Boracay is the playground of the Philippines; the beach is now well developed, some might say over-developed but still retains much of its charm in a way that a Patong, Kata, Karon or Laem Singh lacks. Discovered by tourism in the 1970s after a Hollywood movie was filmed on location, frequented by backpackers in the 1980s and building on that momentum in the 1990s, Boracay is one of the premium beaches of the world.

There is plenty to do during the day with bars and restaurants lining the beach, hanging around coconut trees might provide shade but could also end up with a major headache. I have seen a few coconut fall from the top of a tree, that is going to seriously mess up your day if you get hit.

Sandcastles are built on the beach every morning and dated, this picture originates from a trip to the beach in 2007, April 29. A second trip in 2008 went bad when a typhoon hit and a third trip over in 2012. We covered up, forget about watersports and the beach, just tried not to get blown away – of course, diving was out too.

There are plenty of activities to fill the day from beachcoombing, swimming, sailing, scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing and parasailing. When I go diving I get my boat trip from the beach, I would be happy spending my day out on the boat, the dive is a bonus.

Watersports are what Boracay is all about, sailing during the day or evening is always popular. When the wind is up off of White Beach, there is some nice sailing just off the beach, the best trips are not too far from the beach.

Plenty of opportunities for swimming and taking in a little sun and then a stroll up the beach for lunch. The beach slopes off gently, so you have to wade out a fair distance for a proper swim, I am happy to paddle around in the shallow water though.

Restaurants setting up for evening service, there are numerous choices of quality places to eat. As I am a visitor at Boracay, I like to change my beach restaurant nightly, I have found the quality to be good everywhere I ate.

Plenty of shops, restaurants and bars are just a quick step off the beach at D’Mall D’Boracay. Sailing is a popular activity late afternoon, sitting on the beach with a bottle of wine is pretty good too.

While there is not much wind for serious sailing; a banca style boat with a sail makes for a pretty good evening cruise. I personally preferred to stay on the beach and watch the sun set on the water with the banca boats sailing around at a nice slow speed.

Frolicking on the beach in the late afternoon sun; the days are hot and the evenings warm and balmy. Plenty of people love to get in the water at dusk, White Beach is one of the best beaches in South East Asia, it is not hard to see why Boracay is so popular.