Boracay for budget travellers
Although only a few years ago Lonely Planet and Rough Guide described Boracay as “an island that no backpacker should miss”, the incredible recent changes have converted it into a completely different place, more focused on a fast and more expensive tourism, which is giving a hard time to those on a budget. In this post we will explain how it’s still possible to visit Boracay on a shoestring, although this destination is no longer focused on budget travellers.
It’s no secret that Boracay is facing environmental degradation, as revealed by different international organisations, reporting the island’s flooding, over-development and coliform issues. The island completely closed to tourism between April and October 2018, as part of the government’s efforts at the island’s environmental rehabilitation. In addition, prices have been skyrocketing at a worrying velocity, in the past decades.
The picture here below was taken in 1991, when mass tourism had not invaded the island yet and when this little strip was one of the world top destinations for backpackers. How has it changed since then? In this post we will explain the exact current situation in Boracay and how we managed to stick on a budget per person of less than 25$ /day.
How did we end it up in Boracay from the quiet jungle of Thailand?
There are more than 7.000 islands in The Philippines, we knew we could travel somewhere else if we did not like the place.
After the longest travel day ever, spent on several means of transport, including a flight, a bus, a minivan, a boat and a tricycle, we arrived at sunset time. Our first feelings were very contradictory: if on one hand we were absolutely stunned by the view of the sun, sinking into the ocean, while the sky was turning orange, on the other hand, the beach was incredibly overcrowded, and we felt completely out of place, although in a paradise.
Is it still worth visiting Boracay and at what price?
We enjoyed our time there, but because we are trying to keep as accurate as possible, we need to be completely honest: Boracay is no longer the sleepy hippy hangout that island veterans reminisce about.
There is hardly a patch of beach front that has not been appropriated by some sort of establishment. However, we think it’s still worth visiting this gem, although if you are on a budget, there are a few things you should consider, in order not to run out of money.
Before the tourism boom, Boracay’s economy was focused on fishing and agriculture. The island was unknown to the outside world until the 1970s, and it was in the 1980s that the word of the white sandy beaches begun to spread and many backpackers and travellers started coming to this place, considered a remote paradise.
On the following decades, Boracay experienced an exceptional development, designed to host the constant increasing flow of tourists, mostly from South Korea, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, U.S.A., Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
How we managed to visit Boracay on a budget
The first thing you need to know before choosing your location is that Boracay is a small island and there are two main shores: the western one, where White Beach is the main life epicentre, with its 4 km of white sand and stunning sunsets, and the eastern shore with the popular Bulabong Beach, one of the top kiteboarding spots in Asia and yes, very windy, but also the perfect spot for an amazing sunrise.
You can easily walk from the eastern side to the western one, it is probably less than 1 km, but the eastern part is not very well illuminated at night, which makes it not super comfortable for solo female travellers.
White Beach is divided into 3 stations, to indicate the north, the middle and the south sections. While in Station 1 there are only big resorts and the waters are very shallow, Station 2 is where most of the action happens, mainly around D’Mall area. Station 3 is where you will be able to find smaller family run hotels and pensions, unfortunately all overpriced and not always clean.
After checking all the different budget options on White Beach and on the main road, we did not find any great value offer, suitable to travellers on a shoestring. All cheaper options were not cheap at all, most of them with no Wi-Fi and far to be clean.
We then decided to explore the sunrise shore and, over there, we found several decent and affordable accommodation options, at very good prices. We stayed at Surfer’s Home in Bulabong Beach, paying less than 20$ for a very clean and spacious double room, just steps from the beach, with hot water, delicious breakfast included and priceless views of the sunrise.
Accommodation
If you are a solo traveller, there are a few dorms around starting from 400 PHP/night. Note that not all the establishments have internet access and in some of them, Wi-Fi is available only in common areas.
It looks like fast internet is very expensive in The Philippines and only big resorts can afford it.
Eating and drinking
Prices are equal to Europe and bottles of water are curiously more expensive than beers or than the local rum. At Papa’s Supermarket, in front of D’Mall, behind the lake, they have a local kitchen with a grill and several cheap dishes, like soups, different vegetables, noodles, rice, grilled chicken and grilled pork.
You will be seated in one of the tables outside and do not be surprised if Filipinos customers ask you some questions, they are very friendly and curious.
When you leave the golden strip, you will notice how locals really live. If you choose accommodation with breakfast, and if you eat your meals in local restaurants, with no frills, consider a budget of about 15$/day to eat.
The Philippines is a poor country, hit every year by several devastating typhoons. If you have the chance to support a family run business, instead of a big corporation, you are also helping financing a child’s education and possibly the reconstruction of a damaged home.
If you really want to dine at D’Mall, at least once during your holiday, we suggest you not to miss The Hobbit Tavern, where they have a great selection of dishes and drinks and the staff are Filipino dwarfs: a big opportunity for the smallest waiters in the world, with the warmest smiles. The environment is simply joyful, and they play live music every night of the week.
If you are on a budget, you now know that you should find your room on the sunrise side and that you should eat with locals. In this way, you’ll be able to stick on a daily budget of 25$, including accommodation and meals. Our visit was during high season.
If you go during the low season, you probably can get even better prices, but do not underestimate the weather conditions, especially from July until November, when the island is hit by several storms.
Top things to do in Boracay, if on a budget
Watch the sunrise: it was pretty tough to set the alarm clock at 05:30 to catch the sunrise, but the incredible views paid it completely off. There are not so many places in the world where it takes less than 20 minutes to walk from a sunrise beach to a sunset one. Make sure you do not miss it here!
Play volleyball on the beach: right before sunset, when the temperature is no longer boiling, the beach gets full of locals, expats and tourists, all competing in volleyball matches. Playing volleyball is free and it will give you the great opportunity of meeting new people, while keeping in shape!
Visit on your own amazing and less crowded beaches, in other areas of the island: although Boracay boasts a social beach scene, even the most enthusiastic reveller will need some time to recharge the batteries in a relaxed place, sooner or later. Banyugan Beach, Balinghai Beach with its coves, Puka Beach with its crystal waters and internationally renewed shells necklaces, made famous by Elysabeth Taylor, as well as Ilig-Iligan Beach are just few of the more remote and relaxed spots.
Are you willing to go a little over budget for one day?
Take a 6 hours boat tour, including lunch, snorkelling, coves and a visit to crocodile island. Just go to White Beach and you will be approached by several agencies offering this tour. They all have the same price, 800PHP (about 17$).
Learn to swim like a mermaid: no jokes, you may now swim like a mythical creature of the deep, while learning all the tail-flipping tricks. Go to Fisheye Divers, Station 1 (beside Starbucks) or Victory Divers, Station 3. Cost: 800PHP (about 17$).
Chase the wind in Bulabong Beach: if getting a surge of adrenaline is on your checklist and you do not mind going out of the budget, at least for one day, try kiteboarding on one of the hottest spots in Asia. At Hanging Greenyard they offer lessons for all levels in a relaxed environment. Because the sport is wind and weather dependent, we suggest not to make any previous reservation online
If you still have some money to spend on some original (although more expensive) activity on the island, you may check a full list of things to do, with all the updated prices, by clicking here.
How to get to Boracay
Kalibo: as previously mentioned, this is the low cost terminal and it is located two hours south of Boracay, in Panay island. Once at the airport, you will need to take a minivan to Cagban Jetty Port (250PHP, normally including the 50PHP boat ticket). From there, take a small boat to Tambisaan Jetty Port in Boracay.
We have been told that this service is currently running 24/7, with a frequency of a minivan running every 15 minutes.
Caticlan: it is much closer, less than ten minutes by tricycle from the Jetty Port, but flights landing here are more expensive and mostly operated by Philippines Airlines only. Note that, at the Jetty Port, you will be asked to pay an entry fee of 175PHP, while on the way out, there is another exit fee of 100PHP.
When you leave on a plane from Kalibo, you will be asked an additional fee of 200PHP for domestic flights and 700PHP for international flights, while in Caticlan the fee is 200PHP. Boracay is changing much faster than local residents can realize and assume, but it is still a gorgeous little gem with blue waters, white soft sand and stunning sunsets.
It might have lost its hippy vibe, but following the above mentioned tips, you may still visit it on a budget, like we did. Why not this year?
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