Island Hopping Extreme part 2: Boracay

January 31, 2013 continuation

After freshening up in our hotel, we decided to have. It was around 1PM already. The oldies told us that they were in McDonald's so we went there. We didn't really feel like eating there because it's so common and the queues were so long. We, then, walked to d'Mall in Station 2. We didn't really have any idea so when I saw I <3 Backwayrd BBQ, I told them about it. I <3 Backyard BBQ is located in the center of d'Mall so you wouldn't miss it. They serve mostly grilled meats and fish. I ordered Honey Mustard Spareribs while my siblings ordered beef dishes: Pepper Steak and Mushroom Garlic Steak (both priced around P280 pesos but will not exceed P300). We were supposed to order Baby Back Ribs but they weren't available at that time (boo!). But wow, the serving of my order is huge! I wasn't able to finish it. I really liked my dish very tasty, sweet with a slight tangy taste from the mustard. I don't like mustard but when combined with honey, I could have more of it. The sauce they serve was small so it was nice they gave free refill. My siblings weren't really satisfied with their orders. They felt the beef too small for the price. Since the dishes had "steak" in the name, they really expected steak-like proportions. It's an open restaurant so you have to be mindful of your food so that flies wouldn't land on them (haha!). I give this restaurant an 8/10.

Honey Mustard Spareribs (P225)

I <3 Backyard BBQ, d'Mall, Station 2, Boracay

We went back to the hotel for a while to rest. We knew we wanted to do activities so we came to Boracay with a plan. Our hotel offered services to book for various activities but we chose to find services somewhere else.  We reserved for them then headed off to the beach. Yey! It was sad that there were algae but I wasn't that picky. If the foreigners loved swimming in the waters, why would a local like me be daunted by that, right?

At around 4PM, our tour guide led us to Station 3 for our paraw sailing activity. It cost us P950 for the whole boat. Of course, we paid our tour guide for his services. A paraw is a small boat that uses the wind to engineer its sails. Passengers sit in the nets located at the wings of the boat. This was my 2nd boat ride (my 1st was the jetty, remember?) but I was still nervous yet excited. Good thing I insisted on this because I really enjoyed the ride. The waves splashed on me a couple of times and I liked it. The wind was also beautiful. We did the sailing a bit early so we were a couple of minutes ahead of the peak of the sunset. It was still all good. =)

We had late lunch so we just decided to hang around the beach some more. We got chori burger for dinner and Don Vito gelato for dessert. Chori burger is a very famous street food in the island. Grilled slices of chorizo becomes the patty for the burger bun. You can choose sweet or sweet-spicy for the sauce. It is only P45. The burger is a little small for dinner option but it's the perfect size for a snack. 8.5/10 on the chori burger! Don Vito is an italian restaurant located in Station 2, but they have a gelato store located in a separate location from the restaurant (Aria, another italian restaurant has a gelato store but it is beside the restaurant). They had really unique flavors such as white chocolate and roasted almond (my orders). For P100, you can get two flavors! The serving size was just right for the price. The gelato was also very smooth with just the right amount of sweetness and flavor. My sister ordered coffee and chocolate (not really sure about what kind of chocolate). I give it a 9/10.

Don Vito Gelato, Station 2, Boracay

I actually had a 2nd dinner because I was so hungry. It's a place called Deco's at Station 2 where they serve usual Filipino fares such as tapsilog, tocilog, and batchoy. I had tocilog. It's a really good place, but I didn't really get a picture of it. The serving size is quite small. I give it an 8/10.

We went back to the hotel to freshen up. We were supposed to go out and hit the bars but I was tired so I was left behind. My sister and brother went to a place in Station 2 called Nigi Nigi Nu Noos e Nu Nu Noos. What a nice name! Every time we pass by this place, you can notice that it is a favorite place of caucasians (I don't know why but they're mostly the clientele there). I don't really know what to say but when we were looking for a place to drink earlier that day, all I thought was "My, drinking in Bora is so expensive!".

February 1, 2013

Ahhh! Our 1st morning in Boracay. Too bad I missed seeing the sun rise. Such a waste. Anyway, we were served danggit for breakfast. After eating, we headed out to meet our tour guide who led us to our ATV ride activity. We walked all they way to the main road where the shuttle of Happy Land (I don't really remember the name of the place but it does have a carnival) picked us up. We were supposed to pay P1,500 (P500 each) for an hour of ATV ride with 2 stops, the aviary farm and Mt. Luho Viewpoint. Since we didn't really want to go to the aviary farm, we were only charged P1,350 (so that means entrance fee to the aviary farm is P50 per person and Mt. Luho's is P60 per person, if I remember that correctly). I was nervous (I'm always nervous) because I don't know how to drive but good thing that the ATV is automatic and the terrain wasn't that hard. The instructor gave us a quick orientation, taught us what to do and not do, and had us go around the parking lot 2 times. Then, off we went to Mt. Luho Viewpoint. This place is farther inside the island and will give a 360-degree view of the island. All I can say is wow! The island is so beautiful! We were just on one part of the island but the rest was equally as beautiful. People should try going to this place. 10/10!

Mt. Luho Viewpoint, Boracay

The drive there was around 20 minutes long, and since we opted out of the aviary farm, our time at Mt. Luho got extended. When we got back to our ATVs, we rode back to Happy Land, who, then, gives us a ride back to our drop off point. We were supposed to go to Jonah's Milkshake located at Station 1 but when we saw how it was located at the main road (and very far from our hotel), we decided to not push through with it =(. We lounged around the beach for a couple of minutes then headed off to lunch.

Zuzuni is a Greek restaurant located at Station 1. It is said to contend with Cyma in the battle of authentic Greek restaurants in Boracay. Zuzuni also has a hotel. Greek restaurants can get very expensive but all you had to do was choose wisely. I would have ordered Moussaka, my usual order at Cafe Mediterranean (a Greek restaurant here in Manila), but I decided to order something else. My brother ordered Zuzuni Breakfast (slices of toasts, eggs, strips of bacon, and potato), my sister ordered Fish Pita (fish fillet, greens and dressing wrapped in pita with a sidding of fries), and I ordered Zuzuni Fish and Chips (fried fish fillet with potato chips with a siding of salad). We didn't get to try the famous Mati Chocolate Sin, though. The restaurant's ambiance is very chill. Such a nice place to unwind. Their serving sizes were also big (we saw the orders of the other table and my, were they huge). Dishes are pricey but the taste of the food, the huge serving size, the good service, and the ambiance of the place makes Zuzuni a great value for money. 9/10!

Zuzuni Breakfast

Zuzuni Fish and Chips (P190)

Fish Pita

Zuzuni Greek restaurant, Station 1, Boracay

We went back to our hotel to, yes, freshen up and also rest a bit. We went out by 2PM to go to our island hopping activity. We paid P1,500 for the boat rented for 3 hours, P20 for the bread (used for fish feeding), and P100 for the snorkeling gear. I wanted to try snorkeling but I was scared. I got dizzy when my brother was snorkeling so I didn't have the guts to do it. Island hopping locations are subject to change because of the weather and the status of the waters. This failed my expectation because we only got to "hop" 1 island, Crystal Cove. Aside from that, we just went to 1 snorkeling site then went off to see Boracay Shangri-La and Manny Pacquiao's resort. It was still nice becauce we got to see more of the island up close and got to see the sunset while in the water. I give it a 7/10.

Crystal Cove

Manny Pacquiao's resort

Boracay Shangri-La

When we got to shore, we fixed ourselves up at our hotel. Then, we had a black out. Good thing the hotel had generators so we had power after a couple of minutes. We went out when the island had electricity and headed off to La Carmela de Boracay for dinner. The oldies were staying here because their conference was here. During night time, hotels and other establishments put up buffets on the beach front. I saw good reviews on La Carmela's buffet because they cater for the foreigners taste (they did serve international cuisine). You could also see that because the line was long and the place was full. It was already drizzling went we got there. They were serving Thai curry, seafood bisque, pork barbecue, Mongolian vegetables, pandan cake, and others during that night (sorry, I don't have pictures). We actually went away to look for another place to eat but ended up back there again. We paid P270 each (such an affordable price). We got out first serving, just the main dishes, and went to the indoor area because the place outside was packed. Then it started to rain hard. We didn't get to go for a 2nd round or even get dessert =(. I still give this place an 8/10.

When the rain slowed down (haha!), we went back to the tent to check for dessert but there wasn't much there so we decided to have dessert somewhere else. We walked to d'Mall to have dessert at Cafe del Sol. We ordered Caramel Cheesecake, Cafe Mocha, and Coffee Cream Pan di Spagna (finally, I can post the name correctly!). I'm very particular about cheesecake. I really like the texture of the cheesecakes you can buy at Starbucks or Coffee Bean (it's flaky, right?). Homemade ones are rather smooth and gelatinous but are sour for my taste. The cheesecake of Cafe del Sol has the texture of homemade ones minus the sour taste. Not the best, but it was good. It was somewhat sweet but not overpowering. The coffee cake was the flaky texture, and if you love coffee, you'll love this cake because it has the flavor of coffee minus the bitter taste. The Cafe Mocha was very sweet for my taste, though (amazing since I put more sugar in instant coffee mixes).Such a good place. I give it an 8/10.

Coffee Cream Pan di Spagna (P160)

Caramel Cheesecake (P160)

Cafe del Sol, d'Mall, Station 2, Boracay

Check out my next post for the final installment of my Visayas vacation =).