Where is Boracay?

To start, Boracay is a very small island in the Philippines. It’s one of the more popular islands that’s well known for its white sand beaches, so you already know it’s going to be one of those relaxing vacations (which we love).

Travel Logistics:

• There’s no direct flights into Boracay so you’ll have to fly to Caticlan, which is the closest airport. Then take another mode of transportation (van, bus, or boat) to Boracay.

• Since we were already in Manila, it was a short 1 hour flight to Caticlan from there. I actually think this is the best option budget wise. At the time of writing, a round trip ticket from the LAX to Manila is cheaper than LAX to Caticlan airport. Once you get to Manila, the ticket via Philippines Airlines to Caticlan costs under $100 USD.

Travel Logistics cont:

• Once we landed in Caticlan, the resort we were staying at arranged the travel to get to Boracay so it was super easy from there. I highly recommend going through your resort to make the arrangements for you. It gets the headache and extra logistics out of the way, especially if you’re traveling somewhere foreign.

• Our resort had designated place to meet outside of the airport where they had shuttles waiting for our party. These private shuttles then transferred us to their lounge area. From there, a private speed boat then took us directly to the resort. I’ll get into the details on where we stayed next!

Where we Stayed:

We stayed at Shangri-La Boracay. I truly can’t recommend them enough. Get ready because I have so much good things to say about this resort.

Location:

The resort is situated on a really lush hillside that overlooks the ocean, so it goes without saying that it’s absolutely stunning. It’s tucked away from the rest of the island so it’s super luxurious and secluded.

The very top of the resort amongst the trees are the Treehouse Villas

It even has two private beaches, Punta Bunga and Banyuga Beach, closed off to the public and only accessible to guests staying at Shangri-La.

Accommodations:

Ryan and I stayed in one of the Treehouse Villas and it was so stunning! It’s a two-story villa that is situated at the very top of the resort which has a lot of privacy since you’re surrounded by nature and trees but also gives you the best views of the ocean. It sleeps just 2 people, so its really spacious. The first floor is the bedroom, bathroom, and tub with views of the ocean. The upper floor is a large living room that has a kitchenette, 2nd bathroom, and space to do some work. The best part of the upper floor is the huge balcony that has a whirlpool tub and panoramic views of the ocean.

To get to the Treehouse Villas (and anywhere in the resort actually) the resort has buggy’s that pick you up and take you where you need to go. If you stay in one of their villas, you have a villa host assigned to your room and they give you a personal cell phone to use for the duration of your stay. You can call your host anytime to send a buggy for you or any other requests you may have.

Food/Service/Staff:

I cannot even begin to explain the level of thoughtful service you get at the resort. The staff are all extremely friendly, polite, and welcoming. Filipinos have a reputation of being one of the most hospitable people in the world. In fact, after talking to our villa host and other locals, we learned that many people in Philippines actually get degrees in hospitality so they can work at resorts like the one we stayed at. Our host told us that he’s been at there for over 10 years and he genuinely loves the job because the resort takes good care of their employees to ensure they get the best (in terms of benefits, compensation, etc.). So it makes sense this translated to the amazing service we got.

The food was also incredible. Every morning there’s a free breakfast buffet which is unlike any other ive tried, trust me. I know buffets can be very hit or miss, but this is one of the best i’ve had in terms of selection, quality, and taste. It’s not one of those buffets that just put any kind of food out and call it a day and is actually thoughtful in what they serve. There are also a few other restaurants you can dine in throughout the resort. On our last night we dined at Sirena, which is a seafood restaurant with outdoor cabanas you can reserve with views of the ocean.

What We Did:

We went into this leg of our vacation with the goal of purely relaxing. We relaxed in the comfort of our secluded resort at their private beaches, read a book by the pool, and treated ourselves to the spa a couple of days.

The main things to do in Boracay are water activities. I’m not a huge water sport person so I didnt want to do anything too crazy, lol. We did one day where we rented crystal kayaks from our resort which was so fun! Another day we booked a private boat tour (not through our hotel) to take us along the island and some of the popular swimming spots.

my adorable parents 🙂

If you want to venture out of the resort to browse and walk around, you can have the staff book a taxi to pick you up and take you to D’Mall. This is Boracay’s main outdoor shopping plaza with souvenir shops, restaurants, and bars. Many tourists go here and you’ll find more local cuisine and gifts that are way cheaper than paying resort prices. We only ventured here for 2 days during our stay which I think is a good amount of time.

And that sums up our Boracay trip! I hope this was helpful for you in some way. You can check out my IG highlight. for more details and let me know if you have other questions or anything I left out!