Boracay Island

If there is a hall of fame for the most renowned beaches in the world, Boracay Island, Philippines, located in the north western part of Panay would definitely be included on top of the list.

As proof, it has received several awards from very respectable entities worldwide such as the “World’s Number 1 Tropical Beach” and “Best Beach in the World” by the British Publication TV Quick and the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook respectively, as well as the “World’s Most Popular Beach” by no less than the Yahoo! Travel.

According to unconfirmed stories, the Boracay island paradise used to be a highly secret beach wonderland of only a handful of beachcombers who kept the island to themselves, without informing the public of its beauty and splendour.

The island, according to accounts, was only accidentally discovered when an international film crew spotted the island and filmed parts of the movie in the powder-like white sands of the beach.

Another version is that a German writer who was invited to Boracay was so smitten with the island that he wrote great reviews for the tropical paradise. Since then, the very secret hideaway beach became one of the most famous beaches in the world.

At present there are more than 350 beach resorts operating in Boracay, where guests can play and do several water activities such as wind surfing, scuba diving, kite boarding, jet skiing, snorkelling, or just lay around the beach for some sun and relaxation.

Beach resorts operate all year round but the usual peak season is during the hot summer months of March, April and May, and during the holiday seasons December and January.

More than 30 dive shops operate within the island, manned by very experienced and professional diving instructors, equipped with state of the art diving equipment.