by Alix & Mike Davies
Borocay is one of the Visayas Island in central Philippines . It was first described to us as " Paradise " and is certainly a place for unwinding, relaxing and enjoying oneself in comfort at a very reasonable cost. To get there you fly into Manila , stay one night, flying the next morning on to Kalibo: the nearest airport that PAL fly to for Borocay. It costs about B$600: it is highly recommended to stay in a hotel close to the airport in Manila as traffic is notoriously slow. The Hyatt is comfy but more expensive than others. Catch a local, metered taxi because it is much cheaper than an organised minibus and no problem.
From Kalibo, you catch a bus to Caticlan, either a private minibus if there is a small group of you or one the big buses. Tickets are no problem at either airport. At Caticlan you can see your destination but must go on an out-rigger.
If you have booked a hotel, tell the ticket seller and he will tell you which station to get off at. If not, ask for the tourist information station.
There is a range of accommodation, ranging from Pesos 200 to P5000. We stayed in a place called TNT for P800 and had our own little cottage with bed, fan, lighting, bathroom and morning coffee and toast on the balcony.
Borocay is basically set along the beach front. A sand road with only bicycle taxis is the main drag. The sea is a wonderful colour and very tempting to the recreational swimmer and to the serious diver. Reefs abound and snorkelling is fascinating to the new comer. On the other side of the island windsurfing is the big sport. Companies are plentiful in offering sports deals. We took an excellent day trip on a rigger including a picnic, snorkelling, swimming and drinks from Nigi Nigi Noo Noos, which is also an excellent meeting place serving good food and tasty cocktails.
In the evening there are more places than you could try in a short holiday, all with happy hours and several items on the menu. Some better than others. It's worth heading down some of the back streets to see what treasures you can find. Having said that, Mango Rays on the front serves wonderful food in a lovely garden setting.
For the more adventurous types you can hire a motorbike and side-car to take you to the caves and museum at the tip of the island. Your guides, young boys, will join you on route and will expect a small tip for the efforts. Their English is good. Our guides enjoyed showing us the bats which they retrieved from the cave. The museum is OK but not really worth the admission price.
Borocay is a place to experience. How does one describe " Paradise ?" We will certainly return sometime. ENJOY
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