Southwest Tours Boracay - A Hassle Free Boracay Transportation

ABBEY: It was my first trip to Boracay and I can say that the travel time is not boring nor irritating. Thanks to SouthWest as they took care of us for all the transfers that we need to go thru. Yes, from Kalibo airport to Boracay and back. 

Their service is great. Just put the "sticker" to your chest, look for SouthWest staffs or follow their signs, then you'll get to your destination safe and sound. No worries if you'll be in different hotels when you arrive and depart. Tell them the locations and they'll be there ahead of your schedule. Their staffs are always smiling and accommodate the guests well. 

Thanks SouthWest.

WILL: Who doesn't want a stress free vacation with your loved ones? Everyone is aiming a perfect vacation right but a multi-mode of transport holiday is quite tiring. Its either you will book on the spot to save some pennies or to book advance and skip the queue. 

Southwest Tours was recommended by almost all of the hotels of Boracay for their airport-hotel-airport transfers. I checked their rates online and compared to friends who always visit Boracay. They confirmed that if I would like to wait and haggle for some hundred pesos they would recommend for me to skip Southwest and book it walk-in. The catch? You will trade few minutes or even an hour to wait until the bus/boat/tricycle to get full. Well, time is more important to me and Abbey so despite of few peso we opted for Southwest Travels and Tours. 

When we arrived at Kalibo Airport a small banner indicating our name greeted us. We were given a sticker and tickets. We were led immediately to their bus and not more than 20minutes our bus is speeding its way for a 2-hour journey. Seat is comfortable, bus is clean and I never passed the opportunity to take some snooze. Haha. 

We alight from the bus and we were guided by staffs of Southwest until we reached their small yacht. No more than ten minutes, we sailed. Half an hour we reached Caticlan Port. As usual there are their staffs waiving at us and guiding us. We then took a small van up to our hotel. 

On our way back to Manila, their service never fail. Our call time is 1130am for them to pick us up and the hotel concierge informed us that the Southwest staff is there waiting for us from 1030am. They are not on time. They are ahead of it. Haha! 

I felt so VIP on our tour at Boracay. Thanks Southwest Travels and Tours for making our vacation hassle-free. 

Please do visit their website. Please click here.

Golden Phoenix Hotel in Boracay (Station 3)

ABBEY: This is the second hotel we stayed in during our Boracay trip. Since it is at station 3, we sprinted to Station 1 to meet our contact for parawsailing and stand-up paddling. We were greeted by tables of food coming back from our water adventures. It is a buffet dinner. I took a lot of pork and chicken barbecue and made it a feast. I also have siopao and some fruits. There's not much guest during that time.

We went for a foot massage after dinner at their in-house Hotel Dream Spa. For less than 1000php, you can have an hour of relaxing and ache-removing massage. The massage is awesome and I had a good night sleep. My feet got very tired after all the activities but it was gone the next day. 

The next morning the rain poured but we were not dampened by it as the "unlimited" breakfast is waiting for us. Omelletes, sunny side up, dumplings, watermelon, and fried rice were available. Good thing we stayed for a while as they brought out lechon later; crispy lechon skin. Wow.

Wifi is chargeable per day. But during our stay it is free.

Few items though for them to improve. As I'm working on bank, I know how critical information security is. When we are doing our booking at the hotel, the staff is asking us to give the credit card number. Yes, this is ok as most hotel is asking for this. But they are also asking us to give a scanned copy of a valid ID copy and back of the card which the CVV is located. For what? Once the CVV is given, security is lost. Maybe it is part of the hotel's protocol, but once that info is out anybody can use the card. This is the only hotel who asked us for that.

Next is, Wilma is having a habit to put her feet up on the chair while sitting. I don't know the reason why, but she was told to put it down and we obliged. Maybe she has very short shorts. Thank you for the concern.But the next morning while eating, I saw one guest who did just what Wilma had done and wearing "short" short also but she was not reprimanded. That same staff is there eating as well. I waited for the staff's action, but resulted to none. Is there any different policy between a foreign tourist than a local one? If there is none, then better to check your staff's behaviour.

WILL: Because I want to experience the both world that is why we stayed at MNL Hostel at Bulabog Beach and I looked for a beachfront hotel at the stretch of white beach. 

Then I stumbled upon at the Golden Phoenix Hotel. They are having a free dinner buffet promotion and that enticed me to book on their hotel. 

What I like about this hotel? First, is their feather-soft pillow, no unnecessary smell and so white and clean. Second, their breakfast. Dimsum is overflowing. I think I have up to 10 servings of it, and 5 of those are spareribs. Third, their Dream Spa is open til midnight. For 60minutes, I slept there while Abbey and I are on a session of foot reflex. 

What are the cons? The pool seems full of sands so we do not dare to hop in to the pool. No white light inside the room, not totally lit. When we are having a dinner, a very loud speaker is in front of the hotel, it is irritating. No bidet?! And the last..I have this attitude that I always put my feet up on the seat. It is either on indian seat or fetal position.While we are waiting for our keys to check-in, one of the staff approached me and requested to put my feet down. I obliged without a word. But when Abbey saw a foreigner while eating breakfast and her feet are on the seat and nobody approached her, my husband is like a volcano ready to erupt. Haha! I told him that I am okay to stop his anger. 

Sometimes hotel is good but because of the attitude and management of the people working in there make the business flap down.

Cheap Dinner Buffet at La Carmela de Boracay

ABBEY: After a 3-hour trip from Manila to Boracay and walk along the beach, we ended our first day with a buffet dinner at La Carmela. It is a 12-15-minute walk from D Mall. After paying PHP700 for two, we were led to the table where sumptuous food is waiting for us. I got some onion rings for appetizer. Then I took a plateful of beef mushroom sauce and chicken cacclatori; had some fruits and greens also.

We got a table on the beach and enjoyed our dinner with a view of the sunset. I think I made 3 trips to the buffet. 

The night ended with a fire dance. Make sure to empty your plate else you'll be paying double. This is their initiative for their anti-food wastage drive.

WILL: On our first night at Boracay, we would love to have a buffet in preparation of tomorrow's activities. Haha! As I have read too many blogs, Buffet at La Carmela is worth the price of Php350.00

Not so many choices but having a sky's-the-limit mini crabs and shrimps sufficed the amount we paid.

Having a dinner by the beach is romantic but it is more sweeter if you are eating while marvelling the magnificent bursts of colours of the sunset.  Around 7pm, the fire dancers arrived and we watched their performances. After that we ate again and that time I go for the Mongolian bbq. Excellent!

A cheap alternative eatery for a hungry tummy.