Sunday, January 5, 2014

Boracay Island, Philippines - White Beach

Boracay is a small island (only 10 square miles!) in the Philippines and in 2012 was awarded as the best island in the world from the International Travel Magazine.  Furthermore Tripadvisor ranks White Beach as the number one beach in all of Asia Pacific.  Our conclusion....?  This location was by far the best beach we have ever visited!  White sand and pristine crystal clear blue water for as far as the eye could see.  White Beach spans about four kilometers long and is lined with resorts and restaurants. What made this even more amazing was the Beachfront Path separating the beach itself from the establishments located along it.  The beachfront establishments do literally sit along the beach itself so there appears to be no end to the beach.  Just sand, sand, and more sand!   We knew it was going to be special since it took three flights and a boat ride to reach the island!  This trip we were lucky enough to have the companionship of four other Nanjing Families and we all had a very memorable experience with each another!  Choosing one word for this vacation...  Relaxation!





Our resort, Boracay Regency Resort and Spa, was located in the heart of White Beach (Station Two).  With had the luxury of choosing beach or poolside with the resort only footsteps away from the beachfront.  Cooper and I enjoyed making a variety of sand sculptures each day!





Celebrating the Christmas and New Year Holidays were not the same without Family, however we had a great beachfront dinner and party for both special days.



Apart from the relaxing we did everyday we did manage to fit in some excursions on the island.  One day we took an Island Hopping tour to see Crystal Cove Island and also did some snorkeling.  Oh and who could forget our Banana Boat ride with all our friends!







We also took the opportunity to spend two days on Puka Beach.  This is a quiet stretch of white sand along the northern tip of the island, Puka Beach is an image of what most people expect on a tropical island: white sand, clear water, and relatively empty. This is where locals (and us ;) gather the small puka shells for some of the jewelry that is sold on the island. We also spent some scenic time on Luho Mountain overlooking the island.




We had another wonderful vacation as a family and also with our friends.  Every vacation we count our blessings for the opportunity we have been given, even if it can be challenging living in China at times.