Laag 35: Boracay Island – Tips for First Time Tourist

Boracay Island – it is everyone’s dream destination. Thanks to airline seat sale as it is now cheaper for us to travel to this island. We were able to purchase our round trip tickets for less than P1000.

As first time tourist in the island, we did a lot of research on what to do, where we can eat sumptuous meal without breaking our bank account or other things that we may enjoy in our three days and two nights stay in the island.

Here are my tips for first time tourists:

Walkathon

Tricycles are only available in the main road. The best way to explore the 7-kilometer island is through walking. Make sure wear comfortable footwear and prepare for a long walk.

D’mall Talipapa vs buffett (eat all you can)

Most of the blogs that I’ve read when I did the research, they all suggested to give in to our seafood cravings in D’mall Talipapa. It is cheaper compared to the eat all you can buffet. In my opinion, I would prefer the eat all you can where most of the restaurants in the island offered this either lunch or dinner. There is a little price difference like an average of P100, but it has better ambiance compared to the D’mall Talipapa which right across the seafood restaurants is the seafood market. If you do not mind the smell while eating your meal, then you may try the D’mall Talipapa.

Water Activities

Locals will approach you and offer water activities packages. Paraw Sailing would cost around P600 so do not pay if they charge you more than that not unless it already includes your meal (dinner or lunch). Most of the time, they will serve you BBQ or any other finger food that you may eat while you ride a paraw.

You can request to package the parasailing, island hopping, and helmet diving for around P3, 000 – P4, 000. Please note though that prices may vary and the best thing to do is to haggle.

Fire Dancers

In my entire stay, I have witnessed few fire dancers in station 1 and 2. My favorite is the Fire Diva that performs at Sand Bar located in station 2. There will be P299 consumable entrance fee.

Local Tourist Price

When we shopped at the public market, we learned the published price was for international tourist. A fish vendor informed us about it when we were about to leave when we saw the signage/price tag for Tilapia which was Php 450 per kilo. He told us that it will only cost Php 120-150 for local tourist and we should learn to ask the vendors for local tourist price not unless money is not an issue.

Therefore, when a vendor sells or offer you something, asks how much the price for local tourist.

Souvenirs

The cheapest place to purchase a souvenir items is in Talipapa. (Please note that D’Talipapa and Talipapa are two different shopping centers). You can buy souvenir t-shirt for 2 of Php 150.

Tricycle fare

The minimum fare in getting around the island is P25/person (if I am not mistaken). Most of the time, they will charge you P150 one-way or round trip depending on your destination. So, if you want to save on the transportation, walk your way to your next destination. Of course, consult Google map first and check how far it is from your point of origin.

Place to Chill

If you prefer a place where you can chill and less crowded, the Bulabog or Diniwid Beach are worth a visit. Both have white sand beaches and establishments minus the crowd that you can find in White Island.

What to wear

The most common question – what to wear?  Shorts, tops, bikinis, and comfortable footwear.

I hope these tips are helpful for your first time trip to Boracay Island.

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