FLYING TO Philippines FROM INDIA
Flight Information
The Boracay islands is located about 315kms south of Manila. There is no direct flight to Boracay from Bangalore but there are a couple of options you could look into to get there from Bangalore, India.
Here are a couple of options that you could look into while flying out form Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport
Option 1 (Budget)
- Fly Air Asia from Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur (KL) reaching destination at about 11:30 PM.
- Connecting flight from KL to Manila starts at 6 AM. So, you are pretty much stuck in KL for a good 6 hours. Your options at that point would be to stay at the Tunes hotel (Budget) close to the airport or stay at the airport till you get your connecting flight from the same budget terminal in KL
- Fly from KL to Clarke, Philippines. Once you get to Clarke, you could either
- Connect to Caticlan via Clarke on SEAIR; http://www.flyseair.com/. (Please note that you must do at-least a two month advance booking in-order to get flights on this aircraft due to limited availability of seats on these flights (Propeller Engines)) OR
- The best and most economical format would be to catch a Bus to Manila and catch flights out to Caticlan from Manila via Cebu Air (https://www.cebupacificair.com/)
- Once you get to Caticlan, you will be asked to board a small 15 minute boat ride to the Boracay Islands.
If this is too hectic a travel, my suggestion would be to try
Option 2
- Fly Cathay Pacific from Bangalore to Manila via Hong Kong.
- Connect flights out to Caticlan from Manila via Cebu Air (https://www.cebupacificair.com/)
- Once you get to Caticlan, you will be asked to board a small 15 minute boat ride to the Boracay Islands.
Visa Information
Please note that for a regular visa application, this will take anything between 4-6 weeks to get your Visa processed. So, be ready for the long wait in getting an answer back from the Filipina authorities.
Indian nationals may apply for a temporary visitor's visa for pleasure, multiple entry, for 6 months
You can get Thomas Cook from India to get this done for you
HOTEL DETAILS
Pearl of the Pacific
Pearl of the Pacific
Pearl of the Pacific
When you get to the Boat Jetty in Boracay, you will need to use an Auto (Tuk Tuk) and get to where you have booked your rooms in. My suggestion would be to stay in a hotel close to Boat Station 2 since the beaches are far better and the crowd is quieter as compared to staying on Boat Station 1.
We stayed at this beautiful hotel called "The Pearly of the Pacific (http://www.pearlofthepacific.ph/) close to Boat Station 2.
Balighai Resort
Pearl of the Pacific
Pearl of the Pacific
Three words. Heaven on Earth! The beaches are not as commercial as the Boat Stations but ideal for families to sit and relax far from the hustle and bustle of the town. My pick is to go and stay at a hotel called Balinghai Beach Resort (http://www.balinghai.com/).
This is a very quaint and rustic beach resort true to nature. The resort itself was built on a cliff and they broke a massive portion of the rock and built rooms around the rocks and on trees to give its full form of splendor. If you love living with nature, then this is the most beautiful place you could get on the island.
Another wonderful part of the resort is that you could walk down the cliff and come to a private secluded beach where you could have a private swim with a Bar attached close to the beach area. Life does not get better than this. Balinghai beach resort also has a private yacht you could rent for a day and go around the island.
Price for this hotel would be at High Range
Moving Around
Beaches near Boat Station 2. What can I say, silky white sands, deep blue seas, paradise at its best. The best thing about the hotel we stayed in was that there were cottages available right on the beach but we voted for the ones on the opposite side of the beach which were quieter and less demanding on your wallet. Though we had the rooms, we used them only to sleep or have a wash since there were shacks right on the beach where you could relax, have a beer and enjoy the waters.
Couple of tips to take care of while moving around
Safety
Always leave your belongings in a hotel where you're staying prior to walking around Istanbul. Carry only what is required for shopping for the day
Shopping
Most Shopping can be done on Boat Station 1. You will find many types handicrafts and small trinket items to shop. Be careful of some of the vendors. They might try and sell you items at an exorbitant rate. Always negotiate for a discounted price. Believe me, you can go as low as 50% for an item and be able to purchase them as well.
Driving and Moving Around
We recommend that when you travel around, you rent a scooter from a local store where you could move around from point to point just to have different landscaped views of the island.
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
AUG THROUGH SEPTEMBER
Trust me on this. The fares are cheaper while flying out from Delhi during the month of August through September. Starting October, the rates tend to peak upwards.
As per the weather, it held and it was not peak season either, so it was a win win for all of us.
EAT AND SHOP
WHAT TO EAT
There are couple of hangout places for food like D'Mall where you could walk down a strip and enjoy a wide variety of cuisine local as well as cuisine from neighboring south east Asian provinces. D'Tallipapa is another small marketplace where you will be able to buy small souvenirs as well.
