INTRODUCTION TO BORACAY
Boracay is regarded as one of the best beach locations in South East Asia and was voted as the “Best Island in the World” by the Travel & Leisure magazine. Blessed with long pure white beaches it has become a favourite destination for both locals and international visitors.
In 2018 the whole island was closed to visitors for 6 months to allow the government to clean up the island and install modern sewerage systems. We actually visited Boracay the week before the closure, and to us it was fine, the only problem was getting food in restaurants as the owners were obviously running down stocks prior to their enforced closure.
There are a few variations on where the name Boracay originates, but our favourite is derived from the original settlers on the island called the Ati. In their language ‘bora’ means bubbles and ‘bocay’ means white. So ‘White Bubbles’ is a fitting description for the beautiful sandy beaches
WHERE IS BORACAY
Boracay is a small island located in the Western Visayas approximately 300 km or 200 miles south of Manila.
HOW TO GET TO BORACAY BY AIR
Boracay is served by 2 local airports, Caticlan and Kalibo.
Caticlan is located just across the narrow straits separating the island from the Panay mainland. It is literally 2 mins from the ferry terminal, and the short bangka trip across to the island of Boracay only takes around 15 minutes.
However, currently there are no international flight flying into Caticlan, and therefore the main hub is to fly from or through Manila
Kalibo is further away, and you need to take a land transfer by taxi/van which takes around 2 hours. The main benefit of Kalibo is that unilke Caticlan, it has international flights, accepting flights from a number of airports in Sounth Korea as well as Taiwan and China.
Domestic flights from Manila into Kalibo are generally cheaper than Caticlan, but once you have taken into account the extra cost of the road transfer and the additional journey time, then we would definitley recommend going direct to Caticlan.
SEARCH BORACAY FLIGHTS
You can search for and book the cheapest flights to Boracay or any other destination you wish by using the search forms below. It’s searches hundreds of airlines to get you the best deal.
HOW TO GET TO BORACAY BY FERRY
There are direct ferries from Batangas to Caticlan, which are a lot cheaper than flying, but the downside is that it takes 9 hours. Also if you are transiting from Manila, the journey to the port in Batangas takes another 2 hours or so
But there are night sailings available so that you can relax overnight and wake up the following morning to the beautiful sights of Boracay.
You can book ferries and other travel options using the search form below
WHERE TO STAY IN BORACAY
Boracay has wealth of options when it comes to accommodation ranging from global 5* hotel brands for those who love luxury to cheap hostels and dorms for budget travelers. So here are our recommendations, either because we have stayed at these places ourselves or they get good reviews from fellow travellers. Just click the photo to get more details on these great hotels.
Shangri-La Boracay
Discovery Shores Boracay
Boracay Sands Hotel
Boracay Ocean Club Beach Resort
Boracay Backpackers
Chillax Flashpackers Boracay
BORACAY HOTEL SEARCH
If the above choices don’t meet your needs then please use the search box below to take you directly to Agoda’s site. We have been using Agoda for a number of years, and they always provide a quality service at guaranteed lowest prices, in addition to AgodaCash where you can earn cash on every booking to spend on future trips.
WHERE TO EAT IN BORACAY
If you love eating then Boracay will not disappoint. There is something for everyone from high end restaurants, to well known Filipino maket brands, and fast food restaurants.
After visting Boracay many times, one of our favorite places to eat was D’Talipapa Market, which was a fresh seafood market where you bought fish, shrimp, squid or whatever seasfood took your fancy and then took it across the road to the ‘paluto’ restaurants where they would cook your seafood for a reasonable price. Unfortunately this place is no more…..well not on the scale it used to be. There was a fire a few years ago and the place never really recovered…..and sad loss.
But don’t worry there are still lots of restaurants that serve seafood, as well as a number of other delights.
Here is a list of our favorite restaurants in Boracay, but there are plenty more and our advice is to explore and if you find a good one not mentioned, please let us know and we will be happy to add to the list.
Mayas Filipino & Mexican Cuisine
Mesa
Henann Regency Resort Buffet
WATCH OUR BORACAY VIDEO
We have been to Boracay many times and have quite a few videos on YouTube…..here is one of them for you to enjoy.
BORACAY DAY TRIPS
This is a selection of excursions available in Boracay that you won’t want to miss. You can also see further trips in our Tours and Day Trips section