February is just ending, but I can’t stop myself from thinking about the coming summer season. The heat lately has been getting worse, making me worry how much hotter it’d get when March and April rolls in. On hot sunny days like these, the best place to be is the beach. And when you say beach in the Philippines, the first that comes to mind is Boracay.

More than usual high rise

 
The first and the last time I went to Boracay was way back in March 2005. It was the best two weeks of vacation that I’ve ever had. The gorgeous beach, the fantastic food and the company of great friends. What more can you ask for?

Round and round it goes. Sean the Canadian firedancer shows off his talent.

 
One of the more memorable part of this trip was the plane ride. SEAir’s 19-seater plane can only accomodate two crew, so the flight attendant had to demonstrate the safety procedures while we were still on the ground. When she’s done, she disembarks and leaves us with the two pilot.

www.flyseair.com

 
It was weird to be inside such a small plane. Unlike the Boeings and Airbus I rode before, the cabin wasn’t pressurized (the pilot even opens the cockpit window) and it feels as if you can easily drill a hole through its sides. And oh my god, the ear pressure. That has to be the worst I’ve ever experienced.

Isaw?

 
Ear pains aside, the view from the plane was spectacular. Unlike the bigger aircrafts, SEAir flies at a lower altitude, giving you a glimpse of the Philippines from above. This is definitely much better than just seeing clouds at 20,000 feet.

Bye bye Boracay

 
The 35-minute plane ride from Manila to Caticlan is SEAir’s biggest edge over its competitors. Since SEAir flies direct to Caticlan, you’re just one tricycle ride away from the ferry port to Boracay. Though SEAir can be more expensive than the other airlines on the same route, the shorter time you have to spend in transit makes it worth it.

That’s a tiny plane

 
Get a chance to try SEAir’s new 32-seater Dornier 328, courtesy of Ivan About Town. Ivan Henares is giving away a FREE Manila-Caticlan-Manila ticket to one lucky blogger. All you have to do is write a blog entry about SEAir, and why you deserve to win the contest. Why do I deserve to win? Because I’ll most probably write an entry about my Boracay trip, thus resulting to more publicity and inbound links

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Cebu Pacific will be receiving their first ATR 72-500 turboprop plane in February 2008, just in time for the coming summer holidays.

Cebu Pacific to fly 10 times daily to Boracay, fares start at P688!

Visit one of the world’s best beaches, renowned for its four kilometer stretch of powdered white sand and sparkling blue waters.

Be among the first to fly Cebu Pacific’s brand new ATR 72-500 to Boracay starting February 29, 2008!

CEB will initially operate its Manila-Boracay (Caticlan) service five times daily effective February 29, 2008. Effective March 28, 2008 CEB will increase its frequency from five to nine services daily and also begin daily Cebu-Boracay (Caticlan) operations.

Source: Cebupacificair.com

Daaang. I hope my credit cards bills have been paid. Can’t miss this one!

[edit] I just checked the fares, and if you managed to get the Php688 fares for both leg of the trip, the total fare comes up to Php 3,842.72. Not bad, not bad. Taxes for this segment amounts to Php 2,466.72 (round trip).
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Two good news for [tag]Boracay[/tag] bound passengers next year!

First, [tag]South East Asian Airlines[/tag] is doing a Cebu Pacific, and offering a seat sale on their 11th anniversary.

Patrick Tan, vice president for commercial affairs, said, “To celebrate our 11th birthday, we will slash fares from P2,070 to about P540.”

The amounts do not include regular surcharges and tax.

The seat sale runs from Dec. 15 to Dec. 26. The travel period is from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2007.

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Popularity: 32% [?]