Boracay, Philippines

Boracay is an incredibly beautiful and suprisingly undeveloped island with cheap food, cheaper beer and incredible beaches. This is probably the best beach destination I have ever seen.

In order to get there from Manila, we took a 3-4 hour bus to the port at Batangas and boarded a cruiseship-like overnight ferry with 2GO travel. We booked a stateroom for the three of us which was $35 each for a comfortable private room. We had a bathroom, a TV, a double bed and a bunkbed. There were cheaper options in large rooms with up to 200 people. We paid more to be comfortable and it was worth it. We also got access to the VIP dinning room for our complimentary dinner. The boat sold cheap beer and there was even kareoke and live music. Since it was from 9 PM to 6 AM we turned in early to get some sleep.

We arrived at Caticlan Jetty Port as the sun was coming up. There we boarded a much smaller ferry to take us across to Boracay.

We stayed at Frendz Resort, which was a cheap hostel. We stayed in 6 person dorms for $11 a night. The hostel had a great vibe and setup. The common area was very chill and open and everyone seemed to talk to one another. Solo travelers easily joined in with larger groups and hung out throughout the time we were there. It was located a 3 minute walk to the beach and there were beach chairs reserved for people staying at the hostel. A restaurant served the chair areas and would bring drinks or food if you liked but didn't once hastle us to do so.

The main beach is White Beach and it is crazy long. The whole beach is lined with restaurants and bars, all offering a different vibe and pricerange. At night, the lounge chairs were swapped out for various group seating where you could go for a 60-70 peso beer (about $1.50) and see live music, smoke hookah, see fire dancers and watch the sunset. The sunset was ridiculous.

Boracay, Philippines. I didn't edit this photo in the slightest to show the natural beauty of this place. 

A fire dancer shows he can handle the heat

If sitting on the beach isn't your thing, there are tons of activities for the restless. You can go jet skiing, banana boating, sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, kite surfing and cliff diving. We unfortunately stayed 3 nights and we only had time (and money) to choose one. So we chose cliff jumping at Ariel's Point. We paid 2,000 pesos eac ($40) for a day at the point. We were taken there by boat and arrived after 30-40 minutes. They served beers and rum and cokes faster than we could drink them (don't worry mom, I took it easy before the cliff jumping). When we arrived, people began kayaking, snorkeling, and lining up for the jumps. There were 3, 5, 8 and 15 meter jump points. I did the 5 once, then the 8 once, and then went straight for the 15 meters. Even the 8 was intimidating and it seemed to take a while to hit the water. The 15 was a different animal. We were told there have been serious injuries when people don't hit the water correctly. I had a near flawless jump but my legs recoiled the split second I hit the water. I felt a little banged up for a couple days but that was totally worth the thrill. I highly recommend the cliff jumping if you end up in Boracay. 

Alex had a style of her own

So did Audra. 

Falling 8 meters (26 feet) to the sea

My splash from the 8 meter jump. 

Our Scottish friend jumping off the 15 meter board in style. 

Going for it!

Falling 15 meters (about 50 feet). It took a long time to fall and that force of the water was something I may not volunteer for again.

Great idea guys. The people in back are amazed. 

The crew was really pushing the Philippino rum on us. They made us play spin the bottle. If it lands on you its your turn to drink. Too much.

The ship's crew got in on the action. This was just crazy.

We unfortunately had to make our way to Cebu for our flight to Sigapore coming up so we couldn't stay. I could spend a lot more time chilling in Boracay.

The food: how can I forget? I thought things would be a lot more expensive on such a well known island paradise. However, we managed to find great and cheap options. Our last night we ate in D Mall at a popular placed called Smoke. The place was packed and we had to wait for 20 minutes or so. We had great fish and stuffed squid for 150-200 pesos ($3-4). 

If Boracay had waves it'd be the beach I want to live on. If waves aren't your thing, this is your heaven.