Boracay

Boracay is every inch the tropical paradise you have been led to believe; a place where elongated beaches of chalky white sands slope their way down into the aquamarine waters of the Tablas Strait; leaning palms sway lightly in the balmy trade winds; coconut sellers wander between the glistening bodies of sunbathers, and bamboo shacks edge their way out over the scintillating surfaces of the shore.

Today, the island’s action is all centred on the appropriately named White Beach, where Boracay tour guides often direct visitors to focus their stay. Here, five-star all-inclusives rub shoulders with bubbling cocktail bars and Southeast Asian food shacks, and clusters of shaded deck chairs spill out onto the shimmering sands. Paraws dot the seascape, offering rentals to circumnavigate the island, or even a drop off to the more secluded Diniwid Beach next door. At night, the four kilometre long beachside boulevard nearby transforms into a hedonistic haven, attracting revellers to its pub crawls and thumping live music haunts.

Elsewhere on the island and travellers can still seek out Boracay’s less-trodden enclaves, which do still exist between the legendary kite surfing spots of Bulabog Beach, the rugged cliffs of Ariel's Point, the multi-coloured montages at the dive spots around Crocodile Island, the shadowy caverns of the so-called Bat Cave, and the Robinson Crusoe stretches at Balinghai.