Boracay Trip - February 2020

Since my son's first trip to Boracay in 2017, he can't stop talking about it. He even mentioned in his school assignment that his visit in Boracay was his happiest moment so I made it a point to bring him back here again.

This time we're with my mom. It's her first time, and, travelling with a senior means I have to skip the DIYs and make it convenient for everyone. So, I booked our transfers ahead of time (through Klook), and I had to  be thorough in picking our hotel. Well, after carefully reading the reviews, I ended up booking our stay in Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel.

On the day of our flight to Kalibo, we parked our car in T4 Terminal Parking and checked in. Airport Parking rate (P300/overnight) is cheaper than Park n' Fly's rate (P340 + VAT), not to mention it's more convenient and time-saving since it's just a few steps away from the entrance and you don't need to ride a shuttle to get to the airport anymore. Air Asia doesn't allow online check-in for Seniors so we had to proceed to their Priority Counter. Luckily, no one's in line before us so checking in was a breeze.

After we arrived in Kalibo International Airport, the staff from Southwest Tours called our name so we proceed to their counter and they gave us stickers and told us to meet the guy outside the airport wearing a Klook Shirt. The guy then led us to the bus. It took us just 1 1/2 hours to get to Caticlan Jetty Port. And after we had our body temperature checked, we were then directed to Southwest's waiting area where the staff gave us a boarding pass and in a matter of time, we're already riding the speedboat bound to Boracay Island.

The boat ride from Caticlan Port to Cagban Port (Boracay) only took 10 minutes and upon arrival, another Klook staff was waiting to assist us with our luggages. He then led us to the multicab that will bring us to our hotel. We're with another group and they were dropped off first since their resort is just in Station 3 before we were brought to our hotel which is in Station 2.

Cagban Jetty Port

Upon our arrival in Mandarin Island Hotel, one of the staffs offered us cold towels and gave each of us a refreshing glass of juice while the front desk is validating our booking. A few minutes and we're being escorted to our room already. We just left our bags there and went to Ka-On Restaurant, Tides Hotel's rooftop restaurant for our Lunch Reservation.

Boodle-style lunch at Ka-on Restaurant

After devouring everything in our Boodle-style Lunch, we went back to our hotel and my mom spent the rest of the day watching Netflix on the 65" Smart TV in our room while hubby and our son went to swim at the pool.

In the evening, everyone's still full except for the little guy so we took him to Andok's in D'Mall for dinner. After that, we capped off the night with some buy 1 take 1 cocktails from our hotel's in house restaurant, Don Vito Ristorante Italiano, while listening to live bands.

The following morning, Mom and I went shopping for pasalubong while hubby and our son spent the whole morning swimming. After our late lunch, we attempted to go to Willy's Rock before the sunset cruise but the sun is at its peak so we just decided to visit Jonah's and have some refreshing fruit shake. Jonah's used to be located near Willy's Rock but they were affected by the rehabilitation of Boracay so they moved to a new location which is near Astoria in Station 1.

At exactly 3:50PM, the boat for sunset cruise left and the acoustic singer started to play the guitar. We stopped in the middle of the sea, and while waiting for the sun to set, the crew provide free use of snorkeling gears, tube, kayak and paddle board to the guests. They even have mermaid tails for that ultimate IG moment. We just did snorkeling and kayaking. At around 5:30PM, the boat was already moving slowly and everyone's just chilling while watching the sky turn from yellow to orange.

Sunset Watching

After the 2 1/2 hour sunset cruise, we had dinner in Hoy Panga! and since we can't get enough of Don Vito's Pina Colada, we had them served in our room to end our second day in Boracay.

On our third day, we met with hubby's family after breakfast and we all went to Willy's Rock. I can't remember how long it took us to get there but all I know it's already lunch time when we arrived in Station 2.

Willy's Rock Station 1

After lunch, everyone took a rest and prepared for Banana Boat that they scheduled late in the afternoon. I'm not into extreme water activities (yes, Banana Boat is extreme for me) so Mom and I just chilled out in Crown Regency in Station 3.

After a few drinks and a plate of Cheese Sticks, the gang finally arrived. It was fun to see my mom and my mother-in-law relaxing and enjoying. Everyone's just laughing, sharing stories, and singing on the karaoke.

Hubby and his brothers went parasailing the next morning so I planned to take my mom to D'Talipapa but I was surprised to learn that it burned down 2 years ago and until now it was not renovated so we just went to check out Station 3.

On our last day during the check out, the Southwest Staff is already waiting to pick us up from the hotel to take us to the port. They scheduled the pickup 5hrs departure time to ensure we don't miss our flight. The transfer from our hotel to the airport is as smooth as when we arrived.

It's sad to say goodbye to Boracay and going back to reality but at least I have new memories and experience to treasure.