The Island Explorer

Still reeling from that unforgettable trip to Sulu and Tawi-Tawi last year, I already found myself onboard a fast craft ferry from Zamboanga to the one of the most feared towns in the Philippines - Isabela City, Basilan. I was a bit more weary this time, since that Jolo experience. If Sulu is where the bad people live, the big bosses of the bad people reside in Basilan, and consider it their home base. My agitation got worse when I recently watched a documentary in Nat Geo on the Dos Palmas kidnappings. The hostages were taken to Basilan, where the war between the government and the Abu Sayyaf rebels was at its peak. So when we arrived from a surprisingly comfortable ferry ride at 7AM in the morning, still a little bit dozed, we were unsurprisingly picked up by the military police. We rode the patrol car immediately and drove off to our hosts.  I was shocked to see Isabela very neat and organized. There weren't many people, and the surroundings looked very peaceful. It didn&#

So what resort will give you this view in Boracay? It is located at the edge of Station 3, far away from the maddening crowd, but still accessible via White Beach. The resort is expansive, has just recently opened and is, for me, the best resort in Boracay. Friends, welcome to Asya Premeir Suites. From Astoria Boracay, we were picked up in a Toyota Innova by one of the staff members of Asya. We traveled 15 minutes into several baranggays, into seemingly nowhere. Then, suddenly, I had opened my eyes to a grand driveway, with a zen fountain in the middle. We were welcomed by the receptionists, who invited us for some refreshing pandan drinks, while we signed our registration cards. Arriving in a reception lobby that looked like those I see in high end resorts in Bali excited me to the bone. I knew I was in for something I never expected. We were then brought to rooms via a golf cart. Funny how these luxury resorts use golf carts to bring their guests to their rooms, even if it wa

I was surprised at the changes I saw in Boracay, but I kind of expected it. Boracay's backstreets now looked like Bali, less the high end shops and great restaurants. I think Boracay should develop these areas as well, and not just focus tourism on the beachfront. From Astoria, we headed to Bulabog Beach, to see what's happening there. Unfortunately, Bulabog was calmer this season, while White Beach had more of the waves perfect for kite boarding. So we just strolled along the tranquil shores, and looked at the resorts. We wanted to see 7 Stones, as it was a Fuego Hotel development, but we were denied entry. It didn't look that nice anyway. So, we went back to White Beach for lunch. And there we saw the kiteboarders, who gracefully rode the waves using a kite. Kiteboarding looked very difficult, especially after my failed attempts in wakeboarding. We opted to dine in Station 1 since we wanted to try out this Moroccan restaurant that we heard from a friend. We didn't kno

So this begins my return to Boracay after 2 years. And that's a pretty long time. I used to go to Boracay twice a year every year since I got out of College. But the past two years have isolated me from one of my favorite islands in the Philippines. And yes, no matter what they say, Boracay is still Boracay. Since I live in Astoria Plaza in Ortigas, I've been seeing the new Astoria Boracay poster in the lobby. It said, "making waves in Station 1". The picture looked nice, so we tried to book for a room for 3 nights there. When we inquired about the room rates, I was surprised that they were significantly higher than if you booked online via Agoda. So that's what we did. Booked the last room in Astoria Boracay in the Agoda website. Astoria Boracay was actually at the end of Station 2, and not really part of Station 1. That was a disappointment for me, since the beach front is small, compared to those in Station 1, that has the widest and finest Boracay sand. There