Birthdays, Pool Crawls and Volcanoes in Nicaragua

For those of you who read my recent Costa Rica blog, this is a continuation of the same trip, spending a second week in Nicaragua.  I’d always been interested in Nicaragua since Anthony Bourdain’s episode of No Reservations years earlier.  It’s a country that’s been through so much, a stark contrast from the more “Americanized” areas of Costa Rica I’d visited the prior week.

We had exactly seven days to tour as much of the country as possible and find somewhere fun to celebrate my birthday.  We decided to hit up the beach town of San Juan Del Sur for their famous Sunday Funday pub crawl, then spend some time in the heritage city of Granada before ending the trip at a yoga center near the tiny beach town of Popoyo.  I wish we’d had more time to visit some of the other places I’d heard so much about, but we felt this gave us diversity without spending our whole trip in a car.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

My cousin and I were up and out the door of our Costa Rican villa in Nosara at 7:30am, aiming to return the rental car to the airport in San Jose by 9am.  There are four options for getting to Nicaragua from Costa Rica – taking a chicken bus (cheap, local transport), the Tica Bus (a bit nicer bus option), a taxi to the border (and then hopefully another one on the other side) or fly.  We were trying to get to San Juan Del Sur by 1pm to celebrate “Sunday Funday” for my birthday.  Even if we managed to get through each checkpoint of the trip on the time, we’d barely make it.

We made it to the car rental by 9am, but soon learned that we couldn’t buy a Tica Bus ticket, because the bus office is closed on Sundays.  We didn’t have a cell phone, a laptop or enough Spanish to sort out the chicken bus so we finally gave up and flagged down the only taxi we could find for a ride to the border.  From San Jose, we had the option of $80 flat fee or the meter. It’s an hour ride so we took a chance that $80 would be cheaper.

We arrived at the border at 10:30am to a bit of chaos.  It’s very unclear what line to get in and a man popped up eager to help us through the line (for a fee of course).  Leery of handing my passport to a stranger, we decided to go it alone, which we found cost us 1.5 hours of waiting in line as people who opted for a “helper” went straight through (as did anyone arriving on a bus).  It also meant haggling for a cab to San Juan Del Sur on the Nicaragua side, without much bargaining power.  We agreed on $30 for two people, which was FAR cheaper than anything in Costa Rica.

An hour later we pulled up to the famous, Naked Tiger Hostel, creators of the equally famous Sunday Funday pool party pub crawl. We paid the deposit for a towel and $15 for our pub crawl ticket and quickly changed into swimsuits in our co-ed, 8-person dorm room.  I know I’m probably too old for “party hostels” but man I sure do love them.  There is no easier, better way to make new friends. 

Turns out 1pm was a “loose” start time so we joined the growing crowd of people downstairs at the bar.  The payment policy is both easy, and dangerous – you simply hand over your passport which acts as your “tab” and then pay at the end.  Luckily drinks are Nicaragua-cheap.

Sunday Funday consists of three stops with free drink tickets at each stop and haphazard transportation in between - just jump in the first available truck.  The first stop was Anamar- a Vegas hotel pool vibe.  We arrived with the rest of our dorm roommates who turned out to be a bunch of unruly Australians.  A note to first time travelers – if you’re looking for a wild time, find Australians.

Photo Credit: Anamar / TripAdvisor

Anamar was pretty fun, but you could tell everyone was still kind of getting to know each other – the classic first stop sussing of any pub crawl.  The next stop was (hilariously) back at Naked Tiger - the perfect casual, cheap pool + bar with a view of the ocean.  The vibe and music were so good we were hesitant to leave for the third bar, since we’d need to find our own way back, but felt we had to “give it go” (Naked Tiger is not in the main town area; it’s quite a way up the hill overlooking town, but worth it.  There are shuttles every 30 mins to an hour).

If you’ve ever been to the main bar street of Cabo San Lucas, you can imagine exactly what Stop #3, Arribas, was like – a lot of very drunk people dancing.  The bar opened directly onto the beach so you could dance, then swim, then dance, then swim.  I’d been told by a friend that pickpockets are a serious problem, especially on Sunday Funday, because of the easy targets, so I was careful to keep an eye on my wallet and camera.  Sure enough, one of the girls in our group woke up to half the money in her purse gone. You don’t need an ID in Nicaragua so at least I didn’t have to worry about my passport.  Also be careful not to drink the tap water!

Photo Credit: Arribas Facebook Page

It was a very fun night and a wonderful birthday and we made a ton of new friends.

Monday, March 5, 2018

We woke up early the next day for some pool time, only to find out that the rowdy Australians had pulled an all-nighter.  One still hadn’t returned from town and the other lamented his “favorite shirt” (purchased a few days earlier) now in tatters.  Unfortunately, the one that hadn’t returned had my camera.  To be honest, I was more worried about him than the camera which had seen its share of good times.  

We spent the rest of our “Monday Funday” watching Jackmatazz and TimmyT perform terrible magic tricks while sipping frozen drinks by the pool.  Turns out the hostel food is really good – I recommend the Nica Lunch, the Chicken Parm Sandwich and the Mixed Bowl.  We learned that it took a collective 106 hours for Jack to get all the tattoos covering his body.

Fairly late in the day, our missing member finally appeared at the hostel.  He’d had quite the adventure… and my camera!  It’s was a scene from The Hangover going through the pictures- he continued to take photos documenting his night.  We all had a good laugh.

The whole hostel was pretty tired, so everyone ordered chicken parm sandwiches from the kitchen and watched a group movie before going to bed.  

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

We’d planned to play our departure by ear, either staying one more night or continuing on, but our friends were leaving so we decided to book a $15 group shuttle to Granada at 3pm.  Since we’d spent very little time in town, we took the 8am shuttle to see what we’d missed.  We soon learned nothing was open until 9:30am except a tiny taco shop with astoundingly tacos for a couple bucks.  We stopped in a few shops before taking the next shuttle back up the hill – there are a couple cute surf shops, but not much else.

We packed up our things before 12pm so we didn’t have to pay for another night and spent our remaining time by the pool.  I was in shock when I found out my total food and bar tab was only $100 for two full days and nights! The shuttle arrived 30 mins late and was over-packed with people and luggage.  It was a miserable, hot ride.  Sounds snobby, but I wish we’d paid the extra $25 for a private one.

Luckily Nicaragua is a small country (especially to someone living in massive Australia at the time).  It took less than 2 hours to get to Granada and our accommodation, the Granada Casa San Francisco, was so romantic!  It had old world Spanish architecture (like much of the city) with a homey feel.  Our room was small and the bed was not very comfortable, but it was a clean and had character.  We immediately booked the double tour to Lagana Apoyo and Masaya Volcano (an active volcano) at the front desk before they closed down for the day.  It was $32 USD per person – this country is so conveniently cheap after overpriced Costa Rica.

My cousin had lived in Costa Rica and had visited Granada accidentally so she knew of this amazing restaurant called the Garden Café.  We didn’t have a reservation and the restaurant was fully booked, but the hostess took pity on us after my cousin told her how much she loved the place and said if we waited around and had a drink she’d try and sneak us a table.  We lucked out and snagged a small table in the garden area.  The food was delicious and tasted “homemade” which was really comforting after two days of naughty food and drink. We loved the pesto goat cheese appetizer and the salpicon entrée.  And I was introduced to the best pina colada I’ve ever had – it was thick like a milkshake and so flavorful!  It was such a nice night to spend eating great food with my best friend.

Photo Credit: Garden Cafe Instagram

We wanted to go out for a beer, but after walking a few blocks, we both felt a little uncomfortable as two young female blondes.  There were very few people on the poorly lit streets and not much was open, so we returned home for the night.

Wed, March 7, 2018

Breakfast is included at hotel and, my god, get the cinnamon pancakes, they are outstanding.  The coffee in Central America, however, is way too intense for my stomach.

The tour shuttle picked us up at 10am and it was an easy ride to Laguna Apoyo.  The shuttle dropped us off at Paradiso Hostel, which looks out over the lake and is AMAZING.  It’s a multi-level complex that is mostly outdoors and they provide lockers, locks, towels and cards that you use to pay for things and then close out at the end.  You just need to bring a change of clothes to shower, sunscreen, etc.  They have free kayaking and inner tubes on the lake, a paddle boat, massages, mani pedis, smoothies and a huge patio on the lake.  I am 100% staying here next time I visit.

There were quite a few people on the shuttle so make a mad dash to the lakeside to grab a sun chair – they are few and far between.  The next few hours were my favorite part of the whole trip – we tanned and swam and drank frozen drinks on the patio.  I even got a cheap massage with the sun flickering in through the drapes.

The shuttle to Masaya Volcano arrived at 4:30pm.  This would be the least favorite part of my trip – the people in the shuttle were loud, playing terrible music and once you arrive at the volcano you sit for hours in a massive line of cars waiting to be let up the hill.  It’s an active volcano that could erupt at any moment, so they only let a few vehicles up at a time.  I wish I’d known so I could’ve packed some snacks. We were miserable and starving by the time it was our turn to go up the volcano.

Each “round” of cars has 15 minutes at the top to look around before you have to go back down.  I was in the worst mood when I got out of the car, but “wow” looking down into a live volcano, filled with red hot lava, is pretty damn cool.  I definitely had a mild “Frotto” moment.  I recommend walking as far to the right as the fence allows, because that’s where there are the least amount of people and the best view down into the center.

I was pretty satisfied and slept the rest of the shuttle to Granada.  We were too tired from the day to deal with people, and our hotel was so homey, we ate dinner at the bar of the hotel restaurant, Bocadillos.  It was one of the best enchiladas I’ve ever had and oddly the best Sazerac cocktail too (I’m an aficionado of both).  We were lulled into a relaxed stupor by the excellent music and friendly bar staff.  Neither of us wanted to go to bed, but eventually said our goodbyes as our eyelids started to droop.

Photo Credit: Hotel Website

Thursday, March 8, 2018

After packing up and eating another delicious breakfast, we walked through Granada towards the lake for a quick self-guided city tour before our shuttle at 11am to Popoyo.  Granada is such a beautiful, romantic town.  I would totally come back here with a boyfriend.  

This time we had a private shuttle ($80) with AC, which was heavenly.  You might notice that we decided not to rent a car in Nicaragua – we’d heard the roads aren’t well-maintained and people do steal things out of your car when stopped at lights. 

We’d be staying at Magnific Rock, a hostel-meets-yoga center that had been recommended to me by a friend who used to live in Nicaragua.  It’s quite an arresting view on arrival.  The hostel is built into the side of a cliff with the restaurant fully open to the sea.  It’s beautiful!!!  We’d only be staying for one night because we had to get back to Costa Rica the next day for our flight out, but I could’ve spent a week there.  

That is, until we got to our room.  We’d booked The Loft, but there was a yoga retreat so they’d moved us into the Chalet, which is allegedly an upgrade but it was awful – basically a wooden box with no deck and sparse decoration and bedding.  Nothing like the picture on the website. I was pretty pissed, and there were only really nice, very $$$ apartments left, which we decided wasn’t worth it for one night.

We walked down to the restaurant for quesadillas, which were pretty good, and then spent the rest of the day at the pool making friends and drinking beers.  

The hostel is completely isolated from anything else, so you have to luck out with the other people staying there if you want company.  We found a few nice people to chill with for the rest of the night.  One of them was staying in one of the nice apartments so we ended up getting the view we wanted for most of the night anyway… before retiring early to our room.  The sunset was out of this world.

Friday, March 9, 2018

We woke up early to join one of the yoga sessions.  It was on a platform jutting out over the ocean.  The class was relaxing, yet challenging, just how I like it.  We quickly scarfed down another plate of quesadillas, before our shuttle to the border arrived.  I wish we could’ve spent the day wandering the ocean or relaxing by the pool, but the hotel staff said it wasn’t a good idea to get stuck at the border at night, especially without a guaranteed ride on the other side in Costa Rica.

The border ended up being so much easier this time around (yes, we threw some guy a few bucks to slip us through the short line).  Originally, we’d planned to stay right near the airport since we had an early flight, but we weren’t quite done “vacationing” so instead we splurged on a car for $140 (we’re nuts, I know) to drive to a beach for the night instead.  I wanted to go to Tamarindo, but it was too far, so we decided on Playa Hermosa.  We spent the late afternoon at Roberto’s on the beach before eventually hopping in the car to Playa de Coco – we couldn’t afford Hermosa! Turns out Playa de Coco is like Florida – we went to dinner and were the only people under 80 years old!  Luckily, we need to tuck in early anyway.

The next day was an early, easy departure from Liberia airport, ending our trip on a nice high note.  I wish I’d had more time to spend in Nicaragua… it feels like one of the few places left in the Americas that is still a bit wild and entirely foreign for visitors.  The food was delicious, the hospitality outstanding and the natural habitats (and architecture in Granada) were break-taking.  I’d had an amazing birthday, stared a live volcano in the mouth, and practiced yoga on a precipice over an ocean.  I’d say it was a very successful trip and certainly a place I’d like to visit again.

The Philippines - My Island Adventures

I’ve broken up my next two posts on The Philippines into my time on the islands themselves and my sailing experience with TAO because there is so many tips and tricks to share.  For those of you just looking for an itinerary and packing list, check out my last post.  For those, interested in TAO, stay tuned to my next post.

I’ve traveled to many areas of Asia and Southeast Asia from Japan and China to Thailand and Indonesia.  The Philippines has proven to be one of my favorites for three reasons.  

1. It is noticeably less touristy.  The locations seemed cleaner and safer and the people more honest.  I didn’t feel like I was getting the “tourist price” like I have in other parts of Asia. 
2. How the country feels so different from America and is similar in many ways thanks to a shared American history from favorite childhood fast food in the Manila airport and the fact that English is the primary language.  It sounds trivial, but when traveling alone it was nice to sometimes feel like we had things in common.  
3. This country contains all the allure, beauty and charm of the countries that surround it – delicious food, surreal landscapes and friendly locals.

Here’s my breakdown of the cities I visited.

MANILA

When I originally planned the trip, I didn’t feel I needed to spend much time in Manila, but after meeting people on my TAO boat experience who live there, I realize it probably would’ve been fun to spend NYE or a couple days there.  Like most large cities, I think it’d be better to see with someone local to show you around.  I think 1-3 days would suffice.

Getting There -

I flew Cebu Airlines from Sydney which was everything you’d expect from a budget airline – no in-flight entertainment, delayed departures and subpar inflight food. I couldn’t even figure out how to tell if I’d pre-paid for food on the flight.  Turns out you can check the bottom left corner of your airline ticket, but it was too late I’d already ordered a Rueben sandwich from Campos Coffee in the international terminal.  Pretty annoyed, but at least the Rueben was delicious. Once in Manila, it took 40 minutes for my checked bag to come out which was really ridiculous but the upside was the pretty decent free airport wifi.

Accommodation -

The Remington ($104 AUD/night) provided a free airport shuttle (walk towards “Bay 12” and look for a big red bus).  It was a little unnerving having a metal detector and drug dogs at the hotel entrance but otherwise it was a beautiful lobby and lovely people at reception.

The room could’ve been nicer (didn’t quite match the downstairs décor) but was clean, cold and dark perfect for my short overnight stay.  Make sure you ask for a non-smoking floor.  It had a hairdryer, toothbrush/paste, aircon, an inner lock on door and free water.  The late checkout until 2pm would’ve been nice but nothing opens near the hotel until midday and breakfast ends at 10am so you can easily get stuck with nothing to do until your flight.  I’d stay here again as it’s a great option for an overnight airport hotel.  If you are looking to stay in Manila, maybe not the best choice.

Dining –

I received two breakfast vouchers from the hotel so I switched it up with a Filipino meal and an “American breakfast” (just in case).  They were both quite good and the staff was very attentive.  The restaurant itself was a pretty standard hotel lobby café.

PUERTO PRINCESA

The drive from the airport to my hotel reminded me of the drive from Ngurah Rai International in Bali to Ubud with little shops along the road, random stray dogs and motorized trikes. If I’d had the extra holiday, I would’ve liked to see more of Puerto Princesa, particularly the underground river.  Aim for 1-2 days here if you decide to go.

Getting There -

My flight from Manila was delayed about 40 minutes, but at least the flight was short and easy, my bag came out quickly and more free airport wifi.  There was a hotel rep would found me at the airport with a free ride to the hotel (I gave the guy 100 pesos as a tip which I later learned was overkill - 20 pesos is plenty!)  AND THEY HAVE CINNABON!!!

Accommodation -

The Dolce Vita hotel ($64 AUD/night) was way nicer than I anticipated.  Easily the nicest one of the trip besides Boracay and the tea they gave me as a welcome drink was YUM.  My room, Rosal, was larger than my NYC apartment with two double beds plus a bunk bed, a walk in shower, aircon, fridge, free water, etc.  The free toiletries were a little more limited- It had soap.  There’s a lovely pool and restaurant as well.  I would hands down stay here again.

Dining -

The on-site restaurant was adorable and so were the staff.  For 525 pesos, I had two delicious dinners (clearly won’t be losing weight on this trip), a plate of blue marlin and my fav, sizzling sisig.  The marlin was good but completely overshadowed by the sisig.  You can tell the ingredients are SO fresh.  I was so full and still ate every last bite.  One of the most memorable meals of the trip.  I also ordered my complimentary breakfast of taga to be ready at 7:30am the next day.  Taga consists of strips of garlic beef with garlic rice and scrambled egg.  You better like garlic if you come to the Philippines.  It too was lovely.

EL NIDO

For how difficult it is to get to El Nido, I think it’s definitely worth at least 2-3 full days there.  While I enjoyed the bus trip from Puerto Princesa, I’d probably suggest flying direct from El Nido to maximize your time.  It’s maybe a little lonely for the solo traveler, but a perfect spot for honeymooners or co-ed backpackers trip.  It’s just a little beach town like you would find driving the coast of California or Australia.  Wish I’d had more time to check out all the beaches!

Getting There –

You can fly direct from Manila on a pricier ticket or take a cheaper flight to Puerto Princesa and then a bus. I voted for the bus.  First I took a 100 pesos trike to the San Jose bus station in Puerto Princesa from my hotel.  On the way, the driver suggested taking a private van hire instead of the Cherry bus which I’d already booked.  Apparently, the Cherry bus takes 8 hours and the private van takes 5-6.  That’s not what the Cherry bus website told me but of course when I tried to call from my trusty Optus plan it didn’t go through.  I was only down $13 AUD if I ditched the bus so I figured even if I was being played, it was worth the gamble. You can walk to the private van hire area from the bus station in 3 minutes so feel free to do some price comparisons. I bartered a ride to El Nido for 500 pesos in the van.

The van was filled with Filipino women so I felt safe and they were all super friendly showing me photos of their recent trip to El Nido.  Three hundred photos later I had a pretty good idea what I was in for ;-)  I’d also purposely took the day trip instead of traveling at night.  So far I’ve been really impressed with how safe I’ve felt in the Philippines as a white female traveling alone.  I arrived in El Nido at 2pm (trip took 5 hours) and the van dropped me at my hotel.

Accommodation –

At Buena Haven ($83 AUD/night) I was shown to very cute room with aircon and its own private balcony.  The concierge asked if I had a boyfriend which was touching?  Philippines is clearly a couple’s trip as everyone keeps asking “just you?” when I arrive.  It was very homey, more B&B than hotel but it’s a 15 minute trike ride (bargain it down to 30 pesos) from downtown El Nido.  I’d picked it because it’s walking distance to TAO’s office, but knowing what I know now I would’ve stayed in El Nido instead. I ended up making a lot of trips back and forth.  But if you are looking for a nice little hotel near the beach and care less about the town it would make a lovely option for a family or couple.

Dining –

For lunch, I realized I’d forgotten my extra cash at the hotel so after buying a cute bracelet I had to search out a restaurant that took cards.  Make sure you ask before you order and be ready to pay a 6% fee – damn.  I settled on a beachside restaurant with a lovely view and had fresh grilled barracuda with butter and (you guessed it) garlic and a Red Horse beer.  All trip I kept calling it Dark Horse beer until someone pointed out that was the name of a Katy Perry song.  It’s a very strong beer - beware!

For dinner, I met up with some of the girls for at Mezzanine El Nido, an Italian restaurant that took FOREVER to bring our food but the focaccia was worth the wait.   My salad was basic but fresh. 

For breakfast, I got coffee from an amazing little shop near Artcafe.  It’s just a window without a name (sorry!)  She made me the closest thing I’ve had to an American iced coffee in ages – so YUM.  Wish I’d gotten another one.  I asked her for a good local spot for brekkie and she recommended IBR.  The only way you can identify the restaurant is the large yellow sign.  Very non-descript (sort of reminds me of the interior of a McDonalds) and good although I’ve had better meals.  I had the adobo chicken for 160 pesos.

CORON

Glad I didn’t spend more than a night in Coron.  Felt it was very grungy and quiet.  From what I’ve heard people come for the diving so I probably just wasn’t seeing it for what it’s worth, but I wouldn’t need to go back.  I vote 0 days for this spot.

Accommodation –

I tried to walk to my hotel from the boat dock which turned out to be way farther than it appeared on the map.  Ended up grabbing a trike halfway for 20 pesos which was probably over-paying.  I checked into the Darayonan Hotel ($53 AUD/night) which was the least nice place I’ve stayed, so luckily only here for the night.  The room was dumpy, although large, the AC wasn’t very strong, no toiletries besides a bar of soap, no sheet on the bed and no wifi in the rooms.  The wifi only “worked” in the main reception area and at that not very well.  Breakfast was free but not very good either.  I’d pass on this hotel but after chatting to my friend it was probably one of the nicer options.  Eek.  The picture below makes it look way nicer than it was...

Dining -

Our boat crew had our final dinner at Blue Moon a few “blocks” down from my hotel. I struggled my way through dinner with very little appetite because I was sick but even still I thought the pizzas were good and the tuna Arrabiata pasta was delicious.  I ordered a chocolate sundae because I’d been randomly desperate for ice cream the whole boat trip and it was giant and icy cold and soooo good.

Leaving There –

I arrived in Coron via boat so I can only speak to my transportation experience leaving Coron.  It was horrible. I booked a shuttle through the hotel and next thing I know the driver is trying to pack 11 people into 7 seats plus bags.  People were getting super pissed about being late and the complete lack of respect for personal space.  Turns out, while it was annoying at the time, they know what they are doing and we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare (40 minute drive).  Granted I was not happy to fork over the 150 pesos for the ride.  Of course the airport was terrible – no wifi, one food option, no coffee, two toilets for the whole airport and to top it all off my flight was delayed and I had to pay a 100 peso airport tax.

BORACAY

Boracay gets a lot more attention because I spent the most time there, but also because I liked it the best.

Basically, the entire town is built RIGHT along the beach.  As you walk down the “boardwalk” you’ll pass bar, bar, restaurant, shop, smoothie stand, etc.  Mostly all commercial stuff.  If you are looking for actual admin like doctor, phone, grocery, etc, that will be off the beach.  The water is amazing.  It’s only about 3-4 feet deep for about 20-30 feet so you can just lie in it.  So clear and no animals – just how I like it.  The sand in Boracay is  a little weird though.  It attaches to you and never let’s go which is somewhat uncomfortable and sticky.  Better to live in the water!

The boardwalk crosses three different “stations.” 

• Station 1 is at the “top” and is where Boracay Beach Club (BBC) is located.  The beach here is more rocky, there are less people but still lively, and just feels nicer and more upscale. 
• Station 2 is where most of the action is and most of the bars.  This is where we spent most of our time.  Definitely more people and more going on and more people pestering you to buy things.  If you want to avoid being sold to, walk on the beach instead of the boardwalk.  I think Station 2 has the best beach and water.  Nice sand without rocks and clear shallow water. 
• Station 3 was my least favorite – too remote, no people, long stretches in between bars/restaurants, and the beach is filled with boats because this is where you take off for all the water adventures (sailing, parasailing, etc) 

Overall, I had an amazing time here and would highly recommend it for 4-5 days.  I was there in peak season and didn’t feel that it was loud and touristy and dirty like many people warned me it would be.  Easily my favorite parts where our hotel, the pub crawl and Spider House.  And the sunsets are damn incredible.  Any type of traveler would like it here from high-end hotel’ers to backpackers to couples, families and friends.

Getting There –

It’s key to book one complete flight to Boracay instead of two separate flights if you are on another island (most place you must fly through Manila to get there).  It means your checked bag goes all the way through and even better you can take an internal transfer bus from Terminal 3 to 4 rather than getting your checked bag and having to go externally to Terminal 4 where you’ll have to wait in two sets of airport security (you must go through a massive security line just to enter the overall airport).  My travel partner, who was meeting me at our gate, had to pay the guard off to let her cut the first security line. So annoyed I did the Optus mobile plan – everywhere (except Coron) has wifi!

On arrival in Boracay, one of the best choices I made was booking the $25 USD transfer to/from the airport to Boracay Beach Club.  You take a 15 minute van to a 20 minute boat to a 20 minute van to get to the main area of Boracay from Caticlan airport and we didn’t have to wait in any ticket lines.  A guy was there to sort the whole thing.  And they didn’t have a van filled to the brim with people and bags.  Private van hire for the win!  One thing to note is that two porters grabbed our big bags to carry them to the boat, which we thought was part of the service.  It’s not.  They asked for a tip once we got to the boat (20 pesos are PLENTY).

Accommodation-

Boracay Beach Club was the nicest hotel of the trip and the staff were SO lovely (which it better be for $269 AUD/night).  Huge living room with separate bedroom, very comfy bed (first of the trip), great AC, wifi in the room, amazing bathroom and a hair dryer.  FANCY.  They provide new towels and free waters every morning.  Only thing I’d avoid is the welcome drink (or else the airport McDonald’s wasn’t sitting well with my stomach).  For beach towels, they give you “tokens” which you exchange for a towel.  They do this so you can go wherever you want on the island with the hotel towels but if you lose them they’ll know.

Dining and Drinking -

I’m providing a laundry list here because we ate and drank a lot over the four days in no particular order.

BBC in Station 1 - great free breakfast options at the hotel particularly the pancakes. Loved eating Frosted Flakes after a year in Australia (although I forgot how much Asia loves warm milk). 

Sunnyside Café in Station 3 – I’d been told the pulled pork eggs benedict was to die for.  They proved good but I’m realizing that outside of garlic, Filipino food just doesn’t have much spice/flavor so it can seem kind of bland.  I felt like I needed to put hot sauce on the eggs.  My travel partner got the weird looking purple pancake made from yams which were a little sweet but delicious.

Hama Sushi in D Mall in Station 2 - The sushi was good/standard although a bit overpriced particularly when you also have to pay a service charge for the meal.  Very extensive menu though.

Army Navy Burger and Burrito in Station 2 - The quesadillas are out of this world.  I would’ve ordered two orders had I known. I went back for a round two but turns out the rest of their food is subpar – stick to the quesadillas. 

Mango Smoothie Stands – these are everywhere and I wish I’d discovered them sooner.  Yes please!

Treehouse Bar in Station 3 - SO cool.  There was an old Filipino man playing the guitar and singing Johnny Cash, Jefferson Airplane and a bunch of other great oldies.  We sat on floor pillows while leaning against a tree trunk while we sipped our beers.  The staff was also lovely – only downside is it was pricey – 100 pesos for a water and a beer.

Spider House – As mentioned one of the top three things I did in Boracay.  It’s a bit of a hike though.  You take a 20 minute (150 pesos) motor trike which drops you at a walkway entrance.  You cross a little hidden stretch of beach towards Spider House perched on the cliff in the distance.  Walk through a dark creepy cave up into yet another treehouse-like structure.  You need to get there as early as possible for a sunset table and by 3:30pm for ANY table.  If you are waiting for a table or food, feel free to jump off the edge of the restaurant into the ocean (HIGH TIDE ONLY) and kick it in the water.  

I recommend ordering a bunch of food and drinks at once because the kitchen and service gets overloaded.  I got a pizza with salami, green peppers, onions and pineapple, the Spider House sushi special, an order of tuna rolls and like 4 drinks.  The pizza was AMAZING.  The best non-Filipino food of the trip. The sushi special was also good and thank god they forgot to bring my tuna rolls because I was stuffed.  Note – the gin and tonics are very strong so if you don’t like that order the drink in a tall glass.  They also had hookah for 1000 pesos.  You can pay with cash or card and be prepared for a good-looking, young crowd (think Meatpacking NYC, Manhattan Beach CA, and Coogee Pav Sydney).

Exit Bar in Station 2 – My favorite late night bar/club of the trip.  It reminded me a lot of Burning Man thanks to the open-air atmosphere, dancey crowd and DJ playing great house music. 

The Pub Crawl Bars & Clubs:

• GT Hotel – starting point of the pub crawl, pretty bleh
• Gypsea – treehouse bar that is AWESOME but maybe not the best first stop.  The area we had was small and dark and loud which makes it a difficult place to meet people.
• Epic – beach club that is one of the more popular, good music, good crowd, not really a club so much as an area of sand with walls and a bar, kind of annoying that if you leave you have to wait in line to get back in
• Paraw – loved this place, two level club on the beach, great music and open to the beach so you drink beers and come and go.  We went back for NYE and they set off fireworks from the water.
• Cocomangas – VERY standard backpacker bar, we were pretty drunk by the time we made it here so perfect for dancing like maniacs, sub-standard Top 40 music and right next door to BBC for easy stumble home

Activities -

Parasailing - We got a guy in Station 3 down from 3000 pesos for 2 to 2400 for 2 to go out at sunset.  When we arrived, he asked if two more people could join our boat and we’d pay 2000 for 2.  It wasn’t until we’d been on the outrigger for 15-20 minutes that I realized we’d somehow ended up on a regular sailing trip not the parasailing. I was so pissed because I’d been very clear and after 5:30pm they won’t take you out anymore so we were SOL. I do think it was an honest miscommunication but I still insisted on our money back. We managed to get 1300 of our 2000 back but it was our second to last day and he told us that since tomorrow was NYE the parasailing was done.

Pub Crawl – SO WORTH IT!  Costs 990 pesos for 5 stops and you get 10 free shots, drink specials, free entry to the 2 clubs and a T-shirt and shot glass to keep.  See above for the bars on the pub crawl and my thoughts on each.  I was surprised at the variety of ages on the pub crawl – everywhere from 18 to mid 30s I feel like.  Also by the end there was probably about 100 people that showed up so it was full on.

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