Kalibo

Aklan finally became an independent province in 1956 separating from Capiz.

Talk

Akeanons/Aklanons, as the locals are called, are highly literate. Akeanon or Aklanon is the dialect spoken. Ilonggo, Tagalog, and English are spoken as secondary dialects. Kinaray-a is also spoken and understood.

By plane

Many airlines fly direct to Kalibo, including

• AirAsia - to/from Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Busan.
• Cebu Pacific - to/from Hong Kong and Seoul.
• Philippine Airlines.
• Scoot Air - Singapore.
• China Airlines - Taipei.
• Mandarin Airlines - Taipei.
• Silk Air (part of Singapore Airlines) -Singapore.

By van

• Minivans, often using Mitsubishi L300s (or simply L3s as they are commonly called), cost about per person from Caticlan port (jump-off point to Boracay) to Kalibo and they take approximately 1.5-2 hours. Look for an air conditioned van.
• There are also minivans going to/from Iloilo and Roxas.

By jeepney

A jeepney to Kalibo from Caticlan port costs about , 1.5 to 2 hours.

By bus

There are Ceres Liner buses to/from Iloilo, Roxas and San Jose de Buenavista, and Caticlan, and Ceres Transport from Manila.

Motorized tricycles will take you just about anywhere in Kalibo for a standard rate of . Foreigners are commonly asked for much higher rates but the drivers must accept the rate by law.

Kalibo Mangrove Park is one of the places that must not be missed as well as the Piña-weaving industry.

• Kalibo Mangrove (Bakhawan) Ecotourism ParkOne of the most successful mangrove reforestation projects in the country.

• Museo it Akean

  phone: +63 36 268 9260
  address: Martelino Street
  Town's museum. It is a repository of the province's rich cultural heritage.

• Kalibo CathedralDuring the Ati-atihan festival, don't forget to visit the Kalibo Cathedral and witness the Catholic faithful get a brief respite with the "paeapak" or the massaging of a small Santo Niño (Christ Child) statuette onto the devotees.

• The renowned Ati-Atihan Festival is held every 3rd week of January, celebrated with frenetic dancing, and drinking to the wee hours of the morning.

Kalibo is famous for the woven pineapple silk (piña) that is the darling of Philippine fabrics and the choice of the elites and the landed. The silk was the fabric used in making the barong that was worn by the leaders of the APEC countries during its conference in the Philippines in 1996.
Banana chips, coconut products, dried fish, mangoes, rambutan, lansones.

Shopping malls & supermarkets

• Gaisano Capital Mall. Roxas Avenue. 8AM-8PM.

• City Mall

  address: 19 Martyrs Street

• Unitop Department Store

  address: Pastrana Street

During the Ati-atihan festivals and the run-up to Aklan Day, Food festivals abound where seafood, and copious amount of pork and beef are grilled and served al fresco at the town's main streets.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Alcohol is cheap like everywhere in the Philippines and is very much readily available at supermarkets, convenience stores, corner stores, and literally alongside the road. The coldest beer in Kalibosometimes literally frozen--is at Lakapaya, a small restaurant/carinderia two blocks from the city plaza (pilsen for ). Their arroz caldo (rice soup) is excellent drunk food. For some local brew, tuba, (fermented coconut wine) is popular amongst the locals (usually in far-flung barangays) and might be worth the taste if you are offered one.
Fruit juices are widely available and made fresh owing to the abundance and proximity of fruit-producing provinces including Aklan.

Coffee shops

• Big BeanThe cheapest coffee shop, located near the rotunda (which lights up like a Christmas tree at night) and next door to Chow King.

• LatteBetween the rotunda and the airport is Latte, a swanky, western-friendly coffeehouse and restaurant. Like most upscale restaurants in Kalibo, the service will be extremely polite but sometimes incompetent and often slow.

• LatteThere's also a smaller Latte in downtown Kalibo with sandwiches and espresso. The comparably-priced Third Cup is located in the city plaza, nearby.

• Euro-Asia BakeryOne place definitely worth checking out is Euro-Asia Bakery, located down the street from the plaza past the gay-friendly nightclub Mezzanine. It has a variety of breads without sugar added, plus brewed coffee. They serve a decent but unspectacular American-style breakfast with tea, eggs, ham, and toast.

Due to the boomtown character of Kalibo- there is a shortage of places to stay in. Department of Tourism has devised a Homestay Program for tourists where visitors are welcomed into local homes for a fee. Please ask the Philippine Department of Tourism office in your area when planning such.

Budget

• Ati-Atihan Festival Hostel

  address: XIX Martyrs Street, Kalibo, Aklan
  16-bed dorm with common bathroom.

• Airport Line Inn

  address: Quezon Ave
  For overnight stays near the airport. Convenient if your flight departs in the morning. 10 minutes walk from the airport - however, tricycle drivers in the airport do not hesitate to ask as much as for a 2-minute ride. Bargain hard or just ignore them and walk (till the main road, then approximately same distance along it to the left).

• Glowmoon hotel

  phone: +63 36 262-2074
  address: s martelino St
  Fan single and double rooms with shared bathrooms. AC rooms with own bathroom and cable TV.

• Shemaja inn

  phone: +63 36 268-7626
  address: 647 mabini St
  Single rooms with shared bathrooms.

• Gervys restaurant and pension house

  phone: +63 36 262-4190
  address: pastrana street.
  Singles and doubles with fan and shared bathroom.

• La Esperanza hotel

  phone: +63 36-262-3989
  address: Osmena Ave
  8-bed fan dorm with common bathroom.

• Allen Christ Ians LodgeFan rooms.

• Aranas-Carillo Travellers Lodge

  address: Regino Roldan Street
  Fan double room with cable TV. Has a shared bathroom.

• R B Lodge

  address: Pastrana Street & N Roldan Street
  Fan double room with cable TV. Shared bathroom. Free wifi.

• N P Festival Inn

  address: Pastrana Street.
  A/C double room with shared bathroom. Free wifi.

Mid-range

• Garcia Legaspi Mansion.

  phone: +63 36 2625588
  address: 159 Roxas Aveune.
  Double A/C rooms with own bathrooms. TV. Double fan rooms with outside bathroom.

• Kalibo Hotel

  phone: +63 36 2684765
  address: 476 N Roldan St
  3 km from the airport but in center of town. Modern amenities, free Wi-Fi internet, and good service.

• Kalibo Queens Hotel

• La Esperanza Hotel

  phone: +63 36 262-3989
  Osmeña Ave. A large 5-storey hotel with no elevator but an attractive lobby and breakfast room slap in the middle of town. Air-con rooms have cable TV and shower rooms where the switch between faucet and shower needs careful nursing. Visa and MasterCard accepted.

Splurge

• Agzam Spa and Resort

  phone: +63 36 2624240
  address: Liberato Rd
  Nice bungalows with views over the rice fields, has a pool.

• Dona Crispina Beach Resort and Hotel

  address: Navitas, Numancia Aklan

• Sampaguita Gardenabout 10-20 minutes away from Kalibo. It is a small sea-side resort which boasts a butterfly park, a mini-fair grounds, a year-round Christmas cottage, a Chinese and a Filipino restaurant, swimming pools and a sprawling Thai-Balinese type mansion by its owner. At the back of the resort is a beach.

Local Police tel. 166

Kalibo is relatively safe - although cases of pickpockets and an occasional brawl arises especially during the Ati-atihan festival rush where people from other provinces flood the town. Kalibonhons are naturally peaceful and religious folks.
Like most Filipino cities, Kalibo is home to many street children, who may ask you for money (especially if you look western) with their palms out. Any money you give them may be taken by their parents or spent on drugs or cigarettes. If you really want to help them, buy them a nutritious meal or, better yet, a toothbrush and toothpaste (some corner stores sell them). You can also donate to an aid organization. "Walang pera" is Tagalog for "I have no money." See also begging.

• Dr Rafael S. Tumbokan Memorial Hospital. Mabini Street. Phone 36-2687062.

• Bureau of Immigration Kalibo Office. ABL Sports Complex Provincial Capitol.

• Boracay
• Roxas
• Iloilo
• San Jose