Anyone familiar with Boracay ?

[markus2011]

Im going there in October for a few weeks, wondering if we have any locals on the board here who can give me some info on decent hotels, where's good to go out etc..

Cheers,

[forreachingme]

Best guide online or in book is Jens Peter for phils..

http://www.jenspeters.com/internet_eng/index.html

[liveinlos]

Boracay is wonderful. However it is getting very expensive. The costs are way out of wack for the Phillippines, more what you would find in a first world beach vacation paradise

[Aussie Tigger]

No problems dont worry re hotels easy to find when you arrive.Not that big a place to get around.Nice beach loads of Europeans last time I was there.Probably the only really clean bech in the Philippines although there was a problem years back with the sewerage contaminating the water.

[IceSpike]

Can you speak Russian? Still, loads of fun. Pure White Sand Beaches and lovely Brown Beauties. Many room rates from 10-1200 USD per nite. I stayed at Orchids Resort last year, about 20 USD per nite, no Bfast but pleanty of good food close by. Three Days was enough for me. Then went on to the Pearl Farm in Davao. A few weeks on Boracay? Too long.
Still have a waste problem on east side of Island.

[beerlaodrinker]

The wife and i and our 2 year old son went a couple of years ago, cant recall the exact dates but it was at the end of low season just coming up to high season, i had been there twenty years before as a young lad and it didnt turn me on, not nearly enough loose women to go around , This time i was pleasantly surprised at the development , some would say it is to much , but IMHO prices for rooms , food etc were comparable to anywhere else in the philippines and quite reasonable considering boracay is rated as one of asias best beaches , We Live in Laos and have no beach, but we regularly go to thai beach resorts , i would go again to boracay in the off season because it didnt rain enough to piss me of , had 6 days of sun out of 9 and it didnt kill the bank balance , There wasnt an oversupply of germans/europeans around and it wasnt full of rabid ladyboys , All of which occurs in the high season i am told , The seair flight from clark is inexpensive and uses a decent little plane ( dornier 28 seater) .But if you are chasing some stray poontang while on the island didnt look like much was around grab a filthy slappa from AC to take with you

Chok Dee

[grasshopper]

Visited there in 2008 I think it was. Stayed at the Boracay Grande (?), not too bad although there was some construction going on near my first room. Got relocated and all was okay. The girls at the front desk were absolute darlings. Would have loved to have hooked up with any of them. Stayed adjacent to White Beach, very pretty place. Food was okay too although not as inexpensive as I thought it would be. The rum was good and cheap. We toured parts of the island by motor bike and got clipped by the riders when paying at the other end. "No change" was the smirked reply to a proffered 2000 pesos to a agreed charge of 1200. Dumb bastard then enquired about taking us out in the boat next day. Should have a large hole in his foot still.
We got clipped as soon as we left the airport building, charge for carting bags 25 metres (unasked for), tourist charge to get on the island ferry, baggage charges by porters each side for sfa service. Never asked, just grabbed them and wouldnt let go. Next time, if it was to occur, would be to take and wear a backpack and no other luggage.
Otherwise the weather, scenery and people were good.

[WujouMao]

We got clipped as soon as we left the airport building, charge for carting bags 25 metres (unasked for), tourist charge to get on the island ferry, baggage charges by porters each side for sfa service. Never asked, just grabbed them and wouldnt let go. Next time, if it was to occur, would be to take and wear a backpack and no other luggage.
Otherwise the weather, scenery and people were good.

I wouldn't of paid them. If they cant see the reason of giving you the bag when you said no need, no need to pay them. I'd walk away oblivious.

[grasshopper]

We got clipped as soon as we left the airport building, charge for carting bags 25 metres (unasked for), tourist charge to get on the island ferry, baggage charges by porters each side for sfa service. Never asked, just grabbed them and wouldnt let go. Next time, if it was to occur, would be to take and wear a backpack and no other luggage.
Otherwise the weather, scenery and people were good.

I wouldn't of paid them. If they cant see the reason of giving you the bag when you said no need, no need to pay them. I'd walk away oblivious.

Hmmm. Sans the bag?

[Ceburat1]

Overpriced and overated. Water not safe. Better trip for three weeks would be Bagio.

[grasshopper]

Baguio? You have to be joking! Unless of course, you just love sitting in hopeless traffic with Jeepneys to the left of you, jeepneys to the right of you, jeepneys in front and at the rear of you. Belching that wonderful bouquet of petrol/diesel mix..... aaaah! Yes! I remember now. A townplanners model of how not to plan a city.

[Ceburat1]

It could be as you described, however I have been there many times and not seen it.

[WujouMao]

Overpriced and overated. Water not safe. Better trip for three weeks would be Bagio.

I think i would rather spend 3 solid weeks on Malapascua Island. Better in high season as opposed to July when i went, as it was dead. Been there 4 times and its great. As for Boracy, never been nor do i want to.

Or you could head for Mindoro Island. Place called Sabang. Closet town to that is Puerto Galera. White beach is low key, as in no strip bars. But if you want that, then its Sabang for you. Lots of sand bay island round there.

[omgim]

Im going there in October for a few weeks, wondering if we have any locals on the board here who can give me some info on decent hotels, where's good to go out etc..

Cheers,

When you get there they will have lots of tour guides to help you find a hotel. Just tell them what you want and they will make recommendations. You can reject the place if you don't like it when you see it, and move on to the next one. Tip the guy a few hundred pesos(the hotel gives him a tip also) Most of the Hotels are decent to very nice(expensive) A better choice for white sand and crystal clear water is Palawan. Less touristy and cheaper than boracay which now has it hands in your pocket from beginning to end.