March 4th 2015 Boracay Island Day 1- Trafalgar Cottages

Here is where Boracay Island is located in the Philippines. Boracay Island is 9km long and 1km wide. Very small.

Joel the owner of Trafalgar Cottages had just told me to go to E-Mall at Boat Station#3 which is a big souvenir place and wouldn't give me an address over the email. I was thinking "Boat station #3?? E-Mall?? WTF!?!?!". Well when I showed up I figured out why, as it wouldn't have helped. You see the white sign up ahead "Trafalgar" with an arrow pointing into the Souvenir Mall.The treasure hunt begins...

Entering the souvenir Mall (E-Mall) that I have to walk through to get to the Trafalgar Cottages entrance. Seemed weird at first as I had imagined these cottages would be out in the countryside somewhere away from the beach but Joel had told me he is only a 3 minute walk to White Beach.

As I walked through the souvenir E-mall with loads of hats, sunglasses, Boracay T-Shirts around me I finally came to the entrance to Trafalgar Cottages.

Here are some of the cottages. It was hard to get a picture of the whole place as it is crammed between big hotels. But it had a nice relaxing feel to it and White Beach was just a few minutes walk from here.

Nice hammocks out on the balcony with WI-FI. I know I shouldn't rest my laptop on the ledge like that but worst case scenario I do have a new laptop to replace it.

My room for 600 pesos per night ($16 cdn). Very good deal for Boracay!! Shared bathroom with 4 other rooms.

 When I first arrived at Trafalgar Cottages I was wondering why it was crammed between all these hotels until I saw this picture and a write up about its history. Joel is a filipino man who met his wife Julia (from England and on the left in this picture) 30 years ago doing volunteer work in Africa and this picture was taken in June 1986 when they decided to buy a piece of paradise on Boracay when there was no real tourism here. No hotels to be seen or Souvenir Malls to walk through to get to their place but just palm trees and nature. The cottages have changed a bit from nipa style huts to concrete huts with metal roofs. (That Julia's sister on the right, just in case you cared.... but you probably don't haha).

Here is just one picture of some hotels that hover over Trafalgar Cottages. I heard a construction guy pounding away up there at 10pm on my first night there.

When I arrived on Boracay Island I asked one of the green tricycle drivers if he was going to E-mall and he said he would be passing by it as the green tricycles (Cheaper) take many people at the same time along the main road of Boracay and my cost was 20 pesos (60 cents).

Driver stops and tells me this is E-Mall (Second picture from the top) and I get out and look around and a filipino guy helps me out and brings me through the Souvenir Mall to the entrance of Trafalgar Cottages (4th picture from top). I meet Joel and have a few hours before check-in so leave my bag there and head out to White Beach. 

NOTE: Anyone going to Boracay should book their accommodations at LEAST one month ahead of time if not earlier. First question people at the docks asked me "Do you have a reservation yet sir?" and I had that question asked 3 times by the time I got to Boracay Island port to Trafalgar Cottages. 

Here is Trafalgar Cottages website
http://www.trafalgarcottages.com/