13 Things To Do In Boracay (Aside From Swimming)

I've been to Boracay a couple of times but didn't realize until my last trip that there are a LOT of things to do in this paradise island. With a couple of friends, I explored but a fraction of these activities and ended up with a really full 5-day itinerary.



So here are 13 things to do when you are in Boracay!

1. Start the day right by eating a hearty breakfast at your hotel. My friends and I had a great buffet breakfast selection from Astoria Boracay, although the bacon does get a little old if you eat it every single day.

Real Coffee is also another good breakfast alternative. The omelettes are really good but a bit expensive (P300 for eggs???). They are also famous for their Calamansi muffins and (duh) their coffee.

2. Pig out at D Talipapa. If you love eating "dampa style," then you will definitely love the D Talipapa experience. Buy your fresh seafoods from the nearby market and have one of the restaurants cook your meals for you. WARNING: It's so good that you will likely leave the place with a really full stomach. Try to burn some of that food off by walking around the beach area or shopping aroung D Mall.

3. People always rave about Jonah's, but I find Jony's Fruit Shake a nice alternative. Astoria hotel's beach front is really crowded (all the sailboats are parked there), so we had little choice but to walk a short distance to find a less dense area. We just got a table from Jony's, ordered a couple of shakes, and went to the ocean in between sips.

 

4. Paddle Boat @ White Beach. I used to think that I had great balance. I was wrong, so wrong. Paddle boating looks so easy when you see other people do it. I was wrong, so wrong. I'll probably get the hang of it on my 10th attempt.

5. Island Hopping - Cliff Diving @ Aron's Magic Island. Everybody does it, so it must be super easy, right? Well, don't knock it til you've tried it. You will need to muster all your courage to step up the 10-meter high beam, and even more courage to jump. Go for the highest jump off point - it is, after, the same fear that will paralyze you.

6. Island Hopping  - Crocodile Island Snorkeling and Fish Feeding. I really REALLY wish I brought my full face snorkeling gear with me, but I could not find where yaya hid it. Nevertheless, I had a great time snorkeling in the middle of the ocean and watching the fishes eat the bread that we brought with us. They should open up a floating bakery in the area - there is not enough bread to make you want to stop.

7. Drink buko juice in the middle of the ocean. Yes, there was this buko vendor who sold fresh buko right where we were snorkeling. How cool is that? And yeah, the juice was refreshing.



8. Lunch @ Nami Restaurant. If you want to experience the best view of Boracay, this is where you should go. You can ride a tricycle going to Diniwid beach, walk for a few minutes, climb steep stairs, and finally ride a makeshift elevator to get to this place. The view is fantastic, but the food was (sadly) over hyped. It was still good food though, but the view was the scene stealer.

9. Swimming @ Diniwid Beach. This area is one of the more "tranquil" spots in the island. If you don't want to swim with too many tourists, then this is the place to be.



10. Experience Boracay at night. You should not leave the island without having dinner by the beach - this always makes the dining experience extra special even if the food itself is just average. Afterwards, you can go around and watch the fire dancers, go shopping, play beer pong and drink to your heart's content. And of course, one of the best parts of your day: heading back to your comfortable hotel room and getting some sleep!

11. Try new restaurants. The paella at La Cozina was decent, and the churros was also good. I had fun watching how kuya made everything from scratch. We also tried the food at Pamana and everything we ordered was absolutely yummy!



12. Eat at Smoke Restaurant - they are famous for their bulalo steak. We initially went to the original branch but it was fully booked. The waitress suggested that we try the Bulabog branch (with free shuttle) and it was one of the best decisions of the night!

13. Get a hair braid or a henna tattoo. The place is crawling with people offering these services. You can also get a massage - quite relaxing and a great way to cap the day.