Dianne's Nook

After the typhoons and storms that came in October, it was very fortunate of us that the day we scheduled our trip to Boracay Island is filled with sun and perfect weather. The trip started on a Wednesday and ended on a Saturday. This is a perfect timing for students enjoying their Semestral Breaks and for my those who have flexible working schedule just like me.

My friends from high school decided to take our reunions and meet ups to a higher level so we decided to this time, conquer Boracay. I've never been to Boracay so I was very excited to see the famous spot for beach bumming, adventure activities as well as nature-tripping.

We booked our flight months ago so we were able to avail of discounted airline tickets. Some of us were able to avail of Cebu Pacific's Piso Sale. We only paid P281 pesos for one-way fare. That's a steal already!


We boarded Cebu Pacific's ATR/propeller aircraft bound for Caticlan. It was a small aircraft having a seating capacity of 72. Imagine the size of a bus, the aircraft is almost like that. It might be scary at first but it was a smooth ride. We were also able to have a good view of the Philippine Islands since we were only cruising at 14,000 feet.

We reached Caticlan or Boracay Airport in an hour. This is more convenient compared to landing in Kalibo Airport where you need to travel an additional 2 hours to get to Caticlan port. With landing in Caticlan, it only takes a minute to reach the Caticlan port by riding a tricycle.

We reached Casa Fiesta at around 4:00 pm. After resting a bit, we decided to take our dinner at Big Mama's Restaurant. It's located beside Starbucks and Gerry's Grill.

After some strolling along the beach and buying groceries at the Crafty's Supermarket, we headed to Club Paraw. Yes, we partied on our first night in Boracay! There are a lot of Americans and Koreans. We even felt that we're dominated by their number. It was fun seeing them enjoying, dancing, all drunk!

After a few drinks and a few dance steps thrown on to the Club Paraw's floor, we decided to go back home to take a much needed rest. We knew that the next day is going to be really exciting and tiring.


On our second day, we went island hopping. We went to Bulabog beach, the other side of Boracay stations, to go snorkeling. It was really fun since we got to see a lot of colorful marine animals. The fishes we were only able to see on TV are here, mingling with us.

We then headed to Puka Beach, the side of Boracay that's less commercialized. Less commercialized since there are already stores and restaurants to serve lunch to visitors. But still, you can find a spot where you can really appreciate the silence and the tranquility of the area. In Puka Beach, you'll find shells and white stones rather than white sand. It's quite difficult to walk on it but definitely, it's one place in Boracay which you shouldn't miss.

Among the sights we saw when we went island hopping would be Shangrila Boracay, of course. Anyone surely dreams of staying even a night there. We also saw the alleged property of Manny Pacquiao.

After eating our lunch, we decided to go Helmet Diving. I thought it was easy but it's not! You will be carrying a 25 kilo helmet which of course when submerged in water becomes less heavy. After the short instructions, we were all set to go down. What's frustrating about this is there are no more fishes. Maybe they're already tired or full to come out and have photo ops with us.

We still didn't call it a day. We have one activity left, that is ATV. This is my least favorite activity. Why? Because I've always been afraid of driving. And what's more, I was given a buggy instead of the ATV. It's more difficult because it's bigger and it's harder to operate. Or maybe that's just me. We went to Ocean View Point but since the sun already set, we weren't able to enjoy the view.

We had dinner at one of the buffet restaurant along Station 1. I made sure I try everything. After all, that's the essence of buffet eating. You have to get your money's worth.


We're on the 3rd day of our Boracay trip. Before the activities, we decided to go to Willy's Rock, swim and take pictures. We also tried the famous Jonah's fruit shakes. It's Jonah's guys, not Jony's.

We still got 2 more activities. That's parasailing and flyfish. At around 12 noon, we decided to go parasailing. No, it's not hot, it's actually windy up there. Parasailing can be frightening at first because of the height of the parachute but once you see Boracay from above, you'll be amazed and the fear will just go away. The speedboat driver even gave us a bit of thrill and decided to dip us on the water. After one final stint on top, we were pulled down and we just realized, it was bitin.

After parasailing, we tried flyfish. This is the most tiring and extreme activity we've done. Thankfully, this was the last. Because I can't anymore imaging myself doing other activity after this. The concept of flyfish goes like this. Six people, actually we're only 4, will ride an inflatable craft attached to a speedboat. You only get to hold a handle. You won't be tied there. The speedboat will bring you at the middle of the water, speed up making the craft go sideways and sometimes up. The result is, either one or more will fall in the water. This is really extreme for me since you have to really hold on to the handle so as not to fall. After this activity, we were very thankful no one got hurt nor drowned.

After the activities, we went shopping for pasalubong and after that, we wrapped the night by having good conversations by the beach. We even saw a lot of shooting stars. That translates to a lot of wishes too!



Day 4 was spent resting and packing our things up. Last minute shopping for some.. We headed back to Kalibo Airport to catch our flight to Manila at 1:50 pm via Zest Air.

For a detailed account of our Boracay trip, check out my succeeding posts.