Bella Dyosa

Martians: prohibited jk HAHAHAHA.

If you ARE looking for a play hard, party hard Boracay guide though, this post ain’t for you.

I’m an introverted Venusian woman who knows what she wants and likes to go at her own pace. While I love trying new experiences, running wild and getting drunk to the point of no return is a phase I’ve long graduated from.

Luckily, my companions aka my high school friends bear the same sentiment. They would much favor spa days over bar hopping.

With that short disclaimer out of the way, let’s move onto the main topic of this post: Boracay.

It was my first time visiting last June (certainly won’t be the last) and I’m happy to report that pictures don’t do this drop dead gorgeous destination justice.

Its white sand is pristine, its crystal blue waters are refreshing, and its overall energy is vibrant. To top it off, the weather was just right when we arrived.

Day 1

First day in and we did the least despite having a morning (at an ungodly hour) flight. Since I was recovering from a minor cold and fever-ish state, this was perfect.

We checked in at the hotel, ate lunch at Aria Cucina Italiana, went back to the hotel to rest some more and fix our things, and then headed out again for dinner at Lemoni Cafe.

At Aria, we shared the Capricciosa pizza and marble cheesecake. We went solo with our preferred pasta, so I had the lasagna bolognese. For my drink, I got the toffee butternut latte.

Every dish, plus the beverage, I just mentioned were good – minus the lasagna. Which, now that I think about it, is kind of strange. I don’t think it’s common to encounter a lasagna that falls short.

Who knows? That day may not have been so great for them in terms of that particular pasta. 🤷🏻‍♀️

At Lemoni, I got the panini, which contained marinated tomato, basil, mozzarella cheese, and herb focaccia with chips and a ranch dip. I usually like meat in my sandwiches, but this one was satisfying to the core without it.

For dessert, my friends and I shared a carrot cake. This was the cherry on top of an already scrumptious dinner.

You may be thinking: THAT’S IT?! You spent almost the entire day just eating and lazing around?!?!?!?

Bitch, imagine waking up at half past four in the fucking morning, going through all that airport-airplane-port-boat journey while recuperating from semi-sickness.

Need I say more? I didn’t think so.

Day 2

Moving onto the second day, which was all about water activities and beach fun. We started it early to go island hopping around Puka Beach (where we spontaneously bought friendship bracelets UWU) and Crystal Cove.

My caveat with this type of tour is skip it if you’re not a fan of boat rides or snorkeling. I personally get motion sickness easily and took the proper medication, so I came out the other side in one piece. However, one of my friends who went to Boracay before mentioned that it’s way more convenient to take a land tour.

As a pampered princess, I definitely would’ve preferred a land tour. Nonetheless, I’m still glad I got to experience a boat tour. Because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have encountered the most hilarious trio of boomer women (in the best way).

The chattiest of the trio shared a ton of stories and gave the expected unsolicited advice (which we didn’t mind, she wasn’t invasive), plus quipped funny remarks during the entire ride. Never a dull moment.

After that vigorous tour, one of my friends and I went parasailing. This activity was the one I was looking forward to the most and it was the highlight of not only this day, but also the entire trip.

I just LOVE being up in the air! It’s so freeing!! Shoutout to my air big three (iykyk). Parasailing is such a wonderful way of experiencing a gorgeous location with (quite literally) a different perspective.

My friend and I chatted our asses off while taking in our lush surroundings. Granted that I got dizzy as we wrapped it up, it’s still an activity I’d do in a beautiful destination. Paragliding, skydiving, and a helicopter tour are next on my bucket list!

We also went paddle boarding, which was a semi-fail for me. The arrangements weren’t clear with the guide, so we ended up lacking one board. Never–and I mean, NEVER–try paddle boarding with two people on one board.

It’s not cute. Unless it’s a one kid, one adult situation. The point is, I’m probably going to attempt paddle boarding another time, because it does seem like a lot of fun when you’re boarding solo.

So, dinner time! After all that adventure and exploration, we ate at SteamPunk. I had their sliders and ultimate chocolate fudge shake. Both were bomb and absolutely delectable.

What stood out with the restaurant is that they showcase their burgers in this steampunk machine (thus, the name) before serving them to you. Love the food, love the experience, and love the service.

Of course, as the night was young, we thought that the best way to end our second day in this beautiful island is by having a couple of drinks at Battuta Boracay, a unique speakeasy/bar.

We found them online (thanks to the IG algorithm) and liked the ambience of the place. You need a password to get in and they’re cleverly hidden in a restaurant – their entrance disguised as a closet.

To be honest, the whole password thing was a bit lackluster for us, because we didn’t need it to actually open the door. Whoever entered before us must’ve forgotten to close it properly.

The overall experience we had at Battuta though was great! Their special drinks for the night were fucking good – mine tasted like a watermelon on steroids in the best way.

Let’s not forget about the tunes that were playing, because our little millennial hearts were over the moon upon hearing songs like Live Your Life by T.I. ft. Rihanna. 😌

Day 3

If you’ve gotten a sense of the ~*Venusian*~ way, I think you will be able to predict what we did on the third day.

We chilled out, ate more good food, and most importantly got pampered at the Kabayan Spa.

Before I get ahead of myself though, give me a couple of sentences or paragraphs to rave about The Sunny Side Cafe. First of all, I lowkey think that we were meant to eat here because it’s a five-minute walk from our accommodation.

Second of all, the damn view in this place is surreal – imagine sipping a perfect cup of coffee/tea and relishing in mouthwatering brunch food with a calming view of the ocean.

Third of all, the food selection (and the food itself) is mind blowingly delicious. As a Libra sun, I was crippled by indecision upon looking at the menu.

Eventually, I decided to split their shakshouka and spinach and mushroom baked eggs with one of my friends. For dessert, we shared the ube and cereal milk pancake. My drink was the classic Vietnamese coffee.

After an undeniably gratifying brunch, we had a Swedish massage at the Kabayan Spa. The ambiance here is welcoming and relaxing. I loved the tea they served us before we went into our private rooms.

Needless to probably say that the massage experience itself was great. Our masseuses were attentive and I personally liked the amount of pressure my masseuse applied (got it right the first time).

We all felt like we were floating on cloud nine. And what better way to sustain the good vibes and energy than by drinking a refreshing beverage at Jonah’s Fruit Shake?

Side note: I forgot to mention that we grabbed a shake at Jonah’s the previous day in between activities. In case you’re curious, I had the mango pineapple shake, which hit every taste bud right.

However, it’s more relevant to mention Jonah’s in this particular section of the post (had the avocado shake) since we ended up getting henna tattoos here. Well, the three of us got the henna tattoos, while my best friend decided to have her hair braided.

One of the staff happily told us she can call her (highly recommended) henna tattoo artist and hair stylist over to do their thing as we chilled with our drinks.

It took A WHILE for me to figure out what tattoo I wanted, but thanks to a collective Google research, I went with a Libra constellation integrating cats (they’re precious and I love them) and the moon.

Then, for dinner, we headed to Spice Bird (who is under the same brand/company of The Sunny Side Cafe). I had the grilled chicken Cubano, which was rich in flavor and well-balanced with the corn on the cob and salad.

For dessert, we certainly couldn’t miss out Coco Mama’s famous coconut ice cream. As expected, it was smooth and creamy to the core.

Fun fact: Coco Mama is also under the same brand/company as The Sunny Side Cafe and Spice Bird. We’ve unintentionally become devoted patrons of their restaurants that same day. #noragrets

Day 4

Here we finally are – our last day in Boracay.

We had an early flight, so there was no itinerary except choosing the best place for brunch.

Initially, we wanted to try a different restaurant since we had an extensive list. We thought it would be a shame if we didn’t maximize said list.

But alas, convenience aka the Venusian way won.

Yes, we decided to eat at The Sunny Side Cafe again. I had their adobo bowl with a vegan Spanish latte.

The latter food I enjoyed thoroughly. However, I need to be honest – I didn’t like the adobo bowl. This is a matter of preference though.

There are several ways to make adobo as it is a staple Filipino dish. Every region/province has their own take of cooking it. It just so happened that their style of adobo didn’t match my taste.

Which is a lesson learned for me, because it made me realize that my mom’s style of adobo is untouchable. Ergo, I should only eat the adobo she cooks or make the damn thing myself.

For dessert, the three of us (one of my friends doesn’t like chocolate lol) shared a slutty–shoutout to me, I guess–brownie and millionaire bar.

What makes a slutty brownie different from the usual is it has cookie dough and Oreos. Now that you’re left with that description, I can confirm that it tasted utterly decadent.

Compared to the millionaire bar, which had more contrasting flavor profiles (look at me being a connoisseur) with a great blend of salty and sweet.

The journey from our accommodation check-out and flight check-in was smooth sailing, thank goodness. Even if the weather was raising hell from time to time.

It was a good thing our airline provided umbrellas ’cause ain’t nobody got time to pack an umbrella. I did… but it’s a hassle to rummage through my Narnia backpack for it.

Final thoughts

If it isn’t obvious enough: Boracay is 100% Bella Dyosa approved.

As someone who grew up in a coastal town, the ocean and the beach will always have a special place in my heart.

The funny thing I realized during this Boracay vacay is that my hometown (I miss you dearly, Ras Tanura!!) has a white sand beach. One of the first thoughts I had when I caught a glimpse of the coastline was, “Feels like home.”

So, I hope that you have your own place or destination that sparks that beautiful musing.

Whether you resonate with the Venusian way or not, traveling is all about exploring the new and savoring the now.

Much like life.