A fabulous weekend in Boracay!

Boracay, Aklan: I was in fabulous Boracay Island with my son JV and a few of our media friends for some R&R. It was quite an educational trip. The last time I was here a couple of years ago, you can immediately tell whether Boracay has stagnated or matured as a tourism destination. We flew in via Asian Spirit Airlines and returned via SEAIR, where both airlines fly you to Boracay and back in 45 minutes.

In my last trip, I played golf at the Fairways & Bluewater Golf Course where I could see the ground preparations for the construction of the up and coming Boracay, Shangri-La. I didn’t care to play golf for the weekend, hence I wasn’t able to see the almost finished Shangri-La Hotel, which no doubt would give the Island of Boracay its first 6-Star hotel.

We stayed at the Discovery Shores, Boracay’s newest addition (they opened only last March 2007) to the long line of hotels along its famous shores. This hotel is undoubtedly a high-budget top class 88-room hotel, which starts from the mountain side giving some rooms a terrific view of the ocean, while the other half is on shore level divided only by a magnificent waterfall. If there is a distinct advantage that Boracay Island has over our resorts in Mactan, it is that fabulous 4-kilometer long white sand beach, where hotels in all price ranges abound. Best of all, the competition amongst the hotels and restaurants have triggered some kind of price war. You can really come here and enjoy your vacation within your budget.

When it comes to fresh seafood, nothing beats going to D Talipapa wet market where you can find lobsters, crabs, fishes and shells and have them cook at the many restaurants across the market. So you can shop while waiting for your food to be cooked. The price is outrageously low, since you are eating lobsters not in a 4 or 5 star hotel, but in a market. If I remember right, when I visited Talipapa during my first trip to Boracay, I saw a lot of ugly electric wires dangling about. I said to myself that this was a fire hazard. True enough a few years ago, Talipapa burned to the ground. But the Aklanons rebuilt it into a better marketplace.

We bumped into an old Cebuano friend, Mr. Binggoy Remedios at the wet market, looking for fresh seafood. Binggoy operates the “Dos Mestizos Restaurant” in Boracay offering authentic Spanish cuisine. If there is anything specifically unique to Boracay, it hosts many international restaurants from now common Italian spaghetti or pizza, Japanese and Korean food to French crepes and there’s even a Greek restaurant.

Saturday night in Boracay, we walked some two kilometers along Station 1 to Station 2 along the beach to see tourists at the various bars. There are many tourists here because they are concentrated in one place, which is along the beach. Entertainment in Boracay comes in various forms. You can either go shopping at D*Mall or have your hair braided into the afro look or get that tattoo you’ve always wanted.

There are bars just by the shoreline complete with a band playing all kinds of sounds or you can dance in Club Paraw or just get a few drinks at the Juice Bar. The famous Bom Bom Bar is still around and if you’re not dressed for the occasion, stall shops selling all kinds of beach wear can be found anywhere in the three stations by the beachfront.

I took a dip in the sea to watch the magnificent sunset. It is always breathtaking. Thankfully, Boracay authorities were able to solve that problem of E-coli on the beaches because they knew it would have killed their tourism industry. We’re proud that Boracay island is considered one of the best beaches in the world and I second the motion to that because of its uniqueness and its international elegance.

I’ve been to famous beaches like in Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Venice Beach in Los Angeles and Waikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii and the beautiful beaches of St. Tropez, in Nice. But Boracay’s beaches isn’t merely for swimming, it also comes alive at night, while the beaches we mention practically shut down for the evening. I can only hope and pray that Boracay’s tourism success would continue. With the Shangri-La Resort opening there soon, Boracay will no doubt get the high-end tourists into its pristine shores.

One thing about Boracay, they are now very clean, unlike the Boracay of the past. This brings me to the question, while we still have our tourism industry in Mactan, Cebu. I wonder if at all Mayor Arturo Radaza has done his job in cleaning up Cebu’s major tourist destination? Since he became mayor, Mr. Radaza has given the tourism industry nothing in terms of plans or support. So can we just ask him to clean up Mactan? He better listen!