Frannywanny

The beautiful island of Boracay will always have a special place in my heart. It's there where I had my first sunburn and literally looked like a lobster for weeks, it's also there were I learned to love the beach life and continued to yearn for it on a yearly basis , lastly, Boracay was also where Paul and I spent the last leg of our 3-part honeymoon at. Related post: 10 fun things you can do in Boracay So, when our government suddenly woke up one morning and decided that "hey, today sounds like a good day to shut down the island." My heart broke and cried together with everyone, who in one way or another, called Boracay their... home . Such was the case of our dear friends N and O. They were our "neighbors" back when Paul and I were doing our mini food business at Mercato Central. We always look forward to chatting with them on a weekly basis and their sunshiney personality would always make a bad sales day much much brighter. Plus, I just love tre...

I can still remember my first Boracay trip. It was the summer of '07 the same year Frannywanny.com was born. Paul and I went with my big big group from work. Finally after many failed attempts, I excitedly sat through our 50-minute flight to Kalibo where we had to take an hour and a half car drive to Caticlan and endure another 10 minute boat ride to the sunny island of Boracay. "This should be worth the wait." I thought to myself. From the moment we got to our resort at Station 1, I held my breath at the beautiful crystal clear water and white powdery sand. This truly was paradise. Definitely worth the wait, dear readers. :) As soon as we dropped off our bags and changed into our beach clothes, off we went in search for a good place to have our very first lunch. Following the lead of my colleagues who have been to Boracay more than I could count with my fingers, we headed to D'Mall. They told us this was the central, go-to place for all Boracay visitors and...

What's a visit to Boracay without going on a food trip? In my opinion, Boracay is one of the best places in the Philippines where you are assured of really good food. As more and more tourists flock to Boracay on a yearly basis, the island has turned into a gastronomic destination where you won't only see seafood paluto stalls but a mix of International cuisines from Italian, Hawaiian , Mexican and a lot more! After all, nothing beats enjoying the cool breeze, listening to the waves splashing on the shore and enjoying plates after plates of delicious food. Contrary to my past Boracay visits where I normally fill up the entire day with non-stop resto-hopping, this time I had all my meals at Don Vito Ristorante Italiano , the in-house restarant of Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel , which gave me a very pleasant experience that I believe deserves an entire blog post on its own. Let me share with you a short food journal of my recent Boracay trip: Day 1 - Lunch As soon...

During our weekend getaway in Boracay , part of our itinerary includes visiting the Mandarin Spa and availing of any of their signature treatments. After enjoying our lunch at the in-house restaurant of Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel and spending more than an hour at the beach and later on taking a quick dip at the pool, Paul, Richard and I headed back to our rooms to shower and to get ready for an hour and a half of total relaxation. We headed towards the entrance of Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel where Mandarin Spa is located. We were greeted by the friendly receptionist who assisted us in choosing our treatment and the specific massage oil that will be used as well. I chose the Chamomile Oil as it's said to give a very calming effect while Paul and Richard went for the Ylang-Ylang it had a very masculine scent, which I think is just perfect for them. :) For my treatment, I got the Traditional Filipino Massage "Hilot" that promises to restore balance to my...

Sometimes I just dream of the sea...and the feel of the powdery sand underneath my feet. At times I just want to go far far away from the crazy hustle and bustle of the city, turning my phones off as I just want time for myself and myself alone. These moments I thank Him for blessing my country, the Philippines , with an abundance of beautiful scenic spots that doesn't have to cost us an arm and a leg to get close to. Moments like this I'm thankful that I had the luxury of time to take a weekend off and to fly to the paradise island called Boracay where I spent two wonderful days swimming, bonding with Paul and pampering myself to the fullest...all in one memorable weekend. As soon as our private boat c/o Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel reached Cagban Port, I felt my heart skipped a beat as I was totally psyched to finally have a short vacation amidst our busy Christmas schedule. We were quickly whisked off towards Station 2 where our resort for the weekend is located. I...

To find out what hot in Boracay, just follow the throngs of crowd outside or around a particular establishment. Take Hawaiian Bar-B-Que for example. During my first trip to Boracay a few years ago, Paul and I attempted to dine there but eventually gave up due to the long waiting time given to us as there were just a lot of people waiting to be given a table too. As mentioned earlier, Boracay is the perfect place to enjoy seafood , fruit shakes and barbecued meats and Hawaiian Bar-B-Que seems to be the place to go for a slab of juicy ribs and meaty beef. Luckily, on our next visit, we didn't have to wait as we made sure to get there early. Thus, our party of 7 were immediately given a long table inside the restaurant away from the scorching heat. My sister's friends took care of ordering our meal as some of them have already dined at Hawaiian Barbecue before. We were just happy to sit back and patiently wait for our food to be served. Thank you C, Y, K and R! Our Meaty...

Mexican in Boracay? I know it may sound weird to eat Mexican food in the beach as what normally comes to mind are platters of fresh seafood, fruit shakes and perhaps some grilled meats..but we're in Boracay and the choices are endless in this amazing island! Thus, right after we landed and rode the ferry to the port, took the trike to Station 1, checked into our resort, settled down and admired our rooms, we then attended to our growling tummies and headed straight to Mañana Mexican Cuisine for lunch. It was my sister's first time in Boracay last July and I was determined to make sure she enjoys. We're both huge fans of Mexican cuisine thus the endless supply of tortilla chips and salsa at home. It was a good thing that Mañana is located just a few steps away from Astoria Boracay , our home for the next three days in Boracay. It was way past lunch hour yet the place was packed. That's how life is in Boracay, people becomes less time-bound and they eat, party a...

If there's one thing you should not miss when visiting Boracay is to look for the best fruit shake in the island. Sure, almost all restaurants have their own versions of fruit shakes but only one remains to be the BEST and for me, that's Jonah's Fruit Shake . During my first visit, I fell in-love with Jonah's Choco Banana Fruit Shake , true it's loaded with sugar and calories but I didn't care..my day in Boracay is not complete without a glass of Jonah's thick chocolate-banana shake. Each sip was just so rich and creamy, I just want to lie under the sun and daydream while sipping on my fruit shake.

It was our last day in the island and it has always been a tradition that we eat well and splurge a little for our last meal. Thus, together with my sister and her friends, we headed to Lemoni Cafe inside the busy D'Mall. Since we were there on a non-peak season, getting a table was pretty easy. I've read up on all the must-eat and must-visit places in Boracay and for Lemoni Cafe , there's only one thing that I've seriously made a mental note of -- to try their Tiger Prawns with Spinach and Coconut Risotto (Php. 495)

It was the shortest trip that I've ever had to the island of Boracay . We arrived at 1AM due to a delayed flight and a minor car accident on our way from Kalibo to Caticlan. We got to the resort at 1 and was only able to sleep after satisfying our stomach with some light snacks. Still, we were up as early as 8AM to make it to breakfast and to be able to maximize our one and only day in Boracay as we were scheduled to fly back to Manila first thing the next day. *phew* Hectic schedule, I know. Breakfast at the resort was pretty forgettable that my sister and I decided not to torture our stomach with food that barely met our expectations and to just head straight to the island to grab a good breakfast in the island! We're lucky that fellow bloggers Melo , Bong and Ryan decided to join us and with Melo, being the Boracay experts we knew we were in good hands. Melo's an experienced traveler (you should hear his stories!), a chef and a talented photographer and he suggest...

It's April and summer is finally here! With the fast rising temperature outside, more and more city folks are heading out to the beach! Speaking of beach getaways -- I was pretty blessed to be able to go to the coolest summer destination in the country last year -- this is the beautiful island of BORACAY . Not only was I able to visit it once for my honeymoon, I returned for a brief stay a few days before we bit 2010 goodbye. The vibe and weather was different when I first went there in July and returned in December. For one thing, the island was more quiet during July with windbreakers lining up the shoreline. It somehow ruins the beauty of the island. I also noticed that there were a lot of algae during my first visit which I do not like the sight and feel of whereas none was seen last December. However, it was way more crowded and harder to grab a table last December as it seems like half of the Metro Manila population all decided to spend their holiday in Boracay too. Eac...

I can't believe it has been 3 longs years since I last set foot on these powdery white sand... Boracay '07 I feel so fortunate to be able to join the launch of Astoria's newest property in my favorite summer island -- Boracay . Set to open this April, Astoria Boracay is a 3,000 square-meter property that's located right along the shoreline of Station 1 and is just one hop away from the party central Station 2 . I can still remember the time when we would have to take a long long walk from our resort located at the far end of Station 1 just to have breakfast at D'Mall which is located at Station 2. In fact, we didn't even bothered to explore Station 3 because we just got so tired of walking. There are more than 39 lovely rooms but what I'm so excited to see are their dramatic honeymoon suites. There's also a complete line of amenities to suit each visitor's needs, there's a lap pool, a kiddie pool, a coffee shop and more. While chatting with As...

The temperature is fast rising! I dream of powdery white sand underneath my feet, the sound of the waves splashing against the shore and a tall glass of Choco-Banana Shake on my hand. Time to bring out my calendar and plan my next trip!!!