When in Manila, Boracay is the most sought-after beach resort for foreigners and locals alike. I have visited the place for the first time last May 9, 2011. This year another visit took place last July 6-8. It was a surprised invitation from the Budget Office to join them in celebrating their prize for the Most Environment-Friendly Office in the LGU.
An invitation like this is difficult to say“no”. ^_^
This is my second time to go to Boracay, yet, it was a first time for me to experience the means of transport we had in going there. From Bacolod City Port (BREDCO), we took the 11 P.M. trip via Roll-On Roll-Off (RORO) vessel going to the Municipality of Dumangas, province of Iloilo. The ticket is only 60 pesos. It took us 2 hours to reach the town. A van/coaster is already waiting for us for a 5-hour drive to Caticlan Port. A 200 pesos worth of ticket which includes the fees for ferry boat (Php25.00), environmental fee (Php75.00), and terminal fee (Php100.00) allowed us to reach the Boracay island. The environmental fee and terminal fee are for those who are not residents of Aklan province. By 8 A.M., we were already billeted to an economical lodging house which accommodated us with all hospitality and already positioned ourselves at Andok’s restaurant for a breakfast. By the way, we are 21 in our group.
Since this is my second time to visit Boracay, I was meant to be the tour guide of the group. However, I was saved by a tour guide who happened to be the former student of the husband of the Department Head of Budget Office as she fetched us from the port. I was saved indeed and I’m grateful because with my 3 nights and 4 days stay at Boracay last year, that period was not enough to tour the entire island. You can be mesmerized one way or the other from one location to the next that you would forget how time flies and you would say that the time you spent there was not enough because there are sights in queue for you to visit. Tour guides are a big help in this case. Fortunately, we have one of them.
For an overnight stay only at Boracay, we were able to visit the Mt. Luho View Point for a quicktop view of the island for 60 pesos only.
You have to prepare your heart’s condition in this area because the ladders and stairs are steep. Aside from that, it offers an encounter with the Philippine Eagle, Bearcat, monkeys, and peacocks. After Mt. Luho, we passed by the Zorb Park, and the Dreamland. The last but not least for the land tour is the Fairways and Blue Waters which I proudly informed the group of an amazing view inside. We dropped by but as I asked the 2 guards at the gate, the Php50.00 entrance fee is not applicable anymore due to the new management. It means that walk-in guests to tour the area is not a part of their service anymore. I was disappointed and so are my companions. I intended to visit again the underground chapel for another prayer offering as what I did last year.
I intended to view again their 2 inviting swimming pools. (This one is located adjacent to the receiving area where you have to pay for your entrance fee …………….
while this one is called the Atlantic Pool at the center of the resort.)
……………………………….and to try again the waters of their not-congested beach
with a ready row of golden yellow picnic umbrellas……
Lastly, I intended to tour the area via their tramcar over their golf course. I was much more disappointed with these thoughts. To disregard this negative feeling, we contented ourselves by taking pictures at the gate of the Fairways and Blue Waters.
After which, we went back to where we were billeted, took a rest and prepared for a night swimming on the beach.
The next day, we had island hopping package which includes breakfast at the lodging house and lunch at the picnic area near Crocodile Island after snorkelling.
Grilled milk fish, grilled yellow fin tuna, pork barbecue, tinolang manok, lakatan (banana), ripe mangoes, and softdrinks were offered for lunch. A big plus was the water with calamansi in a stainless bowl for us guests to wash our hands before and after eating. We went back to the lodging house happy, satisfied and contented and ready ourselves for the trip back home around 2 P.M. of July 8, 2012.
Going back to Boracay Port from the lodging house, a Php250.00 rental fee for a multi-cab with a capacity of 15 pax was hired. As for the ticket going back to Caticlan Port via a ferry boat, the ticket is Php125.00 only.
As soon as we arrived at the Caticlan Port, the coaster we hired was already there waiting. We departed from Caticlan Port for Dumangas Port at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Along the way, we dropped by the Rosa Foods….
…..the pride of Kalibo, Aklan, for their frozen items such as spicy and sweet hamonado, smoked longganisa, premium longganisa, and chorizo. We arrived at Dumangas port 20 minutes before 8 P.M. which is also 20 minutes before departure time of M/V Montenegro. The ticket is Php80.00 only for a one and a half hour trip to BREDCO, Bacolod City Port. We reached Bacolod City at 10P.M. We spent another hour of land trip going back home via Ceres Bus.
When in Manila and you want to have an economical stay in Boracay Island, you may contact Claribel Casimero at claribel_boracay@yahoo.com and Mobile Nos. 09088957173. You can also try this link https://www.facebook.com/#!/cdcasimero .
Boracay, Revisited: When In Aklan
