Crystal clear
The Sunday Age
Sunday June 14, 2009
Boracay's sandy idylls are designed for a quick escape from our winter cold, says Penny Watson.Pointing an Australian in the direction of the Philippines for "the best beach in the world" is rather like directing a German over the nearest border for the best beer and sausage. Once you've watched the sun set on the shell-scattered shores of our Ninety Mile Beach, it's hard to imagine the best beach could be anywhere other than here.Setting aside these parochial prejudices is, however, part of the job so here I am sunning myself on White Beach, a sun-lover's hotspot and much-touted "best beach ever", on the tropical island of Boracay, 350 kilometres south of Manila.No awards for guessing why this is called White Beach. This 3.5-km stretch of paradise, where lazy coconut palms send their elongated shadows into crystal clear water, is more like talcum powder than sand, the tiny grains better equipped to massage and soothe than exfoliate. If I deign to lift my head off the bamboo sun lounger, the view conjures up a list of superlatives as long as my beach towel. Hulls of bamboo reef catamarans skim across the azure waters, local children splash each other in the shallows and out there on the horizon, where the water meets the bluest of skies, a parasail floats, silhouetted against a golden sun.Behind me, the source of an endless stream of cool drinks, is a beach bar, the type Bryan Brown might have shaken a few cocktails in. Beyond that is our bamboo beach hut surrounded by garden and complete with bathroom and daily cleaning service. It takes just 23 seconds to get from beach hut to sun lounger. Up and down the beach, local women lay out their colourful sarongs to give slow, sleep-inducing massages. Cute kids sell bags of freshly cut green mangoes for a few pesos. As the sun goes down, the whiff of a beach barbecue whets the appetite, a signal that the restaurants cluttered along the beach thoroughfare have set up their icy seafood displays.The similarities between this patch of the Philippines and that other great beach destination, Thailand, are not lost on me. Like Thailand's beach resorts, Boracay has that ideal concoction of sun, sea and sand fused with the richness of a different culture. Accommodation caters to all budgets; food and drink is cheap; and nightlife there if you want it.Accessibility is also comparable. Manila is eight hours' flying time from Melbourne (Bangkok is nine) with a two-hour time difference (Bangkok is three).Perhaps the biggest difference is the Philippines' status as a relatively undiscovered destination. Thailand's island beaches are well and truly stamped, whereas the Philippines' archipelago of more than 7000 islands is still waiting to be explored. The numbers might already be speaking for themselves. In 2008, 121,514 Australians visited the Philippines, an increase of 8.05 per cent on 2007. To meet the demand, airlines between the two countries have increased the current 2500 seats per week to 4000.Towards the end of our five-day stay, we sail the length of White Beach under a canopy of stars; the white sands luminescent against the inky black water. If it isn't the best beach in the world, it's certainly in the running.MFACT FILEMelbourne to Manila:Cathay Pacific, return flights until July 3 and from August 3 until September 30 for $836, including tax. Qantas, return flights until November 30 for $886, including tax.Philippine Airlines, return flights from Melbourne to Manila until July 1 and from July 20 to September 21 for $884, including tax.Manila to Caticlan (Boracay):Philippines Airlines, flights from 1239 PHP each way, excluding tax.
© 2009 The Sunday Age