“Boracay has played a very signifi cant role in the country’s tourism, and one of our priorities now is to help make this destination even more dynamic by off erring more options for air travel, and our low-fare, great value proposition to travelers,” said Michael Shau, Cebu Pacifi c vice president for Airport Services, during the inaugural flight of the service. Mayor Ceciron Cawaling of Malay, Aklan was also at hand for the event.

Steer like a real trooper

Being one of the country’s top summer destinations, Boracay no longer needs elaborate introductions. The name itself already implies memorable vacations. But beyond sunbathing and those all-nighter parties, Boracay off ers a lot, lot more.

Case in point: Th e guy from G1 Island ATV Rental was literally shouting at me from the other side of the road, “Let go of the brake!” I was, at that moment, stuck in a hump and was not moving at all despite relentlessly giving the accelerator a good push. Apparently, I was holding on to the brakes at the same time.

As it turned out, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), those fullyautomatic bug cars and four-wheel motorbikes designed for off -road use, can be pretty daunting especially for beginners. But once you get the hang of it, once you’re out in the highway and onto the muddy rough road steering your way through humps and curves, that’s when you realize what the whole rave on ATV driving is about. It is downright liberating!

As our group headed to Mt. Luho, nervously and carefully maneuvering our way through the steep, rough road, rain started to pour, which gave the trip a more thrilling dimension. The view below and the intense but excited faces of everyone trying to stay off the side of the cliff made the joyride unforgettable.

After 30 minutes, we got our reward: a 360-degree view of the whole Boracay island, which can be seen atop the view deck of Mt. Luho.

Homey away from home

A hammock on the terrace of a cabana overlooking the huge, bean-shaped pool and lush garden,
the genuinely friendly staff and the home-cooked sumptuous meals are just some of the things that make Boracay Tropics a great home away from home. It has a very warm and homey charm to it, something that most hotels and resorts cannot boast of.

“This was intended for family use. My husband, Bert, who is from Aklan, used to bring the whole
family here all the way from Manila for vacation,” shared Cely Sarabia, the gracious owner of Boracay Tropics.

Talking to Cely makes one understand where the warmth and comfortable aura of the resort is
coming from. She is sincerely down to earth and has a quiet way about her that resonates in her every word and gesture and in the four corners of her resort.

“We bought this property in the 80’s. We just built a cottage for the family. When we acquired the
nearby properties, we eventually added more cottages, which we rented out to friends. Over time, we saw the potential of the business, and that’s when we seriously considered venturing full time into it,” she added.

Situated in Station 2, just a short walk from the beach and away from the bustle of the beach front, Boracay Tropics is a secluded paradise designed for private indulgences. Th e private sanctuary boasts of 44 superior and deluxe rooms, six cabana suites, a multipurpose restaurant, KTV rooms, a spa and nail salon and a children’s room, too.

More than the Mediterranean allure of the place that’s infused with modern Asian accents, what makes the resort more welcoming is its ability to make the guests feel as if they belong there.

Our fi rst night at the resort proved to be a delightful experience, heavy rains notwithstanding. A makeshift Boracay white beach scenario complete with fi re dancers, reggae band, henna tattooist, hair braiders, trinket vendors and a kebab station was organized for our entertainment.

After a lavish meal that consisted of what seemed like every seafood known to man, we capped the night with more pampering at the spa.

Over and beneath the crystal blue water

We kicked off our second day with another hearty breakfast at the hotel’s TropiCafe, and some serious mind conditioning on my part. Taking on the challenge to reefwalk and parasail sounds cool, no doubt, but the moment I saw the boat that would take us to the reef site, my heart started to pound. If you don’t float when you need to and don’t sink either when you want to, then you would understand my hesitation.

“The good thing about reefwalking is that you don’t need to swim nor fl oat. All you have to do is walk,” the guy in a frogman suit confidently assured us.

Taking his word for it, I nervously lowered myself in the water and said a silent prayer as they lowered onto my head a 35-kilo helmet that looked exactly like an astronaut’s. I panicked for a few seconds, but after a while, the view of the ocean some 20 meters below immediately caught
my attention. I couldn’t believe I was actually walking, skipping and hopping on the ocean bed! I didn’t dare touch the corals for fear that I’d break them and interrupt the beautiful cycle of life underwater. Looking at the swarm of fi sh playing and going about their business in their own environment made me all the more respectful of every living species.

I wasn’t aware that 30 minutes had passed. I would’ve wanted to stay a little longer, but our guide
was already frantically waving at us to come up. On board the boat and free of the huge helmet, it felt good to gulp in some fresh air. But feeding the fi sh underwater, feeling the seabed on my feet and just being there and taking in everything was worth the initial panic and the intake of fake air.

Shortly after, we were enjoying our packed lunch on our way to Crystal Cove to check out the underground caves. Although not everyone in the group found it necessary to fi ght off claustrophobia to be able to enjoy the sight of huge waves angrily splashing through the rocks right in front of the cave’s mouth, some of us happily took on the challenge.

As expected, the experience was worth the scrape on my knee. Watching the wave slowly develop into a huge swell, swiftly approaching the shore or breaking angrily right in front of us was weirdly fun and exciting.

After we had our fi ll of adrenaline and some serious Greek food at Cyma at D’Mall for lunch, some opted to go shopping, while the rest of us found ourselves being hoisted once again into a small speedboat and being transferred into a bigger one. This time, we were about to conquer Boracay from above.

Parasailing is one of the must-try popular activities in Boracay. For me personally, it was likely a cure to my acrophobia. Well, I hoped so.

As it turned out, parasailing wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Beingattached to a parachute that’s tied to a motorboat and practically fl ying over the crystal blue waters of Boracay, even getting a glimpse of the other side of the beach, was quite overwhelming. In a nutshell, if somebody were to ask me to recall the top 10 moments in my life, this would be among it.