The Island Boracay
Boracay

Boracay is a tropical
island located approximately 315 kilometers or about two-hundred miles
South of Manila and two kilometers off the northwest tip of the island
of Panay in the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. It is one
of the Philippines' most popular tourist destinations because of numerous
resorts situated in the island.
Partly
because of its wind and weather patterns, tourism in Boracay is at its
peak during the Amihan season. During Amihan, the prevailing wind blows
from the east. Boracay's main tourism area, White Beach, is on the western
side of the island and is sheltered from the wind. During the Amihan
season, the water off White Beach is often glassy-smooth. On the eastern
side of the island, hills on the northern and southern ends of the island
channel the Amihan season wind from the east onshore, onto Bulabog Beach
in the central part of the island's eastern side. This makes the reef-protected
waters off that beach ideal for windsurfing and kiteboarding/kitesurfing.
Most Boracay
hotels and resorts have Low and High Season price levels, with High
Season prices generally coinciding with Amihan Season dates. Some have
additional "Super" Peak Period pricing during periods of heavy
tourism (usually including Christmas / New Year, Easter / Holy Week,
and Chinese New Year periods).
Boracay
now has in excess of 350 beach resorts with more than 2, 000 rooms ranging
in quality from five-star to budget accommodations, so tourists are
sure to find whatever they are looking for. Boracay also offers a wide
range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs that bop until morning.
The well-known
Ati-Atihan Festival takes place each January in Kalibo on nearby Panay
island. A much smaller Ati-Atihan festival is celebrated on Boracay,
usually in the second or third week of January.
On the
island, the two main modes of transport are via motor-tricycles along
the main road or by walking along the beaches. Pedicabs are also available
for transport along the Beachfront Path. Other means of transportation
include mountain bikes, quadbikes and motorbikes, all of which can be
rented.
To explore
around the island's coast, motorized bancas and sailing paraws are available
for rent. These are outrigger canoes and are common sight in waters
around the island. The sailing paraw is a narrow hulled boat with outriggers
either side and with passengers sometimes seated on a trampoline platform
between the outrigger supports. These are extremely fast off the wind,
but can be unwieldy for inexperienced sailors.