Boracay is probably the top tourist destination in the Philippines. And thanks to its reputation as a party place in recent years, it has become one of the destinations for backpackers in the country. I love being near the beach, and I was in the mood to party. So despite the fact that some travelers have been dissing the place, i decided to see for myself what it’s really like. When I saw the island from the Caticlan jetty port, i was overcome with a feeling of uncertainty. With the view of what seemed like multiple humongous buildings under construction in such a small island, it looked and felt so wrong. I had a feeling i was not going to like it.

It’s easy to get to Boracay. Since it’s a top tourist destination, there are multiple flights daily from a lot of local airlines. Therefore it’s easy to score cheap fares even if you plan to fly at the last minute. The fastest way would be to fly to Caticlan airport. From here, you just have to take a ferry to Boracay Island. A cheaper option would be to fly to Kalibo airport instead. From here you need to travel by land to the jetty port in Caticlan and it takes about 2 hours by bus or van (a one way trip costs around 200 Pesos or about 4 USD). For those coming from other countries, there are flights from Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia that fly directly to Kalibo Airport. Thus there’s no need to fly to Manila first. There’s not much to see there anyway, and you get to avoid the horrible traffic jams that plague that city. This is also a good option if you mostly plan to visit the islands in the center of the country.

Outside the Caticlan airport, you’ll be hounded by people offering to transport you directly to your hotel or hostel. It’s a pretty good deal. For only 500 pesos (more or less 10 USD) it includes transport via an air conditioned van to the jetty port, the ferry ride to Boracay island, and land transport to your hotel or hostel. It includes all those environmental fees and terminal fees too so you don’t have to worry about anything else. If you want to cut costs, you can walk to the jetty port for about 10 minutes. At the jetty port, just pick the cheapest ferry. I’m not sure about the cheapest fare, but someone told me the cheapest fare was about 25-30 Pesos. Take note that you also have to pay 100 pesos for the terminal fee and another 75 pesos for the environmental fee. The ferry ride takes about 10 minutes. Once you arrive at the Boracay jetty port, you’ll find lots of tricycle (tuktuk) drivers that can take you to your hotel. They would charge about 100-150 Pesos, depending on your haggling skills. So you see, when you add up all the costs it’s not much cheaper compared to the transportation option offered at the Caticlan airport that would take you directly to your hotel. If you can spare 4 bucks, just arrange your transport to your hotel at the Caticlan airport.

As I’ve mentioned, you’ll see a lot of construction going on from afar, and the whole scenery looks odd. It’s as if they’re planning on building a huge metropolis in such a small island. Once you arrive, you’ll see a lot more construction going on on the main road. I’ve even seen one huge complex under construction, it seems like they’re building a huge shopping mall. You’ll also see several fast food chains like McDonalds and Pizza Hut. There’s also a Starbucks coffee shop, together with a lot of other familiar establishments. Clearly not what you’d expect in a tropical island. The main beach, aptly called White Beach, is indeed beautiful with its powdery off-white sand. And the view of the sunset is really amazing on a clear day— that sunset is definitely not overrated. It’s hard to appreciate its beauty though because it’s terribly crowded, except for those portions of the beach near the luxury resorts. But even there it’s hard to find a secluded spot. On the beach front it’s one establishment next to another one, all of them selling overpriced food and drinks, overpriced tours and activities. Try walking on the beach and you’ll be hounded by vendors selling souvenirs or expensive activities. You want to try parasailing? 2500 pesos (about 50 USD) seems like a good deal, until you find out it’s only for 15 minutes. Everything along White Beach is terribly expensive compared to the rest of the country. It’s as touristy as it can get. You know what Boracay reminded me of? It reminded me of Bali. Kuta specifically. But at least in Bali, if you get tired of the hectic scene in Kuta you can go elsewhere to find peace and quite, or at least a change of scenery. You can’t do the same thing in Boracay since the entire island is practically like Kuta. Sure some portions of the island aren’t too crowded. That part of White beach near the luxury resorts for instance. Or Bulabog beach on the other side of the island which is more laid back. It’s the part of the island that’s more famous for water sports so it’s not really secluded. People still flock there, but it doesn’t get as maddeningly crowded. The sand is not quite as fine as the sand on White Beach, so that could  be a factor why there are less people sunbathing on those parts. I observed more locals in that area too. There was one day when there was a pervading stench of rotten eggs when the tide was low— apparently there’s a sewage pipe somewhere in the area, maybe that’s what’s causing it. Could be a health hazard for the people kite surfing on the water by this beach. 😦

Puka beach is another part of the island that’s less chaotic since there’s not much development going on… yet. The sand is coarse and it’s mainly made up of small shells. It’s an interesting place to visit if you get tired of White Beach. But the fact is, these less crowded areas are but a small portion of the island. Majority of the island is crowded and overdeveloped. i can’t believe they aren’t even done constructing buildings yet! Those buildings I saw from as far as the Caticlan Jetty Port? Those are supposed to be condominium apartment buildings. Let that sink in. Condominium Apartment buildings. On a small tropical island. I would imagine Boracay looked like paradise 20 years ago, or maybe even just 10 years ago. Now it looks like a jumbled mess and it totally betrays the lack of proper planning. It’s like being in any crowded Asian city, the only difference is you’re on a small island. I see lots of trash in a lot of places, and it’s sad to see such things in a tropical island. During my stay, i really wondered where the environmental fees went. And with so many establishments on the island, each one churning a huge amount of trash on a daily basis, i wondered if the waters surrounding Boracay were indeed safe to swim in.

Would i recommend Boracay to fellow travelers? If you want some peace and quiet, better skip the place. If you want to spend days in a nice beach, there are many other beaches in the Philippines that are as beautiful, if not even more beautiful than Boracay. But if you want to party, I’d definitely recommend a visit. To me, that’s the only redeeming factor of Boracay. The party scene can get real wild especially on weekends, it can rival the beach parties in Thailand and Bali. i doubt if you can find such a party scene in any of the other islands in the Philippines. And if  you really want to party, i highly recommend staying at Mad Monkey Hostel. It’s only about a year old so everything is fairly new. A dorm bed only costs about 500-600 pesos a night. You get free Wi Fi, all rooms are air conditioned, there are electric sockets, a night lamp, a small fan, and lockers for each bed— they clearly thought of backpackers when they built this place. i loved the location as well. It’s about a ten minute walk from White Beach. That means it’s far from all those overpriced touristy establishments. There are lots of cheap places to eat nearby, you can also eat where the locals eat. That means you can save a lot of money for booze! lol. There’s a huge pool in the middle of the hostel and the bar serves cheap drinks— truly essential to maintain the party scene. I often stay at party hostels whenever I travel, and i have to say this: I’ve never stayed in a party hostel that was as fun as Mad Monkey. The party starts in the afternoon and it doesn’t let up until the bar closes before midnight. And I guess everyone else who stayed in that hostel had so much fun too. When i asked fellow guests where they’ve been on the island, i was shocked to find out that they haven’t been anywhere else. They just stayed at the hostel the entire day! And a lot of them have already been staying for a week! After one day at Mad Monkey though, I could clearly see why. Why venture elsewhere when you’re already having so much fun at the hostel? I mostly went out just to grab a bite nearby, or when i needed to buy some stuff at the grocery store. And every time I went out i hurried back to the hostel lol. No wonder the place is often fully booked and a lot of guests kept extending their stay. A lot people staying at other hostels even hang out at Mad Monkey! They also run a booze cruise twice a week. For 1,500 Pesos, you get unlimited alcohol, they take you to a cliff jumping site, a snorkeling site, and a secluded beach to enjoy the sunset. I’m telling you it’s totally worth it. This booze cruise is always full so better save a spot in advance! Now you might be asking— if this hostel is so good, why am I not sharing any pictures? The answer is simple. I was having so much fun, I forgot to take even a single one! lol.

Looking back, I did have a lot of fun in Boracay and I’d visit the place again if I’m in the mood to party. But sadly, for people who aren’t into the party scene, there’s no way I could recommend Boracay wholeheartedly.