In anticipation for this trip, i even bought myself a GoPro =X good excuse eh~ haha
But sadly, while the video quality are awesome! Most of the photos that I took especially the close-up of food photos and night shots ended up blurry as i am still not very conversant with the focal length and how long the shutter needs to take in light for the night mode. Quite sadly, I did not manage to have tack sharp images for most food and night shots.. sigh... But still, the GoPro was a great buy as it enabled us to video and capture many precious moments throughout the trip!
We took TigerAir for our flight to Kalibo airport, as it had the best deal! I booked the trip pretty late, like almost 1 month prior to our departure date hence the ticket prices went up a little. But still it was really affordable! The ticket prices for the both of us was like SGD$418 =) (excluding levy, taxes and insurance).
Arrived at Kalibo airport and the beginning of our 1.5 ~ 2 hour journey to Boracay. Because in order to reach there, we had to take a car to the ferry terminal, take a boat to the island and thereafter catch a tricycle to our hotel. Luckily for us, we booked a 'tour guide' who helped us settle all these administrative matters and we just needed to board the respective mode of transport.
*Image taken at the ferry terminal, we are so blessed by the great weather throughout the trip!
Although we had a so called 'tour guide' the plans for the trip was done by us and could be adjusted the day before or any time i wanted, hence it was really flexible and we don't have to pay the 'tour guide' per se, as he would earn from the commission.
We finally arrived at our hotel, Aloha Boracay Hotel and was promptly greeted by the staff of the hotel. Aloha Boracay Hotel is pretty new, therefore it was really clean and nice! It isn't a beachfront hotel, but it was just 3-5mins away from the main beach.
A clean hotel with friendly staff definitely matters when you are on a vacation^^
Our first item on the itinerary was to have a good dinner at Seabreeze Cafe! (i am preparing a showreel of our Boracay trip, stay tune for it!)
Check out the magical and beautiful sunset of Boracay! It looked like Cotton Candy descended upon us =)
So this was where we dined at day 1, could you imagine eating dinner at such a lovely place!
The cute was definitely worth it! Check out the crabs and size of the clams! It was soooo aweeesomeeeeee!
I apologise for the good images as it was my first time operating on the GoPro, so i was still figuring out how to optimise the image quality for the different kind of shots.
Breakfast at the hotel wasn't really 'special', it isn't a buffet spread like most hotels. But, the meals that are prepared really well! My favourite was the oriental/chinese style that comes with the porridge lolx. After a lot of meaty, grilled and bbq stuff, i was kinda craving for something less demanding on my stomach too.
The beach at Boracay is really so awesome that i cannot describe it in words. This is the first time in my life that i've seen such a clear and blue sea! It was like swimming pool quality water but it is the sea!
Getting ready for our Island Hoping! First stop at Crocodile island!
It looks totally like a crocodile ya!? haha its so cool!
All geared up and ready to snorkel! I could barely open my eyes because of the big bright sun haha
It's our second time snorkeling ever since Adventure Cove. Still kinda nervous but we did much better this time! Although Mich was still pretty much afraid when the fishes came close. We both got the "blur" face when we are snorkeling lolx
The sea is soooooo pretty! Multi-coloured fishes and corals and super duper clear and clean seawaters! Its like heaven in the ocean =) At Crocodile Island, you can expect to enjoy and experience the wonders of the sea by directly diving/snorkeling from your boat!
The next island that we went to is...
Crystal Cove! Over here, it is mainly the scenic view that you will be enjoying. It kinda looks like the Game of Thrones setting lolxxx you will get what i mean when you look at the photos below.
There was a stairway that led to an underground mini cave which everyone would definitely squeeze into. Just be careful though, everything here (except for the stairs) was made naturally, so there isn't any man-made safety features, you could bump your head or slip on the stones.
In Boracay, it doesn't matter what clothes you are wearing, what sunglasses you have put on, what bag you are carrying... when you see seawater as clear as this, you jump into it!^^
Just check out how clear the sea is! #nofilter #nophotoshop
And for our last island hop, we are headed to Magic Island for some Cliff Jumping and delicious lunch!
Yes, at Magic Island, it is not so 'peaceful' as the other 2 islands where all you do is to view great scenery either under the sea or over land. First treat yourself to great food and thereafter you scare yourself by jumping into the sea over a 10m cliff!
Look at the food.. need i say more?
At Boracay, they grilled chicken always seemed so normal but the amazing taste never fails to surprise you!
I loveeee Pork Belly~ over here.. the amount of Pork Belly that they prepared for 2 person is like.. a buffet for 10 people! ~~~Overly shiok~~~ and overly full~~~~ =D
Please don't think that these fruits look pale and dry.. in fact they are very juicy! Every single portion here is huge~ so be prepared to always feel bloated during your stay at Boracay!
Not sure if i am tired of what.. but a simple vegetable dish like this somehow taste so good!
The crabs are really NO JOKE~ Check out the crab roe! If you love seafood, Boracay is definitely the place for you!
2 person.. eating like king and queen! And.. i have to jump the 10m cliff right after this meal! T_T
This was probably the most exciting thing for me during the entire trip at Boracay. I had ever jumped off a 5m high platform into a swimming pool, and that was super intense for me. But now i am exceeding what i did previously and jumping 10m off a cliff into the sea! And best of all, there was a boat nearby that was ferrying other tourist and they too cheered for me LOLX~ So.. i just DID IT! it really felt rejuvenating after the jump aHAha! =)
I am in the midst of doing a showreel/video of our Boracay trip in my Youtube channel, stay tune for it! my YouTube Channel is Doug the Noobdad
So after all that good food and adrenaline rushing cliff jump, we decided to chill for the rest of the day, starting with a sunset sail by the beach =) Just do nothing and laze around just above the sea water~ That's life~~
After all that activities, we decided to go for a really tasty and refreshing beverage at Jonah's Milkshake! Just go ahead and order any flavours there! You will not be disappointed! If you need recommendations, i would highly recommended the Mango, Melon or Pineapple flavours. These 3 flavours never seems to go wrong at Boracay haha^^
We ended our day with some tasty and delicious Seafood Paella at Ole!
Trust me when i say that the portions here are huge! My wife and i only only 1 x Paella and that was it. We couldn't even finish it! But it was really really good! I guess, to be able to try out more variety of food here at Boracay, you would probably need to come as a group of 4-6. That will not only allow you to eat more different kinds of food, but also also your group to share the cost of a private boat or water activity =)
~~~ Good Night~~~
The next day we immediately went to the Real Coffee & Tea Cafe to get a taste of their signature Calamansi Muffin! I really liked it! It is not those spongy kind. In fact it is a rather moist and thick, with a tinge of Calamansi's light and refreshing taste! You should really try it when you are here ^^
Sigh.. my puny little brain... i should have find ways and means to complete my blog before i left for my overseas business trip.. Now i couldn't receive what exactly are these 2 dishes that we tried. The bottom was easy, i ordered pancakes with scrambled eggs and it was 'bomb'! Super fragrant and fluffy pancakes! The sandwich that my wife ordered i believe was some Chicken flavoured sandwich, which was super good as well!
The activity for today is a no-brainer. After all the sight-seeing and cliff jumping that we did yesterday, today is where we go for our Sea Sports!
We picked 5 essentially sports which are: ATV riding, Helmet Diving, Para Sailing, Banana Boat and Flying Fish. **video footage of us doing these sports will be available at my YouTube Channel: Doug the Noobdad** As soon as i clear all these backlog posts T_T
Starting our sports with ATV riding is probably the most logical choice, as we wont wanna ride the ATV after being wet and cold from the other water sports lolx. If you are new to GoPro like me... ATV riding do not allow the riders to hold onto their GoPros while operating the ATV. The only way to film the entire ATV journey is to mount your GoPro onto the helmets provided. In fact, they are very savvy with the use of GoPro and other Action Cameras, so much so that their helmets already have the GoPro mount on! All you need to do is bring the other part of the mount and hook your GoPro up with the helmet =) which.... i did not bring....
Also, ATV riding allows you to visit their very own private beach! Which in our opinion is a MUST GO! Its super private and super duper clean!
See how super awesome transparent the seawater is?!
Its like clearer than mineral water.....
My wife was surprisingly good with the ATV by the way haha.
And the next sport that we did is the Helmet Diving!
This was perhaps the most scariest thing that i've every done. Please pay 100% attention to the instructor that is telling you what to do before you submerge into the water. I was busy filming videos and taking photos that i did not pay attention to what he was saying!
It started with me 'leaping' down to the seabed at the last 1m of the stairs.. and it was because i felt a slight tug by the instructor who was holding me in his diving suit, so naturally i thought he wanted me to follow his path down and i leaped.. Immediately when i reached the seabed my ears were hurting like MAD it felt like my ear drums were gonna burst any moment and my brains are gonna get squashed by the pressure in the sea as well! I remembered during the brief, the instructor told us to keep swallowing our saliva and also open our mouths and try to yawn to get the pressure out from our ears, but it didn't work for me! It was that bad until i signalled the instructor that i needed to get out of the sea asap! He then signalled to me to put my hand beneath my helmet to press my nose and blow out the pressure (i didn't know it was safe to put my hand inside of the helmet because i did not pay enough attention during the brief..).. Once i did that, i managed to get back on my feet and enjoy the scenery under the sea.
Just when i thought that everything was calm and nice, i walked and walked and stumbled onto some rocks and corals beneath my feet! It was so painful that i lost my balance and i kept stepping onto something sharp beneath me, i couldn't get both of my feet firmly placed on the ground! And i also cannot look down to see what is that, because when i do that, if i tilt my helmet too much, the water will gush right straight into my helmet!
OMG....... i thought i was gonna die there and then...
I struggled and struggled for 3mins which felt like eternity honestly.. and finally i regained my footing and survived the ordeal... and during this time my wife was.. watching me 'dance' under the sea... oh well~ not that she could do anything to save me too.... T_T
Para-sailing is one of the MUST DO water sports at Boracay! While you can find/negotiate for cheaper prices, the good thing about paying a slightly higher price is that you can be sure that their equipment are better and cleaner.
For the para-sailing, we took the couple para-sailing! Check out how high we went!
As we look across the sea, we were probably one of the highest para-sailers out there. And i guess it is because of the price that we paid for it.
We only had 2 more water sports to play but it was really too exhausting, hence we decided to leave flying fish and banana boat for tomorrow. We headed to Jerry's Grill for dinner and we loved it! Sadly.. as it was my first time using GoPro.. the food images turned out really blur .. so... i.. couldn't upload it here for you all to see T_T But do give Jerry's Grill a try when you are going to Boracay for a vacation!
Finally the time has come for us to try out the Banana Boat and Flying Fish at Boracay! We are feeling a lot more refreshed today and can't wait to get our adrenaline pumped!
LoL~ trying to hold onto the GoPro with my right hand while my left hand holds onto the handle for dear life!
The Banana Boat isn't like last time anymore. Nowadays they do not intentionally flip their customers over the boat because of several accidents that happened previously. While they still travel at very very fast speeds, it is mostly cruising through the sea without any sharp turns and cornering.
We weren't allow to hold onto the GoPro for the flying fish due to safety reasons. But you should really give it a try! Trust me.. Your arms and legs and neck and.. entire body will be super aching the next day because you will utilise your entire body to cling onto the flying fish boat for dear life! haHAaHA but it was really really fun! There were so many times during the ride where we thought we are going to be flung out at sea hahaHAa but we just kept hanging and hanging =)
I was telling Mich after all these water sports, i needed some comfort food. Something soupy and spicy!
And it has to be Korean Food! (Korean restaurant found at D'mall)
I nearly cried when i had the kimchi stew with ramyeon~~
OMG... this beef stew is to die for!
Some Kimbap to top it all up!
It has been a very packed back-to-back schedule for the past 2 days. Mich and I were honestly very tired also doing so many sports, and therefore we decided to just chill for the rest of the day and head to D'Talipapa for dinner!
D'Talipapa is like a wet market which sells all sorts of seafood and meat. Just buy whatever you want and bring it to the restaurant beside the market. They will cook for you based on how you want it to be cooked (different prices for different cooking style)!
BUT PLEASE CUT THE PRICE! The stupidest thing i did was... or rather happened to me was.. i was kinda intimidated by the first stall where i bought most of the clams and seafood. So i didn't really try to bargain for a better price at all... After walking through the market and buying more food at the other stalls made me realised that i screwed myself earlier and paid a much higher price for the seafood at the first stall...
Luckily though.. the food was really really superb!
Please order clams.. its made into a kind of Vongole Soup! I LOVE VONGOLE!
Check out how fat and juicy these prawns are!
Oyster lovers? Grab them at D'Talipapa!
The size of a normal clam is super huge! check this out!
Because there was only 2 of us, we couldn't order too much food... kinda wasted though.. That's why i think it would be great to go in a group of 4-6.
So.. we have clocked all the sports and activities that we've wanted to do in Boracay, therefore now it is time to be a Beach Bum!
If the tide isn't too high, you must make a trip down to Puka Beach! It is generally less crowded and commercialised, which makes it ideal of chilling by the beach!
Every piece of sky, part of the sea and sand at the beach in Boracay is breath-taking..
Chilling by the beach... enjoying our fruit shakes... heaven~~ i could do this all day.... no stress and just relax!
Wefie time!
Every time i see pictures of the Boracay beach and sea.. i am always so amazed at how clean and clear the sea is! Boracay is really a national treasure of Philippines.
If you truly love bbq food, then i would highly recommend - I Love Backyard BBQ. This is probably the best bbq restaurant in Boracay!
The onion ring tower is so chunky and DELICIOUS! Super love it to bits!
Like i said, there's only 2 of us.. so we couldn't order a lot.. But luckily, this platter was all that we needed! Almost all of I Love Backyard BBQ's magic is in there! ~~ starting to miss Boracay and the food there...
Para-sailing is one of the MUST DO water sports at Boracay! While you can find/negotiate for cheaper prices, the good thing about paying a slightly higher price is that you can be sure that their equipment are better and cleaner.
For the para-sailing, we took the couple para-sailing! Check out how high we went!
As we look across the sea, we were probably one of the highest para-sailers out there. And i guess it is because of the price that we paid for it.
We only had 2 more water sports to play but it was really too exhausting, hence we decided to leave flying fish and banana boat for tomorrow. We headed to Jerry's Grill for dinner and we loved it! Sadly.. as it was my first time using GoPro.. the food images turned out really blur .. so... i.. couldn't upload it here for you all to see T_T But do give Jerry's Grill a try when you are going to Boracay for a vacation!
Finally the time has come for us to try out the Banana Boat and Flying Fish at Boracay! We are feeling a lot more refreshed today and can't wait to get our adrenaline pumped!
LoL~ trying to hold onto the GoPro with my right hand while my left hand holds onto the handle for dear life!
The Banana Boat isn't like last time anymore. Nowadays they do not intentionally flip their customers over the boat because of several accidents that happened previously. While they still travel at very very fast speeds, it is mostly cruising through the sea without any sharp turns and cornering.
We weren't allow to hold onto the GoPro for the flying fish due to safety reasons. But you should really give it a try! Trust me.. Your arms and legs and neck and.. entire body will be super aching the next day because you will utilise your entire body to cling onto the flying fish boat for dear life! haHAaHA but it was really really fun! There were so many times during the ride where we thought we are going to be flung out at sea hahaHAa but we just kept hanging and hanging =)
I was telling Mich after all these water sports, i needed some comfort food. Something soupy and spicy!
And it has to be Korean Food! (Korean restaurant found at D'mall)
I nearly cried when i had the kimchi stew with ramyeon~~
OMG... this beef stew is to die for!
Some Kimbap to top it all up!
It has been a very packed back-to-back schedule for the past 2 days. Mich and I were honestly very tired also doing so many sports, and therefore we decided to just chill for the rest of the day and head to D'Talipapa for dinner!
D'Talipapa is like a wet market which sells all sorts of seafood and meat. Just buy whatever you want and bring it to the restaurant beside the market. They will cook for you based on how you want it to be cooked (different prices for different cooking style)!
BUT PLEASE CUT THE PRICE! The stupidest thing i did was... or rather happened to me was.. i was kinda intimidated by the first stall where i bought most of the clams and seafood. So i didn't really try to bargain for a better price at all... After walking through the market and buying more food at the other stalls made me realised that i screwed myself earlier and paid a much higher price for the seafood at the first stall...
Luckily though.. the food was really really superb!
Please order clams.. its made into a kind of Vongole Soup! I LOVE VONGOLE!
Check out how fat and juicy these prawns are!
Oyster lovers? Grab them at D'Talipapa!
The size of a normal clam is super huge! check this out!
Because there was only 2 of us, we couldn't order too much food... kinda wasted though.. That's why i think it would be great to go in a group of 4-6.
So.. we have clocked all the sports and activities that we've wanted to do in Boracay, therefore now it is time to be a Beach Bum!
If the tide isn't too high, you must make a trip down to Puka Beach! It is generally less crowded and commercialised, which makes it ideal of chilling by the beach!
Every piece of sky, part of the sea and sand at the beach in Boracay is breath-taking..
Chilling by the beach... enjoying our fruit shakes... heaven~~ i could do this all day.... no stress and just relax!
Wefie time!
Every time i see pictures of the Boracay beach and sea.. i am always so amazed at how clean and clear the sea is! Boracay is really a national treasure of Philippines.
If you truly love bbq food, then i would highly recommend - I Love Backyard BBQ. This is probably the best bbq restaurant in Boracay!
The onion ring tower is so chunky and DELICIOUS! Super love it to bits!
Like i said, there's only 2 of us.. so we couldn't order a lot.. But luckily, this platter was all that we needed! Almost all of I Love Backyard BBQ's magic is in there! ~~ starting to miss Boracay and the food there...
There~ Our entire 6D5N vacation at Boracay all in 1 post. But i must say that there are some other details here and there during the trip which i did not include into the post, because it would really mean that i need to have several posts to cover the entire trip.
Perhaps on my next overseas trip, i will try and be more meticulous to ensure that i don't leave anything out^^
Stay tune to my Boracay holiday video at my YouTube Channel - Doug The Noobdad.
It should be out.. hopefully.. after 2 weeks of this post =) *will do my best!*
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