Did everyone have a nice holiday?
For the second year in a row we have decided to travel to a tropical location for Christmas for a few reasons, 1) it's cooooooooold in China, and we want to feel warmth again, 2) it's a really long flight home and you lose 3 days to travel, so it's a really rushed vacation, and 3) we have a lot of Asia to discover, and we just want to keep crossing the countries off our bucket list!
(If you have questions about this trip and how I planned it, comment below and I will try to answer as best as I can!)
Manila
My family likes aquariums, so whenever possible we go to the city's local establishment. The one in Manila is called "Ocean Park" and I give it about a 5/10 for the overall satisfaction of the facilities, but a couple of things made it notable:
1 - The price!! (about $20/person)
2 - special activities like swimming with sea lions for an hour was only $20 extra.
The one thing that struck me dumb right away was the hospitality and kindness of the Filipino people. You will be hard-pressed to find bad service in this country.
We only spent one full day in Manila, as it was a stop-over on the way to Boracay, but I would definitely go back!
Boracay
These are the beaches that one dreams about.. And it's real life! Beautiful, clean, clear water with powdery-soft white sand. Nothing compares!
A few years ago Boracay beaches was named as one of the top beaches in the world and since then it's experienced an incredible boom! Hundreds of hotels, bars, and restaurants line the beach.
The umbrellas are in front of our hotel - just steps from the beach. You couldn't ask for a better vacation spot.
Reasons to visit Boracay:
1 - once you get here, it's cheap! Happy hour at every bar (where a Rum and Coke is $2 and BOGO) and inexpensive and delicious food.
2 - slow pace. relaxation. peace.
3 - lots of water/swim related activities (Eg. we are going "island hopping" and snorkelling tomorrow. For $50 our whole family gets a private boat (and tour guide) for 3-4 hours while we hit all of the hot snorkelling spots.
Warnings:
1 - if you don't live in Asia like we do, it can be expensive to fly here. (but fly into Manila, then a plane to Boracay is only $100 Canadian dollars)
2 - Mobility - being a big couple, Ian and I found some things like riding in their little motorbike carts, and tiny stairs onto boats challenging. There is also no car to the hotels. You literally have to walk on the beach (cart your stuff) on sand... But I'm here, and I did it! If you're mobility-challenged it might be hard.
Merry Christmas, and I'll be back soon!!
