Boracay is only one of the 7,000 plus exotic islands in the Philippines.  But this tiny island is one of the country’s gems.  Its picture-perfect white sand beaches have earned Boracay numerous acclaims as “one of the best islands in the world.”  For Keith’s very first visit to the Philippines, I thought Boracay would be a perfect first stop to introduce my home country to him. 

This is the alluring water of Boracay that keeps seducing me back to the island. This is my third visit to Boracay. The first time was in the late 1980’s when the island was still without electricity and the power at the handful of resorts was battery generated. Today, the island is much more built-up and more commercialized. However, its beauty and charm still remain and hard to resist.

Day 1

After more that 20 hours of travel from New York – that  included 3 flight segments and a boat ride –  I was happy to finally arrive in Boracay, but most of all I was excited to reunite with my precious family who came to spend few days on the island with me and Keith.

The beautiful and tranquil beachfront of Friday’s Resort in a late afternoon.

Enjoying the beautiful view of the beach as my family, Keith and I took a relaxing late afternoon stroll along the shore.

On our first evening in Boracay, my family, Keith and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner and entertainment at Paradiso Grill. Boracay offers a wide variety of dining option from street food stalls to fine seafood restaurants.

Day 2

An early morning walk along the northern part of the 4 km White Beach, the most famous beach of Boracay.

Boats docked in the northern end of the island in an early morning.

The sky was overcast but the water was still colorful. My nephews enjoyed a morning dip and a bonding moment with Uncle Keith.

 Keith and my nephews finally had enough of the water. Docked on the shore is a lovely floral red canoe.

One of the popular activities in Boracay is to hire a boat and hop to its surrounding islands. My family enjoyed the boat ride despite the cloudy sky.

Our first island stop was Magic Island, a very tiny, craggy island that offers a spectacular view of the ocean and neighboring islands.

Our boatman grilling the fresh seafood and vegetables that we purchased in the market just before when got on the boat ride.

The hungry bunch hovering over the grill.

Picnic time on Magic Island! Keith said that these prawns were the freshest and the sweetest he ever ate.

The water to sail to other islands was choppy that day and we decided into sail to calmer water where we could snorkel. Boracay is great for snorkeling.  My family enjoyed swimming with schools of fish on this spot.

A floating coconut vendor approached our boat as we were snorkeling.

All set for a fast and exciting banana boat ride, another fun and popular activity in Boracay.

Fresh from the excitement of banana boat ride, my family was discussing if we should go for another round.

My nephew learning to skim board.

Walking back to the hotel in the late afternoon as bars and restaurant along the beach was starting to set up for the evening.

That night we enjoyed a fire dancing performance at one of the lounges along the beachfront.

Day 3

The boys trying to catch fish with their hands.

My brother and nephew looking for crabs.

While the boys were playing on the beach, the girls went to the lively D’Mall for souvenir shopping and for some ice cream. Aside from shops, D’Mall is also lined with huge variety of dining options.

For trinket shopping, we checked out the stalls that lined along the beachfront.

Our last lunch with my family before they left Boracay:(  They had to leave early as the kids had to go back to school.  Keith and I stayed two more days on the island and reunited with them few days later in our hometown.

That afternoon, we strolled along the beach as threatening clouds loomed above.

And the rain came.

The rain came pouring harder in the evening.  It gave us a reason to stay in at the resort and enjoy the cultural show featuring traditional Filipino dances.

Fortunately, the rain went away and the next two days were all sunshine! Keith and I had a great time exploring other parts of the island. For Part 2 of this post, please click here.

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