My Great Philippine Vacation Part 1: The Beautiful Island of Boracay

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts lately. I am so out of touch because I am having the best time of my life in the Philippines! I am now in Manila at my parents' house but I am having one heck of a time! I missed this place so much since I last visited it six years ago. Now there are so many new things to do and eat - lots of new malls, restaurants, beautiful beaches, and the people are just amazing, warm, all smiles, and ready to help anytime. The malls here are even bigger and have more selection than the malls in America. That's good news for a shopper like me!

Here are some of our pictures at the beautiful island of Boracay. It is a haven for beach goers, water sports lovers or simply for those people who love nature, sea food, and the water. Boracay is known for the powder-fine white sand - I have been to a lot of beaches in my life and Boracay has the best sand ever. The sand is white, ultra-fine, and won't burn your feet even when the sun is blazing, unlike other beaches. The water is AMAZING- super clear, blue-green that is teeming with small, harmless fish even in very shallow water (two feet). My 7-year-old who grew up in the desert instantly fell in love with this tropical paradise. This was our third time for me and my husband but it was our little boy's first time. He LOVED it.

Boracay has been hailed by TripAdvisor as one of the Top 10 Beaches in the World (No. 2), and I am definitely not surprised.


Boracay island from the plane. The white edges are the gorgeous white sand beaches.


These young kids are natives of the island. They make beautiful sand creations with lanterns underneath the sand which makes for a beautiful spectacle at night.


We stayed at Jony's resort right by the beach. We won't stay anywhere else when in Boracay. It is a family-owned resort so the atmosphere is very homey and you feel like you are a part of their family. Amazing top-notch service and wonderful, clean rooms.




breathtaking sunset


Just one of the countless restaurants in the area that serve fresh seafood


Would you believe there is a Starbucks right by the beachfront? lol


Right beside Starbucks is Gerry's that serves grilled seafood. Yum!


Manana serves - Mexican, of course. Many restaurant owners are expatriates- Italian restaurants are owned by an Italian chef, Greek restaurant is owned by a Greek guy, etc.


I missed this- green mango salad


My husband loves dessert crepes so we had mango crepes with Grand Marnier and vanilla ice cream by the beach


the water is so clear


going island-hopping on a boat




Some tourists on a banana boat


Selling ice cream to boat farers like us








my little boy feeding the fish




feeding fish bread


stopped by Puka beach for a seafood lunch




postcard-perfect scenery!




Look at how clear the water is!


The seafood was the best ever


one of the resorts


Boxer Manny Pacquiao's huge mansion by the sea




I miss the beautiful clear water




my little boy found a hermit crab


lobsterrific!




We will be back soon!