The Boracay Experience: In My Own Words

Stats: No. of times I've been to the island 1, No. of days on the island 3, Restaurants visited 5, Water sports participated in 2, Alcoholic drinks consumed 3, Clubs visited 0, Coffee shops visited 3, Photos taken 0, Unfortunate events that happened to me 4

Lodging: Crown Regency, Station 2

Coupons were purchased from Buyanihan.com for 5,444 pesos/pax, which included accommodations for 3D/2N, breakfast, boat transfer from/to Caticlan Jetty Port, and a choice between 15 minutes of parasailing or jet ski. Just a side note, for an additional round trip fee of 720 pesos per head, the hotel helped us arrange our land transfer from Kalibo airport to Caticlan. No lines, no negotiations required, zero hassle on our part. Crown Regency is the latest, still unfinished, project of the Regency chain of resorts in Boracay. While the lobby and a few buildings are ready, a good portion of the back part of the resort is still under construction. Advantages of staying here include the spacious rooms, friendly and helpful staff, and a 24-hour convenience store. It is a good 15-minute leisurely walk, though, from d'mall, but it can easily be thought of as a short workout.

Restaurants & coffee shops visited, both planned and spontaneous

I left my list of restaurants/coffee shops at home, but it turns out, none of the places I wanted to visit were super secret since I was able to hit 5 out of the 7 spots in my list just by following my friends. Here's a list of the places we got to try and a brief description/review of each.

True Food (Indian, Station 2) - Relaxing atmosphere, around Php 600/person. Patience required as food may take a while to be prepared. Sweet lassi, highly recommended. Numerous vegetarian options.

Jonas Shakes (Station 1) - Sipped from a friend's mango-banana shake, could have been a while since it was served which was why it was at room temperature. Too thick and sweet for my taste, which might be their selling point.

Fish Bar (d'mall) - Generous serving of fish & chips, just right given its 300 something price tag. Everyone did find the fish rather greasy, though. Only option for vegetarians was breakfast food.

Real Coffee (Station 1) - I had their Real Iced Coffee to go (Php 110). It was conveniently served in a re-used water bottle, the cap of which was punched with a hole to fit in a drinking straw. Strong stuff, perfect to start the morning with. A friend would later on help me pre-order their famous calamansi muffins, my only souvenir from the island. The muffins tasted like lemon squares and were dense and moist, definitely recommended. Shelf life was 3 days at room temperature and a couple more weeks when stored in the fridge.

Gasthof (German inspired, d'mall) - We just finished our first water sport activity for the day and after having skipped breakfast, everyone had a feast of grilled everything here, baby back ribs (what they're famous for), squid, fish, and chicken. I had eggplant ensalada made tasty with my concoction of chili, soy sauce and vinegar, and their chunky home-made mashed potato, highly recommended. If, like us, your room is not beachfront, Gasthof has lounge chairs for rent by the hour or free with a minimum order of Php 500.

Manana (Mexican, Station 1) - I'm currently on a Mexican food phase and was super excited to try out this place (although I was only able to match the names upon returning home and seeing my list). I had high expectations about the place since it was recommended in blogs and by friends. Too bad their unconventional burrito was what failed me miserably. The rice was replaced with cabbage, and the usual tasty beans was replaced by a flavorless red bean paste. On the plus side, the pumpkin soup was thick and not artificially tasty, and the taco served with it was perfect for scooping up the soup. 

Lemon i Cafe (d'mall) - The mango ref cake came highly recommended. As a habitual coffee drinker, I would suggest instead for coffee lovers to stop by the cafe to have a go at their super strong and super smooth coffee. Half-caf-decaf option available upon request for those who are not used to drinking strong coffee.

Cafe del Sol (d'mall) - Iced Americano, ho-hum.

Zuzuni (Greek, Station 1) - Hot off the oven, molten chocolate cake topped with ice cream, need I say more? (City dwellers can find such treats at Wicked Kitchen beside ABS-CBN.) Oh yes, their Greek food was also fantastic (according to everyone else). As for me, I had the vegetarian mousaka here which was still good even after the first few heavenly bites of creamy cheese, grilled eggplant and tomato sauce. The calamansi slush which had just the right amount of sweetness was refreshing, especially on a hot day by the beach. I had to agree that this was the best send-off lunch. 

Water sports

Water sports liaisons barked prices at us left and right wherever we went. We found out that they eventually led interested parties to one of the companies that organize all sorts of water sports in the island, so fear not. I'm not the type to balk at moderate adventures such as roller coaster rides, so flyfish was fun but uneventful especially as our batch didn't fall into the water. Parasailing was what knocked me to my knees. Let's just say that my unfortunate experience # 1 occurred while parasailing. Just a word of advise, it's completely unwise to go out to sea by mid-afternoon as the strong waves are no match even for the least seasick person. Afterwards we would be told that the best time to go parasailing was at 1pm but were not warned about the dangerously strong waves when we initially booked our parasailing at 5pm. When other plans fell out, we set out at around half past 3 on an afternoon just before a storm hit the island. Whew.

I think this about sums up my Boracay trip. After all, not many words are necessary to describe how the white sand on the island was so fine and cool to the touch that all I wanted to do was sink my toes in them, and how when it became really hot, the low temperature of the clear water cooled me off right away. If there's anything I didn't get enough of during my trip, it would have to be sunbathing, swimming and lots and lots of R&R by the beach.