Boracay once again took the center stage as Condé Nast Traveler hailed the island as the best in their World’s Best Islands of 2016 list, thanks to more than 300,000 readers, subscribers and fellow travelers who took part in the 29th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards Survey of this US-based travel publication.

Admittedly, Boracay used to be an expensive destination. But with the advent and popularity of budget hostels, Boracay evolved into one of the country’s top budget destinations offering best of the best experiences – powdery white sand beaches, beautiful gradient of turquoise waters, rich and colorful marine life, lovely views of sunrise and sunset, vibrant night life and more.

To date, there are already almost a dozen of budget accommodations in the island and one that really stands out is W Hostel.

Strategically located in Station 2, in between the famed White Beach and Bulabog Beach, W Hostel offers budget dormitory bed for as low as P500 per night including breakfast. It prides itself as the largest and best established budget boutique hostel accommodation in Boracay providing comfortable space to interact with the community of fellow travelers around the globe.

With six accommodation types ranging from shared dormitory room to private suite, W Hostel has more than fifteen rooms that cater to backpackers and budget travelers. The rooms feature a variety of comforts – towels, locker, television LCD/plasma screen on some rooms and free wireless internet access in all rooms. All accommodation come with a free breakfast and access to hostel’s amenities, facilities and services such as dart board, golf course (three kilometers away), scuba diving, massage, mini-theater and game room, daily housekeeping, and the 24-hour room service, security and front desk service.

I stayed in their 8-bed mixed dormitory room for P500 per night which I booked via AirBnB, thanks to the recent partnership of Smart and AirBnB. It was a such a pleasant experience! The room is well ventilated and each bed has a secured locker, power outlets, individual lighting and curtain for privacy. The interior of the hostel is cool and artsy with hand-painted works ala 3D art museum. The hostel’s location, as promised, is perfect with D’Mall, White Beach and Bulabog Beach just a short walk away. I had an easy access to sunrise, sunset and to the island’s most visited spots. The free breakfast may not be as lavish as those in the high end hotels but generous enough for its league – eggs, fruits, breads and spreads, porridge, coffee and juice. The free wifi is fast and available in almost all corners of the hostel. Best of all, the staff are friendly and really helpful.

CHECK RATES IN W HOSTEL BORACAY