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can u go to boracay on a budget?
angelicDAW
PExer
i've never been to boracay and i want to go there before summer of 2002 ends. however, i've spent so much these days and i'm not willing to splurge on an expensive vacation.
any tips on how i can save up and still enjoy boracay? is the ferry to boracay safe? where should i stay?
any tips on how i can save up and still enjoy boracay? is the ferry to boracay safe? where should i stay?
Comments
try the super ferry to dumaguit (aklan) from manila. they have a thrice weekly schedule - manila to dumaguit (mondays, wednesdays, saturdays), and back (tuesdays, thursdays, and sundays). that would cost around 2200. that's 3400 cheaper than when you take the plane. roundtrip airfare to kalibo is now 5600.
then take the shuttle service to caticlan that would cost 100/person. there are vans waiting sa dumaguit pier na mismo. or even cheaper if you ride ceres buses from kalibo.
ferry from caticlan to boracay would be 20 pesos/person.
where to stay? if you want yung sa beachfront na mismo, try chez de paris, which is about 20 walks away from boat station 2 and right beside le soleil. their aircon rooms for two costs 2000 pesos during peak season and they have garden fan rooms which costs php 1000 for two persons.
also sa beachfront but quite far from the boat stations is bamboo bungalows. their room for two costs php 1000 and php 2000 for a family of four. thse are fan rooms.
or try michelle's bungalows in one of the alleys near boat staion 3. their room for two would cost php 700.
sa pagkain naman, you can eat at some stalls inside talipapa. meals for two would cost php200. busog na kayo nun.
P5500/night. kasya siguro 10-15 people. may kitchen pa para if u want to cook. may cable and the banyo is ok.
malinis and comfortable.
This is what my barkada did:
Took the SuperFerry from Manila to Aklan. Get the slightly higher fare so that you are in one of the airconditioned rooms. We took Cebu Pacific on the way back. A little more expensive than taking the ferry back, but we were pressed for time.
Booked our room in advance through the internet. We stayed in the north area, near Willys Rock. I personally think this is the best area of the stretch of the beach because it isnt as crowded as the south part, and all the nightspots are here too (no need to take the tricycle). 2-3 people can stay in one room (except of course, the couples, which should get their own room
Brought canned goods. Spam, Corned Beef, Viena Sausage, etc. Some restaurants charge a small fee for cooking canned goods... definitely cheaper than buying their food (we just bought rice). Konting usap lang yan sa cook o sa waitress.
Brought our own liquor. Not beer, but the hard stuff, like Tequila and Vodka.
Brought our own bottled water!
All of this extra heavy stuff (canned goods, water, etc) can all fit into one large duffel that people can take turns bringing.
I hope this helps!
But if you were on a real budget and blending in with the crowd was not important to you, first, go there off-season--around Sept to early Oct. Hotel rates are much much lower and the beach is clearer of humanity. While most of it would be sunny, expect some rain.
Koboy ba kayo? You may try the delapidated,non-aircon (fan lang) cottages near the police station at Station 3 (yata?) near the Tourist Assistance Outpost where they display those poor stuffed sharks and their huge pairs of maxillaries and mandibles (God! I really can't remember the name of the store!!) The Cottage's name I think was Sunny Breeze (the huge signage was destroyed by a storm--it's poorly painted and defeats its purpose, anyway. It's private though and you may cook, bbq, dine in the bermuda yard under the tree shade. Cheap na cheap lang doon. By the way, somebody might tell you na may namboboso doon; wala na yon--nahuli na at pinalayas na ng may-ari. It's safe--near nga sa Police Outpost. Don't worry, pulis probinsiya yun--hindi pulis Manila; hindi kayo mapapahamak d'on.
SuperFerry is good, as suggested by Nerfy. Secure a round-trip bus booking between the dock and Caticlan, i.e. secure round trip rides. Except for the long trip to and from Manila, you may find boat ride to Aklan OK, but, after the vacation, you might need to fly swiftly back, so budget for a plane ride. Cebu Pacific is OK.
Right! Bring all your food stuff--mahal ang food sa Boracay. Includig vegies. Medyo baduy, pero its wise. If you're a good homemaker, you'r appreciate it. But weight out the cost of bringing your water supply for the entire trip. You might find it more practical to spare extra pesos for water in Boracay than get burdened by the 1-kg/liter load. Finally, don't get intimidated by the handsome facades of the hotels; you'd be surprised some of them are reasonably--even cheaply--priced. Inquire! If you arrived there late afternoon, it's OK to settle in a first reasonably-priced and safe lodging that you can see so you can retire for the night. But it's ok to move out the following day when you have already inquired around and found your desired lodging. Of course, it's best to ask around muna about lodging in Boracay prior to your trip.
I hope you enjoy your trip and find Boracay the best beach you have ever been to. It was for me, and been there four times.
First, we're going there by boat. We got tickets from MBRS lines - it's the only shipping line with the Manila-Caticlan route. I believe Super Ferry and a couple other shipping lines go through Aklan, which would mean additional hour of land transport.
Tickets cost P1,250/person for cabin one-way. As for the accommodation, a friend of a friend of mine, suggested this place - Cottage Queen . It's not of those you'll see advertised in the web but my friend trusts her friend's judgement and she said it's a good place to stay. Rate is P800/night in a fan room.
Another person who replied in this thread mentioned Michelle's Bungalows. That's where my friend stayed when they went there last year and she said it's also nice. But as I've told you, these places to stay do not compare to resorts like Boracay Regency, Pink Patio, Cocomangas and the like.
If you need tel. nos. of MBRS and/or Cottage Queen, just PM me. Hope this helps!
preho tayo ng problema.. now all the info from peeps here really save my pocket.
btw, how long is the boat ride from Manila to Caticlan?
boracay is such a great place and what's even better is that ity doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket. we stayed for 5 days and 4 nights and i only spent P8000 including fare. at hindi pa ako nagtipid nun ha! (except on the superferry).
ay, at saka very helpful nga kapag may kasama kayong Ilonggo (or marunong mag-Ilonggo) because the prices of the things you buy can go lower.
i've been to boracay with my friends last summer.
and i can say that when it comes to accomodations
you can save by visiting this website. www.mbungalows.com
the room rates are from 700pesos and up
no air con though but its ok since mahangin naman dun eh!
pero when it comes to food medyo dun ka mapapagastos
so bring food since eating in a restaurant comes expensive.
hope you could go to boracay! you'll love it there!
Hi! your suggestion really helps! Thank you!
Pag ka galing mo ng kalibo may mga van dun going to caticlan. bali 200/person singil dun. 1 hr. drive yun. tas pag ka baba mo sa caticlan terminal bile ka ng tiket pa bora.175 per person yun (env fee, term fee, boat fee )