boracay on a budget

boracay seems to be on most people's list of places to see. most people have this impression that it costs so much to go and stay there, but actually, you can enjoy boracay for less than P10,000.

i remember when airfares to boracay would cost around P7,000 per person. today, flying can cost somewhere between P3,000 to P5,000, depending on the airline. cebu pacific's go fares come to about P3,000 to P4,000, depending on your departure date and time. seair and asian spirit are more expensive, but they land in caticlan already, saving you about P200 on bus or van ride.

we were pretty lucky that the philippine travel mart was on when we decided to go. we were able to score P2,705 roundtrip fares via seair, which lands on caticlan. because of the season and the condition of the waves, we had to go to tabo port instead of the other port that i've grown familiar with. we took a tricycle ride for P70.

upon arriving at the airport, we were charged P50 each for environmental fees and P2 for the terminal fee. the boat ride itself costs P19.50 per person. when you get to tambisaan port, which is the boracay end of the ride, you'll be charged P20 for a non-chartered tricycle ride to boracay civilization (a chartered, or "special" trike ride goes for about P100). i don't recommend walking from the port to your resort. i highly doubt you will like it.


for accommodations, low season offers the best rates (but not the best weather). still, boracay still has a certain allure even when the sun is behind the clouds. we were able to get a beachfront room at chez de paris, at station 2 (beside le soleil de boracay) for P1,120 a night. we were surprised to find two double beds in our room, so if there are four of you, P1,120 a night comes to about P280 per person, per night. can you say affordable? :) during peak season, accommodation costs will double. so that's about P560 per night. still not bad.






and finally, the food. there are many, many, many choices in boracay when it comes to food. in fact, because of the rain, all we did during our visit was to stuff our faces till we were about to burst. there's something for everybody--grilled, greek, portuguese, seafood, japanese, chinese, pinoy. since our beach activities were limited, we devoured food every chance we got, and spent about P1,000 a day. take a look at what we ate:



you can order a la carte, stuff yourselves with a buffet, or enjoy tiny snacks through the barbecue kiosks that line the path. if you're thinking of splurging on food, it's safe to allot P500 per meal, so that's P1,500 a day. but if you're a big group, you can order large dishes and share. nightlife expenses (read: beer and other alcoholic drinks) doesn't need to cost so much. just choose your establishment well. you can buy a bottle of beer for about P30 to P50.

here's a rundown of our expenses for this trip (per person, unless otherwise stated):



rates will change by the season, of course, but still, a visit to boracay need not be the daunting trip everyone expects it to be. with a little research, and some stubborn haggling skills, your visit to this island need not be an experience in bankruptcy. :)

check out my boracay pictures here and susie's photos here.

travel details:
airlines plying the manila to caticlan route:
air philippines
asian spirit
south east asian airlines (seair)

airlines plying the manila to kalibo route:
cebu pacific
philippine airlines

chez de paris resort
station 2, beside le soleil de boracay
mobile number: 09212516300