BORACAY ON A BUDGET - BUDGET HOTELS FOR THE DO-IT-YOURSELFERS

Planning a Boracay vacation is complicated especially if you do not buy an all-in-one package deal.  If you're the do-it-yourself type of vacationer, first thing to arrange is your flight schedule.  You have to be precise in your schedule so as not to waste time and money on unnecessary things.  It would be easier and cheaper if you schedule your vacation during the off-season.  But if you're going on vacation during the peak season of summer on a tight budget, and you're going to look for hotels on that same day you arrived, here are some tips I can share with you that I hope would be of help.

Morning flights on regular days are always the cheapest. So book both roundtrip tickets on these days and time.  You will arrive in Boracay early and will give you ample time to scout for a hotel.  Most of the hotels have a check-in time of 12 noon so I think you'll be able to get one before lunch.  If it is your first time in Boracay, it would help if you ask around the tricycle terminal in the airport.  There many Aklanons there who make a living helping tourists out for their accommodation needs.  You just need to describe your preference to them and choose from several options they will offer.  The sad part in booking an early morning flight in a 3 day-2 nights vacation is that you'll be leaving Boracay very early in the morning on the 3rd day.  You can opt to maximize your third day until check-out time at 12 noon but you will have to book an afternoon flight on a more expensive rate.

After a very brief tricycle ride to the Caticlan Jetty Port, you have to pay for the terminal fee, boat fee and environmental fee.  No need to pay for the tour guide's fare if the guide is accredited by the local government.  Upon the return trip  from Boracay, you don't need to pay for the environmental fee anymore, only the boat fee and terminal fee.  What you anticipate as a long boat trip is just actually equivalent to a minute's ride in a jeepney on a traffic-less day.  What a bummer!

 

Since it's your first time to go to Boracay, don't just concentrate on where to go.  Everytime you arrive in a place make sure to stop for a while and enjoy the beautiful scenery around and take pictures.  The narrow window of time might make you lose precious photo opportunities.  So enjoy Boracay as much as you can.

Upon arriving at the port of Cagban, take a tricycle to Station 2 either going to "D Mall" or "D Talipapa" if you're going to hunt for budget hotels.  These budget hotels are mostly concentrated in close proximity with these commercial centers.  If you're a tourist, you can opt for a special trip of 100 pesos or you can wait for other passengers until the tricycle is filled and you only get to pay the regular fare.

"d mall" is the biggest commercial center in Boracay strategically situated in the heart of Station 2.  This is where you can buy cheap items and eat in budget-friendly restaurants.  It would be best to check-in near this place so you can be within striking distance to everything that's cheap in Boracay.

If you're into cheap freshly cooked food and cheap shopping, then "d talipapa" is the place to be. There are also some cheap hotels around d talipapa.  However, even though both commercial centers are found in Station 2, D Talipapa is situated far apart from D Mall so it's up to you which place to hunt for cheap hotels.  The following are the cheapest hotels in  Station 2 Boracay with a direct access to the beach.

Choice no.1 Villa Semprosa Resort

Hunting for cheap hotels in Boracay is difficult with so many hotels to choose from.  One would often surf through the internet in many websites that offer Boracay accommodations. 

Choice no. 2 - Taj's Guest House

 I am not comfortable making reservations using a credit card because of the many dangers that go with online transactions.  Until you are able see the place first hand only then will you have a clear assessment whether the hotel is good or not. 

 Often many would claim that they are beachfront hotels only to find out they're not.  These hotels are not really beachfront hotels but they are within a compound with a common corridor with direct access to the beach.  They would be the best budget hotels if you will ask me.

 Choice no.3 - Madid's Inn

Just don't expect too much in this kind of hotels. They don't have the typical belhop service, no swimming pool and many don't have a restaurant and bar to go with. 

Choice no. 4 Tans Guest House

Most of them just offer rooms with no view of the beach but a view of a blank wall.  Nevertheless, they have hot and cold shower, air-conditioning, and security.  If you intend to stay out in the beach for the entire day, these are the type of hotels that are best for one who just wants a clean bed to sleep in at the end of the day. 

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 Choice no. 5 Jerome's Resort

Many hotels of this type are patronized by both locals and foreign tourists.  So everyone gets to enjoy Boracay in equal terms.

 

Choice no.6 Crown Beach Hotel

Be careful in choosing your hotel.  Some hotels have similar names with the upper class hotels that you might end up disappointed if you checked in at a lower class type of hotel.

 Choice no 7: Jeriko's

Another reason why I don't transact online is the uncertainty I feel when transacting with no one but the computer.  The uncertainty will linger until you reach Boracay and once you get there you might end up getting a room you don't like.  In the end, you'll be required to pay an additional amount for a transfer to a better room.  That is if one is available at that time.

Choice no 8: Maja's Place

  However, I confess I made the risk of ending up without an accommodation and sleeping on the beach.  But my hopes were held high by advices from my friends that it is impossible not to get a room in Boracay with so many hotels around.  Just don't be picky if you're on a tight budget.

Choice no. 9 Blue Veranda

These next batch of budget-friendly hotels are all situated within a corridor where the D Talipapa is located.  They are still within Station 2

 Choice no 10: Cez Manor

Just a word of caution though.  Each hotel share the same compound with the others so pick out your hotel carefully.  I have not seen the rooms in each of them so it's up to you to check it out.  

 Choice no 11: Culpepper Lodge

This advice is to guide you on your search for an accommodation whether you're searching through the internet or searching on-site.

 Choice no 12 and 13:  Sunset Beach Resort and Boracay Courtyard

 Choice n0 14:  Amigo's

 

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After giving my simple advice to new visitors, allow me to share some personal thoughts about Boracay.  I envy people who have been to Boracay in its glory days.  Some have become self-proclaimed champions who have witnessed the rise and deterioration of this once beautiful island paradise.  Now they romantize about the previous beauty of this place making first-time visitors guilty of further destroying its remaining beauty.  It was them who opened up this paradise to the world and should have anticipated the future. If they had the foresight of protecting this place from the start, then the problem would never have reached up to this point.

Now we first-time visitors have to contend with the remains of what they have left behind.  The task was left for the new generations to correct the mistakes of the past. I believe Boracay is not yet a lost cause.  We just need champions especially the Aklanons to spearhead this cause.  I still believe that Boracay is still the best beach in the world that is why I am writing this blog.  I believe that this island belong to the Filipinos for us to enjoy.  When there is a need for this place to recover, we should let nature rest and heal its wound.  If the very inhabitants of the island cannot do something for their own place, that is when Boracay is indeed lost.  With the dominance of resort owners who are not even Aklanons coupled by the insensitive nature of the courts on its environmental controversies, it's a surefire formula for self-destruction.

Since this is my first visit to this island, I can't help but feel sorry for it after reading the blogs of other writers who write about the present condition of the place. Indeed, it is still beautiful with its golden sunset and powdery white sand. I would agree if the island would be closed for tourism to allow it to recover and heal from its injury.  Sometimes radical measures are needed to get the job done.  But is is easier said than done, because many people depend on tourism for their survival. We have to plan things very carefully for this.  As for a simple tourist like me, all we can do is enjoy its beauty with the least environmental impact as possible.  We just need to open up our senses on what the island feels when we hurt it.