Boracay - the most beautiful island in the world?

The white sand beaches and turquoise seas of Boracay.

Fast Facts:

World's Best Island 2017, as ranked by Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards, and in the Top 10 Best Island's in the World in Travel and Leisure magazine.

The place:

White Beach stretches for some 4 Kilometres. Visitors can stay at the Upmarket Station 1, which has the most powdery white sand, the more commercial Station 2 (with lots of entertainment options), or the more rustic Boracay of old Station 3 (with a tranquil and laid back local vibe).

The tips:

Go to Puka Shell beach for some of the most unspoilt beach views
Take a boat ride around the island in afternoon, or go on a sunset cruise - all on the traditional Paraw boats.
Like kitesurfing or windsurfing? Walk (or take a trike) to Bulabug beach on the other side of the island.

We knew we had come somewhere special when we arrived in Boracay just before sunset. White beach is wide and white, sloping gently down to turquoise seas, where paraws skimmed back and forth taking delighted tourists on a scenic ride. No traffic is permitted by the beach. People walk around barefooted. So we kicked off our flip-flops and did the same - and I don't think we put them on again until the end of our month in this paradise.

A paraw taking tourists on sunset cruise

We had booked a wonderful, modern apartment called Sundown Beach Studios. The German-owned place above a German restaurant was a real find. The room was minimalist chic, with modern art sculptures, a big bathroom with rain shower, and a huge terrace with a table and chairs and two sunloungers, overlooking the beach and ocean in this tranquil part of Station 3. There are only four rooms, and the place feels like a millionaire’s summer escape – it’s exclusive, modern, private, and the service from the house boy, a friendly young chap called Gim, impeccable.

We were here a month, and days went by when Veronica and I did nothing but chill on the terrace, reading books and listening to the sound of the ocean, waiting for the ping-pong sound created by Joey, the local owner of the next door Red Pirates bar, and his German friend, who played beach tennis at exactly the same time each day, the time when the sun starts to sink into the ocean, when the island kids come out to play, cartwheeling and backward-flipping down the beach and into the ocean, when the smoke from a hundred BBQs starts wafting through the air teasing out an appetite taken away by the sweltering heat of the afternoon.

And so Veronica and I saw routines, saw the same people doing the same things everyday. We began to be recognised, everybody began saying hello, the local musicians dedicated songs to us, the people in the restaurants waved and smiled as we passed, the bar staff knew our drinks….we were somehow woven into the social fabric of this little part of Boracay -station 3 – the only part of White Beach left that still maintains a sense of community. Much of that community spirit is fostered in Red Pirates.

Red Pirates is a bar unlike any other in Boracay. It’s possibly the most rustic, housed in a native bamboo shack style building. There’s a tiny wooden bar in the sand, with around 6 stools are around it, and a few small wooden tables roughly hewn from trees. Bob Marley flags are draped everywhere, along with the skull and crossbones flag symbolic of pirate ships. They have beanbags outside in the sand. They have good live music every night – always an acoustic guitarist or two, and a percussionist playing a cajon, and this instrument is often passed around those who wish to have a go. The owner is Joey, and his portrait hangs behind the bar. The mojitos are made with fresh mint leaves grown in a garden Joey has planted by the river on the mainland. It's a wonderful place to kick back and get to know the locals.

There are, of course, other places for entertainment. Still in Station 3, you have The Treehouse – an amazing bar and restaurant seemingly built in the trees. They have great live music here. Hey Jude is a good spot for dinner, and Cocomangas next door has a good selection of cocktails. Tiki bar is also a good choice for Japanese food and drink. Perhaps the best in this station though is Chantal’s beach bar – it’s 30 pesos at sunset time for beer or cocktails – their caipirinhas are the best on the island.

The walk down the beach path to the busier Station 2 takes you past plenty of restaurants and bars, and we normally ended up in Bom Bom bar, probably the best place for live music on the island. We occasionally enjoyed a Shisha pipe in one of the chilled beach bars here, or on the rooftop at District for a more extravagant smoke - the hand-made glass shisha pipe (which lights up as you smoke through it) there is designed in Germany, and the flavours are so complex they come with tasting notes like in a wine menu . Around the back of station 2 is ‘D’Mall’ – an open-concept shopping mall on the sandy floor full of restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. In Station 1, the more upmarket part of the beach, Veronica and I often enjoyed a drink at White House Beach Resort – a great DJ, good happy hour cocktails, and free entertainment from the beach vendors selling their neon-lit wares. On the other side of the island we would spend time at Los Indios Bravos drinking Englishman in New York craft beer or delicious red wine and enjoying the sumptuous international cuisine, or on the Bulabog beach at Levantin bar watching the stars.

Of course, the bars are the reward for spending the day doing nothing more than walking up and down the beach. The sun-drenched days are lazy in Boracay. Veronica and I did very little. Staying in Station 3, we were almost 4 km from the end of station 1. This is the length of White Beach, and walking up and down the beach is entertainment in itself. It’s beautiful. The sand is fine and powdery – at its best in Station 3 and Station 1, and the sea is like a swimming pool, calm, warm, and turquoise. Traditional sailing boats – paraws, line the shore, and vendors vie for work, wanting you to take their boat around the island or for a sunset cruise.

We sometimes walked all the way past Station 1 and around the rock to Diniwid Beach – another kilometre away. We bought snorkels and a mask and here was the best place for snorkelling. Diniwid has more of a local feel to it – it’s a small cove, and this is where the local fishermen bring in their catches every day. There is a spectacular restaurant here at Nami resort – and we had delicious pasta here while overlooking the beautiful beach. We also chilled out at Wahine beach bar – a fabulous, rustic place with multi-coloured bean bags and colourful umbrellas to shade you from the sun. Sunsets from here are pretty spectacular.

Of course, a trip around the island, and a sunset trip, are two of the must-dos while in Boracay. Vero and I booked a sunset cruise with Red Pirates on their big paraw. We loaded the boat with a bottle of local Tanduay rum, 6 san miguel lights, and some coke, and headed off, just the two of us and two crew, on our own little sunset cruise. With a calm ocean, this is a perfect way to spend the late afternoon. We passed Station 2 and 3, and came around to Puka Shell Beach. This beach is relatively unspoiled - the sand here is deep and golden, the sea is deep right off the shore, and the waves are big. It’s not a place for swimming. It is a place, however, for chilling on the sand, drinking Tanduay rum, and watching possibly the most spectacular sunset on the island, and that’s exactly what Veronica and I did.

We moved to Bulabog beach after a couple of weeks in Station 3 – a popular kitesurfing spot. We stayed in a place called Levantin – a reasonably priced place right on the beach ‘where the sun rises‘ – and we spent our days windsurfing. This is also a very popular spot for Kitesurfing - there are plenty of Kitesurfing schools, and the calm waters and decent winds are good for all levels.

After a week of good windsurfing and hanging out in the chilled surrounds of Bulabog, we decided to go back to Station 3 once more We checked in at Surfside Resort and Spa. It’s a Japanese-owned place. Service as a result was impeccable, the rooms were spotlessly clean, and we got free iced green tea from the Japanese restaurant in front. Back here we were able to once again visit our favourite Station 3 restaurant – Cowboy Cocina for their delicious breakfasts and even better lunches. We were also able to go to Red Pirates again, and be sucked back in to the easy vibe of friendly station 3. Strolling down to Station 2, Veronica got to try out something no girl really stops dreaming about, no matter hold old they are – being a mermaid. In one of the dive shops here you can rent mermaid tails, and a girl teaches you different mermaid poses. It’s certainly a novel idea, and one that seems to be pretty popular here. The resulting photoshoot was a joy to behold!