Showing posts with label Boracay. Show all posts

Boracay's Jonah’s vs Starbucks

Jonah’s Fruitshakes and Restaurant has been in the island since time in memorial. I’m not a frequent visitor of Boracay but even before the first time I set my foot on the island I kept on hearing how delicious the shakes are at Jonah’s.

I remember the first time I visited Boracay last 2005, the first thing that I started to look for was Jonah’s. I did try their famous Mango Shake which I can say is very delicious and I also tried the Banana Choco Peanut that captivated my heart or rather my taste buds.

Last February 2010, I went back to the island and went to Jonah’s again for my sweet treat of Banana Choco Peanut, and as I was walking along the lit beach front of Boracay I noticed a familiar signage... “Starbucks”.

As a consumer and a big fan of sweet concoctions I got confused for awhile if I would go straight to Jonah’s or I would just stop at Starbucks. I decided to walk past Starbucks and head to Jonah’s for my day’s dose of sugar.

While sipping my shake, I couldn’t help but think on how long could Jonah’s survive the business, especially now that they have a very strong competitor when it comes to ice blended drinks.

Boracay does not only have Starbucks, but also other big and established restaurants and fastfood chains from Manila. Boracay became a small city-like island with white sand beaches. What would happen to the small enterprising locals then in the islands?

Well, it’s for us consumers to decide. Whoever you patronize will survive the competition.

Boracay’s Best Kept Secret

Boracay is known to be one of the world’s best beaches. The island offers a nice retreat to all who wants to relax, sunbathe and swim on its crystal clear waters. But apart from the usual beachcombing activities, Boracay also offers a gastronomically adventure for those who loves food.

There are lots of restaurants both beachfront and on the roadside that caters to all budgets. And one of my favourites dish in the island is the Chorizo Burger.

It’s made of grilled longganiza (pork sausages), glazed with sweet and spicy sauce. And to make it more appetizing, they also grill the buns.

This dish is usually priced at around P50 ($1) per sandwich but just walk around and you might find a stall that offers it for a cheaper price.

So next time you visit Boracay, don't forget to try the Chorizo burger. :-)

Boracay for the Cheapskates

Boracay is a world famous beach in the south of the Philippines. There may be countless websites that were made solely for Boracay. It has been the source of pride for most Filipinos as well. If you’re a foreigner coming to the Philippines, most people will definitely suggest Boracay as one of your prospective destinations.

Some facts about Boracay from Wikipedia

“The island was originally home to the Ati tribe. Boracay is part of Aklan Province, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956. Formerly undiscovered, it wasn't till the 1970s that tourism began to develop in Boracay, and the island became popular with backpackers in the 1980s.Years ago, Boracay Island was a well-guarded secret, almost possessively so that only a few knew of its existence.

It was only in the 70s when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally "discovered" this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveler, 'Jens Peters' book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted as having the best beach in the world.”

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We arrived in Jetty Port around 5PM. This was already my third time in this infamous island and I couldn’t wait to just chill and relax but at the same time I was worried with the possible cost that we might incur. Boracay is known to be a little pricey when it comes to almost anything.

We already started paying our dues even before we landed on the shores of this island. We paid P50 for the Terminal fee and P50 for the Environmental Fee. Another P25 went for the boat ride. Wheeew! It’s already P125 even before we boarded the boat.

We were asking some tricycle drivers as soon as we got off the boat regarding some cheap lodgings that they might know. They laughed at us when we mentioned our budget for it. So we just decided to board the tricycle, get off at Station 2 and just walk around and ask around.

Fortunately, a kind, old lady boarded the same tricycle and started chatting with us. We mentioned that we’re looking for a cheap hostel and she suggested that we drop by DepEd and ask if they could accommodate us. And so we did.

We were surprised and grateful that they only asked P250 per head for the room. The room is near the roadside and it’s very clean and well maintained. The staff too were very kind and courteous.

Now that the accommodation concern has been resolved, we started walking along the roadside looking for cheap places to eat. We found a cozy, clean and most of all affordable restaurant near our lodging.

The vegetable dishes cost only P25 and the meat dishes cost around P30 and up. There’s also a nearby water refill station where we usually go to instead of buying bottled water.

Two of my other friends followed soon after a couple of days and spent the rest of the week with us. We had a grand vacation that didn’t break the bank.

I never thought that Boracay could be this affordable for cheapskates like me.

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You too could have a trip of a lifetime without spending too much. Just ask around and you’ll find a cheap option for almost everything anywhere in the world.

Would you like to share your cheapskate story? Just send flip an email and I’ll post your story here at www.flipnomad.com.