This is where the fun time begins.
We woke up at 6am and had our breakfast at Kuya J's—Azalea’s hotel restaurant located at the ground floor. If you are expecting a full schedule then it’s a good idea to load up from their breakfast buffet spread. For those who want a heavy breakfast, there’s rice, hotdog and sausage, tapa/tocino, longganisa and adobo. They also have several kinds of breads, jam, cereals and pastry as well as a salad bar and fruit station which gives you a lot of options.
After our breakfast, our Azalea Manager Adrian, briefed us about our adventure packed itinerary which consisted of sea, (both above and underwater), land and even air activities!
We were going island hopping and our first stop was at Crocodile Island where we got of the boat to do some snorkeling and literally swim with the fishes. Seeing the corals and the very active marine life was a different experience and helped me overcome my fear of being in the open water.
Our next stop was Crystal Cove Island, a place I never heard about till then. It was an island composed of several coves which you can explore. We opted to go to the Bat Cove, since the path would give us an awesome view of the entire island.
It was a 15 to 20 minute walk to the cove but since it was a bit slippery and you had to crawl inside a cave to get to the other side, I decided to wait for them at the entrance. Ed told me the entrance was really low and you had to go down on all fours but as soon as you are inside the cave it was high enough to stand although you still had to watch for the rocky ceilings. There weren’t any bats he said with a bit of disappointment, which wasn’t surprising since there were a lot of people going in and out of the cave. I was content with just taking photos and watched their belongings.
Lunch was on another side of Boracay called Tampisaan Beach. We enjoyed their seafood buffet of crabs, shrimps, fish, ensalada and chicken adobo.
After the lunch, we went to PUKA beach, which was actually less crowded that the Boracay beachfront. The water was even clearer but if you aren’t a good swimmer it may be a good idea to wear a lifevest since the water could get very deep within just a few feet.
We were supposed to go parasailing but decided against it because of the time and the wind condition so we decided to head back and go for the ATV ride instead. Again it was my first time to discover that there was actually a small Korean theme park in Boracay. I say Korean because there was a giant statue of Psy and a few other Korean looking characters, there’s also a few kiddie rides. Too bad as it seems the place has seen better days.
ATV driving was fun! It was fun ride as we drove around town, and stopped for our fruit shake fix at the rooftop overlooking Boracay. If you haven’t experienced driving an ATV, its one thing you should definitely try. If you are in groups of 4 or more there will be a guide to take you to some of the sights along the route.
It was nearly sunset so we asked to be dropped off near the Grotto or what they call Mount Luho to let Rain and Martin—our first timers say a prayer and try out the shake and chori burger!
We walked all the way back to Azalea, and was able to take a dip for a few minutes on the beach. There were lots of people on the beach, but still smaller than the summer crowd. It was another mad rush to freshen up as it was already 7pm and we had reservations at Mamita’s—where you can find the best Crispy Pata in Boracay.
Again it was the first time I heard about the resto and the food did not disappoint our dinner feast was composed of pinakbet, crispy pata, sisig, bulalo soup—and my favorite pancit!
This is one resto I would recommend to everyone who would be visiting the island the food is prepared fresh and the servings are generous enough for those who have big appetites.
And what would be the best way to burn all those calories? Videoke of course!
We stopped by Tom Tom's Korean Coffee House to have our coffee before heading up to the videoke bar they had upstairs.
It was drizzling by the time we finished and it was almost midnight when we arrived back at the Hotel. Tired but happy about all the things we did, I was sleeping soundly in my very comfortable bed in just a few minutes.
While some of us woke up early to take an early swim on the beach, Ed and I decided to take more photos and go around Azalea. They have a rooftop pool for adults and kids which give you a pretty nice view of the island. Its also the only rooftop pool in Boracay we were told. So if you get tired of the beach you could spend the rest of the day quietly on the pool.
Like I said, I’ve been to Boracay a few times already but couldn’t believe you could squeeze so many activities in one day! As there are still lots of activities you can do, preparing an itinerary can be tricky and time consuming—it’s a good thing you could actually ask Azalea to help you with your itinerary.
All you have to do is contact them or approach the front desk and tell them about which activities you want to do. The rates are almost the same with those peddlers you meet on the shore selling you island hopping tours and some other activities, the good thing about booking it through Azalea is you can be sure of the great service you are going to get.
So whether you are a family, a group of friends or a couple who want to make the most out of your Boracay trip please do check out Azalea Boracay.
They are located at Station 2 Azalea Residences Boracay Address: Boracay Tambisaan Jetty Port Rd, Malay, Aklan
Phone: (02) 484 0080
For details and more information please visit their page
https://www.facebook.com/AzaleaHotelsResidencesBoracay/
