The Backpack Adventures

Located on the north-western side of the world-famous  White Beach of Boracay Island in the province of Aklan, Willy's Rock is a unique-looking rock formation that in itself is a well-known landmark of the island. Willy's Rock Willy's Rock details Willy's Rock remains to be the most recognizable natural landmark in the 4-kilometer stretch of White Beach. Some would actually say that from a distance, Willy's Rock looks like a large ragged boat docked on the beach.  Willy's Rock - Boracay Island, Aklan Marian grotto on Willy's Rock The image of the Virgin Mary However, Willy's Rock actually serves as a Marian shrine with a grotto containing the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on top of the formation nearest the beach. To get to the grotto, visitors can simply walk from the beach up to it via the man-made steps.  From the grotto, visitors would have another vantage point to view the picturesque White Beach .  Photos of Willy's Rock My family and...

Located on the western side of Boracay Island in the province of Aklan, White Beach is a 4-kilometer long stretch of powdery white sand beach. White Beach White Beach Details White Beach is undeniably the most famous beach among the numerous beaches of Boracay Island. For many, White Beach is already synonymous with Boracay. With its beauty, it is not a surprise that the beach already received numerous awards and distinctions from local and foreign bodies like Conde Nast Traveler and TripAdvisor's Traveler Choice Award to name a few.  White Beach - Boracay Island, Aklan White Beach as seen from the plane With that, it is no surprise that roughly around 80% of the businesses on the island are concentrated near White Beach . Visitors would surely have a hard time choosing from the plethora of budget and luxury hotels to stay in, local and foreigner-owned restaurants to dine in, and stores to buy souvenirs. These are all lined up in the three stations of White Beach . Speaking o...

Boracay Revisited 2020: Day 1 Epilogue The first time I visited Boracay Island was in 2012 . During that visit, my wife was still pregnant with our daughter. Fast forward 2020, several weeks before the Philippine government issued a nationwide lockdown, my wife, daughter, and I managed to squeeze in one last out-of-town trip to Boracay Island to celebrate my daughter's birthday.   Ella's Boracay b-day trip Boarding time Won a Cebu Pac giveaway! Yey! I spy Boracay Island! We made this trip possible as it was requested by my daughter for her 7th birthday. Aside from my daughter's birthday, we were also looking forward to revisiting Boracay Island due to the fact that it was recently rehabilitated by the Duterte Administration and photos of how clean the beach was circulating online creating tourism hype which of course we wanted to see for ourselves. Day 1: February 1, 2020 My brother drove us an early trip to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 for our 8:30AM fli...