Boracay Adventures is website that aims to share experiences, tips and guide about Boracay.

Thursday, July 27, 2017


A vacation package to the Philippines isn’t enough if it’s going to be a trip to Boracay. You’re going to need to go for longer durations of vacation rentals if you want the best beach party scene and, at the same time, relaxingly iconic island vibe the Philippines has to offer.

Boracay, in recent years, has garnered mixed receptions from both the local and foreign tourist. The biggest beef that it has is how commercialism has consumed what was once a virginal strip of untainted paradise. Even with the reputation, Boracay is still constantly flocked by people year in and year out which, we’ll guess, is what majorly makes up its new found appeal: it’s the island equivalent of Facebook or Twitter.

Going for Vacation

Boracay is an island just off the coast of Kalibo, within the province of Aklan. To get there, you will need to fly from Manila (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) to Kalibo airport and then take a boat ride to the island.

The Philippines is such a foreigner friendly country and a short term rental is a great option to go for when availing for accommodations in Boracay. Not only are Filipinos very friendly towards none nationals, the accommodations are budget friendly as well especially for short- and long-term transience.

boracay vacation rental packages
[Photo: http://bit.ly/2r8CjIs]
Some hotels could go for as much as 6,000 Philippines Pesos (PhP) a day but a short term rental place might only cost around 14,000PhP a month, and that’s for the nicer places nearer the shore. They go lower the further from the shore a place is.

But why go for short term rentals? Because it’s hard to completely appreciate Boracay for very short stays. A trip of 3 days and 2 nights would be enough to get your party on (because the party scene is very “lit” in Boracay, if we may say so ourselves) and do some water activities like kite surfing or island hopping but you will need more time to be able to also enjoy the local culture, most of the other islands and secret beaches, and good Filipino company.

[http://bit.ly/2r8CGTH]
Going for Longer

Boracay might be a great place to retire. It isn’t jam-packed throughout the year so you still get to enjoy the laidback seaside experience that the island was once known for. Not to mention, you can choose which of its 12 beautiful beaches to crash depending on your mood. If you have a budget of less than 2,000 USD per month, you can live quite a comfortable & luxurious life in Boracay (generally, most vacation rentals in the Philippines might cost somewhere around 200 USD per month, more if closer to major cities like Manila or Cebu).

short term rentals philippines boracay
[Photo: http://bit.ly/2q9ruHY]
Going Forever

If you aren’t going to the Philippines for vacation packages and are looking for something along the lines of “permanent stay”, the Philippine government offers special considerations for retirees through the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa or SRRV. You can read more about it here. They also, since 2015, have opened their government subsidized health care system to foreigners. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) accepts and provides health care benefits to expatriates living in the Philippines for long periods or permanently—the coverage could take of as much as 80% which is especially helpful if you get hospitalized. Not to mention, the Veterans Memorial Hospital (albeit only has their main facility in Manila) also provides veterans with medical services.

Whether for vacation rentals or permanent stay in the Philippines, Boracay should be one consideration on your mind. It has familiar Western comforts but even behind the massive parties and consumerism, it also retains its friendly Filipino culture of hospitality and camaraderie.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

On 11:18 PM by sikimpoyako in , ,    1 comment
It cannot be denied that the Philippines is a country rich in culture and history. This has resulted into a number of settlers to find the Philippine Islands as a perfect place to live in. And, affordable Boracay packages are tickets to somehow experience and have a peek on the fun life of adventure of the first settlers.

affordable boracay packages 1
source: www.expedia.com.ph
Boracay Island is one of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines that has a picture perfect scenery and white sand beach—a perfect place to have a break the long months of work and school. But aside from the wonderful scenery, good people, tastyl food and party-hard nights, the island still features its culture and history through colorful festivals.

affordable boracay packages ati-atihan
source:thecolorsoffestive.tumblr.com
One of these colorful festivals is the famous “Ati-atihan Festival”, where participants dance across the streets with the beats of their drums. Behind the fact that Ati-atihan Festival is known by many Filipinos, along with the fast-paced society, a number of questions about this colorful festival seemed to be hidden behind the masks and paints all over the participants faces and bodies.

How, when and why did Ati-atihan Festival come to the Philippine culture are questions that revolve around the history of society and religion.

“Ati-atihan”, liiterally “to look like the Atis,” is a celebration of friendship between the Atis, the ten Datus, and settlers from Borneo who lived in Panay Island. Atis were believed to have settled on the highlands while the Borneo settlers stayed on the lowlands. Friendship between the Atis and Borneo settlers was even better strengthened by the time that the Maraynon (Borneo settlers) from the lowlands helped the Atis in finding food after a storm wiped out their crops on the hill side. Going back to the lowland for food became a yearly activity for the Ati people. They sang and danced together with the Maraynon, until they (Maraynon) painted themselves black to join in with Ati people.

However, the Festival was religiously linked when the 1000 baptized residents of Kalibo and other surrounding areas joined in on the festival. In addition, when the Moro raiders attacked the Island of Panay during the 17th century, it is the defenders of Panay that used “Hala Bira”, which means “Hit them!”, as their battle cry while defending the island with artillery. Gunpowder residue left their faces black so much so that they looked like the Atis. They thanked Sto. Nino for they believe that it is him who helped them be saved from the Moro attack.

“Ati-atihan Festival” is one of the real proofs that Philippines is a country rich with different cultures which make up the Filipino heritage. Experiencing the festival right where it originates is like having it first time. An affordable Boracay package showcases not only the beautiful scenery Boracay Island has—it does not comply with just the idea of having a break—but more so, showcases the culture our Country, The Philippines, has. 

This article is brought to you by: Last Minute Travel Booking.

Monday, December 1, 2014

On 7:14 PM by sikimpoyako   No comments
“Today is a good day” was what I was thinking on the bus ride back to Cubao. It was a day after Christmas when we took to Cubao terminal stations (because a lot of bus stations going both Northern and Southern Philippines can be found at Quezon City, Cubao) with a random plan: take a bus to somewhere to, ultimately, find a beach and spend the afternoon tanning in the warm December sea breeze.

We took the Bataan Transit bus (found at Five Star Bus Terminal) bound for Mariveles, Bataan. One of my friends says he’s been to Marivelez, at Aguawan Beach, and that, since we’re on a budget, the place will be more than worth our money for a day trip—not to mention the people there are really nice and hospitable. Great then! Aguawan, here we come!

The bus trip cost 280PHP (6-7USD), one way. It’s a 3-4 hour ride from Manila; longer if you take a bus that will have stopovers along the way. We had one stopover but from what I heard, some buses make more, especially tour-centric trips. The bus trip ended at the Mariveles Bus terminal in the mainland and market district. Thereafter, we took a tricycle ride to Aguawan Beach.


We got to Aguawan Beach and stayed at Light Family (I assume this is the name of the resort because of the titular “relief” that greeted us). The beach wasn’t anything “dreamy,” like most other (more) popular beach destinations in the Philippines but it wasn’t shabby, too. It was… down to earth. The people were kind and helpful, to boot. It was like staying with family more than it was a vacation trip. Sure, the sand weren’t as white as Boracay’s or Puerto Princesa, but we had the luxury of quiet time, privacy, and unadulterated waters.


The ocean was clean on this part of the Philippines, very unlike the beaches in and around Subic and Olongapo. The water is clear but if you kick the sand a little too hard, it’ll murk up—which is natural. Any deeper where you no longer could get the sand to block your vision, all your left is just clear water and maybe a fish or two. Even opening your eyes underwater doesn’t hurt. The water is less saline on this beach.

Since it was a day trip, we didn’t bother to ask for how much overnight accommodations cost (sorry), but we did get a quaint cottage that could accommodate at least 6 people. The cottage cost 200PHP (5-6USD) for a full 24 hours. The locals were even so generous as to provide us with cutlery and free use of a grill since we brought raw fish and were asking how much to rent a grill. We invited them over to have lunch with us.


After a hearty lunch while sharing stories with the locals and fooling around at the beach, we got together with two very energetic kids who were offering to provide us with trekking assistance. To our surprise, the two kids were trekkers themselves and they both didn’t look any older than 12!


Halfway through the trek, as we were reaching higher ground, we found that the terrain became much steeper and hard to climb. Funny thing was that, in our “Calvary” suffering, the two kids didn’t seem to be phases at all. I didn’t get the chance to watch closely but they seemed to climb up ahead of us “without breaking a sweat” all too quite literally. OK, so we thought the view from the beach was a little average. Getting on the top of the mountain however was divine. You could see almost the whole of the peninsula and a lot of townships. Lucky for us, we got there just almost before sunset.


After trekking back down to the beach, we took a quick bath and readied to go home, just the same way we came. It was evening when we reached Manila but throughout that 4 hour ride, “today is a good day” kept repeating in my mind.

This article was brought to us by: Last Minute Travel Booking

Monday, November 17, 2014

On 11:43 PM by sikimpoyako   No comments
Before we start talking about tropical Palawan destinations or cheap Boracay packages, let’s first pay homage to the guy who inspired this article…

suit and tie required
Ok, now that’s over, let’s first get to what makes a beach vacation legendary (*disclaimer: this is for party goers. If you guys want to chill, watch out for the next installment). Two things make any beach party legendary and those two are boozing and hooking-up so in 3 items, we’ll try to sum up everything awesome to do around surf, sand, and celebration.

Getting your Booze On

If you’re out for a beach party, make sure you’re at a beach well known for its night life. There are certain beaches where you go to for ambiance (Palawan, Panglaw), and then there are beaches you go to to get grinding. Two things you have to consider about a beach bar: 1. It has to have a sweet deal on the drinks and 2. It has to have an amazing party vibe.

If you ever find yourself at Puerto Galera, that’s probably the most night-lifey-est beach there is; booze doesn’t even need a discount, it’s too damn cheap there—priced almost like your typical inuman back home but with free live entertainment. At Boracay, be sure to check out Cocomangas Shooter Bar. They don’t give you discounted beer, they hand you a free one! But only during their happy hour; still a pretty rockin’ deal actually.

Get your Game On

Because summer is supposed to be legendary, you want to go home with a hook-up. For chicks, it’s pretty easy—all the play you need (according to Barney Stinson’s The Playbook) is to stare at a guy and hook up. For guys, it’s much more complicated. For the benefit of the gentlemen out there, here are a couple of plays you can, uhm… play to get a girl. Here are some plays paraphrased from the actual The Playbook (Barney Stinson & Matt Khun, Touchstone Publishing):

                The “Don’t Drink That”

Very mindfully set up camp near your target. When your target goes to the restroom and comes back, just before she takes a drink say “don’t drink that!” and say how someone slipped something in said drink. When asked who, say that they left or point to a friend whom you want to play a prank on. Offer to buy her a drink and go smooth sailing from there on.

                The “Hot Dude”

The Playbook says that this has a 100% chance of success. Only three steps are required: be a dude, look hot (sport a swimmer’s body pr’olly), get the girl.

                The “Shotgun”

Only for the strong at heart, The Shotgun is about as straightforward as a dog humping your guest’s leg: just approach your target, ask if she will have sex with you, and repeat the cycle until you get a yes. .25% success rate but hey, you aren’t playing lottery, your trying to hook up! Go for it!

Get your Booze AND Game On!!

Because if there are two things in the world that can combine boozing and hooking up, it’s parlor games! To break the ice, start a game inside a beach bar. Most engrossing is the beer pong but that’s for getting the attention. What you really want to get to is the game called Suck and Blow. You just pass a card along using your mouth and just your mouth so you’re either “sucking” it to not let if fall or “blowing” on it to pass it on. If it falls, you have to kiss with the person you failed to do suck and blow with. This is where you go for diskarte, if you know what I mean.

How ‘bout you, how do you get you beach groove on? 

This article was brought to you by: Last Minute Travel Booking

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

On 12:53 AM by sikimpoyako   No comments
 I could reply with a one word answer to that but I need to expound on the differences first.

My friend recently just came from the Middle East, in and around the desert regions of Dubai. According to him, the streets were scorching during the mornings most especially in the height of the afternoon. Houses had air-conditioning so you didn’t feel the difference indoors. During the night, the air changes—everything becomes icy, almost as scalding as afternoons but only with cold.

I however, in the most recent summer, availed a Boracay hotel package and went. It was hot (weather and ambience wise) at the beach; hot sun, warm beach breach, hot bodies left and right—hot. Just, hot. It was, as I’d imagine, not as hot as the desert; a sustainable kind of heat, that is. Although, with the setting of the sun and the length the night, because Boracay is all about the night life, the temperature never let up. Only around 4am but only up to about 7am did the air become cool and I know this because we never went to sleep.

Why is this? They’re both desert looking, right? Why do their temperature patterns differ?

One key point is their definition. Beaches are places where the sea meets the earth. Deserts, however are defined by barrenness and dryness. Keyword: dryness.

Deserts have fluctuating and extreme temperatures because there is very little water (precipitation) in the air as opposed to a beach. Since water has a very high constant temperature, the lack of precipitation in the air means that the temperature will rise or drop instantaneously from sun heat or wind temperature alone. The heat in Boracay is constant because of the water in the air; the heat only last as long as there’s a source. Even the Arctic is called a desert because the precipitation has turned into unusable ice.


So the next time you go to the beach and the heat gets to you, don’t go for a second think that it’s like being in the desert.

This article was brought to you by: Last Minute Travel Booking

Thursday, September 11, 2014

On 5:46 PM by sikimpoyako   No comments
Upon availing affordable Boracay packages, the things that you get include going and returning tickets, hotel (and buffet) with the hotel’s matching amenities, an island tour, and beach activities. Typically. What you didn’t know though, is that you also get psychological trauma!

Just kidding. But you know the feeling, don’t you? After a long day of swimming at the beach, by the time that you’re already sleeping, you feel as if you’re still floating atop the cradle of waves although, all of which feels almost too real but are actually happening in your brain as lucid dreams.

This lucid dreaming and/or probably vivid hallucination while in the state of half-sleep is called hypnagogia.

Hypnagogia may be characterized by being in a half-asleep/half-awake state followed by cognitive re-experiencing of previous activities in some instance. There are also other characterizations of hypnagogia but we’ll focus on this one and this one is specifically called the Tetris Effect.


Awesome

Originally, the effect happens because of repetition of a single monocyclic activity that re-manifests itself during half sleep as visions that are almost too real. It’s like playing tetris for too long that your start to see the world and everything in it as tetriminos that you eventually start to visualize moves and combos until you fall asleep and continue to dream about said moves and combos.

The effect is not however purely visual or rooted in monotonous and repetitive activities. Activities that powerfully stimulate the body and the mind may linger in nerve memory and manifest themselves during sleep thus the feeling for swimming albeit being asleep on a dry and otherwise moving bed.

And no, it isn’t something to worry about. It’s a perfectly normal nervous response. Much like feeling that you crashed onto something upon waking up because you were previously dreaming that you were falling. It happens and you don’t have brain trauma. Now go on ahead and enjoy the beach.

This article is brought to us by: Last Minute Travel Booking

Thursday, September 4, 2014

On 6:40 PM by sikimpoyako   No comments
Continuation of last week's post...

Awkward Faraway Photos


Because there’s shade where the photographer is at and there isn’t where the subject is. Plus, the zoom makes the picture look really, really bad.

Unlike this one
Also, it could also be because the photographer either can’t come to the water or the camera isn’t water proof. Or the photographer is in the shade still.

And, since there are a number of nipples already present in the photo…
Food and Fools Photos

And, yes, sometimes these could be the most awkward and yet the most memorable ones because there are a lot of skin both from people and from pork liempo AND it’s probably happy drunk hour by then.


And although most of the above items, be it that they take up most of the albums, are also some the ones you go through to look back on and reminisce. Some outstanding photos that you grab to make as profile pictures that merits a “ay! ang ganda nito(whoa! this is nice)” will never compare to the memories and laughs a “mukha kang ewan dito(you look like a fool on this one)” Kodak moment can dish out.

If you missed part 1, you can read it here.

This article is brought to us by: Last Minute Travel Booking