Going Boracay in the time of COVID – tips and tricks to maximize your vacation

Boy oh boy, Boracay was the first flight I took since COVID happened – 2.5 years. So crazy. And I must admit, thinking of boarding a plane and being stuck with many people in an enclosed place gave me a slight feeling of anxiety. But overall, I was really excited to just fly after so long. And boy am I glad I did.

So for today, I just wanted to share some tips and tricks for folks who haven’t flown or traveled to Boracay in awhile, so you have a sense of:

Where to stay in Boracay

First, let’s discuss logistics. I assume if you’re reading this blog, you’ve already booked your flight to Boracay. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend you purchase luggage during your flight booking (esp. if it’s Cebu Pacific). Mygosh, we purchased luggage AFTER booking our flight, and their buggy system wouldn’t recognize our payments! We tried Gcash, we tried credit cards, we tried everything! And get this, these payment channels all said they had paid Cebu Pacific, but Cebu Pacific maintained they didn’t receive any payments. Grr… in the end, we lined up and paid AGAIN in cash manually at the airport terminal. So we ended up paying 3x for the exact same luggage allowance. So pissed.

Ok, anyway, next logistics order of business is where to stay. I HIGHLY recommend Hennan Garden Resort. They’re located in Station 2, pretty central as you can walk to Station 1 and 3 easily. It isn’t beachfront (that’s Hennan Regency) BUT it’s very competitively priced, and because it was one of the earlier hotels to be built, their rooms are BIG. Seriously.

I highly recommend getting the room with direct pool access – these rooms contain a queen sized bed and a double. It can easily fit 3-4 people actually. And there’s even space for a sofa and a writing table. Very spacious. We got 2 rooms for our group of 6 (only 1 had pool access), and so the 6 of us spent majority of our time in this room.

In terms of amenities, the breakfast buffet is ayt. Nothing to write home about, but of sufficient quantity that you can gorge yourself if you’re ok with so-so breakfast food. Location, as mentioned, is excellent. It isn’t beachfront, but walk 5 minutes and you’re at the beach already. It’s also very near Om Bar and Epic – the two places to party, so very helpful when you’re coming home late at night LOL. No one wants to walk far after a night of drinking and partying.

The beds themselves are nice and comfy, the TV barely has anything on it (we brought our own TV box, which allowed us to stream Netflix LOL), and the bathroom was clean. The WiFi isn’t great, but I suspect this is the case for the entire island. I highly suggest you bring your own pocket WiFi (Gomo is always good) if you can’t live without stable consistent internet.

What to bring to Boracay

Okay, I had to add this section here because it’s ridiculous how many swimsuits and underwears and clothes I went through in Boracay. If you’re planning to beach, do OOTD photoshoots, go party, swim in the pool – make sure to bring 2-3 change of clothes PER day, at least 2 swimsuits for the trip (they don’t dry fast in Boracay, I have no idea why!).

We also brought our own alcohol (hence why we had to buy luggage allowance LOL) because the alcohol selection in Boracay is decent but not what you’d call extensive. In fact, we couldn’t find Schweppes anywhere!

And lastly, for strong internet connection, bring your own WiFi device. Or if you have a ton of mobile data, that should suffice too

What to do while in Boracay

There are four categories of things to do in Boracay: water activities, party, relax (aka massage) and eat. Eating deserves its own section, so you can read about that in the section below.

Water Activities

In terms of water activities, we did sunset paraw sailing, island hopping, UFO, dip in the ocean. We wanted to do parasailing as well, but LOL we could never wake up early enough!

So of these activities, I highly recommend the following:

• Sunset paraw sailing. OMG this was so nice. Since there were 6 of us, we opted to get a private paraw. No regrets! Make sure to tell them you want to be out at sea during the sunset itself, and they’ll tell you roughly what time you should head out. The entire thing took around ~40 minutes. Going out to sea was very peaceful. There’s a hammock you sit on, on both sides of the boat, and you can opt to lie down too. Expect your clothes to get a bit wet as the boat dips into the waters. Bring speakers if you want to listen to music out at sea. Then finally, when you reach the farthest point where the sky meets the sea (chos, joke lang), you’ll be treated to the wondrous sight of the sun’s fiery rays spreading out and being absorbed by the raging (it was actually quite tranquil) sea.

• Dipping in the ocean. The Boracay beach is beautiful. The white sands are so fine that you can walk barefoot and not feel a thing. Personally, I think the Station 2 beachfront is best actually. Station 1 beachfront is rather rocky and meh. Try to dip during high tide though, as when it’s low tide, you’ll have to walk really really far out as the water will only reach up to your knees. Having said that, it’s perfect for those with small kids because there’s no fear of a sudden dropoff in the waters

Now the other two activities we did, I will probably never ever do again:

• UFO: This was SO painful. I curse all my friends who suggested doing this activity. Never again. I like my adrenaline inducing activities just fine, but I think the way the UFO is set up is just right for 3 people. If you’re more than 3, some people end up in really odd configurations on the UFO, and it makes for a very unpleasant ride. Also, I lost an earring here (my fault, I should’ve taken them all off before getting on the UFO!)
• Island hopping: I find Boracay islands super meh. The beach proper is still the best in Boracay itself (where you’re staying), the snorkeling is so-so (not a lot of corals, fishes are dull in color), and the buffet lunch sucked (you can opt to not include the buffet lunch, which is what I’d recommend if you decide to do this). This was my 4^th time to go island hopping in Boracay, and… it was the worst. I don’t know why. It’s probably because I’m now older and wiser, and have also seen more beautiful islands at this point, so am less impressed. (I’m also lazier and would have preferred lounging in the airconditioned hotel room instead LOL)

Overall, there are tons of other water activities to be found here. Now you can opt to book via Klook or through some of the agents who will accost you as you walk along the beach, but I suggest just going to the main water activity station in front of Astoria Hotel Station 1. The prices are already set, and the process to book is really orderly. I think this is a much better option because you’re guaranteed the best rates actually. Just check to make sure you know the times when the activities are available so you don’t go there for naught. Example – we went there at 5PM for the UFO, but apparently, they stop operating at 3:30PM. Oops. That should’ve been a sign to NOT do it. Hahaha!

Partying

For partying, there are really only two to go to: Epic and Om Bar. Depending on the type of partygoer you are, you will either prefer Epic (for old people LOL, most people are seated, no centralized dance floor) or Om Bar (centralized sand dance floor where people congregate). To be honest though, a huge part of this will really be dependent on the crowd AND the DJ.

Massage

For relaxation, I highly recommend getting a massage! We tried the Mandala Spa Hilot Trilogy (so expensive), which started with a therapeutic foot massage to balance and boost the body’s immune system (this was just ayt – Foot Zone is better), then the hihilaan where they applied strips of banana leaves to identify areas of imbalance, followed by bentosa to rebalance the body’s heat and energy flow, then ending with hilot which was so so good.

Where to eat in Boracay

These are the ones I’ve tried during this trip, and let me just warn you – Boracay restaurants are NOT cheap. Expect to pay BGC level prices. Sad truth.

Breakfast

The Sunny Side Boracay

• Station 3
• What to order: Iced Vietnamese Coffee
• Comments: Food-wise – wasn’t particularly impressive. Can skip.

Lunch and Dinners

Little Taj Boracay

• Station 2
• What to order: Mango lassi (with rum), lamb biryani, fish curry
• Comments: The Mango Lassi is seriously the bomb. Great ambiance too, and I liked the mellow DJ music

Two Seasons

• Station 1
• What to order: Oyster sisig
• Notes: Super long queue. To be honest, I don’t think the food is THAT great as to deserve the 1+ hour wait. Two Seasons used to be a “must eat” place for me every time I go Boracay, but I think I’m scratching it off the list now

Lanterna

• Station 1
• What to order: Tenderloin carpaccio, fetuccine al salmone, scaloppine al funghi
• Comments: To be honest, given how far this is from the rest of civilization, will likely skip in the future

Dos Mestizos Boracay

• Station 1
• What to order: Paella Negra
• Comments: WAAAAY too cold. Their air-conditioning is CRAZY. Bring a jacket when you go here

True Food Boracay

• Station 1
• What to order: Salmon Tartare, Carbonara with guanciale, Mee goreng

Dessert and Drinks:

Ice Flakes Boracay

• Station 2
• What to order: Ube halo halo, Mango, Coconut
• Comments: SO GOOD. Their shaved ice is made from real fruit and you can really taste the flavor!!

Jonah’s Milkshakes

• What to order: Banana Choco

Coco Mama Boracay

• What to order: Coconut Ice Cream
• Comments: Actually, this was just so-so for me, but others rave about it. I thought the coconut meat could have been sweeter

Other restaurants recommended but not tried

• Maya’s: Sisig
• Island Chicken: Inasal
• Lazy Dog: Silog
• Obama Grill: Grilled food
• Los Indios Bravos: Fish and Chips, Craft beer
• Forno: Spaghetti Nero and Linguine Vongole, Formaggi and Carni Pizza
• Coffee Stroll: Coffee with Matcha
• Jony’s: Good shakes
• Cafe Maruja: Desserts