How to Travel to Boracay in the Philippines & Have the Best Holiday!

Boracay in the Philippines is a small island but nothing short of amazing. The island has become very popular with tourists over the years but there’s a good reason for it. Once you’ve made it there you can have an adventure-filled holiday or relax next to the pristine, aqua-colored ocean.  

If you’re traveling from Australia getting to Boracay island can be a bit of a mission but so can many places in the Philippines! Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with a step-by-step guide on how to reach Boracay and have also included a ton of other helpful information.  

Getting to the Philippines, Then All The Way to Boracay Island

When I told people how we traveled from Australia to Boracay, a lot got turned off the idea of going because getting there requires a bit of time. I always assure them that it actually wasn’t that bad and well worth it.

We flew from Gold Coast to Sydney (1-hour flight), then a direct flight from Sydney to Manila (8 hours). We then had to overnight in Manila, because there weren’t any connecting flights by the time we landed.

The next leg is where people start to lose interest. Manila direct to Kalibo airport (1 hour & 15-minute flight), after disembarking we jumped on a bus for about 1.5 hours to the Caticlan Jetty, then a short boat ride across to Boracay & lastly a minibus to our accommodation!

Now, there is the option to purchase flights direct to Caticlan airport, which is only 10 minutes away from the jetty, but generally speaking, the flights to Caticlan can cost about 3 times as much as flights to Kalibo from Manila.

So it will depend on your budget. But the journey from Kalibo airport to the jetty really wasn’t that bad. The roads are decent, it’s a relaxing ride and has plenty of gorgeous views of the ocean, rice fields & mountains.

While on the flight from Manila to Kalibo we brought our transfer tickets across to Boracay from the cabin crew. It was so well organized, I couldn’t fault the service. Nearly everybody was heading to Boracay and there was plenty of staff at every point making sure we all got on the right bus, boat, and onto the correct hotel transfer. If you choose to go this route I suggest purchasing your transfer ticket as a return, this will save you money.

Accommodation on Boracay

Boracay island in the Philippines is divided up into three stations, stations 1, 2 & 3. These are the tourist hubs on the island.

Throughout each station there’s a large number of hotels and resorts, catering to all types of travelers.

Station 1 was the most expensive,

Station 2 was more middle range (and the best area for shopping)

Then station 3 was definitely the cheapest (you’ll find plenty of cool beach bars along here)

Although, we like to do things a bit differently so we spent our first few nights at Diniwid beach (north of station 1) at a Resort called Spiderhouse. Recommended to us by a friend and was by far one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. It’s basically like an overwater tree house, very basic and built into the cliff using bamboo. The rooms surround the main deck and the deck is where you’ll do most of your eating, drinking & sunbaking. You can jump straight from the deck into the ocean and for less than 100AUD a night, I had not one complaint.

(2022 Update; unfortunately Spiderhouse was permanently closed)

For our last couple of nights on Boracay, we headed to station 2 to check out the action. We stayed at Henann Regency Resort & Spa, this resort was big, beautiful, and had everything you could need. But I did miss the simplicity of Spiderhouse.

There was a lot more going on in station 2, plenty of shopping, bars, clubs, water sports, spas & restaurants. Getting between the stations is easy, they’re all along the one beach so you could just walk along the sand or if you had somewhere specific you wanted to go just grab a ride on a tricycle or multicab.

Food on Boracay

The food on Boracay was alright but nothing amazing about it, they love their meat, so if you’re a big meat eater this is the place for you.

My favorite place to eat was Wahine Beach Bar & Grill, the food, cocktails & atmosphere was the best. But I believe it’s since closed down! I’ll leave it here though in case it one day re-opens?

I also had an amazing meal at Nami Resort, which is located next to Spider house. The food and service were incredible and you couldn’t ask for a better view. 

 Top 3 Must Do’s on Boracay, Philippines   

Visit Puka beach

Puka Beach is located at the northern end of the island. Thankfully it’s not covered with large hotels & resorts, there are some shops, food stalls & massage huts. I was blown away when we arrived, it’s so beautiful. Very clean, the water is clear and the most spectacular blue color. It’s a nice long beach so plenty of space for yourself. Also, there are a number of places that offer sunbeds, some charge 200-400 pesos for the day or others just expect you to purchase drink/food.

Stand Up Paddle-Board at Sunset

Along the beach of station 2, there were heaps of people with paddle boards to hire. This is something I regularly do at home so wasn’t going to miss out here. They’ll give you a lesson if you need it and it’s regulated on Boracay for you to use a leg strap and wear a life jacket! The water was so calm, it was very easy to go far out, just be mindful of the many boats in the area. I highly recommend doing it in the evening as well, the sunset views were incredible.

Hire a Sailboat

Hiring a sailboat is super simple, the beach is generally teeming with people offering this service. You’ll organize a time & date, then meet them back at the same spot. We paid approximately 1,500 pesos for 3 hours. He took us right around the island, stopping at a few different areas to snorkel. I’m sure they all would, but make sure you’re taken to crocodile island because the snorkeling in the area was the best.

I hope you found this article helpful, I really loved the Philippines, especially Boracay and I can see why so many tourists go back again and again. If that’s you, let me know in the comments below what you loved most about Boracay.

After a holiday in Boracay, if you’re keen for a quieter tropical island? I recommend an island in Thailand called Koh Yao Yai! It’s amazing and you can check out my travel guide here.

Thanks for reading, 

Happy Travels