READER'S FIND - BORACAY ISLAND
Claire Bock & Brock Mahoney

WHY WE WENT The Philippines was on our wish list and our Filipino friends specifically recommended Boracay.

TOP TIP Whenever we plan a holiday we visit Google Earth (www.earth.google.com) to find an isolated and quiet beach, then search for hotels in that area. We then use TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com) to check traveller's reviews. For Boracay we also used Lonely Planet Philippines, which recommended Nami Boracay (www.namiboracay.com). At Nami, a dedicated, private butler looks after you for the duration of your stay. The resort is set high up on the cliff of Diniwid Beach - a small beach north of White Beach, so you don't hear the loud music from the White Beach bars and clubs. 

TRAVEL TIP Spend at least four days on Boracay Island to ensure you have enough time to relax and take part in some of the fun activities. Getting there is quite easy, we transferred through Manila. But next time we'd probably try a connection through Cebu - try Cebu Pacific www.cebupacificair.com or Silk Air www.silkair.com - in the hope it would be less hectic than Manila. When transferring in Manila you need to change terminals, requiring a trip on a shuttle bus which goes outside the airport and circles back to another terminal. It's not difficult, but would be good to avoid. We'd also recommend travelling during high season. Low season weather is very unpredictable and while you may get the odd nice day, you don't want go all that way just to spend your holiday in a hotel room.

MUST DO Hire a paraw - a double outrigger sailboat - and sail around the island. Watching the outriggers pierce through the crystal clear blue water a majestic experience.

CONTACT www.boracay.com