What Boracay’s White Beach is Like & Where To Stay

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hite Beach is by far the biggest and most popular beach in Boracay. But what can you find there and where do you stay? On this page I describe the beach and its different areas in detail… Once read you should have a very good idea of what to expect, and what the best area to stay in is for you…

About The Beach

The main attraction of White Beach is of course its beauty but also that you have everything you need there: hotels, restaurants, nightlife, activities, it’s all available right in front of the beach.

It’s a very good place for swimming as well, since the water is usually flat, has no current and becomes deep slowly.

During morning and noon times the beach is relatively quiet. These are good times to go out if you like to have the beach more to yourself. In the afternoon more people start to come to the beach and you’ll see locals and tourists alike starting to play sports.

Activity Volleyball

Volleyball is by far the most popular beach-sport on Boracay, but soccer is played as well (mostly in Station 1 since the beach is wider there).

Sunset Walkers Boracay

The sun sets around 6:00 pm all year round. It’s the busiest time on the beach with lots of people taking pictures and enjoying the view.

In the evening the beach path gets busy with a lot of people visiting restaurants. Then at around 9-10 the nightlife kicks in and the bars become busy. Around midnight the bars quickly become quiet again as most people move from the bars to the clubs.

The beach has 2 parts that run parallel to each other: “the path” and the beach itself. The path runs along the buildings that sit in front of the beach and is separated from the beach itself by palm trees. You can see this in the video below…




Now that you have a better idea of what the beach is like, you might wonder what the best area to stay in is. This is a good question to ask yourself, since the beach is 4 kilometers long, and the area that you stay in will have a big impact on your experience in Boracay.

So to help you choose the area that fits you best I’ve written the following guide…

Where to Stay

Boracay's stations

White beach is divided into 3 sections: Station 1, 2 and 3. You won’t notice any separation between these stations when you’re walking on the beach though, so it’s best to think of them as north, middle and south respectively.

This station naming originates from the times when boats were still allowed to bring tourist directly to the beach from the mainland. During that time they were boat stations.

The best station to stay in depends mainly on your preferences, so to help you pick the right station I’ve described each of them in detail below…

To see my curation of the 36 best hotels on the island, have a look at my Boracay hotel guide.

Station 1: Luxury and Space

Station 1 and Willy's Rock

Station 1 is the home of a lot of luxurious beach resorts. It’s also the home of Willy’s Rock, one of Boracay’s famous visual landmarks.

The beach is more wide then in other stations, since there is no separate walking path, and the water is shallow for many meters. It’s a relatively quiet place compared to Station 2.

The nightlife in Station 1 consist mostly out of clubs that are packed together within a short walking distance.

To see pictures and prices of good places to stay in this area, check out this complete list of hotels in Station 1 on Agoda, or read my guide to the 12 best hotels in Station 1.

Station 2: The Epicenter

Station 2 View

Station 2 is the center of Boracay and the home of a lot of mid-range resorts. The water is still shallow, only a bit less then in Station 1.

Because it’s the center of the island, the beach can become a bit crowded sometimes. Usually this only happens around sunset though.

D'Mall Main Street

D’mall, the biggest of the 3 shopping areas in Boracay, sits right in the middle of Station 2. You can also find the seafood market, named D’Talipapa, in the southern part.

The nightlife consists out of plenty of bars, live music and 3 clubs.

To see pictures and prices of good places to stay in this area, check out this complete list of hotels in Station 2 on Agoda, or read my guide to the 12 best hotels in Station 2.

Station 3: Peace and Nature

Station 3 Nature

Station 3 is the home of a lot of budget and backpacker hotels. The beach drops off a lot steeper into the water here, so it becomes deep pretty fast.

One of the things I like about Station 3 is that it has a good amount of green nature, this makes it look more peaceful then the other stations. It’s also the most quiet station. (Both of these points refer mostly to the southern part of Station 3, which is the part I recommend).

As for the nightlife, there are a handful of laid back bars and one club.

To see pictures and prices of good places to stay in this area, check out this complete list of hotels in Station 3 on Agoda, or read my guide to the 12 best hotels in Station 3.

Conclusion & Summary

White Beach has a lot of things going on, and depending on what your preferences are, you can choose the best place for you…

Do you like a more peaceful place? Then Station 3 is probably the best place for you. If you like to party hard or just like to be in the center of it all, then Station 2 is a good choice. For the more luxuriously inclined there is Station 1.

A quick summary:

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3
Hotel Prices: High Medium Low
Beach Vibe: Upscale and spacious The center of it all Peaceful and green
Beach Size: Wide Normal Normal
Water Depth: Shallow Shallow Becomes deep more quickly
Nightlife: 3 clubs in close proximity to each other 3 clubs & plenty of bars 1 club & a some quiet bars
Shopping: Not much Plenty Not much
Sports: Volleyball & soccer Volleyball Volleyball

Now you know most of what there is to know about the beach and it’s different areas, choosing where to stay should have become a lot easier. I hope this was useful to you.

Have a good trip! 🙂

P.S. Did you know that Boracay has 17 beaches in total? Click here to see Boracay’s 12 beautiful beaches, and 5 lesser ones to avoid.

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