New Boracay

[JJReyes]

Has anyone visited Boracay since it re-opened?  Is there an approved list of hotels and restaurants?  I understand the plan is to limit the number of daily visitors and maintain a list of licensed facilities.

[JDDavao II]

3 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Has anyone visited Boracay since it re-opened?  Is there an approved list of hotels and restaurants?  I understand the plan is to limit the number of daily visitors and maintain a list of licensed facilities.

I'm eager to see what the island looks like now. 

Here is a list of the approved hotels, JJ. But the story says many of them are yet to open. We're booked in January, like every year, to visit my wife's extended family.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/215211-number-of-boracay-hotels-resorts-allowed-reopen-october-26-2018

 

Quote

The Philippine government allowed only 3 out of 10 hotels and resorts in Boracay to reopen on Friday, October 26, when the 6-month closure of the island paradise ended.

 

[JJReyes]

Okay. I will wait a bit longer before revisiting Boracay. 

Glad we were able to visit when Boracay was practically a nudist colony for young European visitors.  Story goes that a German travel writer did an article comparing Boracay to Gaugin's imagery of Tahiti.  We had an advertising photography studio and the passing through European models kept asking how to get there. I had to look at a map!  Curiosity about this new paradise resulted in a visit and subsequent visits before its development.

[Snowy79]

I left just before the island re-opened and will be heading back there tomorrow.  The main White Beach was looking stunning.  Bulabog beach not so much as there's a lot of construction going on there and they are still laying the drainage pipes.  The roads and D-Mall looks like it has been carpet bombed. I'd hate to think what it is like after a heavy down pour as there was already flooding in places.

[Dave Hounddriver]

8 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

The main White Beach was looking stunning

In this article, the DENR are saying they just cleaned up the  beach and already "tourists" are littering the place.  Hmmm, could it be the locals doing what locals always do?
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/10/27/denr-post-boracay-trash.html

EDIT:  Just to add a personal opinion.  I no longer have any desire to go to Boracay at any time during my remaining life.  There are too many other great places to go without the headaches.

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by Dave Hounddriver

[bastonjock]

24 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

 

EDIT:  Just to add a personal opinion.  I no longer have any desire to go to Boracay at any time during my remaining life.  There are too many other great places to go without the headaches.

 

Yup we are in agreement there 

[fillipino_wannabe]

I only live a few hours down the road from there but doubt I'll bother going. Only part I enjoyed was drinking at a bar on the beach which apparently isn't allowed anymore. 
Beach is really nice but plenty of other nice beaches about that aren't as crowded.

[Snowy79]

To be fair most of the tourist hang out near Dmall and Willy's rock.   If you head down towards Diniwid there's hardly anyone.  The only beach I've seen coming anywhere near it is Lio in El Nido.  Nacpan used to be as good but it's full of sunloungers now.  You can still sit at a bar on the beach just don't walk onto the beach carrying a beer. All water sports will be coming back over the next few weeks after the marine study.

[Rooster]

On ‎10‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 10:23 AM, JJReyes said:

Has anyone visited Boracay since it re-opened?  Is there an approved list of hotels and restaurants?  I understand the plan is to limit the number of daily visitors and maintain a list of licensed facilities.

I have not but I saw this in the news from the 1st opening day. Tourists, Residents, Workers are required to have entrance documents. What about thieves?  

https://thedailyguardian.net/local-news/italian-pinay-girlfriend-fall-victims-to-boracay-thieves/

Italian, Pinay girlfriend fall ‘victims’ to Boracay thieves.

AN ITALIAN and his Filipina girlfriend claimed losing cash and personal belongings to alleged thieves as Boracay Island opened its doors to tourists.

The alleged theft happened 7:28 p.m. of Oct.26, 2018 in front of a restaurant of Station 2 in Barangay Balabag, Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.

Police identified the complainant as Fabio Sidri, 44, who was staying at Reef Retreat Hotel at Sitio Bolabog in Balabag village.

Sidri claimed that he and his girlfriend were walking from Hobbit Tavern Restaurant inside D’Mall going to the beachfront when they passed by Aria Restaurant.

The Italian claimed that his girlfriend noticed that the black bag he was carrying was already open.

He then checked and claimed to have lost his black wallet containing two credit cards, his driver’s license, assorted cards, US $60, and more or less P15,000 cash.

Sidri suspected that four male persons and another woman conspired in stealing his wallet.

Chief Inspector Bryan Gregorio, Western Visayas deputy spokesperson, said investigators are validating the alleged theft case.

“Investigators have to check why his companion did not reacted when they apparently saw of the presence of the five suspicious persons,” Gregorio said.

Police will also gather statement from individuals near the area where the supposed incident happened.

A day prior to Boracay’s re-opening following a six-month closure, hundreds of policemen and other security officers have shown their skills through a capability demonstration seminar.

They responded to scenarios of drowning, bomb threat and bombing, kidnapping and active shooting in maritime interdiction, hostage-taking, aerial search and rescue, and fire fighting.

It was in the same occasion that Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albaylde announced that they have restructured the police units deployed in Boracay Island and in mainland Malay “to deal with the anticipated heavy influx of tourist arrivals upon the formal opening.

The move is done to create a seamless but contiguously defined areas of jurisdiction under the Malay Municipal Police Station manned by 413 personnel, he added.

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has deployed an additional of more than 200 for the island’s re-opening.

Their deployment would depend on the security and threat assessment.

 

 

[Snowy79]

Just this morning the DENR has issued notices to hundreds of properties to give up 15m of their land or be refused permits to open. Apparently the area is forest land, or was years ago.