Boracay Trip via 2go

It was my second time to go to the beautiful paradise of Boracay. Thanks to my friends who instantly agreed with me that we should spend the long weekend (Nov. 1 to 5) despite the short preparation and planning. Since we were running out of time to plan for our Boracay trip, and in consideration with our budget constraints, I suggested that we try out sailing to Caticlan Jetty Port via 2go. It was the combined companies of Negros Navigation and Super Ferry which now carries the name 2go. 

There are actually limited blogs about 2go. But, based on internet research, it was a pretty reliable and comfortable alternative way of going to Boracay (or so I think). So, I hope this blog will serve as an eye opener for those who are curious about how it feels like traveling by sea through 2go.

What I liked most about our 2go experience:

Less hurtful to the wallet. 

2go's prices vary depending on the type of accommodation that you avail. In our case, we booked for the cabin-type that can accommodate up to 4 persons; it is air conditioned with private bathroom and cable tv. We paid around Php 1000 per person, and terminal fee at Batangas pier was about Php 30. So, it is less damaging to your wallet compared to flying over to Kalibo or Caticlan. Other accommodations available are suite room which is the most expensive and the tourist accommodation which was around Php 800. I am not quite sure as to the maximum number of persons that can stay in the suite room, but it has a sala area and private bathroom, too. If you avail of the tourist accommodation while on the ship, you have to share the bathroom with a hundred others.  

Feels like a cruise ship. 

While you are on the vessel, it feels like you are actually on a cruise ship because of the very chic lobby area and the staff assisting us as we enter. If you don't like to stay in the cabin, you can spend the night at the bar. You can order some drinks and enjoy the sea breeze and moonlight (if you are traveling by night). Sad to say there is no wifi available, so, its either you stay in the bar, relax in the lobby, eat in the restaurant or sleep in your room. 

Very chic interior. 

The front desk and lobby were pink in theme. It was cool and impressive. You'll initially feel that everything else is glamorous (not until you learn my not-so-good experience). Overall, it was neat, and everything else makes you think that it will be a smooth-sailing trip. 

It has a bar, restaurant, and lobby. 

These are the three places most frequented by passengers so, expect them to be a bit crowded. But, it was good enough that they had a bar to enjoy the night away; the restaurant to keep your tummy happy; and the lobby where you can just hang out and watch tv.

Sleeping quarters are very decent. 

The ship was pretty neat, and so are the rooms. Bathrooms were maintained well, too. I guess 2go made sure that you will feel comfortable for the 9-hour travel. 

Online booking facility. 

It is also a good thing that you can book your ticket through an online booking facility. You can choose the type of accommodation you like with just one click which is similar to booking an airplane ticket. 

What made me disappointed in our 2go experience:

Disorganized ticketing system. 

The online booking system was awe-inspiring but the actual ticketing system in Batangas was quite a dismay. We were at Batangas pier 4 hours earlier the departure time, but it was too late when we noticed that we were assigned at different rooms. There were 3 of us, and I was exiled to join in with 3 other passengers in another cabin. My 2 other friends were a bit shocked that they were led to the cabin with 2 male passengers who had a tattoo all over their bodies. It was very opposite to what we expected that we had an entire cabin to ourselves. It was very frustrating and made you feel unsecured that you are going to sleep with other people in the same cabin, sharing the same comfort room. Ugh! It was like living in a dormitory meeting your roommates for the first time. We were really disappointed because there were only 3 of us and was not even informed about this chaotic arrangement. Other passengers who availed of the cabin were complaining about the same thing!

The bar can be improved; separate smokers from nonsmokers. If you are not fond of being surrounded by smokers, better stay away from the bar. But, if you are not that sensitive to smoke, then the bar area would be a really nice place to chill out and maybe, get a bottle of beer to help you sleep through the night. It would also be nice if there were a live band. Otherwise, you just have to appreciate the upbeat music through their sound system.

Add more facilities where passengers can hang out. It would have been nicer if there was a swimming pool, videooke lounge or game room (or something like that) where passengers wouldn't feel so limited to move around. It can be a bit boring especially for first timers like me who had difficulty sleeping. I would have enjoyed the ride if there were other options for onboard activities.

The 2 photos above is a comparison of the bunk beds in the cabin accommodation (the one with the yellow curtain) and the bed in the tourist accommodation. The pictures below show the restaurant which is more like a canteen and the "tipid" food serving at breakfast. :(

Improve food serving in the restaurant. Food in the restaurant isn't that expensive. We ordered tocino with rice and egg, but there was no egg available, so they substituted it with french fries. It was priced at Php 80, but the serving was too measly. It was just enough to fill your stomach but don't expect that you will get satisfied. 

Overall, I give 2go an average rating considering all the things that transpired from the time we checked in until the time we arrived at Caticlan Jetty Port. I can say that it was a good first time experience minus the "getting-exiled-to-another-cabin" incident. I would recommend it for first timers for the sake of experiencing how it is riding a "cruise" ship or traveling by sea. But, if you do not have the time as you have to travel for 9 hours, then flying in through any domestic airline would be the best option in going to Boracay.

I shall return! :)

Boracay Trip: My First Time Ever!

Last September 2 to 4, I was able to set foot in Asia's most popular island beach resort, Boracay! I wouldn't have afforded going there if not for the AirPhil Express' promo fare. I remember making an online booking last July 2011 for this September Boracay trip (Talk about advance booking, huh?). Compared to the usual rate of more than Php 3500 round trip Caticlan-Manila-Caticlan airfare, I got my tickets for only Php 2700+. It included airfare for 2 pax, roundtrip Manila-Caticlan-Manila with free check-in baggage. So, I was really delighted with the very cheap airfare deal. I guess the schedule of the trip is also a factor because usually, rates are very high if you travel Friday to Sunday as compared to my itinerary which is from Sunday to Tuesday. 

Accommodation: Of course, after booking your plane ticket the next task in line is to find a good package deal for a hotel. Boracay hotels can be quite expensive, but there are a lot of informative travel blogs which can help as you go through your search for the best hotel deal. In my case, I was able to find a reasonable hotel accommodation package from MetroDeal which included 3days/2nights stay at Patio Pacific Boracay for 2 pax; daily buffet breakfast; 1 set dinner and 1 set lunch; Resort - Caticlan Airport transfer. All of which cost Php 8000. The digits may look expensive, but EVERY penny was all worth it. I'll tell you more about it in the next few sections of my blog.  

Patio Pacific Boracay may not be a beachfront hotel but, they have a private passageway going to the beach. Perhaps, it will take you a 2 to 3-minute walk from the hotel to the beach. The hotel has a pool, restaurant, a very neat room with well-maintained comfort rooms and cheerful staff. I just find it awkward that you have to cross the main road to get to the front desk of the hotel. This is so because there are two buildings of Patio Pacific. We were lucky enough to be assigned in the section leading to the access road going to the beach. But, we had to cross the street if we want to leave the keys in the front desk. One good thing about crossing the street is that Patio Pacific has its own security personnel who will assist you in getting to the other side of the road. If I were to rate the hotel, it would be a 4 out of 5 (5 as the highest and 1 as the lowest). And yes, I would recommend Patio Pacific if its not much of a hassle for you to do some walking as you hit the beach.  

Food:  Daily buffet breakfast at Patio Pacific was more than the average meal. They may not have a wide variety of cuisine, but they have the traditional selection of soup, pastries, pancakes, make your own omelet, fried bangus, pancit, tocino, garlic rice, yang chow rice, ham, sausage, fruits, and free-flowing coffee and juice. These are the sort of dishes they serve in the buffet table. Our set dinner and lunch were equally tasteful. I actually thought we will only be served with a plated dish just like the meals you order in fast food chains. But, I was totally wrong. Our set dinner/lunch was composed of vegetables in oyster sauce, pancit, grilled squid, special chicken (I could not remember the name, but it was good!), soup, rice, and iced tea shake/water. The desserts they served are my favorite --- turon with butterscotch dip and the mango crepe. I am merely biased with sweets, but Patio Pacific food was generally delicious, and you'll feel that the        Php 8000 worth of package was indeed worth it.  

Activities: There were lots of activity that you can do in Boracay. If I could stay there for one week, I would. With our quite limited schedule, the afternoon of Day 1 was spent lounging on the beach and taking pictures. It felt like everything was perfect. The beautiful, silky sand and romantic sunset were just amazing. While we were strolling on the beach, we met a tourist guide who offered us a 1-hour ATV ride to Mt. Luho Viewpoint where you can have a 360-degree view of Boracay Island for only Php 350 per person. This is a bit lower price as compared to what I've read in other blogs where ATV-ride was priced at Php 500 per hour. Another activity we tried out was the 30-minute Helmet Diving. It was offered to us for Php 250 per person only. Apparently, the foreigner rate was different from Pinoy rate in Boracay. This was one reason why we got a low price for helmet diving as we were grouped with four (4) other foreigners in the boat. Lastly, we toured around D'Mall. It was like a commercial complex with souvenir shops and restaurants. There were lots of good stuff, and it was tempting to buy, but items at D'Mall can be a bit expensive. The rest of our time was spent swimming and hanging out on the beach.

I must say that it was "love at first sight" as I witnessed how beautiful Boracay was. Boracay is genuinely captivating no wonder it's one of the most popular beaches in Asia and all over the world. When we were homebound, I realized that I want to go back again and I swear, I'll be back before the year ends. 

Boracay in Photos

I have yet to finish my budget traveller tips for those who are planning on a Boracay trip. For the mean time, I am sharing my personal photos to summarize my wonderful Boracay memories...

Coming up are my quick tips on saving for a Boracay vacation! 

oDesk Paid For My Boracay Trip

After months of waiting, I had my first Boracay trip last from September 2 to 4. I booked my flight with AirPhil Express since last year when they had the Php 12 base fare promo in any domestic destination. Making an advance booking actually provided an opportunity for a budget traveler like me to prepare long-term for the much awaited Boracay trip. 

You must be wondering how does this relate to my online job at oDesk? 

Even if I had a long time of preparation, I honestly had difficulty saving up a portion of my allowance for this Boracay trip with what I am getting from my full-time job. But, I am just simply grateful that I have existing oDesk contracts (then and now) which gave me extra money to spend on this long-planned Boracay vacation. 

With my low rate of less than $10 per hour in oDesk, I was able to save my 2-weeks worth of project for my Boracay trip. It also dawned upon me that if I make this a full-time job, I might not just be able to send myself to Boracay but perhaps, to other parts of the world, too!

My realization: learn more skills which I can use for my future odesk contracts and increase my hourly rate so, I can just work at home on a full-time basis.

For now, my deepest gratitude to my oDesk clients. Cheers to more projects and a good working relationship.

More about my Boracay trip in another blog entry....