Boracay Island Philippines - The Most Popular Beach Resort In The Pacific

Boracay Island is located in the central part of the Philippines , approximately 315 km (200 miles) south of Manila.

Boracay Island

View the Map of Boracay or visit Philippines Open Street Map Boracay Island

Boracay Island, the most popular beach resort & travel destination in the Philippines, was ranked #1 in Yahoo! Travel's Best Beaches 2007.

Geographical Location

Boracay is surrounded by the South China Sea on its northwest side, the Sulu Sea on the southwest and the Sibuyan Sea on the east. It is around 7 km long from tip to tip, but barely a kilometer wide at its narrowest point in the center.

Political Subdivisions

Boracay is divided into 3 geographical zones, known locally as "Barangays." At the northern tip is Yapak, to the center is Balabag and the southern end is Manoc-Manoc. Although forming part of the Municipality of Malay, Boracay is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

Popular Beach Resort

White Beach, the most popular beach, is a 4-km long stretch of white sand. It occupies a large part of the western part of the island, in the central Balabag zone.

Top Tourist Destination

Snorkeling Boracay

This vacation beach resort is no doubt one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines. Coming from Manila as the starting point, this island beach resort can be reached by plane either through the airport at Kalibo, the Capital of Aklan Province, or the airport at Caticlan, a barangay of Malay, Aklan. The flight from Manila to either Kalibo or Caticlan can take from between 45 minutes to an hour's travel time.

Boracay Jetty Port
by Boracay Chamber

The airport at Caticlan is just a few minutes ride by tricycle to the Jetty Port. If you decide to catch the flight to Kalibo instead, you need to travel inland by bus or jeepney (a popular mode of transport in the Philippines, originally made from left-over surplus of the military jeep used by the American forces during World War II) for another 90 minutes to the Jetty Port at Caticlan where you board a ferry to Boracay.< »» Read more about going to Boracay.

A Romantic Honeymoon Hideaway

Boracay is also acclaimed by many happy couples, as one of the world's most romantic travel destinations.

Paradise Bliss
by SUR Beach Resort

It has been the setting of quite a few successful wedding scenarios &mdash not to mention the blissful honeymoon that usually followed these glorious events. »» Click here to get more info on Sur Beach Resort...

However, it is still relatively unknown in countries other than South Korea, China and Japan in Asia, the U.S. and Canada in North America, Germany, the U.K., Spain, France and Italy in Europe and Australia, down under.

Record-Setting Tourist Arrivals

Peak Season
by sirenna

Earlier this year, Koreans broke the record set by the Americans in 2006 as the Philippines top tourist arrivals. Koreans are going to the Philippines both as tourists and as investors. The Philippine Department of Tourism has released figures showing Koreans leading with 572,133 arrivals, followed closely by the Americans with 567,355, and the Japanese next with 421,808. Roughly, a third of the total tourist arrivals went to Boracay Island.

The Island Paradise

Coconut Palms
White Beach

What exactly attracts these visitors to this Island Paradise in the Philippines?

Koreans are mostly attracted to the country's beaches, golf courses, cheaper education and other business opportunities. To others, undoubtedly, Boracay stands out as the ideal setting for a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. Quite a few love-struck couples have now experienced the exhilarating joy of tying the knot in Boracay and enjoying the blissful celebrations and honeymoon thereafter pampered like royalty.

Flights To Boracay

Another reason we could think of is the cheap travel packages currently being promoted by the major airlines most notable of which is the cheap student travel offer by Asian Spirit.

Click here to find out more about their Student Boracay Package.

There are other major airlines which have scheduled flights to Boracay such as Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Interisland Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Southeast Asian Airlines.

You can get updated Boracay flight information at their respective websites. »» Click here to find out more info about available flights to Boracay.

Boracay Island Beach Resort

Clear Waters

Boracay's beaches rival those found in the U.S. and Australia.

In May, 2007, two noted American newspapers, the New York Newsday and the Chicago Tribune reported that users of Yahoo! Travel rated only three other countries outside of the U.S. in the Ten Top Beaches in the world: Cancun, Mexico (3rd place), Boracay Island, Philippines (7th) and Sydney, Australia (9th).

Among its beaches, White Beach, as Boracay's crowning glory, is the most popular and developed beach. It has fine — some say — cotton-fine, white sand along the 4 kilometer long western side of Boracay Island.

Philippines Resort Stands Out

Paraw Boat

Perhaps beach resorts in the U.S. are more accessible to travelers. However, Boracay Island stands out from the rest. Visitors especially like the treatment they receive in the Philippines because Filipinos are very hospitable.

The Filipino hospitality is a unique trait among Filipinos. There is this unusual desire to please the guest, no matter what the outcome. All Filipinos know this, but foreigners who have never associated with Filipinos before are unaware of this distinctive Filipino character.

Travel & Adventure

Scuba Diving

There are so many unusual sights & exciting things to do in this little-known paradise in the Philippines that this alone is enough reason to visit the place. However, the one exceptional advantage it has over the rest of world is — the Filipino hospitality.

When you travel to Boracay, Philippines, you do not go there just for the beaches. You visit the place because of its appealing holiday atmosphere. You go there because Filipinos treat you as someone special and not just as a tourist out for a good time.

Have a Wonderful Time!

Now is the time to go. Experience this wonderful feeling of being looked after as someone special. Here's what you can do in this tucked-away haven:

• Go on day trips island hopping and snorkeling with Captain Joey on his Red Pirates sailboat.
• Play recreational frisbee or compete with more seasoned players on the famous White Beach.
• Discover scubadiving spots surrounded by exotic coral gardens with their colorful tropical marine life.
• Test your beach volleyball skills against other visiting players along white sand beaches.
• Visit the Butterfly Garden and marvel at the rare collection of exotic tropical butterflies.
• Experience the thrill of kiteboarding -- the adrenalin sport -- in Bulabog Beach.
• Enjoy the awesome and spectacular views of the Boracay sunset, then check out the Boracay Nightlife — disco bars and nightclubs.
• Pamper yourself and your love ones by sailing off into the blazing sunset on the Tamarind — a 40-foot yacht
• Go on a picnic with friends or relatives at a secluded beach such as the Balinghai Beach or the Barazula Beach.
• Visit a barangay celebrating their local fiesta and enjoy Filipino delicacies most famous of which is the Lechon or Pit Roasted Pig.