Honeymoon Vacations

Boracay.

The palm-studded island of Boracay – with its white, talcum-fine beach, balmy weather, and warm, crystalline waters – is like a hypnotic magnet. In this tiny, butterfly-shaped island at the northwestern tip of Panay in Western Visayas, days can be spent simply lazing on the beach while nights are for indulging in the tropical party lifestyle.

The best part of the island is the four-kilometer White Beach hailed as the “finest beach in the world.” The surrounding water is shallow and the sand is finer and brighter than most beaches in the archipelago. White Beach is so, soooo fine, it feels like treading on miles of baby powder!

The code in Boracay is strictly informal. There is an undeniably easy atmosphere in the island, where walking barefoot than shod is the rule rather than the exception. Even swinging discos have the beach for a floor, giving dance a new twist. There are no hang-ups here. During the day, tourists having a soothing massage under the shade of a coconut tree beside the shoreline is a common sight. And from dusk to dawn, Boracay turns into one big party place where everyone is welcome to join in. But first, let’s toast that sunset cocktail!

Diversions are not a problem, with leisure activities calendared throughout the year and amenities offered by some 350 tourist establishments. There is plenty to do other than beachbumming and partyhopping. For the adventure-driven, there is ""Mambo Number 5"" – a little bit of boating and wind surfing, a little bit of scuba diving, a little bit of trekking, a little bit of mountain biking, and a little bit of golf. On the eastern side of the island is Bulabog Beach, a boardsailor’s mecca that draws enthusiasts from all over the world, especially during the peak season from November to March. In January, it is the site of an International Funboard Cup.

Sailboating and kayaking are popular sporting activities, with Boracay playing host to the annual Paraw Regatta, an international sailboat race that makes use of the native outrigger. Dive sites surround the island and are learning venues to both novice and professional divers, guided by competent instructors of the many dive shops that operate in the area.

Trekking and mountain biking can also bring the intrepid to the island’s quaint interior villages and to the edges’ scenic rocky cliffs, discovering along the way many hidden coves with isolated beaches far from the tourist crowd. And for golf bugs, Fairways and Bluewater Resort Golf and Countryclub has an 18-hole championship course.

Geography
Boracay Island belongs to the Western Visayas island-group, Region 6 of the Philippines, along with the western part of the province of Negros, the island of Panay, and many smaller islands. The westernmost island in Western Visayas, Boracay borders the provinces of Mindoro to the northwest and Romblon to the north.

Languages/Dialects
Other than Tagalog/Filipino and other local dialects, English is widely spoken in Boracay. Akeanon is predominantly spoken in Aklan, the gateway to the island.

Climate
March to June are the summer months in Boracay, with temperatures reaching as high as from 28 to 38 degrees Celsius. November to February are spent with pleasant winds, cool nights, and occasional rain showers. July to October are the wettest months.

Boracay History
Kalibo, the capital town of the province of Aklan, is the gateway to Boracay Island – Paradise Island of the Philippines. Aklan, dubbed as “Land of the Atis,” is the oldest province in the Philippines. It was organized in 1213 by settlers from Borneo, as the Minuro it Akean to include what is now Capiz.

Aklan became an independent province when President Magsaysay signed into law on April 25, 1956, Republic Act 1414 separating Aklan from Capiz. Aklan was inaugurated as an independent province on November 8, 1956.

How To Get There
From Manila, the Manila Domestic Airport has flights to Boracay either via Kalibo (45 minutes) or via Caticlan (30 minutes). From the Kalibo Airport, air-conditioned vans and buses for hire are available to take you to the Caticlan Jetty, where boats are stationed to take you to the island. The bus trip takes around 90 minutes, and the boat ride, 20 minutes.

From Iloilo, there are air-conditioned vans and buses going to Kalibo or directly to Caticlan, where boats going to Boracay are stationed.

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My fiance and I are getting married on 10/11/09. Our honeymoon will be in Tahiti / Bora Bora / Moorea. I want this to be the most memorable vacation ever for us. We plan to travel about 4 days after our wedding. If anyone has been to any of those islands could you please let me know the best hotels with great views, and any other information that will be helpful such as; weather, local spots; hidden escapes that only locals know of and anything that would make it the best vacation ever!

I would greatly appreciate any good suggestions.

If you are a local, please let me know!!

Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from everyone
We went there on our HM last year and it was amazing. We went to those 3 islands. On all the islands we stayed at InterContinental Hotels. On Bora Bora we stayed at the IC La Moana because we didn’t want to be too far away from the island (the Thalasso resort is on a private motu). The views from all the hotels were great. The IC in Moorea is a bit far from most of the action, but we didn’t care too much.
We only stayed in Tahiti for a few hours so we didn’t get to explore too much.
On both Moorea and Bora Bora we did 4×4 island tours. They were a ton of fun! The tour in Moorea took us to a bunch of different places - we went hiking through the forest (30 min hike), we saw a pineapple plantation, we went to a juice factory, and we got some amazing pictures from the top of the peak between Cook’s Bay and Oponohu Bay. The Bora Bora tour was also great - we got to see the cannons left over from WW2, we toured a black pearl farm, and we got a great tour of the forest. Our tour guide was a blast.
I highly recommend you do a snorkeling tour in Bora Bora. I was scared out of my mind before I did it but I’m so glad I did. Take an underwater camera with you - the sharks, rays and fish get so close to you!
On Moorea you should check out La Plantation, a really great restaurant. It was our favorite meal on that island. We also went to the Tiki Village Theater to see a dance show - that was fun.
Go to Bloody Mary’s on Bora Bora. It’s touristy but it’s cute inside - the floor is all sand! Plus, I had the most amazing mahi mahi sandwich there. Another great restaurant was Le Reef at the IC Thalasso. A bit expensive but worth every penny.
We went in the beginning of August and the weather was great - about 85 degrees every day, and it only rained once.
Don’t forget to buy a black pearl! We got mine at Tahia Collins on Moorea. The people there were really nice and helpful. I just regret not getting matching earrings.

Whatever you do, have fun! Don’t forget to bring lots of batteries and memory cards - we took over 3,000 pictures in 9 days.

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I’m joining the air national guard. My husband and I just need a little boost, and active duty is too much for me I think. But, I am joining at the start of the year, and after I get home from tech school we plan on getting pregnant. We should have a few grand in the savings because we are also planning on paying off my car, so that we dont have a car payment…its about 350 now, so it will be nice not to have that! But, after paying all of our bills we should have around 1400 dollars left over, and of course by the time a baby would be born my husband will get about a 200 dollar raise per month..not much, but something. So, basically by the time the baby is born we will have 1600 left over a month. I am planning on having at least 3,000 dollars saved for baby items, and we can also buy stuff as we go along. We will have a little more than that, but when I get home from tech school we want to go on a nice big vacation probably to Hawaii before we have kids. (we never had a wedding or honeymoon, so this will somewhat take it’s place).

What do you think? We want enough to be able to go out to dinner on the weekends, a movie here and there…there is a drive in here. Plus, we live an hour away from Orlando, so we love going up there.
We have waited long enough..lol.We have been together for about 6 years, and married for almost 3, and Im not planning on getting pregnant until next summer or fall.
We dont feel the need to travel much, but taking one nice vacation together would be nice, just to say we did it, and after bootcamp..ill need one!
haha…thanks!! I don’t want to wait anymore, but I have to join the guard first…one more big event before babies…lol…than, I will for sure be good and ready

There is no way to be completely physically, mentally, emotionally, or even financially prepared to have a baby. You are in a good relationship and have obviously done some great planning for your future so have kids whenever you are ready!

However, if you want to travel, then you may want to wait a couple years so that you and your husband can enjoy your time alone first because once the kids come, it could be another 20-30 years before you get a chance to breathe. And that’s BEFORE the grandkids start coming. My god-sister was married 4 years before she had kids and she has enjoyed every minute.

Congratulations and I wish you the best!

Edit: Yes, you have waited long enough! LOL. I’m sure your mothers have asked you ‘When are you going to give me grandchildren. already?". Stop your birth control before the vacation, pack something sexy, and enjoy the view from your hotel room as much as possible! Sounds like a perfect setting to start trying.

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