A bora visitor wading into the emerald hued waters.
This is the 15th and 2nd to the last installment of the Luzon – Visayas – Luzon Loop series. Click the image on the right to check out the rest of the posts.
“…NO. Its overhyped, too commer- cialized and a tourist trap. A huge one at that.” Well, I’m not really a beach person and when I do want to go to one, I do prefer the more rustic, less crowded and less developed shores. But will Boracay be an exception? During the 1 hour and a couple of minutes I was there, its a NO. Its overhyped. Its too commercialized. Its just one huge tourist trap. There are far more superior beaches in the country that travelers like me would find relaxing and enjoying.
Boracay is just too crowded. Thousands of people descending on a small island that you cannot have that spectacular view of the sea and sands without someone blocking the view. Other than the people, there are just too many small boats, pumpboats and bancas that are anchored at sea, a fixture in the horizon and even at the shores with their obligatory Asians queuing up to board for their dive.
Beyond Boracay’s sand and sea, its just a typical Filipino town center where real life thrives.
And can anyone forget about the touts, watch and shades sellers hawking with their glass topped boxes neatly lined with their merchandise suddenly and persistently egging you to buy? Or the man who walks up to you offering his boat for a cruise? Not to mention, the plethora of shops, eateries, henna tattoo shops and the usual overpriced souvenir items and trinkets that I just don’t find appealing.
But then, it was just an hour. Perhaps there is another facet that I might find within the island that may counterweight the negative impressions that I have.
it surely is crowded. i don’t know if you have been to Calaguas already. never been there either but they say it’s a virgin islands in the Camarines area with pristine white sands. you might want to consider it in one of your trips.
Dong, I’ve heard about that island and so they say about Caluya which is just near Boracay. There are still too many places to go, too little time 🙂
What about Boracay’s beach babes? 😉
too commercialized indeed. btw, my calaguas trip’s re-scheduled to may 1 -4 if you’re free on those dates 😛
We are going to Calaguas Apr 25-27! Woohoo!
sidney, people watching is another thing 🙂
tutubi, cedsaid, wow, mauna na lang kayo guys. your accounts and photos will suffice for now 🙂
Boracay’s not really a place for solitary travelers. It’s more of a party place island.
you’re right Ferdz. Its a party place. 🙂
I agree with Ferdz. We travel photographers share the same sentiments. That’s the reason over and over I was telling everybody who’s into travel that I prefer El Nido than that of Boracay…
my friend and i are making this paper about how tourism in the country affected the lives of Indigenous Peoples. your blog was a great help. tnx.
dom_Univ. of the Phils.-Baguio
my wife’s been bugging me to take her there. gotta be strong, gotta be strong! HATE BORACAY! :D, hopefully I won’t give in and eat my words LOL!
hahaha, lantaw, sometimes it’s so hard to resist wifey that you just have to swallow your words or bear a night out in the cold 🙂 good luck though 🙂
met a guy who told me that boracay was heaven on earth … he went more than 30 years ago. he said he didn’t want to go back because he wanted to preserve the image of a pristine boracay in his mind. i truly understand 😉
I never enjoyed Boracay. It’s mainly for party people. =(
Well that doesn’t sound too enticing? The word “boracay” almost always pops up when searching for vacation spots in the Philippines. That’s too bad, although it really does look good in the pictures.
Not many people will like my suggestion but the only way Boracay can be kept pristine is to make it very expensive to go there by imposing very high taxes for out of town travelers. This way the community will have funds to keep the island environmentally safe.
I’ve never been there though, I am an avid golfer how’s the golf course.
after reading all your comments, I’m being convinced more not to try Boracay at all. I’d rather go to Palawan. Been there several times and I really loved it. Especially Coron. 😀
isn’t boracay’s waters not clean? i wanna go to boracay just for the sake of going (lol).
arvin, i loved palawan! 🙂 lots of nice beaches with less people.
to the author: how about cagbalete? have you been there? well, i’ll search for it in ur blog na lang. 😀
joycee, there was an issue of e. coli contamination sa boracay before but i’m not sure kung okay na ngayon. I still haven’t been to cagbalete. soon 🙂
I love Boracay and want to go there sometime!
hi, i understand what makes you or anyone think this way about boracay. it is indeed crowded, commercialized and way too developed to remain how it once was, rustic and quiet.
however it is still paradise. i’ve lived here for almost 5 years and sad as it may to see the commercialization of the island, there is something about boracay that remains intact. it’s the bohemian spirit that’s been here way before the shops and touts came. it lives on long after tourist season is over and us locals and travelers (not tourists) are left to enjoy what the island is all about.
i wish i can tell you more, about the quiet places we go to and waters we swim in. but the best way is to really spend time on the island, preferably beyond an hour and 20. 🙂
we’ve started a blog recently wherein we hope to show images and snippets of island life and then some. do take time to visit it every now & then
http://islaboheme.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post.html
beachbaby,
thanx for the comment. well, that was just my first impression and reading you talking about the real boracay made me want to spend and learn more bout your place. soon, i’ll spend some time there 🙂