Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately 315 km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. In 1990, it was voted by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world and again in 1996 by British publication TV Quick as the world's number one tropical beach
Boracay's two primary tourism beaches, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are located on opposite sides of the island's narrow central area. White Beach faces westward and Bulabog Beach faces eastward. The island also has several other beaches.
White Beach is the main tourism beach. It is about four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. Bulabog Beach, across the island from White Beach, is a secondary tourism beach and Boracay's main windsurfing and kiteboarding area.
Tourism
Partly because of its wind and weather patterns, tourism in Boracay is at its peak during the Amihan season. During Amihan, the prevailing wind blows from the east. Boracay's main tourism area, White Beach, is on the western side of the island and is sheltered from the wind. During the Amihan season, the water off White Beach is often glassy-smooth. On the eastern side of the island, hills on the northern and southern ends of the island channel the Amihan season wind from the east onshore, onto Bulabog Beach in the central part of the island's eastern side. This makes the reef-protected waters off that beach ideal for windsurfing and kiteboarding / kitesurfing.
Accommodation
Boracay's White Beach.A number of accommodation types are scattered all over the island, ranging from luxurious hotel types to budget, spartan rooms. Along White Beach, location is often specified in relation to three boat stations, though the stations are no longer in operation. Station 2 is roughly in the center of the beach, with Stations 1 and 3 respectively roughly midway to the north and south endpoints.
The Station 3 area is where most of the cheaper lodgings are located, while Station 2 is meant for those who want to be within proximity of the bars. Station 1, meanwhile, is where you can find the more isolated accommodations, offering peace and quiet to those looking for a respite from the usual action-packed Boracay night scene. These are usually for the more upscale vacationers.
Most Boracay hotels and resorts have seasonal price levels, with high season prices generally coinciding with Amihan Season dates. Some have peak period pricing during periods of heavy tourism (usually including Christmas / New Year, Easter / Holy Week, and Chinese New Year periods).
Leisure activities
Mother and Child at White Beach in BoracayLeisure activities available on Boracay include scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding and beach relaxation.
Boracay is the site of a world-class 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by Graham Marsh. In addition, as of 2010[update], Boracay has in excess of 350 beach resorts offering more than 2,000 rooms ranging in quality from five-star to budget accommodations, so tourists are sure to find whatever they are looking for.
In addition, Boracay offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs.
Events
Boracay is one competitive venue for the Asian Windsurfing Tour,[13] with the week-long Boracay International Funboard Cup competition usually held in January on Bulabog Beach. In 2010, the event dates are January 25 – 31[update].[14] CNNGo, a division of CNN focused on travel/lifestyle/entertainment, selected the Boracay International Funboard Competition on the weekend of January 22 - 24 as one of its 52 weekend recommendations for 2010.[15]
Map of Boracay Island.The well-known Ati-Atihan Festival takes place each January in Kalibo on nearby Panay island. A much smaller Ati-Atihan festival is celebrated on Boracay, usually in the second or third week of January.
Dragon boat races are held annually on Boracay under the auspices of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation, with teams coming from around the Philippines and from other Asian nations to compete. The races usually take place sometime in April or May.
The Boracay Open Asian Beach Ultimate Tournament, an ultimate frisbee event, has been held annually since 2003, usually during summer.[16]
Transportation
Boracay island is separated from Panay island by a narrow strait. The island is located opposite the barangay of Caticlan in the municipality of Malay, Aklan. Transportation across the strait is provided by boats operating from the Caticlan jetty port.
By air
Boracay is served by two airports in Aklan province: Kalibo International Airport in Kalibo and Godofredo P. Ramos Airport (commonly referred to as "Caticlan airport") in Caticlan.
By sea
The western part of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) passes through Caticlan, with car ferries from Roxas, Oriental Mindoro docking at the Caticlan jetty port. Several bus companies operate provincial bus routes from Manila which pass through Caticlan via the SRNH.
This article was taken from Wikipedia
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boracay
