Experience Boracay with Tides Hotel

Tides Hotel is one of the best located hotels in Boracay, if you want to be close to all the action. In my previous trips, I always notice the entrance to Tides in D'Mall. There's no need to take public transport to get to Boracay's commercial center. As soon as you exit the hotel, you're there. So when I got invited by Tides Hotel to stay with them, I didn't think twice.

Boracay via SEAIR & Two Seasons Resort

Suddenly I'm craving for a trip to Boracay again! This photo was taken during my trip last December right at the doorstep of Two Seasons Resort in Station 1. Beach front properties in Boracay, especially those in Station 1, are the best! I stayed a night in Two Seasons right before Christmas and enjoyed the convenience of staying close to the beach.


Of course, I flew to Boracay on SEAIR. I've never had to worry about airport transfers since they take you all the way to Boracay. To book a flight, visit www.flyseair.com.

Two Seasons Resort
Station 1, Boracay Island
Tel. No. +63 (36) 2884384 / +63 (2) 4154652
rsvn@twoseasonsboracay.com

Where to eat in Boracay: Fishbar Boracay and Zuzuni

Boracay just has too many restaurants to choose from. And many are really good! Here are two of the restaurants we ate at during the SEAIR and Microtel Boracay Bloggers' Tour. The first is Fishbar Boracay in the D'Mall area. And the second is Zuzuni located along the beach front in Station 1.




Fishbar Boracay is obviously a seafood restaurant. But they do serve other dishes too (good for me)! We were served a whole gamut of dishes from their very popular Beer Batter Fish and Chips, Fish Burger, Calamares and a large platter with a little bit of everything among many others.



For dinner, we had the most authentic Greek cuisine on could find on Boracay at Zuzuni. We were first served pita bread bread with three kinds of dips: Melitzanosalata (eggplant dip), Tirokafteri (feta cheese spread), and Tzatziki (yogurt dip). Then there was the Greek Summer Salad made with kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumber tossed with herbs, olive oil and red wine vinegar and topped with feta cheese.

On skewers was the Souvlaki which is assorted grilled meat or fish and vegetables. There also was Garides Saganaki Pasta which has prawns in pomodoro sauce, and Moussaka which is something like lasagna with eggplant , ground beef and ground pork, topped with bechamel sauce and cheese.


But the pièce de résistance is none other than the Mati Chocolate Sin dessert. In fact, Zuzuni is very famous for it. This dessert is Valrhona chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream. I can still remember the rich chocolate ooze out of the cake as I savored every bite.

Zuzuni
Boat Station 1, White Beach, Boracay
+63 920 982-9848
+63 36 288-4477

Boracay: Mandala Spa is the best spa in Boracay!

No doubt, Mandala Spa is among the best spas in Boracay. I've heard so much good stuff about their treatments, I had long wanted to try them out for myself. And I finally got the chance some weeks ago. And I wasn't disappointed since the facilities and service was superb!


It's a bit far from most establishments since it's quite close to the Cagban Port. But this secluded spa is tucked deep inside the sprawling property making it very exclusive for its clients. In fact, you'll have to walk several meters from the road into their driveway to reach the main reception pavilion.

You actually get your own private hut when availing of spa treatments at Mandala. Each private hut is spacious and complete with your own massage and bathing facilities. I availed of their Mandala Signature Massage (Php2850) which lasted for an hour and 30 minutes. I noticed the therapist's meticulous attention to detail as she carried out the spa treatment. It was one of the best spa treatments I've experienced.


Mandala Spa also has a resort if you want to avail of their holistic Boracay experiences. Looking also at their menu of services, I was intrigued with the other treatments, particularly the Water Dance which is an underwater therapy (yes you'll be wearing nose plugs) with the therapist leading you through a harmonious routine in a pool of warm water. Maybe I'll be able to do that on my next visit.


Mandala Spa and Villas
Boracay Island, Malay Aklan
Tel: +63 36 288 5858
Fax: +63 36 2883531
reservations@mandalaspa.com

Boracay: SEAIR and Microtel Boracay Bloggers' Tour

Boracay has many other beaches aside from the very hip and happening White Beach. In fact, many of the other beaches offer peace and quiet one would not think is still possible on Boracay. Diniwid Beach is one of them. And thanks to the SEAIR and Microtel Boracay Bloggers' Tour, I found myself back in Diniwid Beach since we stayed in the very comfortable Microtel Boracay.


Here's an old post I made on Microtel Boracay which says it all. I was pleasantly surprised that Diniwid Beach got its sand back since when we first visited two years, the beach was almost gone. It actually looks like a shorter stretch of White Beach now sans the activity.


For our first night, we had dinner at Mama's Fish House, the restaurant of Microtel Boracay. After dinner, we all boarded the free shuttle of Microtel to check out what was happening at White Beach.

Microtel Inn & Suites Boracay
Diniwid Beach, Malay, Aklan
Tel No. +63 36 2884311
Fax +63 36 2884312
Mobile +63 917 7165004
E-mail boracay@microtelphilippines.com

Boracay: Halloween fun in Boracay with SEAIR

I found myself on a SEAIR flight to Boracay just in time for the Halloween. Boracay is actually one of the best places in the Philippines to celebrate Halloween. Halloween being a Western tradition and Boracay being a destination for Western tourists, you'd see a lot of Boracay visitors in some of the most creative, wildest and funniest costumes as they party on Halloween night.




The festivities actually start in the afternoon when the kids and those young at heart go trick-or-treating around D'Mall and other participating areas. It was a bummer though that this year's Halloween was a very rainy.


After checking out the trick-or-treating, I claimed my free pair of Havaianas. I was on a lucky SEAIR flight where every passenger is given a pair of Havaianas.


In the evening, we visited Discovery Shores Boracay to enjoy their special Halloween buffet spread and check out their horror house.



The buffet spread was quite creative, particularly the desserts. Aside from the usual decor, there was the Bloody Fountain Station (white chocolate fondue that was colored red to make it look like blood) and Black Liver Mousse (chocolate mousse with tomb stone fondant) among others.


And kudos to the staff of Discovery Shores for the effort they put in the horror house! Each chamber in the horror house was conceptualized by one department. And the actors inside are the staff themselves. You could hear the kids scream from outside as they went through the various rooms of the house.


From Discovery Shores, we walked along White Beach to check out the Halloween happenings. Most establishments had something for Halloween. Even the henna tattoo artists were dressed up for the occasion. Unfortunately, there weren't too many people compared to previous Halloweens since it had just rained.

But by 9 p.m., the foreigners were trooping back to D'Mall to party in their crazy costumes. Indeed, Boracay is a major Halloween destination for the Philippines. Even if it rained again, the partying still continued. Check out the SEAIR Fan Page or SEAIR Boracay Beach Party Coverage 2010 on Kalokohan.com for more photos.

Boracay: Long weekend at Diniwid and White Beach

I spent the long-weekend in Boracay since I accompanied the winners of the SEAIR and Microtel Boracay Bloggers Tour. Of course, we took SEAIR's fast flights and are enjoying Microtel Boracay's comfortable chiropractic. We ate at several restaurants this weekend including Mama's Fish House in Microtel Boracay, Fishbar in D'Mall, and Zuzuni, the most authentic Greek restaurant in Boracay. Plus I was rejuvenated by the spa treatment and exemplary service at Mandala Spa, the best spa in Boracay.


During the trip, I made sure to get my very own personalized Boracay sandcastle. I had to wake up early to have this commissioned since they only allow it when there are no crowds. Details of the Boracay trip in future posts. In the meantime, I still have more Zamboanga posts so stay tuned!

SEAIR & Microtel will be bringing eight lucky bloggers to Boracay! Be one of them!

1. South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) and Microtel Inns and Suites will be choosing eight lucky bloggers to join an all-expense paid bloggers' tour of Boracay from September 10 to 12, 2010. This includes round-trip tickets from Manila to Caticlan and accommodation at Microtel Boracay.

2. To be selected, you will have to write a blog entry telling us why you should be chosen to join the tour. Each blog entry must have a link to the SEAIR website, the SEAIR Facebook Fan Page, and the Microtel Philippines website.

3. You can publish your entry from 12:00 a.m. of July 26, 2010 to 11:59 p.m. of August 20, 2010. Only one entry per blog will count.

4. To let us know about your blog entry, post it as a link in the SEAIR Facebook Fan Page. It has to be posted from 12:00 a.m. of July 26, 2010 to 11:59 p.m. of August 20, 2010. Once it is acknowledged by our administrator, your entry is counted.

5. Three winners will be selected by a panel of judges based on which is the most compelling. The top three entries with the highest scores from the judges will be invited to the tour.

6. Three winners will be selected by fans based on the number of "likes" to the link. The three entries with the most number of "likes" by 11:59 p.m. of August 25, 2010 will be invited to the tour.

7. One winner will the selected by the SEAIR Adventure Club. The entry with the most number of votes from our resident travel bloggers will be invited to the tour.

8. One winner will be selected at random in a manner to be determined by the organizers.

9. We will notify the eight (8) winners on August 27, 2010. In case any of the winners cannot make it, we will invite the one next in line.

10. The decision of the organizers in final. Good luck to everyone!

Boracay: SEAIR flies you straight to Caticlan (Boracay)

I wanted to fly down to Kalibo, Aklan to witness the Ati-Atihan Festival. But I decided to chill first in Boracay before proceeding to Kalibo. So I boarded the first SEAIR flight to Caticlan last Saturday. Thank God they have airport and boat transfers so it was really convenient.

Still sleepless from the Baguio trip, I looked for a spot where I could doze off while waiting for friends. And I found some lounge chairs in front of Cafe del Sol.


I ordered a strawberry banana yogurt smoothie and a panini sandwich. And the next thing I knew, I was in lalaland. I seriously needed that power nap.

It was a cloudy day. But the breeze was refreshing nonetheless.

SEAIR Fan Page
SEAIR has been giving away free tickets on its Facebook fan page. Join the SEAIR Fan Page and be the first to learn about SEAIR's exciting promos. And if you haven't yet, join Ivan About Town on Facebook to keep yourself updated on all the great travel destinations you might want to consider.

Top vegetarian restaurants in the Philippines

The top 10 vegetarian restaurants in the Philippines were named by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Four of the restaurants in the list are in Metro Manila, two in Baguio, and one each in Batangas, Boracay, and Palawan. Vegetarian food and restaurants will be another series in my blog. So watch out for it. Anyway, here's the list:

Corner Tree Café
150 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air Village, Makati
(02) 8970295 / (0917) 8481004

Greens Café and Restaurant
92 Scout Castor St., Quezon City
(02) 4154796 / 3762781

Daily Veggie N' Café
540 Banawe Street, Quezon City
(02) 7118209 / 7113214

Bodhi (also known as Evegreen)
SM Cubao, SM North EDSA, SM Megamall
SM South Mall, SM City Manila, SM Makati

Outside Metro Manila

Bliss Café
Hotel Elizabeth, Gibraltar Street corner J Felipe, Baguio City
(074) 6190367 / 09178464729

Azotea Greens
Second Floor, La Azotea Building, Session R, Baguio City

Hapilife Healthy Food Corner
8 Corpuz St., West Tapinac, Olongapo City
(0921) 8720258 / (047) 6110249

Ima's Gulay Bar
46 Fernandez Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
(0920) 5333210

Mandala Spa
Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan
(036) 2885858

The Farm
119 Barangay Tipakan, San Benito, Batangas
(02) 696-3795

Related entries
Corner Tree Cafe, best vegetarian restaurant in Makati

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are in Boracay?!

Rumor has it that celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are going to the new Shangri-La Resort in Boracay. And they'll be staying at one of the resort's priciest suites I was told! It also reached me that they chartered a SEAIR plane to get there. But friends from SEAIR aren't confirming the news. Again, it's unconfirmed but news from the grapevine is the couple chartered the plane using the name Frangelina, an Armenian princess or something.

Could Pitt and Jolie have entered the country undetected using the Dornier Do-24 ATT seaplane which can land straight in Boracay? Just a backgrounder, in February 2004, a restored and re-engined Do-24 ATT was used by a UNICEF mission to assist children in the Philippines. Upon completion of the work with UNICEF, it is now run as a special charter airliner by South East Asian Airlines. I wonder if they used that! If they did, such style, such substance! Can people in Boracay confirm if they are really there? Watch out for a couple in a large hat and dark shades!

But maybe not, since I got more news that Brangelina flew with at least eight bodyguards (three of them female), all dressed in beach attire! And that the conditions of the special charter flight was that the SEAIR crew should not mind the passengers. I want to go to Boracay! SEAIR take me there too!

Anyway, if it is true, the fact that the couple chose Boracay as their vacation destination this time around is reason enough to celebrate. That means the Philippines is slowly entering the mainstream global tourism market. We've been so left behind by all our neighbors, it's about time we take our rightful place with all the beautiful beaches, natural scenery and colorful heritage we have here! I do hope Brangelina have a nice time here in the Philippines and come back to see more.

Boracay: Halloween in Boracay

I didn't realize Boracay was a really cool place to celebrate Halloween. The entire island was so into the celebration with hotels, restaurants and bars churning up the spookiest and coolest of decor and great Halloween events to boot. Many partygoers also came in the craziest costumes. There were really funny groups too like the "101 Dalmatians" hoping around the sands of Boracay.

I was with my cousins and I took them party-hopping tonight. SEAIR sponsored really cool parties including a concert at Pearl of the Pacific, a party at Hey Jude, and an event with Cinema One at Summer Place.

Boracay: SEAIR means convenience to Boracay all the way!

I found myself on my way to Boracay again. The island does not have its own airport so you have to ride a ferry boat to get there. But flying on SEAIR is the most convenient option since they transfer you from the airport straight to Cagban Port in Boracay and back!

But the convenience starts from the time you get off your vehicle at the Manila Domestic Airport. Now that most of the flights have moved to T3, there are less passengers crowding the place. Gone are the lines to show your ticket and ID to the guard, as well as the line at the x-ray machines. And there were no lines at the check-in counter as well. So I immediately got my boarding pass. It took me 15 minutes to get from the entrance, check-in and sit down in the passengers' waiting area!

Since the Dornier planes are smaller than others, time to board passengers is also much shorter. So we were in the air in no time! Like in most domestic flights, I was expecting nothing much on board. In other local airlines, you have to buy your food and it's so pricey! While the rest, they give you a small snack and a glass of softdrinks, juice or water. So when the flight stewardess was going around, I was surprised when she asked, "How many packs of peanuts do you want?" instead of giving me just one small pack. I can't remember how many I got. For the Halloween trips, they also gave us a bottle of Gatorade.

The flight was super smooth and we were in Caticlan in no time! At 35 minutes, these flights are the fastest in town! Less time lining up, less time flying, more time to relax and enjoy Boracay! And since it's the preferred airline of many celebrities, you just don't know who might be with you on the flight.

As soon as I got out of the Caticlan Airport, the SEAIR ground staff were waiting to assist me. Buses and vans wait outside to bring you to the Caticlan Jetty Port. SEAIR pays for your boat ride and you only have to pay for the Terminal and Environmental Fees. The staff are so accommodating in fact, they accompanied me all the way to the boat! On Boracay, my SEAIR boarding pass also served as a discount and perks card. So if you do take SEAIR, make sure you check what promos are available.

Going back to the Caticlan Airport was a breeze as well. At the Cagban Port, all I had to do was look for the SEAIR table and I was taken care of until I got to the airport. Indeed, SEAIR has positioned itself as the premiere airline to Caticlan/Boracay, where you get great service and really fast flights!

Get a 15 percent discount of SEAIR fares!
Ivan About Town is giving a 15 percent discount to everyone on SEAIR fares. Just book online at www.flyseair.com and enter hhhh88ii as the promotional code.

"It's one of the smoothest flights I've ever had to Boracay" - Chris Tiu on his SEAIR flight last Halloween. Thanks to Choi Eliciario for the photos of the Ateneo Blue Eagles!

Boracay: Boracay is just 35 minutes away

The belief that getting a flight to Boracay during peak season weekends is close to impossible is a myth! And I realized that myself after flying to Boracay on several fully-booked weekend flights as a chance passenger.

It was a hectic weekend. I found out last Thursday night that I had to be in Boracay Friday and Saturday night. But I already had commitments Saturday morning. So what was the solution? I was a chance passenger on the 3 p.m. SEAIR flight and that wasn't a problem. Then I was to risk being a chance passenger again for the 6:45 a.m. flight back to Manila the next day, hopefully to get to my 9 a.m. appointment in Makati. It's a good thing SEAIR has 35-minute flights to and from Caticlan.

Then it was another SEAIR flight to Boracay on the same afternoon to catch another event in the evening. I had to be back in Manila on Sunday since I had to catch a flight to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on Monday!

As planned, I got on the 6:45 a.m. SEAIR flight back to Manila and made it to my 9 a.m. appointment in Makati. I was back at the airport after lunch and got on the 3:00 p.m. SEAIR flight as a chance passenger. The next day, I was back on the 9:30 a.m. SEAIR flight back to Manila, again as a chance passenger. And the first thing I did when I got home was to take a nap!

Win a Boracay weekend party for 19 people!

Imagine this... you can bring 18 of your family and friends to Boracay on a chartered SEAIR flight, stay 3 days and 2 nights at Escondido Beach Resort, and receive P50,000 cash to splurge and a K850i to document the whole party! Sony Ericsson is giving a Boracay Party Weekend Package to one lucky purchaser of a Sony Cyber-shot mobile phone (K800i, K810i, K550i, K770i or K850i) from February 1 to March 31, 2008. For more details, visit any Sony Ericsson Concept Shop or call (02) 7891860.

Sony Ericsson Top Shot photo contest
Now this one is open to all owners of camera phones, regardless of brand. Join the Top Shot photo contest and win a SEAIR Adventure Pass for two, P10,000 in cash and a Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot phone! All you have to do is upload you camera phone photos here.

Win a SEAIR ticket to Boracay!

I'm so happy about SEAIR, I've decided to give away a free round-trip airfare gift certificate to Boracay to one lucky blogger. So how do you join? The only thing you have to do is blog about SEAIR and say why you deserve to win the ticket.

To qualify, your blog entry must have a link to the SEAIR website and a trackback to this entry. Deadline is on 26 February 2008, 8 p.m. and I'll randomly draw the winner from all qualified blogs that evening. The gift certificate I'm giving away will be valid from now until 15 October 2008 except during super peak dates like Holy Week. Also check-out SEAIR's Hangar in Multiply to find out about the latest deals. Good luck and happy blogging!

Boracay and Cebu top popular beaches list

Yahoo! Travel came out with a list called The Most Popular Beaches of 2007, the ten top-rated beach destinations by Yahoo! users last year. And look what we have here:

1. Boracay Island, Philippines
2. Nassau, The Bahamas
3. Cebu, Philippines
4. Phan Thiet, Vietnam
5. Montego Bay, Jamaica
6. Phuket, Thailand
7. Cozumel, Mexico
8. San Diego, California
9. Honolulu, Hawaii
10. San Juan, Puerto Rico

Philippine beaches are on a roll! Travel + Leisure in their January 2008 issue included the Miniloc and Lagen Island hotels in El Nido in its list of 20 Favorite Green Hotels, "conservation-minded places on a mission to protect the local environment." The magazine cited the active participation of the El Nido resorts in protecting Palawan's giant clam gardens and supporting the re-introduction of endangered Philippine cockatoos.

Conde Nast Traveler recently selected Palawan's sugary beaches, coves and islets as the tourist destination with the best beaches in Asia. While the sunken Japanese warships of Coron island are included in the top 10 best scuba sites in the world of Forbes Traveler.

Boracay: Puka Beach in Boracay

There's more to Boracay than White Beach. Yesterday morning, we were scheduled to go snorkeling and have a lunch picnic in Puka Beach. But since it was raining, that did not materialize. But we went to Puka Beach anyway and had lunch indoors at a nearby restaurant called Tesebel Ihaw-Ihaw.

Puka Beach is named after the puka shells which are abundant in the beach. Puka means "hole" in Hawaiian and these shells are pieces of the cone snail shell and are so named because of the hole which occurs naturally in the shell fragment. They have been popular material for necklaces, bracelets and anklets and there are a lot sold by the beach.

You could see nearby Carabao Island, Romblon which they say is the next big thing. I heard they are planning to build a better airport there to serve Boracay as well as the future development on Carabao Island.

I didn't stay too long since I had to rush back to Manila while the rest of the group stayed behind. So after a souvenir photo, I left for the hotel to get my stuff ready for the trip back.

In Boracay were: Abe Olandres of Yugatech, Lauren Dado of Flail at Life, Noemi Lardizabal-Dado of Touched by an Angel, Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, Eric Dormido of Byahilo, Gail Villanueva of Kutitots, Marc Villanueva of SheeroMedia, Melo Villareal of Lakbay Pilipinas, Eugene Villar of Lakbayan, Karla Redor of RockersWorld, Ferdinand L. Decena of En Route and Fernando Martinez of ShutterBox. Thanks to Anton for the photo!

Boracay: Cocomangas Boracay delivers pizza!

I was quite worried that I could not get a midnight snack from where I was. It was raining and walking to White Beach to get some grub was out of the question. The restaurants in Diniwid Beach were closed by this time as well. But there was no reason to fret since Cocomangas delivers pizzas up to 2 a.m. anywhere in Boracay!

There were so many kinds to choose from. I asked the lady taking my order to give me a sampling of their best-sellers. But when I found out that their pizzas were the same price for all kinds (XL - PHP482, 16 slices; L - PHP360, 8 slices; and S - PHP228, 4 slices), I got an XL-sized Halo-Halo which was everything on it! And no, I didn't eat the whole pizza. I shared it with Abe, Anton and Lauren.

Cocomangas Pizza
Tel No. +63 36 2884455

Boracay: Microtel Boracay in Diniwid Beach

Up to now, I can't stop raving about the chiropractic-approved beds of Microtel! I was able to get the much-needed quality sleep worthy of a grand vacation.

As soon as the second batch arrived, we went straight to the ferry that would take us to Boracay. Remember, that there are fees you have to pay including an environmental fee and the terminal fee which has jumped from PHP20 to PHP50. Cabgan is the only gateway to Boracay after the municipal government prohibited the docking of boats at the various beaches to preserve their beauty. It may be an inconvenience for tourists but it's better that way so that the beaches remain pristine.

We took a minicab from the port to Diniwid Beach where Microtel Inn & Suites is located. The only downside of this is we had to deal with all the exhaust from the tricycles. As soon as we arrived, we were given a cold towel, a shell necklace and a welcome drink. Since I was not able to sleep the night before which is usually the case when I have early morning flights, the first thing I did when I got to the room was to check out the famous Microtel bed.

The group had lunch at the hotel restaurant and since everyone was tired, it was free time for the afternoon. While the rest of the bloggers walked to White Beach, I found myself in lala land. And I blame it on the bed! At least I was able to get some sleep.

Anyway, I was up just in time for the sunset. We played some games at the beach before dinner. And after dinner, I was back in lala land again. I had asked the bloggers to wake me up if they were going out but since it started to rain, everyone decided to stay. And the next thing I knew, it was 12 midnight.

Microtel Inn & Suites Boracay
Diniwid Beach, Malay, Aklan
Tel No. +63 36 2884311
Fax +63 36 2884312
Mobile +63 917 7165004
E-mail boracay@microtelphilippines.com