Boracay

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Two weeks on whitest sand beach in the world. Fourteen sun-drenched days with toes in said sand, palm fronds bobbing overhead, sipping coconut juice, dozing on banana chairs with Elliot and Duncan, the lazy sound of the surf heaving itself on the shore, lulling me to blissful oblivion. That’s what I have in mind, and Boracay delivers - at first.

Duncan and I trudge up and down the busy beach path, shoving the stroller through the sand, bumping Elliot off to sleep. White Beach is long, long, long - giving us ample opportunity to sink our sweaty bodies into its all-hues-of-blue waters and cool off. We take turns to slip into the sea, then both have massages (two for 600 pesos - about AUD15), listening to the lilting, bubbling chat of the Filipinos around us.

When the duck and weave of manic White Beach gets too much, we simply open the door of our suite at Palm Breeze Villas, take a step or two and flop into the beautiful pool overlooking Bulabog Beach. We float Elliot in his new blow-up boat. If the wind is up, the kite surfers are out, the sickle moons of their kites drifting gracefully past our balcony, the surfers speeding along the water’s surface below.

And so it goes for one, two days, until the last dregs of the wet season suddenly expends itself on Boracay. The first day of rain is a novelty - we stay indoors finishing our books and creating tunnels and obstacles for Elliot. But the rain keeps up, and for the next 10 or so days, we open our curtains to grey skies. I guess it still has to rain in paradise.

Still, our days find a rhythm. We eat breakfast at Red Coconut for no real reason other than it’s close to where the path spits us onto the beach, and they love Elliot, and the coconut shakes are good. We go for a stroll, maybe have a massage, a swim, swap some books at Dave’s Straw Hat Inn, pick up supplies at one of the two marts on the main drag, have the dead skin nibbled off our feet at the fish spa. We spend a decadent day being pampered at the luxurious Tirta Spa, top it off with an afternoon at the Shangri-La, and otherwise try and avoid the rain. If we can’t, we stay in our room, watching Elliot try to catch the rain falling against the glass doors.

On our last full day on Boracay we are rewarded with a stunning sunrise (we’re already up, of course, thanks to Elliot). We make the most of it, joining the throngs out on the sand and securing a prime position at Cafe del Mar to enjoy the sunset. But still, after so much rain, we’re quietly relieved we’ve still got another six weeks of island time to go.

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Photos

Beach path, Boracay
This is early in the morning. By midday it's jammed.

White Beach at dusk
Elliot kicks back and makes friends with locals and tourists alike.

Dining at Aria
Restaurants, bars and stalls line either side of the beach path - we dined with sand underfoot almost every night.

Palm Breeze Villa, Bulabog Beach
The glorious sun deck of our B&B. Secluded and private - we felt like we were the only guests at a friend's holiday house.

Ahoy!
Elliot explores the calm waters of the Palm Breeze pool in his new vessel.

Buko
Buko (coconut) juice - love a drink that comes in its own package.

Heavy skies
Most days were like this - stormy and beautiful.

D&ET
With sunset cruise boats behind.

Last dip
Wetting our toes for the last time...