Lonely planet, as they often do, nailed it:

Beautiful Boricay manages to meet, exceed or defy expectations. It rarely disappoints.

That’s surprising since this is likely the single most touristy destination on all of Philippines 7100 tropical islands.

A beach holiday is low on my personal priority list. But the 5 nights flew by. Very relaxing.

Once or twice a day I ran the beach. Mid-day I went exploring. It’s a small island. I covered most of it.

I recommend Boracay if ever you get the chance to visit. Solo, no go. Bring a date or come with a group.

It’s definitely good for kids. A safe beach.

Considerations:

• you still need barter for everything on the beach
• touts and hawkers are annoying
• quality of most goods/services is low
• there’s no reliable tourist information
• there are no hostels here — a shame since it was first “discovered” by backpackers
• motorized roadways are Hellish

Recommendations:

• 99% of tourists stick to White Beach. If you leave that strip, even to either end of the Beach, life improves.

• if you are looking to save Pesos, the best value White Beach accommodation is in a quiet dead end alley near Station 3. The top pick is Dave’s Straw Hat Inn. Recommended by Lonely Planet, it’s usually full. Prices are now up to $35 / night or more. Others nearby are almost as good and half the price.

• I stayed in the ($19 including breakfast) fan rooms at Orchid Inn. If you come with 2-3 people, better are the upscale Orchid Inn Private Villas (3ys old). Compare others against that option. Prices vary wildly. Barter.

• I did finally see dormitory beds for about $8.

• Hundreds of restaurants on the beach did not impress me. The only one I can recommend is the German hangout, Kurts.

Be careful with the famed buffets. Food often sits long, under-heated. The famed Mongolian barbecues are better.

• Dana would like Boracay — Starbucks is here.

Stay out of the ocean. Fish pee in it. ☺ … I have no idea what all those happy people are doing out in sailboats.

The two activities I was willing to pay money for did not seem to be open during my stay:

• Ariel’s Point
• Ride the Zorb (not actually affiliated with the original Zorb, New Zealand)

More of my photos:

• White Beach
• Bulabog Beach
• Boracay random

related:

• 10 Commandments on the Beach

• Lonely Planet – Boracay – Fantasy vs. Reality