Axel in Boracay: Bound to Caticlan

♪♫ I wanna go back to the island called Boracay

And it feels like it's where I belong

There I find peace, there’s a place I can call home, on the island called Boracay. ♪♫ 

- Ferns Tosco

To be honest, I think I spent more time preparing and getting excited for our trip than the actual days we have stayed in this beautiful island. And this song would just kept on playing in my head whenever I would think about going to Boracay.

Visiting Boracay had become a yearly trip for my husband I ever since we have met thanks to dragon boat paddling. Everything started between us with this beach as a strange and cliched witness.

Last year, we were not able to come since I was pregnant and was about to give birth. This year (and hopefully, the following years to come) was extra special because there was an exciting addition in our usual duo.

For our baby's first birthday celebration, we decided to forego throwing a party and, instead used our resources into traveling to the place where it all started. This is just the beginning of Axel Zain's travel adventures.

NAIA Terminal 3 to Caticlan

Our flight was scheduled at 12:45 PM bound to Caticlan via Cebu Pacific. Packed with one medium-sized red luggage bag, a foldable hand carry bag filled with Axel's stuff and two backpacks, we were ready to go. 

I think we have arrived around 11:30 in the morning, with more than an hour to spare before our flight. There was a special lane for those with infants like us along with senior citizens, pregnant and disabled passengers. And while we were on the line going there, Axel didn't miss charming and playing with some of the kids there.

After checking in two of our bags, we headed straight to our boarding gate where we had our quick brunch nearby. And there, we stayed and waited for our flight to be called while Axel kept on saying "Hi" to everyone as if he was about to run for presidency. And somehow, the foreigners loved him and would stop to say hi and coo at the little monster.

We boarded the plane and seated ourselves on the second row. My husband and I had separate seats but thankfully, the two men situated next to him agreed to change seats. We ended up getting the seats on the aisle which was somehow okay since Axel just loved walked along it and charming the other passengers.

Well, Axel became the exact opposite even before the plane started moving. He was so fuzzy and he kept crying as I tried my best to make him behave by making him breast feed. It got kind of frustrating as I kept latching every time he would squeal. I was worried what other people would think with a baby that cries too much.

Suddenly, he just became okay when he got to do what he enjoyed doing: observing and mingling with people. In an instant, he became an angel and got to entertain everyone. He was behaving so well that I even got to feed him with the chayote we brought for him. The rest of the flight was a pleasant one and we eventually landed to Caticlan.

The baby remained to be well-behaved throughout the bus travel from where our plane landed to the airport and then the tricycle ride to the Caticlan Jetty Port. Babywearing definitely made it easier for us to move around while juggling a baby and four bags.

After registering ourselves as one household, we made our way to the ferry boat. Fortunately, Axel continued to be well-behaved throughout the boat ride while he stared at the clear, blue water.

Villa Sunset Boracay

We happily arrived at the place we chose to stay for our first three days. Carrying our bags and a baby could be tiring for two adults but we made it!

Situated at Station 2, Villa Sunset Boracay was strategically located between the beachfront and the main road. It was just a bit of a problem for us that we had to carry our bags since the narrow road was not really cemented so we could not just pull our luggage.

We were able to book the place through Airbnb a few months before our scheduled stay. It was such a steal for us as we only had to pay less than P4,000 for a 3D2N stay considering how nice and cozy the place was. The rate of the room itself was already affordable and we were able to claim an additional discount through the Airbnb referral program since it was our first time to book using my husband's account.

I was feeling very happy with our choice of accommodation that I could not help gush at my husband. It was definitely the perfect place for our family of three.

I knew I just had to lake lots of pictures of our room. Even my baby loved it that he started playing with the telephone. The place was also large enough for him to play around.

Our room had the perfect view of the pool through the glass sliding door. But we still got the option to cover it with a curtain should we wish to have more privacy.

Before the day ended...

We opted to go an a stroll along the shore of the famous White Beach to test the water and see how our baby would react. Having arrived on a Monday afternoon, the area was still definitely packed with people, probably squeezing in a few more beach moments before they head back to home from their vacation.

Along our stroll, we also stopped over for a quick refreshing drink at Jonah's. The place just would never lose it's appeal as a must have when you go visit the island.

I guess I'd have to say that the Boracay I have known was just so different now. It could still be charming depending on your intent why you would go there but it's even more commercialized now. We had a really difficult time looking for a spot to swim since the shoreline was filled with moss and there were too many people. But thankfully, Axel liked the water.

We had dinner at D'Mall on the way back to Station 2 and afterwards, we want back to our hotel and played around the pool to rinse off the sand and the sea. Luckily, there was no one else there so we got to have the pool to ourselves. Axel truly enjoyed swimming and splashing around. We brought some of his floaters and the hotel has just the right equipment for them to be filled with air. 

The travel and the long walk made us really tired especially with an infant in tow. Then, we called it a night. Early to bed and early to rise for our early planned day for the following day in Boracay.

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Check out this link to read about Axel in Boracay Day 2: Buggy Ride, Trick Art Museum, Puka Beach