Boracay, Philippines

Honeymoon – Part One

Travel books often call Boracay the “Pearl of the Philippines,” and I can certainly understand why.  Perfectly soft white sand, crystal clear warm water that’s as calm as a swimming pool, beautiful sunsets, and lots of cocktails.  It’s island paradise.  We spent the first three days of our honeymoon just relaxing in Boracay, splurging for a change on a nice beachfront resort.  (Ok, really the first three days of our honeymoon were spent in transit as we followed this path: 2.5 hour flight to LA, 4 hour layover, 13.5 hour flight to Seoul, 2 hour layover, 4 hour flight to Manila, overnight stay in Manila, 1 hour flight to Caticlan, 20 minute boat ride to Boracay.  We left Denver on Tuesday night and arrived in paradise at noon on Friday.  But the three days after that were spent in Boracay :) )

Here I went scuba diving for the first time (I’ll own up to being pretty freaked out – my Italian dive master had to hold my hand through most of it), enjoyed super cheap massages ($8 for an hour long amazing massage on the beach), and watched the boats sail by at sunset with a couple of beers.  By far the most relaxing part of our trip, and quite enjoyable.  Boracay is easily one of the most spectacular beaches I’ve ever visited (and I’ve seen a lot), but it’s quite a bear to get to (see the itinerary above.)  However, if you happen to be in Southeast Asia, I’d recommend making a stop :)  I didn’t take too many photos in Boracay simply because I was too busy relaxing.  Trust me, it’s gorgeous.

Paradise is lovely, but after three days our adventurous sides longed to explore.  Boracay hardly felt like the Philippines, so John and I transitioned into backpacker mode and hit the road to explore the less touristy side of the country.   But more on that to come!