It’s time for another ambitious trip with a few notable points along the way! As a big F1 fan I’m heading to Baku to attend the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. I have a few stops and flights before I end up there. The first stop is Boracay, Philippines. In order to get there, I’ll be flying Asiana Airlines. There are more direct routes to get to the Philippines, but with their merger with Korean Air now finalized, the Asiana brand will cease to exist at the end of 2026. So I’m going to be indirectly flying to the Philippines for the chance to fly Asiana one last time.
YVR to Seattle
Since Asiana doesn’t fly out of Vancouver, I need to take a short positioning flight to Seattle. So on a calm Tuesday evening, I hop onto a short Air Canada flight down to Seattle. And thus my long adventure begins!
Seattle to Seoul
After a short 90 minute layover in Seattle, it’s time to board Asiana’s 777-200ER for a 12 hour flight to Seoul! The interior feels a bit dated, but its still a comfortable way to cross the pacific. It’s neat to start seeing some “Korean Air” logos appear in different cabin offerings and cutlery. All small clues that the merger is happening! The flight is smooth, I’m able to enjoy the in-flight dining and get a bit of rest before we touch down in Seoul
Incheon Prestige Lounge
Upon landing in Incheon, I head to the Korean Prestige Lounge. The lounge isn’t super busy at 5 in the morning, so I’m able to book and take a shower pretty quickly. Even though I have a comfortable flight across the Pacific, it’s still nice to freshen up after a long flight.
After feeling refreshed, my thoughts start to turn to food. One of the cool things about this lounge is its Ramyeon Library. It’s a popular part of Korean cuisine and it’s cool that the airline has incorporated it into its lounge. Passengers are able to select different flavours of instant noodles they like and cook them with automated machines. It’s a pretty unique experience and one I made sure to try! I’m happy to report that it works and tastes great! My only regret is not being able to try all the different flavours!
Seoul to Manila
After scarfing down my instant noodles, I make my way to my gate for my flight to Manila. It’s another Asiana flight, this time on an A330. Even though the seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, they are still very comfortable for my four hour flight down to the Philippines. After a tasty breakfast, I settle in to catch a few hours of sleep before we start our descent.
All in all, while the Asiana flights were smooth and comfortable, it’s apparent that their planes could use a refresh and will likely get that once the merger is complete. I don’t regret forgoing a more direct route to Manila in order to have a chance to fly on a little bit of soon to be aviation history!
Jollibee
After touching down in Manila and clearing customs and immigration, I have about 5 hours to kill before my next flight. During my planning, there were options for earlier flights, but after reading about some poor airport experiences I decided to give myself plenty of buffer. Surprisingly, everything goes smoothly for me and I have the maximum amount of time to layover. So I decide to make the most of my time and have my first Filipino meal at Jollibee. Jollibee is a popular fast food chain in the Philippines and is now a global brand! It’s one of the few chains that “beat” McDonalds when they entered the Philippine market. I order a plate that includes several of their signature offerings and take my time enjoying the tasty food!
Manila to Kalibo
After a few hours, it’s time to board my short Air Asia flight to Kalibo. Normally, most people will fly to Caticlan airport which is right by the port to board the boats to the Island of Boracay. However, in my planning, flights to Caticlan seem to stop in the early afternoon. And given that my Asiana flights land in the late morning, I didn’t know if there would be enough time to to do the self transfer between terminals. (I know it’s possible now!) Kalibo is a town that’s about two hours away from Caticlan port and did have later flights. So it’s the option that I chose with a good amount of buffer time.
The flight itself is a short hour long flight and as soon as we reach cruising altitude we are already starting our descent into Kalibo. From there I arranged through Island Star Express to take me from the airport, to the port, on the boat and to my hotel on the Island. One of their staff is waiting for me when I exit the airport and show me to a van that will drive me to the port. The drive is pretty long, and takes twice as long as the flight itself.
Ferry to Boracay
I eventually arrive at the port, where another Island Star staff member is waiting with my tickets. She guides me to the boat and my seat and after a short wait to load the boat, we are crossing the water to Boracay! Because its already the evening, there isn’t a lot to see on the ride over, but its still a unique mix of feelings knowing that my very long travel day is nearing an end!
Seaworthy Boracay
After a short 10 minute drive from the ferry on the Boracay side. I arrive at my hotel the Seaworthy Boracay. During my planning I flip flopped between a few hotel choices and eventually settled on Seaworthy. There are a few points of this hotel which swayed me. However, arriving late at night doesn’t fully showcase those reasons. So we’ll need to wait until tomorrow! Nonetheless, this will be home for a few days, and I’m glad that I’m finally here!
Arriving so late means a lot of nearby food options are no longer open. However, the restaurant (Percy Seafood) attached to the hotel were kind enough to stay open a little longer to make me a quick bite before closing. They were even kind enough to deliver it to my room as I was settling in. Not the most nutritious but after a long day of travel I’m not complaining. In fact the calamari is actually really tasty!
After a refreshing shower, filling my belly and settling in, the long travel day starts to catch up to me. I settle into bed looking forward to exploring and relaxing on the beautiful island of Boracay!