Boracay is an island of the Philippines, known for its white sand beaches, aqua colored water and incredible atmosphere. Trip Advisor viewers voted Boracay as the number 2 beach to visit. I am a lover of beaches, so my criteria for a great beach is strict. Let me tell you the reasons why Boracay remains top of my list and why you would enjoy visiting there.

The food is amazing

The majority of hotels in Boracay are located on the beach, so you will find a large number of restaurants set up on the sand during the evening. These restaurants will range in price so choose carefully. If you want fresh seafood, you can go to the fish market for lunch and select the fish, crab, prawns, lobster of your choice and bring it to a nearby restaurant to be cooked. These restaurants are set up specifically to cook the seafood that is purchased from the fish market. You provide the seafood, and they will cook it in your selected style (garlic is the best) and provide you with all your necessary plates and cutlery. We spent about A$30 (1200 peso) for a breakfast of chilly crab and garlic prawns. That was for 5 of us.

It’s also fun to eat at the restaurants by the beach. If you eat at a buffet, it will cost you approximately A$10 per person (300 peso) and you can try a range of different foods. The ambiance is unique because you watch the waves crash against the shore that is not too far away from where you are sitting. We went to Boracay during the festive season so there was live music along the beach.

Island hopping

When you walk along the beach, you will find that the place is buzzing with people asking you to hire a boat. My dad speaks Visaya (the local dialect) so he managed to book us in for a day of island hopping and snorkeling. We chartered a small boat to take us to the neighboring island of Crystal Cove. This island gets it name from the large Crystal that sits in one of it’s caves. You can pay a small fee to be allowed entry into these caves.

We also enjoyed snorkeling a little further out into the waters. The water was so clear that we didn’t have to look too far down to see the colorful sea life swimming beneath us.

There is something for everyone

Boracay will please almost anyone, whether you are on your own and just want to sunbathe…

You can also order a drink at many of the beach side bars and listen to the bands play current and old school songs. I really enjoyed watching the fire dancers, who danced with sticks of fire on the beach.

We also enjoyed just walking along the beach with the extended family… don’t forget to try a mango smoothie because mangoes are in high supply over there and are so ripe and sweet.

We also enjoyed riding on a banana boat. All you need to do is gather your friends or family and jump onto this inflated, banana, shaped floating boat. The banana boat is then attached to a jet-powered boat and you are driven around the ocean at such a speed that causes you to scream in absolute delight! I suggest asking the driver to do a few twists and turns to ensure that there is at least one passenger who falls off the banana boat. Falling off is half the fun because you also get back on and can do it again!

Last but not least

The view speaks for itself, Boracay is truly an island paradise and there is no place like it in the world…

So dip your feet into the cool blue waters of this beautiful place, like I did during high tide, and open your eyes to one of the most beautiful beaches of the world. What is your favourite beach holiday?

Want to know how to get there? Check out these links:

How to get from Kalibo to Boracay, click here

How to get there by air, boat and bus, click here

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