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Showing posts with label Boracay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boracay. Show all posts

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Oh why hello Boracay (again)

Just got back last Monday from my 4D/3N Boracay trip with Erick and friends. It’s my third time in Boracay and it's always fun. Each trip has a different story which makes it unique from each other :)

Since it wasn't our first time in Bora (but our first time together), our trip was more relaxed. We had no itinerary at hand. We slept early/late, woke up early/late whenever we feel it.

Here are my 8 fave things in Boracay from my recent trip.


1) Ultimate beach bumming

It was a sunny Boracay during our whole stay, it was a perfect beach weather indeed!

Boracay on a high tide


Getting a tan


2) Buggy ride + Aviary farm + Boracay view from Mt. Luho

We rented a buggy car which Erick drove to go up to Mt. Luho. From the viewpoint of Mt. Luho, you can see the scenic Boracay views from north to south. We also dropped by the aviary farm where we encountered a big bat.

Ready to buggy!

Boracay view from Mt Luho

It's a bat!

 
3) Foodie experience

This is my favorite part, eating! If there is one thing which we find quite hard to decide in Bora, it’d be where to eat. There are so many options that you will get overwhelmed. Dining in Boracay is total convenience.

We dined at Cyma located at D’Mall. The resto is kinda small and hidden in an alley which makes it more a bit of a secret. We loved the chicken and mixed gyros. You can never go wrong ordering it. The serving looks small but it left us really full. Opa!

Cyma - Greek resto

Chicken gyros

Craving for pizza and pasta while at the island? Go and try Aria! If you’re looking for great Italian food alternative aside from the usual favorites (Yellow Cab and Shakey’s in Bora), then Aria! Aria is so easy to find, it’s right at the smack of D’Mall.

Go Italian

Everything on the menu is delicioso. Be prepared though to shell out a little more like Php500/head. We tried the Aria pizza and rigatone pasta which was best served with iced tea shake.

Aria pizza and iced tea shake on the side

 Jonah’s Fruit Shake is a regular Boracay favorite when it comes to refreshing fruit shakes. They’ve added some snacks to their menu like pasta, tacos, and sandwiches. Jonah’s is very easy to find, it fronts the Grotto in Station 1.

Try Jonah's on a really hot day.
 Hawaiian BBQ was Rex and Jonah’s recommendation. We ordered the Hawaiian BBQ platter and spam fried rice which Erick definitely loved. The meal was good enough for six if you guys don’t have big appetites.
 

Hawaiian Barbeque in Station 1


BBQ platter + spam fried rice = yum!

Gelato @ Don Vito’s Ristorante. Their best seller is pistachio. I also loved their cheesecake gelato. They are located in Station 2 just before you reach D’Talipapa.


I want gelato!

Isaw at Merly’s - streetfood in Boracay. It’s best eating this while walking in the shore with ice cold beer. Yeah!

Free buffet lunch at Astoria + some sales talk to buy a vacation membership. Astoria recently opened their resort in Boracay which replaced Boracay Gold Crowne in Station 1.


While Erick and I were strolling at the beach, a guy invited us for buffet lunch at Astoria for free. The catch?? We had to sit in to a 1.5 hour (which apparently lasted for more than 2 hours) sales presentation on Astoria club membership. Since we really had no plans on that afternoon, we decided to go. Yep, we enjoyed the buffet lunch but we didn’t buy the vacation membership although it was really enticing. We can afford it if we split the monthly fee between us but it’s not something practical for us right now.


4) Cocomangas (again) this time with Erick, Rex, and Jonah. Way to go to 15 shots! Let the pictures speak for themselves!



Shot, shot, shot, everybody!


3 down, 12 more to go


After 10 shots. lol. At least he got his "15 shots and still standing shirt" :p


5) Our room at La Carmela

We booked our room during the travel expo in SMX last February. It was a darn cheap deal to begin with so we weren’t expecting grand on our accommodation in La Carmela. But lo and behold, it was really a nice and cozy room. I loved the queen-size bed and the tub!



La Carmela's Executive Suite


6) Mango Outlet Store

Shopping was the last thing on my agenda for this trip. After all, I’ve bought numerous pasalubongs already from my previous Boracay trips.. keychains, shirts, earrings, ref magnets, bracelets, and more!


The big BUT came when I saw the Mango Outlet Store in E-mall. The E-mall is located at Station 3 on the main road; it’s quite near the D’Talipapa. The selection in the outlet store are quite good; they still have available XS or S sizes for petites. I bought a really pretty black dress for myself and a nice top for my mom.



MANGO!!!


Who doesn't love shopping?


7) Boracay firedancers. Because they're everywhere at night, you can't miss them..


Fire dancers


Oops, careful!

 
8) Boracay sunset. No explanation needed, I guess all of you will agree that Boracay has one of the best sunsets. Isn't it?



Boracay sunset 6/5/2011

It was a well-deserved vacay. Thank you Boracay for always giving me a fun beach time, we will back next year for our yearly Bora trip :)

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sweet Deal from the Travel Tour Expo 2011!


Erick and I went to SMX yesterday to check the PTAA Travel and Tour Expo. We weren’t really planning to book anything since we already bought our tickets for our Bohol and Bora trips (both promo fares). 

There were lots of booths from different airlines, resorts, travel agencies, cruise liners, real estate companies, and other businesses in the tourism industry. It was the last day of the expo but the crowd was still mad to buy promo fares and book discounted tour and hotel packages. To name a few, there were exhibitors from Macau, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Guam, Hawaii, India, South Africa, and yeah even Kenya! Whew that was a lot and add all the local travel agencies, resorts, and airlines in the Philippines.  


We went around for awhile hoping that we could stumble upon a fancy deal.  And voila! We saw La Carmela de Boracay’s 3D/2N + 1 night free room promo. Just exactly what we’re looking for our Boracay trip in June. The deal is only applicable from June 1 – December 15 which is the low season. 




3D/2N (with breakfast) + 1 night free room only (without breakfast)

Low Season
Quad – Php 420/pax
Triple – Php 560/pax
Twin – Php 840/pax

High Season
Quad – Php 640/pax
Triple – Php 860/pax
Twin – Php 1280/pax

Peak Season
Quad – Php 790/pax
Triple – Php 1050/pax
Twin – Php 1575/pax

*Rate per pax and inclusive of set breakfast.
*Additional Php100 /person for meal upgrade to buffet breakfast.

It was really an unbelievable deal. We will be in Bora for four days. So for our 4D/3N stay, we only paid for 3D/2N since the promo entitles us to 1 night free room without breakfast. Hehe Such a sweet deal! It was selling like hot pancakes. To further make this very unbelievable deal more super unbelievable, the standard room could fit in up to 4 persons and we are four in the group (plus 2 by the way, but the four of us can share the room). Adding it up, the four of us would incur the following expenses:

Php420 * 2 nights = Php840 + 1 night free room :)

Teehee. Boracay: 4D/3N = Php840/person. Where can you find that? Our running expenses for Bora is..*drum roll please*

Php 853 – promo fare from Zest Air (which we booked last month)
Php 840 – 4D/3N accommodation in La Carmela
_______
Php 1693

This will be my cheapest travel to date. Luvit...Beat it!

contact information:
La Carmela de Boracay
www.lacarmeladeboracay.com
Station 2, Balabag, Boracay Island
Malay, Aklan
Philippines
Phone: +63.36.288.5423 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +63.36.288.5423      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 288.5921, 288.5921, 36.288.4376, 288.4376     info@lacarmeladeboracay.com

Manila Booking Office
Cellphone: +63.9228166941, 9228166941, 9228166942
Landline: +63.2.8958048, 8958048, 8958049
Fax: +63.2.8979184