Boracay (Part 3)

So we were back again at the beachfront and ooh, did Boracay change! All the restaurants had laid out dinner buffet spreads along the beach! As we walked the stretch of Station 2, we caught a glimpse of what everyone's been raving about Boracay's nightlife. There were the fire dancers, live bands, sumptuous seafood buffet, mongolian buffet and even street food! Guess which one we settled for? Street food!!! We found this cluster of 6 food stalls that offered everything you would possibly crave for: arrozcaldo with lumpia, goto, siomai, gulaman, burgers and fries, tapsilog, barbecue, etc. Though we were not that hungry, we bought some siomai (with matching chili oil, of course) to munch on and washed away its spiciness with cold gulaman and sago. We walked back to D' Mall and headed to Bite Club for their famous grilled burgers and potato wedges. We would have wanted to try some late night dessert and coffee at the nearby Lemon I Cafe but we were just stuffed! So much food to take in one night!

On my right was where we satisfied our street food craving with some siomai and sago/gulaman fix.

A must-try: yummy burgers and wedges from Bite Club.

Needless to say, we had a very good night's sleep and well-deserved rest. We woke up early the next day, not wanting to waste any precious time in this island paradise. We headed down to the hotel's restaurant for the breakfast buffet and made it to the 9AM shuttle run to White Beach.

It was low tide which was perfect for crossing the water to get to the Marian grotto at Willy's Rock. Willy's Rock was the most photographed landmark in Boracay. It was a lone rock structure along the stretch of White Beach, so missing it would be quite impossible. There was something so unique and mesmerizing about it that one couldn't help but photograph it. Although there were less people at the beach at that time, we actually had to wait our turn for some photo ops.

The famous Willy's Rock.

We have a special bond with Mama Mary, our Star of the Sea.

Boracay was also famous for peddlers selling almost anything "under the sun" (pun intended). There were wood-carved crucifixes, hats, sunglasses, toys, we even saw a magta-taho (a man selling soybean curds usually mixed with syrup and tapioca). We were approached several times by men offering boat rides, scuba diving and snorkeling. What fascinated me (and was quite thankful!) was that they weren't annoying at all. After we would decline, they would just walk on and leave us to enjoy our day. We also chanced upon the soft opening of Astoria Boracay and there were a lot of AB Reps milling about the beach offering invites to their exclusive lunch or dinner presentations. We actually had to decline three times, as our schedule was full.

Magta-taho in Boracay.

We went to Discovery Shores for the day. We were endorsed by a friend, so we were given special consideration and was allowed to use their beachfront lounges and amenities that were otherwise strictly for hotel guests only. We chose a spot and the staff laid fresh towels on the lounge chairs for us. Then they gave us pillows to prop on. Hubby removed his shirt and the staff carefully folded it. We got off the chairs to swim and came back to find our towels fixed for us. Impressive!

We ordered frozen guyabano fruit shake for me and ripe mango shake for hubby to cool off while we enjoyed the water and took gazillions of photos. Our bill for the two fruit shakes we ordered (including service charge plus tip) was P1100. Now I wasn't about to complain - this was DS, at the prime Boracay spot of Station 1 where all the high-end hotels were. Paying that price was worth the pampering and exquisite service DS was known for.

Sun, sand and sea.

Hubby enjoying his frozen fruit shake.

C'est La Vie :)

We headed back to Station 2 to have lunch at Epic. It was definitely a step up from our Zuzuni experience the previous night. Although I wasn't a fan of their blue marlin fillet (it was quite chewy), the ambience, food presentation and service made up for it. Hubby's gambas and our mango ice box dessert were both yummy and worth having again should we have a chance to return.

Shrimp Bisque, of which I was not really a fan of.

Raul's yummy Gambas :)

This dish started out okay for me, then some bits of the blue marlin became too chewy I actually had to spit them out coz I couldn't swallow them. I think it was cut too thick and a tad overcooked. The mango salsa and lemon butter sauce were fine though.

Mango Ice Box. Up until this time, I was thinking that desserts were the only ones I've been REALLY liking so far in the places we've eaten. Hmmm...