punta Piedra room for 5 days and 4 nights, which to us back to ₱7,056.36 (₱1,764.09)on booking.com. Our room was beautiful, and to be honest, it felt like I was on a honeymoon. Oh God, I feel embarrassed saying that.

The room was huge and really colorful. The interior design was to my liking. We had a big bed, we had a small living room and a spacious bathroom with an open door. I loved the huge mirror in the bathroom – I definitely did a lot of mirror selfies in there. There is also this rug by the bed (my side of the bed!) with huge throw pillows. This came useful when I had to work on our first night there. I worked there so that Kevin won’t be distracted by the light from my laptop screen because he was sleeping.

We had a small balcony, with a view of the beach, albeit covered slightly by a lot of plants. There was also a beautiful wardrobe, with a safe box. Kevin was totally spoiled by the safe box. Now, he looks for one in every hotel room we stay in. LOL. However, I think his favorite part of the room was that we had our own water dispenser inside the room. This is definitely one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve stayed in. Our booking had free breakfast and there were a lot of options, so I made sure to try something different every day. I love that you also get an option if you’d like iced or brewed coffee. As I’ve mentioned before, Kevin drinks coffee a lot – so it’s good that they serve unlimited coffee.

I would definitely stay here again! For what we paid, it was definitely worth it! I actually think that the price is very inexpensive for its location. I guess, it is because it is almost near Diniwid Beach, but this is actually the perfect location because it is in Station 1 and there are not a lot of people here. It is a long walk definitely if you would like to go to Station 2 or Station 3 but I would choose to stay at Station 1 always!

Oasis Resort and Spa

After 5 days in Punta Rosa Boutique Hotel, we decided to move to Oasis Resort and Spa, which is located near Ilig-Iligan Beach. This is for two reasons: 1) Because we would like to explore other beaches aside from White Beach, and 2) Because we planned to take a boat from Puka Beach and this would be much closer. Another thing that drew us to Oasis Resort and Spa, was that they offer free massages. We stayed for 2 nights so we had 2 hours of massage between the two of us.

This resort is pretty chill and much quieter than the accommodations located on White Beach. Upon our arrival, we immediately booked our massages. The masseuse went to our room to do our massage. What I liked about this is that, by staying at this resort, please know that you are helping a local massage therapist hired by the resort. If you can, please don’t forget to tip.

The resort has a restaurant so we ordered all our meals here. They are decently priced and quite good. The booking also includes free breakfast and if I’m not mistaken, they had 6 options to choose from. I love that they have tortang talong on the menu!

Our room was just the right size. We had a balcony, as well as a dining table and chair inside the room. There is a closet, that is very similar to what I have at home. It is not as luxurious as our hotel on White Beach, but it had everything we needed. I also love that it is just a few minutes’ walk to Ilig-Iligan Beach. Since it is far from the center, they have a shuttle but we ended up not using it since the schedule didn’t suit us.

I think they just need to do better maintenance of the resort because there is what looks like an abandoned building on the other side of the resort. They have guests stay in the other building that is being maintained. Other than that, this resort is not so bad!

Activities:

White Beach

Kevin was really hesitant to come to Boracay but I think seeing how insanely beautiful White Beach is may have just changed his mind. Since he was not really interested in water activities, we spent most of our days in Boracay lazing around White Beach. I definitely encouraged him to walk with me to Station 3, but we did it from Station 2 after having lunch at Meze Wrap. However, we ended up walking back to Paraw Beach Club so it was still quite a long walk.

Sunset

While there were a lot of rainy afternoons, we still had a good share of amazing sunset views from Boracay’s White Beach.

Learning English and morning exercise

Kevin and I had a morning routine – we would do morning runs together for 30 minutes, have our breakfast, and then learn English for an hour before starting our day.

Puka Beach

Puka Beach is, of, course, another must-go destination in Boracay. We stayed here for a full day. I thought we’ll go to another place after lunch, but Kevin liked it so much, we stayed the whole day.

Bulabog Beach

We went here briefly because I just wanted to show this beach to Kevin. As expected, he didn’t like it very much. However, since this is on the other side, there aren’t as many rules here as in White Beach.

Ilig-Iligan Beach

I have been to Boracay a few times, and even stayed here for over 3 months last year, but it was my first time going to Ilig-Iligan Beach! This is definitely my new favorite! It is located near Puka Beach, probably around 1 km from there. We heard that this is a good snorkeling area, so we rented a snorkeling mask from the store so Kevin could go snorkeling while I chatted away with the locals. Kevin swam to Turtle Island, which is a good snorkeling spot. We spent our afternoon here with Kevin snorkeling, me chilling with the locals while drinking beer, resting on the mat, and just lazing on the beach.

We came back here on our last day in Boracay, and it was so different from our chill afternoon a few days prior. It was a Saturday, so there were tons of tourists, and the wind is strong on White Beach, so everyone was on this side of the island. I definitely prefer our quiet afternoon a few days prior.

Restaurants:

My Boracay Guide & Boracay Eats

We had two nights where we didn’t feel like going out for dinner so we utilized My Boracay Guide’s delivery service and ordered from the Boracay Eats’ Facebook group.

Paraw Beach Club

Paraw Beach Club will always be a favorite sunset hangout place! We went here on our first day – I ended up getting the buy 1 take 1 cocktail, totally forgetting I had to work that night. LOL. Then came back a few days later, on our last afternoon in Boracay.

Salsa Fusion Boracay

While at Puka Beach, Kevin and I had a bet that I lost so I ended up treating Kevin to dinner and I had him choose the restaurant. After reading reviews on TripAdvisor, this is what he chose and it is located in Station 1. I wasn’t even aware of this restaurant, so I was surprised that it is one of the top-rated restaurants in Boracay. We walked here from Punta Rosa Boutique Hotel, and while we followed Google Maps, we still had to ask around because it was not exactly correct.

We were the only customers when we got there, and only one other table got occupied while we were having dinner. Seriously though, this was a perfect choice because it was life-changing! What we ordered were: porchetta bagnet, pollo con empanada, extra Mexican rice and I had to try their blue ternate lemonade. Everything was delicious, but goddamn, polo con empanada was just next-level! The bagnet is also pulled pork so it was easy to eat. I totally recommend this hidden gem in Boracay!

Meze Wrap

Kevin wanted kebab, and the restaurant he wanted to visit was located near Tambisaan Port. I suggested Meze Wrap and they have a 3rd floor now. What a surprise! I’m so happy to see this upgrade because Meze Wrap is one of my favorite restaurants in Boracay.

Ice Flakes Boracay

I passed by this place and craved bingsu, so I went to buy some! I tried their halo-halo bingsu.

Melrose Restaurant

We ate lunch here during our full day in Puka Beach.

Wrap Brothers Shawarma

I was so sad to find out that Globy’s is no longer serving buy 1 take 1 shawarma! We had to look for another place and glad we found this as soon as we entered D’Mall.

Kolai Mangyan

Of course, I had to bring Kevin to Kolai Mangyan! After hanging out at Paraw Beach Club during sunset, we wanted to have dinner before going back to Oasis Resort and Spa. The closest restaurant is Kolai Mangyan – it is literally right in front. It’s perfect, inexpensive yet delicious Filipino food!

Barbecue at Diamond Water Hotel

Since this hotel has re-opened, they are no longer in their usual area, but it is right in between Diamond Water Hotel and Paraw Beach Club. I cannot recognize, though if it is the same people running this barbecue stall. nevertheless, I had my isaw fix at least once during our week in Boracay.

We also ate at a random place selling kikiam, cheese sticks, and siomai in Diniwid Beach when we went to get our laundry!

Next stop: Hambil!