Travel Date: August, 2017
So where can you go where the beach is beautiful, the prices are not eye wateringly expensive, the people are genuinely friendly, and you can still get your hit of craft beer? Well, after a bit of searching, I found one such gem, the island of Boracay in the Philippines.
If you are already in South East Asia, getting to Boracay is fairly easy and not very expensive. Flights from every major South East Asian capital connect through Manila, or there are even many direct flights to Kalibo Airport or even Caticlan Airport. A word of warning though, if you fly through Kalibo Airport, you will need to drive 2.5 hours to the ferry dock in Caticlan to cross over to Boracay, while from Claticlan Airport the transfer by vehicle is about 5-10 minutes. I know which one I prefer! 😉
Once you are at the ferry docks, you will find organized chaos as different forms need to be filled out and different ticket fees need to be paid all for the joy of boarding a boat for a 10 minute ride over to Boracay. If this is your first time heading over to Boracay, I can absolutely recommend a company called My Boracay Guide. For a small fee, they pick you up from the airport (not to worry if your flight is delayed, they will be on top of it!) and transfer you to the ferry docks, get your tickets, help you onto the boat and have a representative greet you when you arrive at Boracay and then take your directly to your hotel. At the end of your stay, they will pick you up from your hotel and seamlessly get you back to the airport.
Once you are on Boracay, there are a lot of different activities to do. I was able to complete my PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water Diving courses through Calypso Beach and Dive Resort. The staff are great, they have a swimming pool purpose built for learning to dive, and ocean front property. A fabulous location!
The weather from June to September can be fickle.
The weather in December and April is usually fantastic!
In the evenings, there is an awesome tiki bar on the beach called Nigi Nigi Nu Noos. They have a killer two hour long happy hour where the cocktails are made to order and the price works out to be about two drinks for $5USD. The beer of choice there is San Miguel.
I know, not a fave, but when in Rome…
There is one craft beer brand that seems to be making its way into several bars along the beach called Joe’s Brew. It is a microbrew from Manila and after a couple San Miguel’s it is a joy to taste something hoppy.
There is another location on Boracay that I like to go for dinner, it is a restaurant that specializes in Philippine Craft Beer and it is called Los Indios Bravos.
At times, it can be a bit difficult to keep all draft lines full, due in part to the length of time it seems to ship product (both kegs and bottles) over to Boracay from Manila. The second issue is that Boracy is very popular with Japanes and South Korean tourists, of which many have caught the Craft Beer Bug and decent on the restaurant to imbibe in dinner and microbrews.
Once you decide which one you want to stick with, they bring out ice cold mugs. Very nice after stepping in from the tropical heat!
The chicken wings were battered in tempura and tossed in a soy honey sauce.
Aside from Los Indios Bravos, I am afraid that your craft beer experience on Boracay will be limited. However, with the continued growth of the industry, I am sure you will soon find more locations on the island to enjoy a craft. That being said, I plan to head back next summer.
CHEERS!
CRAFT BEER & Exotic Locations 