Boracay Day Two - Island Hopping, Horse Back Riding and La Carmela Buffet

I never thought I can sleep so soundly amidst the noisy station 2. Le Soleil was built with the noisy party surroundings in mind and I didn't even hear the slightest sound while outside our room. Woke up around 630am and ate buffet breakfast at Le Soleil beach cafe.

The breakfast in Le Soleil was satisfying. Bacon, eggs, sausages, tocino, garlic rice, bread and juices. Their juices are powdered though. They also have fruits, congee and cereals.

Sat on the beach area after the breakfast. Here's our morning Boracay view:
 
Le Soleil Resort Frontage


Le Soleil Private Lounge Chairs


Soft Morning Waves


Activity scheduled for the day was island hopping and horse back riding. Island hopping was sponsored by Wow Philippines Travel Agency. They got the island hopping service from Alan B fun tours (Read about Alan B Fun Tours in my Boracay Tips post)

They shelled out 700 pesos per person but what was unacceptable was, upon boarding the boat and sailing, thats the only time they will tell you that there are other charges other than the island hopping fee of Php 700. 20 pesos for snorkeling at coral 1 and 200 pesos entrance for crystal cove.

It's ok if the money we pay goes to the conservation fund of the island -- What's not good is, when the money goes in their pockets. They don't issue OR and they say that the 20-peso snorkeling fee in coral 1 area is for the conservation fee or something. 20 pesos is not a big deal. It's your own principle that they are against with.


Snorkeling at Coral 1 Area

We snorkeled in coral 1 and found out that it's not even worth the 20 pesos we paid for. There was almost nothing, except for some fishes that you can see right by the shore.

Our next stop was Crystal cove. I liked the caves and the temperature while you're in it. The splashing waves echoing through the cave chambers and the stalagmites formation in it was magical.


Crystal Cove Cave 1


Crystal Cove Cave 2


Crystal Cove Beach 

 
Crystal Cove Entrance


Directions to Cave 1



Crystal Cove Cave 1


Crystal Cove Cave 1 Stalagmites


Atop Crystal Cove



Direction to Crystal Cove Cave 2


Crystal Cove Cave 2 Before the Tunnel

Crystal Cove Cave 2 Tunnel

It was a good walk from cave 1 to cave 2. Cave 2 was more challenging because you'd be entering a small tunnel to get to the other side of the cave. If it was lowtide, you could probably go down and walk because a few more steps upon exiting the cave, there would be stairs that will lead you to the upper part of the island.

We had buffet-type lunch on our third island. It also came with drink-all-you-can beverages. Drinks include softdrinks and bottled water.


Puka Beach Underwater Shot using Dicapac for SLR

The last island we went to was Puka Beach. We just took a quick dip beside our boat where it was the only shaded area around.I didn't bother going around the island because it was just too hot -- summer hot. Thank God for that weather on a September!

Upon disembarking by the shores of station 1, we went back to the hotel to lighten our bags and we went on to the stables for our horse back riding activity. We rode the tricycle from Boracay Regency entrance to the stables. It costed us 50 pesos for 3 persons. This was also part of our package and is sponsored by Wow Philippines Travel Agency.


The only Stables in Boracay


Black Beauty- Snacking while on duty.


Going back to the Stables


My Horse, Black Beauty

Nothing really special with this activity but, it was a great way to know and discover the lifestyle of the other people living in Boracay. There was this house there, made of part wood - part cement and I was surprised that they have a computer set AND a flat screen television! Wow! too bad I wasnt able to take photos of that residence because it was getting dark already. The house was that open thats why I saw what's inside it.


The only Stables in Boracay

After that, we went straight to La Carmela De Boracay (station 3) for our buffet dinner. I liked the dessert more than our food. It was cool though because the buffet included a mongolian type buffet too. It was supposed to be by the beach but it drizzled a bit so they moved it inside.

After arriving in our hotel, no other interesting details because I went straight to our hotel room, got my laptop and went straight to the lobby to work.

It was really dissapointing that globe and smart mobile broadband doesn't work there - gprs, edge, 3g, umts, hsdpa. No nothing. I was happy though that my Sun Broadband worked. Even though it was only in gprs mode, it worked perfectly with my iPhone. I used that combo to check mail and work while island hopping and throughout my first 2-day stay in Boracay. I also used that to live stream some footages via my Qik iPhone application. To view the live videos, check out http://qik.com/cheftonio (subscribe and get to see my latest and up to date videos)

Before the day ended, my brother and I tried out Jammers 24 hour cafe. He ordered hotdog sandwiches to go and we ate it back at our hotel room. It came with onion rings and fries. Their iced tea was small though. I think it was around 8oz. They even forgot to give my brother his fries so he had to go out again. I think Smokeys taco dog is better compared to what I had in Jammers. My brother ordered for me the chili dog.(Photos to follow)

Check out:
WOW Philippines Travel Agency Website (Best Boracay Packages, Guaranteed!)
WOW Philippines Travel Agency Twitter Account
Le Soleil De Boracay Resort

A free vacation like mine sounds great, doesn't it? You want to know where I won it? See below.



- Cheftonio