7 Kuripot Moves to Survive the Expensive Boracay

If, on your last trip to Boracay you paid and stayed in Shangri-La or any luxury resort in Station 1, then get out of here. If you have a 50K budget just to go beach bumming, then this post is not for you. If you still go on reading and later tweet about how embarrassing my suggested kuripot moves are and how I demean myself somehow – then thank you, you rich brat.     

OK, so this post is intended for budget conscious traveler (read: broke-ass backpackers) who are brave enough to travel on a very limited budget – and were able to enjoy awesome travel destinations with just their kuripot maneuvers.   

Of all the stereotypes surrounding Boracay, most common is that it is the playground of the rich and famous, thus expensive. It also has a bad reputation of having really heavy nightlife, (well isn’t being naughty and bad is the whole point of a beach night life?) – so it has become increasingly popular among those who have money to spend.

Boracay's golden moments

So, on our 4-day beach get-away to Boracay last weekend, infamously known as #LaBoracay (Labor Day holiday) - where corporate prisoners escape their cubicles, head to Boracay and become wild and bad - I did practice some kuripot moves although most of our expenses are company sponsored.

This is my idea of a perfect get-away

Still interested? Then let me share these handful of tips to enjoy the luxurious Boracay that might save you if you’re a first-timer or been there but want your next visit a bit lighter in your pocket. At the end of the day it's all about the Boracay experience anyway.  

1. Summer will surely come, so plan ahead.

You can't help but fell in love in a magical place..

It is the classic backpackers dilemma - when is the best time to book a flight for the cheapest deal? Well, if you haven’t heard of the Piso Sale or various airlines’ Promo Fare, then maybe you spent too much time on the mountains already. 

The trick is to always be on the lookout for possible seats to go on sale, usually scheduled as far as 10 to 12 months in advance. You might also want to consider in the planning the peak travel season when everything becomes extra expensive.

2. Pack some food
Let me remind you that Boracay is an island, so going there needs some hours of land travel plus waiting hours at the terminals and jetty ports and you might not want to spend too much of your very limited budget on food while traveling. So pack some food or biscuits with a decent shelf-life.

3. Throw your pride

Yodi's emo moments...

There are lots of different ways to demean yourself in order to continue your reign as a broke-kuripot backpacker, here’s one.

When we arrived at the Cagban Port, there’s a station where some guys are giving out free Pocari Sweat samples – so what we did was we lined up and took turns returning at the kiosk until we gathered enough free samples that would last for three days – so it’s always a good thing to bring some extra plastic bags when you travel because you’ll never know when you gonna need it.

So yeah, with my Pocari Sweat loot – I survived Boracay without buying bottled drinking water on my first two days.

4. Don’t mind the per-station social class.
They don’t divide Boracay’s beach in three stations for nothing – there is an unwritten but obvious hierarchy of social classes there.

Station Three is for those on a tight budget – perfect for backpackers who are not too picky about rooms or where to stay. The beach area is not that lively and scenic but it’s not too crowded unlike the other two stations. This is also the best area to look for cheap Boracay accommodation.

Boracay Station 1 - where you will most likely bump with almost naked celebrities!

Station One is where the exclusive and luxury hotels are located. It is where the celebrities and the elite flaunt their summer beach bodies. 

Boracay Station 2: Beach scene and the crowd changes per station

Station Two is somewhere in between.

Do I have to say on what station we stayed? Anyway, there’s no inequality when you’re on trunks and bikini at the beach.

5. Eat in carinderia
On our first day, I was so shocked when I ordered 2 cups of regular rice and paid 60 Pesos – that’s triple the regular price of rice! Also, on a Tapsilog restaurant – they served me 1 spoonful of corned beef which technically cost 50 Pesos!

Food is definitely expensive in Boracay especially those restaurants at the beachfront, but you can’t starve yourself and still enjoy the trip. What we did is look for local carinderia or some food stalls at the main road – they offer clean and equally good food.

6. Check out freebies and promos
There are things you can do to survive and enjoy Boracay without opening your wallet. Boracay is a marketing utopia where you can find product advertisement gimmicks.

We got a free cab ride just by tweeting something about Viber. I got some cool souvenir from AirAsia just by having a photo on their booth and have it posted on Facebook.

Just got our free exclusive party entrance pass!

We also got entrance pass to some exclusive parties just by tweeting something. We keep on passing that Nestea stall handing out free drinks. There are free samples of sunblock lotion, wifi access cards and of course condoms. 

7. Have your alcohol fix before partying
You can’t have the full Boracay experience without experiencing its infamous nightlife – where almost-naked party animals go wild.

Crazy Boracay nightlife at Station 1

But prices of drinks at the bar can make you dizzy. So what we did was we pack some bottles of booze with us from Manila since we are traveling as a group, have our bonding moments (read: alcohol session) near our hotel. We then head on to party when we have that right “alcohol buzz”. Of course we didn’t forget that beer-in-can-in-one-hand for party props (we call it social-climbing-moves ha ha)

Boracay beach party scene at Station 2

So there you have it… some kuripot moves to save some cash during your visit to Boracay. You might think some of these tips are foolish. Well, that is fine! Just do what you think suits you. Either way, it will hopefully save you some cash and keep you out there enjoying beach bumming.

The beach all to myself !!

You do not need to be rich to enjoy Boracay!