I have a few days here in Boracay and I intentionally don’t have a busy schedule. Prior to this trip, it’s been fairly hectic at home and I wanted to give myself a chance to unwind before more adventurous portions of this trip. When I decided on visiting the Philippines, Boracay presents as a fairly “easy” destination with great opportunities to relax. So here I am!
Seaworthy Boracay
After a very long travel day, I finally make it to Boracay! In my previous post, I mention choosing Seaworthy Boracay for several reasons, and this morning I’m finally able to realize a few of them! After a very restful sleep, I wake up, pull back the curtains and am treated to the beautiful Boracay white sand beach and beautiful blue water. Even the bathroom has a picturesque view. Waking up to this every morning, being able to enjoy the beach while relaxing in the comfort of my own room are big reasons for me choosing this property!
Breakfast is also included for guests. And different from other hotels which offer a buffet breakfast, you choose one dish from a menu with options from Percy Seafood (the same restaurant that fed me the night before!) and The Sunny Side Cafe. Each comes with fresh juice and fresh fruit, plus a choice of drink. The amazing hotel staff reserve a seat for me that offers the same beautiful view and makes breakfast a treat and something to look forward each day. I order the Percy Prawn Toast and it is delicious! I can’t speak to the other hotel buffets, but I am extremely happy with the breakfast offerings at Seaworthy!
Exploring the Boracay Coast
After breakfast I head out to explore on foot. I have the option of heading right (North) or Left (South). With the advice of my breakfast server, I head North and leisurely walk along the white sand beach taking in the lovely views.
Before long, the beach turns rocky as I arrive at Lambros Point. This is a part of Boracay where there is a rocky outcropping and there is a concrete walkway that hugs the coastline. In some spots it squeezes right between a sheer cliff face and the water, and the water next to it is the brightest turquoise! It’s a neat contrast to the postcard images of the beach but also beautiful in its own right.
The walkway ends at a quiet little cove and a small beach tucked under a tall cliff. Rounding each corner seems to reveal another stunning view!
D’Mall Boracay
After exploring most of the morning, I start to wilt under the heat. I hail a trike to take me closer towards the central part of the island towards D’Mall. D’Mall is the main shopping area in Station 2 of Boracay and is home to many eateries and shops. Still being full from lunch, I decide to stop into one of the famous “mama” dessert shops on the Island: Mango Mama. There are three different “mamas” (Ube and Coco) and I intend to sample each one before I leave Boracay. But for now since Mango Mama is nearby, I pop in and order their signature dish. It comes with a scoop of Mango coconut ice cream, black rice ice cream, a healthy helping of ripe mango. Eating it in their air conditioned store after exploring in the morning is a very welcome treat!
After my snack, I wander back toward the beach along the beach path again, this time back towards my hotel. As my travel day starts to catch up to me, I pop back into my hotel for a refreshing shower and a much appreciated nap to catch up on some rest.
Afternoon on the Beach
By the afternoon I’m back out on the beach, but I don’t get very far because I pass by one of the spots that is on my list: Smooth Boracay. It’s this cool cafe that often has live music and a great view. Unfortunately there isn’t any live music playing this afternoon, but I still grab a seat by the water and snack on a watermelon juice and some grilled satay skewers. This won’t be the last time I visit this spot but for a first try I’m pretty happy about it! I spend some time just enjoying the vibes before starting the walk back to central Boracay.
Sunset on the Beach
As the afternoon winds down, a whole line of paraw sailboats gather along the shore, and the beach starts to fill up. There are nightly paraw sailings for visitors to try and catch the sunset whilst on the water. While I don’t have a booking tonight, I do have one for the next day. But seeing the boats on the beach and in the water with a setting sun is a pretty amazing sight. It’s just unfortunate that it’s a bit cloudy so I don’t get to experience Boracay’s famed sunsets!
Instead of sailing today, and continuing with my theme of relaxation, I head back towards D’mall and to Kabayan Spa where I have a massage appointment. But not before snapping a quick peaceful shot of Balabag lake!
Jasper’s Tapsilog & Resto
After a very relaxing massage, my thoughts turn to food. After wandering through a very lively and decorated D’mall, I stop at Jasper’s Tapsilog & Resto. This place is very popular and the food looks to be a variety of different local dishes. Even though it’s a breakfast dish, I end up ordering the traditional tapsilog (this restaurant’s namesake) which is a traditional Filipino breakfast dish. It really hits the spot and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this spot!
Ube Mama
Since I’m on a mission to try them all, I pass by Ube Mama after dinner and it only feels right to end the day trying this for dessert! I pick up their classic ube dessert which includes Ube ice cream, ube pudding, salted coconut ice cream and corn flakes. And I’m already willing to say that I think I appreciate the ube version more than the mango! We’ll have to wait for the coco mama trial to form a conclusive verdict! After dessert, I meander my way back to the hotel where I’m ready to turn in and call it a night!
Breakfast at Seaworthy, Round Two
The next morning starts the same way as the first! An Amazing breakfast with a view! This time I order the Fish Sausage on rice. While it’s also extremely tasty, I think I would rank the Percy Prawn Toast above it. But nonetheless this is a great way to start the day with a full belly, and an appreciation for the beauty of this place.
Smooth Boracay
After breakfast, I head back to my room to lazily get ready to head out and closer to late morning, I head back out to wander the beach path again. Because of the tides, I’m able to wade through some shallow water and appreciate how clear it is and see the ripples in the sand right under my feet!
I once again pass by Smooth Boracay and see that there is live music playing! So I pop in for a quick drink. However, instead of it being quick, I found myself lingering, enjoying the music and views while ordering a few different drinks to pass the time. The musician today is a saxophonist playing in the centre of the restaurant. Having live music in this setting really adds to the ambiance and truly helps set the tone of what kind of pace and vacation this should be!
Chicken Inasal
While I would be happy having lunch at Smooth Boracay, I instead had my sights set on trying Chicken Inasal. And one such place is Bacoleño Chicken Inasal Bacolod. I walk over and get one of their rooftop patio seats. I order their classic chicken inasal, which is a grilled chicken with garlic rice. You also need to create a tangy and salty sauce with the provided pepper, lime and soy sauce. All in all, it’s a very flavourful dish. However, because it’s so hot outside I found myself both sweating from the heat outside and the heat of the dish!
Sunset Paraw Sailing
After lunch, I return back to my room for refreshing shower and afternoon nap! In the early evening, I head back out to where the paraw sailing boats were from the night before. This time I had reserved a spot on one in hopes to catch a sunset. After finding my specific boat, the friendly staff get everything setup and help us onboard.
Once onboard, I put my feet up while the crew walks the boat out through the shallows. Then the sail goes up and we’re off! The crew are very efficient and we are going at a pretty good pace pretty soon! Some of the crew start going around to the different guests to get their phones and take photos of for them. They also help you navigate around different parts of the boat to get different angles.
Even though it’s cloudy, we’re still able to catch a little bit of the sunset and catch some shots of it. While it’s not the fiery sky like photos that I’ve seen in my research, it’s still a beautiful sight to behold and I’m still happy to be out on the water experiencing this!
Sunset from the Shore
Eventually we make our way back to the beach. I stick around for the sun to set over the water, and still enjoy seeing how many people are on the beach or out in the water enjoying what this island has to offer!
Merienda at Seaworthy
Back at Seaworthy, I stop in their sunset lounge. The hotel puts out an afternoon merienda, and today’s is Guinataan. Unfortunately, I missed the merienda the previous day, but being able to enjoy it from the comfort of the hotel and enjoying the remnants of the sunset today is very satisfying.
Dinner
To finish the day, I get some room service and have dinner in my room. Tonight it’s the Bangus Unagi bowl accompanied with a local beer. I end up just watching some shows online while enjoying my dinner and allowing myself to continue to unwind and enjoy the part of the world I’m in.
So far Boracay has been spectacular as a place to relax, everything has been great, the food has been wonderful and I look forward to my remaining few days here.