Have a Blast in Boracay (In Just 1 Day)

If the promo fare you impulsively booked is only good for a 1-full day stay in Boracay, or you only have the weekend to be away from the metro, then here's my suggestion in maximizing your 1-Day Boracay escapade.


5:30AM-6:30AM Take the morning flight to Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay

early morning flight to Boracay

6:30AM-8:00AM Touchdown in Caticlan airport. Ride a trike to Jetty Port (P50 for 3 pax). Pay the environmental fee (P50 each) and terminal fee (P50 each). Ride the boat (P25 each). And finally ride a trike to your chosen accommodation in Boracay (P50 for 3 pax).

Boracay not Bora

8:00AM-9:00AM Check-in at your beachfront accommodation in station 1. (Sunshine Place - P1,300 for 3 pax). Then drop your things and put on your beach attire! Note: Pray that the room is ready!

a few steps away from the beach

9:00AM-10:00AM Appreciate the world-class beach. Yes, you may start camwhoring.

gorgeous Boracay beach

let the camwhoring begin!

10:00AM-11:00AM Try Parasailing! (1,200 each)

up up and away

11:00AM-12:00PM Stroll D'Talipapa and buy some pasalubong (P30 each).

ref magnets - 30 feysus each

12:00PM-2:00PM Rest while enjoying your Yellow Cab Pizza for lunch (P600 for 3pax).

garlic and shrimp, my all time favorite!

2:00PM-3:00PM Reef Walking / Helmet Diving (P350 each, CD with photos and video included). Parasailing then reef walking is perfectly fine. (naks, i learned that when I took discover scuba course in balicasag).

effortless diving!

2:30PM-3:30PM Grab the famous milkshakes at Jonah's (P90/milkshake). And oh, there's wifi here so why not upload your photo and make your homebuddy-friends envy! LOL

nothing special about these shakes though, i just killed my curiosity

3:30PM-5:00PM Go back to your room and freshen up. Take a nap if you wish.

hello room! i miss you!

5:00PM-6:00PM Paraw Sailing as the sun sets. Then do people watching. And of course, camwhoring again!

Paraw Sailing at its finest

life size Havaianas

people watching activity

6:00PM-7:00PM Stroll around D'Mall. Whew, I found Lady Gaga?! 0_o

you need to pay P20 to have a photo with her

7:00PM-9:30PM Seafood and Meat Buffet by the shore (P300 each)

ensaladang talong, grilled squid, bbq pork and chicken, longganisa,
buttered shrimp, oyster, clam soup, and rice

9:30PM-11:00PM Sip your favorite frap (P145 each) and make chismisan with your friends. Note: you may also choose casual drinking, but I just find it rare to enjoy your fave Starbucks coffee in the beach. so coffee it is!

starbucks frap by the beach

11:00pm-Next Day Sleep til the next day and catch your morning flight back to Manila. But if you have another day to spare, try Cliff Diving, Island Hopping, Zorb, or just do Beach Bumming (and camwhoring) the whole day!


After you've seen the world class beach, heard and smelt the ocean breeze, felt the pristine white sand in your feet, and tasted the famous milkshake - now you can brag that you definitely have a blast in Boracay in just 1 whole day! (Rob this is for you!)

* Rates mentioned applicable for Off Peak Season

This post is my contribution to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival for the month of March with the theme Best One Day Itineraries.

Compilation hosted by Karlo de Leon of 4am Chronicles.
See: http://www.karlodl.com/2011/03/best-one-day-itineraries/



Care to share your best 1 day itinerary too? Go!

An Overnight Stay At Dumaluan

So after a sumptuous lunch buffet at Bohol Bee Farm:

refillable spare ribs, chicken, and fish platter at Bee Farm

and overwhelming Scuba Diving experience in Balicasag:

trumpet fish in Balicasag

..there's still one more thing to do in Panglao area - that is enjoy the pristine beach. And the best to do this is to stay in an affordable beach front resort.


I think Dumaluan Beach Resort is like the buffet resto Yakimix. Both are popular yet inconsistent. Haha! I've read a couple of mixed feedbacks all over the web. Scary! And since I don't want to spoil this precious Bohol vacation, I tried avoiding Dumaluan.

Dumaluan Beach Resort 2 (DBR2)

But since RJ, my big time tourguide, arranged everything for FREE, who am I to complain when he booked a Deluxe Room in Dumaluan Beach Resort (DBR2). Transfers from airport to the resort and vice cersa is not free. Lucky me, RJ drove me wherever I requested him to. ^_^

the resort

I got surprised to see that the resort is good. The place is clean. The staffs are attentive too. Maybe swertihan lang talaga na matapat ka sa puyat na staff kaya masungit na sila. They even assisted us to our room. Check out our Deluxe Room, it's by the poolside.

Deluxe Room by the poolside
shot by janujennifer

Accommodation rates start as low as P1,300/night for a Standard Room (which is never available) and their Dumaluan Suite costs P7,000/night. The Deluxe Room where we stayed costs P2,600/night - with aircon, cabled tv, mini ref, hot and cold shower, bath tub, veranda, and breakfast for 2.

comfortable queen sized bed

spacious room - can fit up to 3-4 pax

hot and cold shower with bath tub

I can't complain about this accommodation, it surpassed the standards I set. Well, there's one thing: water supply all over Bohol tasted weird! Ang hirap mag-toothbrush using the tap water!

For dinner, we walked a little and found DBR Grill. It's so mausok (opcors Chyng, grilling station yan!) and crowded. So my friend Edzel and I decided to dine in the resort's resto.

all meat pizza - surprisingly good

chicken croquettes - nothing special

The waiters are courteous and attentive. The food was served fast. Price is a little more than the usual. Music is nice. The entertainers played and sang soothing jazz and bossa tunes. Overall, it's still a good dining experience.

dumaluan pool at night

It's been a very looong and tiring day. I haven't slept since my graveyard shift + I got drained after I tried scuba diving. Antok na antok na ko!


We woke up at 7am and went to the breakfast area. The buffet spread is very limited. Pero pwede na. Edible naman. ^_^

fried rice, egg, stir fried veggies, and meat
with coffee and juice

tiny pandesal with spreads, papaya, and watermelon

Satisfying enough.

And now it's time to check out the beach. I was so surprised to see how beautiful this beach is! ♥

let's hit the beach!

low tide in the morning

sand is very fine and white. water is super clear.

who wouldn't be tempted to take a dip? ♥

Actually I plan to do a day tour at the nearby resort Bohol Beach Club (BBC). But since I got very satisfied with this beachfront, why should I need to pay more? Right?


I really appreciated the beauty of Bohol in this 2nd visit. What more could you ask for a vacation spot - there's the wonder of nature, historic site, river cruise, rare animal, organic food, great beach, and superb underwater world! Bohol is a complete getaway package.

Super thanks to RJ ( rj.intano@gmail.com / 0907.711.9727 / 0927.349.6197) for this treat!
Big time ka na! You deserve it.

my all-year round tanned skin - and proud of it! ♥

Dumaluan Beach Resort 2
http://www.dumaluanbeach.com/index.php
Landline no.: (+63)038-5029092 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (+63)038-5029092 end_of_the_skype_highlighting / Fax no.:(+63)038-5029081
Mobile no. +639178834888 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +639178834888 end_of_the_skype_highlighting / e-mail: resort@dumaluanbeach.com

Hey you, where do you plan to do beach-ineering this summer?

The Day I Discovered Scuba Diving

Since I discovered my love for the underwater world after my 45-Hour Coron Trip, I made sure to include Balicasag's premier snorkeling site in my itinerary. As I was viewing some photos, I chanced upon a website that offers scuba diving. I was so delighted! I know I have been wanting to experience that.

So after the sumptuous buffet at Bohol Bee Farm, I insisted RJ to drive us to Alona, the gateway to Balicasag and Virgin Island. Btw, RJ on the other hand was insisting to drive us to Danao and try the activities there. Hhmm, sounds interesting but deep inside I knew my heart was pounding for Balicasag. And I ain't leaving Bohol til I experience scuba diving! So being the hospitable host, RJ gave way and drove us to Alona! ^_^

welcome to Alona beach

Surprisingly, this beach is nice. All this time I thought it is mediocre. Isn't this good enough for you?

this is better than some of the beaches I've been

There are lots of resorts, budget accommodations, restaurants, and diving centers in Alona. We headed to SeaQuest Dive Center and inquired for the rates.

SeaQuest Dive Center - Bohol

Who can dive?
Anyone at least 10 years old.
Swimmer or non-swimmer

Here are the published rates in their website.

it's an expensive hobby! ^_^

For the Discover Scuba Diving course, the dive master quoted my friend and I P2,700 each - inclusive of the the boat, gears, and everything! It's P450 cheaper than the published rates. We also rented his underwater camera for P1,000. (ang mahal! but I need to document my 1st dive. pikit-mata sa presyo ng underwater camera rental)


One of the first things that the dive master asked was when is our next flight? Luckily, I had found out in advance that it's fatal to dive then fly. That's why I scheduled this diving activity on the 1st day. (note: our flight back to Manila is on the next day right away). Fly then dive on the same day, wont cause a problem. But dive then fly on the same day will cause serious injuries. An 18-hour interval is good enough. Perfect for our next day's flight schedule.
For explanations on the effect of diving then flying on the same day, read this.


Second is have we suffered from any of the following conditions.
As you all know, I suffered from a serious lung disease 3 years ago. Yare! I didn't know that I need to present a med certificate first before I can dive! Panic mode. What I did? I denied that I got sick. I know my lungs are treated and can perform better now. Bahala na, remember I've got 2 life insurance policies already! ^_^

..that may result in death
not very encouraging choice of words 0_o

After some theories and familiarization blah blahs, we were finally handed our dive suits, masks, and fins! Woot! Excited much! We're ready to do the actual exercises.

SeaQuest Boat - lesgow na!

My friend and I were assigned with 1 dive master each and trust me, the exercises are not very easy at all. What I hate most was the removal of water in your mask. It's very easy when you're just snorkeling. Go up, remove the mask, and the water is gone. But in scuba diving, you need to remove the water from the mask, without going out of the water. Ang pula-pula na ng mata ko after 10x na paulit-ulit ito ipagawa sakin. =(

I know it's just the basics, so what more for the Open Water course. Now I know it's not enough that you want to dive. It's important that you're determined to learn it.

Finally, it's time to put all the lessons I learned that day. Scuba diving at last!

practice time
the instructor swims with me


○ these shots can't even justify how awesome the underwater world is ○
i never had the chance to hold the camera, the other dive master held it

next time I think need to wear a hair-net! hihi

○ some more vibrant colored creatures ○

spell A-M-A-Z-E-D look ^_^

The fact that the earth is composed of 70% water and 30% land, means that there is a really more awesome space to explore, and that can only be found below the sea level... and I cant agree more.

super agree along with these Trumphetfishies
(thanks lakwaterso.com for the info)

who wouldn't be in awe to see these vertical-swimming fishies
and sun-kissed colored wall?

dear Coron,
You know I love you. I really do. But after I discovered scuba diving in Balicasag, Im in shocked and it left me breathless. It's the 1st time I actually thought Im inside that animated screen-saver in the desktop computer. It's surreal! (and you know very well that I hardly say that a place is "surreal")
Im sorry, I guessed I love Balicasag more now.

○ again, these shots are not even close to their real colors ○

i strongly suggest you to try this overwhelming experience

and hey, this frog fish invites you too! Ü

After 35 minutes with a max depth of 20 meters (?), I signaled my instructor that i wanted to go up. Im already chilling. I felt sick too. I thought Im going to vomit anytime! Nyahaha! My instructor said motion sickness is normal for beginners, specially me who moves a lot! Hihi

all experts were once beginners, right? ^_^