Boracay Island – the Once Secret Paradise

This dog-boned shape island with a total area of 10.32 square kilometers is now one of the most coveted tourist destination --- all year round!

However, all this hype and rave about Boracay only started in the 1970's which rapidly increased in the 1980's, and today it is one of the busiest, most visited beaches in the world. 
                                                                                                                                                    In 1990, BMW Tropical Beach Handbook voted Boracay as one of the best beaches in the world, and in 1996, it was again voted by TV Quick, a British publication, as the number one beach in the world.
                                                                                                                                                What was it before all these?
                                                                                                                      Boracay Island was home to the Ati Tribe, and became independent in April 1956.

The white sand beach lay untouched and undiscovered while the azure waters washed along its shores. It was once a secret paradise that many kept mum about. It was their own secret paradise, it was their own hideaway.
                                                                                                   Stories of how it was discovered vary.
                                                                                                 Some say it was stumbled upon accidentally by a foreign filmmaker and his crew in the 70's. Some say it was a book by a German traveller, "Jens Peters", which talked wildly about the island. Whichever it was, it certainly put an end to Boracay being a secret paradise for the few who knew about it.

a usual afternoon in Boracay

And today...…
                                                                                                                                           Boracay is considered by some to be the ultimate summer destination – the beach capital of the Philippines; while some considers it to be too crowded, too commercialized. As for me, I think it depends...…
                                                                                                                                                                                    I think that Boracay Island is a place for everyone.

For fun-loving, active people, you'll never get tired of the endless activities:

• Boating
• Island hopping
• Scuba diving
• Snorkelling
• Reef walking (this one's exciting!)
• Parasailing
• Sunset sailing
• ATV along the mountainside of the island
• Go up Mt. Luho (the highest point in Boracay where you can see a glorious view of the ocean!)
• Visit the wildlife conservation area where they have giant bats!
• Party 'til dawn

the famous Boracay sunset

For those who seek the island life to get away from activities and stress, you'll love it too, imagine:

• Sitting by the beach and soaking up the sun
• Having an ice cold drink by your side as you lazily watch the crystal waters come into the shore
• Go inside to the comforts of your room and watch some TV or listen to music if it becomes too hot
• What comes with a good vacation is good food. Check out the endless options of restaurants and cafes

For those who wants to go on vacation but can't totally leave work behind:

• The island is filled with wi-fi ready hotels, restaurants, and other establishments that you can still be connected to your office.
• The island is not isolated, your cellphone's signals will be so high, you'll forget you're on an island!
• You've got everything you need from grocery stores to banks to couriers, and so on.

calm, pristine beaches, and azure waters of Boracay island

For those who want to go and commune with one's self and nature:

• There are beaches that are actually isolated with only very few people in it – at the other side of the island, Puka Beach, where you can sit and not a single person will bother you.
• Most restaurants are away from party places and clubs where there is much less noise
• You can go soul searching on the pristine beaches of the island and go home feeling refreshed.
• Honeymooners love the island...it's both a concealed and exciting place.

This once secret paradise is still paradise --- it is just more known and has more options to offer you as to what your definition of paradise is. So come on, soak up the sun, enjoy the breeze, and be rejuvenated. See you there! :)