When is the best time to visit Boracay? During the summer months or the off-peak season? You may want to check this list for the pros and cons.
What should you expect the weather to be like in Boracay in the off-peak season like in October?
It’s been two straight Octobers when we visited Boracay Island. Last 2016 it was sunny summer like weather throughout our 4 days / 3-night stay. A week ago, we spent 4D/3N again, and it was raining off and on.
When To Visit Boracay?
There are pros and cons whatever the month / season you’ve decided on to go to Boracay. I’ve been to this island once in May and twice in October and these observations on pros and cons are based on my experience.
Advantages of going during summer
Summer is the best time to visit Boracay Island in the town of Malay, Province of Aklan, Region 5 if your number one consideration is fine weather. From March to May, it’s going to be sizzling hot there not only because it’s summer season, but also because of the throngs of tourists and visitors in their bikinis and trunks roaming the white beach (unless of course, if there is a typhoon, but typhoons are rare during summer).
Sunsets during the summer months are spectacular too!
All throughout our stay in Boracay last 2016, it was sunny and bright!
It is also during summer when you get unhampered view of the Station 2 beach area, the shoreline, the coconut trees, the main road, and the hotel facades / front. As opposed to the off-peak months when habagat season is present, you’ll find that most hotels in Station 2 put on “wind barrier”, “buhangin protection”, to shed their guests and frontage from being inconvenience due to burst of strong winds carrying bits of sand. If the wind is not strong, they take down these barriers / wind breakers.
*Case in point, napuwing sister ko walking to the hotel sa lakas ng hangin na may dalang buhangin. Masakit din ng konti sa balat pag tama-an ka; hindi naman laging ganito, basta may malakas na hangin lang. Although I say, that is part of the experience pag pupunta ka ng off-peak / habagat season hehe.
During summer, all activities which are weather-dependent are doable – parasailing, island hopping, banana boat, paddle boat, etc. During habagat/off-peak season, your visit could be in-sync with a Low Pressure Area (LPA) like what we just experienced. We didn’t see any one parasailing when we went there, and we only saw tourist signing up for island hopping on our 3rd and 4th day. The weather was just not conducive for these activities, rain was on and off, and waves were big not the usual calm that Boracay is known for.
Also, if it’s rainy during your stay, expect that the shoreline in Station 2 and 3 (Station 1 where you can find The Grotto at Willy’s Rock not so much) will be littered by debris wash to the shore. My brother lamented it’s not the perfect long-stretched of white sand beach he was expecting, lol. Later that night, I opened my laptop and he saw my computer’s wall paper – a picture from last year’s visit to Boracay (see middle pic in 1st collage, above)and he was in complaining seeing our picture perfect white beach background haha. It was his first time in Boracay, and he vows to be back when the weather’s all fine and sunny, haha.
* By the way, we observe some hotels like Hennan are very prudent in clearing their beachfront area of debris every morning. Great for their guests.
**Other turn-off for me for a Boracay visit during summer is that there are times that green algae or lumot proliferates in *some part of the shoreline, turning the water nearest the shore into green/lumot hue. I wouldn’t want to swim in that. :/
What’s the best thing going for an off-peak visit in Boracay?
The Boracay air fare and hotel deals. 🙂
Our visit this 2017 was booked when Cebu Pacific had an on-going piso fare promos. Our group flew in 2 sets: my family flying Cebu to Boracay, and me and my husband flying Manila to Boracay. The Cebu to Caticlan Boracay to Cebu via Cebu Pacific for 4 persons round trip cost less than 5,000 pesos (may 15 kilos of check-in baggage pa). Promo fares like this is a steal! Normally, there are more promos for popular destinations like Boracay, Siargao, Bohol, during the off-peak, so if savings is important considering going during off-peak, and not at the height of summer.
We also booked our Boracay hotel package 4D/3N stay during the Travel Madness Expo. We got 30% off the published room rate for Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel, located in Station 2. The hotel package we signed up for comes with free daily breakfast buffet, 2 buffet dinners, and round-trip airport transfer, aside from the discounted rate. Le Soliel is a beach front property. 🙂
We booked 2 rooms – one double, one quadruple accommodation. My family arrived there real early, at 7 AM; they were given a room right away even though official check-in time is at 2PM. Good thing it’s off peak, so hotel accommodations are typically not full during these times, hence the available room. We also got upgraded to Superior Deluxe Room for free; our rooms are a mere 5 meters from the swimming pool, really awesome! Plus, customer service is A+. The Le Soliel staff is one of the most smiling and welcoming people I’ve experienced, I can compare it to the hosts of hotels from budget to luxurious accommodations that I’ve stayed in, I can really feel the difference, hope they won’t change.
You can check the on-going room rate discounts for Le Soleil de Boracay.
Another example, last 2016 we booked during Travel Madness expo (suki kami sa mga travel expo lol), we scored a really good deal for a Station 1 hotel. P3,000 per room per night in Paradise Garden Resort Hotel and Convention Center Boracay’s summer house / villa ( typically P10,000 plus ang summer house rate nila, while their hotel room rate is cheaper), free daily breakfast, beachfront, and with three (not just one!) swimming pools! That 4D/3N stay was fun!
Check here for the Paradise Garden’s discounted rates.
*Penfires Recommendation: It’s best to stay in a hotel with a swimming pool if you are visiting Boracay, reason being, in case it rains, and you don’t want to swim in rough waves, or if it’s too hot, you can always enjoy the cool waters of the pool.
Another thing, what I like about off-peak visit is the lesser crowd, slower pace. For those who wants to enjoy the famous white beach but preferably with a thinner crowd, go for the off-peak months from June to October. This is best for family bonding.
If you are barkada planning to go there, you might enjoy the summer months more for all the possibilities. 😉
Our last visit when there was LPA, it was raining every so often, but Boracay remains beautiful!
Year-Round Food Choices
By the way, Jollibee in Boracay is located in the town center, not along the main beach road. Metro favorites are also there like Mang Inasal, Andok’s, McDonalds, KFC, Gerry’s Grill, Shakey’s, Subway, YellowCab, Mesa, Hap Chan, and a lot, lot more choices. But you may want to try the local restaurants para ma-iba. 😉
Just prepare extra money for food, the prices of restaurants’ dishes are at a premium there. This could be because restaurants pay an environmental fee? Am not sure. But to demo, a coke in can in Hoy Panga! sells for P80. A KFC one-piece chicken meal is P30 higher than what you normally get elsewhere in the country.
p.s. The famous magazine Conde Nast Traveler’s just published the winners for their 2017 ‘world’s best’ poll. The world’s best island for 2017 is Boracay, Cebu comes second, followed by Palawan. A triple recognition for the Philippines. Awesome!
Check here for Transport Option to Boracay Island, for those of you are who DIYers.
Check here for Boracay accommodations with the most affordable rates or the hotels with the highest star-ratings.
At the end of the day, no matter what months you’ll visit Boracay, enjoy it!
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