Boracay ATV Tour up Mount Luho

I woke up to a mosquito bite to my right eye.  So much for the mosquito net shielding us.  We packed our things and checked out.   There were a couple of discrepancies on our bill, they charged us for transfers that we had already prepaid via an online agent and for our “welcome drinks.”  The receptionist was very friendly and she took care of it right away.  We received a 10% discount for all our meals and drinks with the Boracay Guide VIP card.

Thankfully, our poolside room at the Red Coconut Hotel was ready and we were able to check-in at 8:00 AM.  The room was smaller than what we had been accustomed to but we were thrilled to have AC and call it home for the next 5 nights. 

Here is an aerial view of the hotel courtesy of agoda.com

Beach area within a few steps from room

We walked around to look for breakfast and found a local mom and pops shop.  We paid 250 PHP for rice, diet coke, water, sausage, fish (similar to Cambodian salty fish eaten with rice porridge) pork in tomato based sauce (similar to chop suey sans pasta), Filipino  sweet pork , water and diet coke.  It was a great meal.

I wanted to update the blog so we went to Coco Café at our hotel hoping to have better internet connection.  We ordered large Americano coffee with freshly ground beans but the internet was horrid.
( I later learned that I need to compress my images before I upload them to the blog to reduce uploading time)

We had original plans with our friends to do the Ariel tour.  Since some of us weren't keen on cliff jumping, we settled for the ATV tour instead.  We were taken by trike to Happy Dreamland, an amusement park on Boracay Island.

Our ATV’s weren't available so we walked we offered the “Sky Cycle” ride while we were waiting.  The ride was non motorized and the riders each had to peddle their way around the track that was elevated off the ground.  I regretted getting on the ride after the first minute.

I wanted to turn around but I knew we couldn't.  The wheels made screeching noises and the ride didn't feel secure.  I thought our “bike” was going to fall off the tracks.  I closed my eyes and waited for the Mo to get us to the end.

We rode our own ATV’s up the mountain to Mount Luho with a picturesque view of all of Boracay. The ride was a bit scary as my breaks were worn out and I had to press both the front and back breaks all the way for the slightest decrease in movement.  The ride up and down was less than 15 minutes each way.  At times, it was a bit tricky maneuvering through the small roads shared with other ATV’s and buggy vehicles.

We had to hike up some stairs to get to the view point.  We spent a good amount of time on the top of the hill where we took pictures and took in the view.  It was cool to see the distant clouds and rain in other areas of the island.

After the ATV ride, we had some time to walk around the park and view the birds and wild cats.  There were some cool statues in the park, with the Korean Star Psy, being my favorite one.

On our way back, we stopped by Jonah’s Fruit Shake & Snack bar where they are known to make the best fruit smoothies on the island.  The Mo got a coffee and I got a tropical fruit with milk.  It was absolute refreshing and fulfilling after a long morning at Happy Dreamland park.

The Mo and I headed back to the Red Coconut and relaxed on the beach sun loungers.  I continued reading on the Kindle and the Mo continued playing video games. 

A young local Filipino boy approached us and asked if he could make sand art with our names.  I couldn’t say no, so we agreed and paid the boy equivalent to one dollar.  This was his masterpiece that took less than 10 minutes.

The Mo told me that he had read somewhere that tourists are discouraged from paying these kids to do this.  The beach patrol “police” chase the kids away and dissemble their sand art.  The reasoning behind this is so that they go to school instead of hawking at a young age and take the easier path to make quick money.

We walked along the beach and watched as each hotel and restaurant constructed their nightly beachfront dinning lined with buffet and grill stations.  The Mo and I each grabbed a corn on a stick for 50 PHP for a snack since we had not eaten for more than 8 hours before going back to our room to get ready for dinner.

The Coco Bar at our hotel has Happy Hour drink “2 for 1” specials so we took advantage of that.  We got 2 cosmos and 2 rum and cokes for about $7.00 with tax and tip.  That was definitely a great deal! The bar scene was lively with tourists from all over the world.

We took a trike to Friday’s for their renowned Friday night international buffet.  The resort is beautiful with thatched roof bungalows sprawled along their private beach.  We arrived to hear a wonderful acoustic band covering the latest top kits from Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and the like.

We ordered cocktails and enjoyed appetizers of oysters on the half shell, cheese, beef carparcio, imported prosciutto, and cheeseburger sliders.

Dinner was not your usual buffet.  There were “made to order” stations that would grill meats and seafood to your liking.   Instead of waiting at the stations, the staff would bring the dishes to your table while you enjoyed the show.  The general manager from Spain walked around to ensure each guest was content with their meals.

 There was also a noodle stir fry station as well as a paella station where you can choose your own ingredients.

After the band performed, the headlining act was local Filipino dancers that executed traditional Filipino dancing along with intricate fire performances.

 It was the most expensive dinner we had on vacation so far at a little over $100.00 USD for the two of us.