Island fun on a luxurious weekend in Boracay

In a past life not too long ago, when schedules were less hectic and work was often combined with leisure, there were days of endless summer spent with friends in quirky outdoor adventures. From roughing it up in a remote island to living the life in a luxury resort, memories from those trips inevitably involved good food and meaningful conversation in exotic locales.

 

Boracay, with its hordes of fun-seekers and greedy investors, doesn’t often come to mind when it comes to journeys of discovery. It was therefore an unexpected pleasure to find new experiences during a brief sojourn at the Discovery Shores, which celebrated its fifth anniversary last March 23 by honoring the travel agents that have contributed much to the success of the holiday destination.   

Weekdays spent in a chilly windowless office are definitely no fun, so when the invitation from the resort came, it was a no-brainer to hop on a plane and hie off to the cool breezes and blue-green waters of Boracay after getting the requisite approval from the bosses for the (okay, time for disclosure) sponsored trip.

 

The plane was late, as usual, but the mojitos that awaited the guests for cocktails on the beach more than made up for the humdrum hours at the airport. It had been raining much of the week and the forecast wasn’t any brighter, which meant the much-awaited Boracay sunset was less than postcard-perfect. There was little reason to be disappointed though, with colorful cupcakes heralding “Happy Summer!” and a welcome banner – even a pillow embroidered with one’s name – greeting the guest in the well-appointed room.

 

Dinner was at the nearby Kasbah, a beach restaurant that is said to serve the best Moroccan cuisine on the island, but will probably not impress anyone who has spent a week in Marrakech. Leeds Trompeta, the resort’s new manager, says they make an effort to encourage guests to patronize other tourist establishments. After all, “Discovery Shores is not Boracay,” he says with some seriousness.  

A local band – led by Stephen Lu of Rizal Underground, says Leeds – takes the stage. As the familiar refrain from a Bob Dylan anthem comes on, Leeds mused about the Boracay of old, when the island was more laidback and less crowded. Tonight’s the night, the band played on, and for a while, it seemed like a rainy night in a beach shack in Palawan instead of a gypsy resto in Boracay.

 

The following day it was time to hit the beach, but the smelly masses of lumot (algae doesn’t quite evoke the same feeling of disgust) in the water dampened the sun, sand, and sea experience. Most tourism operators will say it’s seasonal, but many environmentalists have long warned that the beach wasn’t like this before the hodgepodge of restaurants, shops, and all manner of resorts sprouted in unregulated fashion along the four-kilometer stretch of White Beach. It is truly high time for government and travel industry leaders to find a solution to the worsening pollution problem, as it’s not really fun to swim in lumot-infested waters.

 

After a sumptuous lunch at Jony’s – the delicious ceviche in tomato marinade stood out the most – there was just time to check some email before heading to the Terra Spa for a much-needed rubdown. The masseuse kneaded all the sore spots to temporary oblivion, and except for the music that was a little too loud and dutifully reported to the front desk, the scented massage was a soothing departure from what would have been a frenetic Friday afternoon at the office. While it didn’t quite measure up to the signature massage of Mandala Spa, which used to operate the resort’s spa and trained its staff, this one came quite close.

 

In the evening, it was time for celebration, and the staff outdid themselves in producing a memorable night. It was also a time for reminiscing, after finding out that two of the resort’s staff – marketing head Joy Denoga as well as Trompeta – used to work in El Nido. No wonder there was that unmistakable island humor, the hallmark of many fun moments in the unrivaled tropical paradise of Palawan.  

Executive chef David Pardo de Ayala prepared a five-course Mediterranean menu for the occasion: a family-style Greek mezze for starters, roasted Spanish piquillo peppers, slow-poached Pacific grouper, grilled pork chop, and a scintillating orange and sesame Turkish delight that had to be the best dessert Boracay has to offer.

 

At the table, Leeds introduced the diners to his Russian fiancée Natalya. “So how did the two of you meet?” came the innocent question from Monique Buensalido of Leisure + Adventure Travel magazine. Leeds replied that the answer would take us right to the fourth course, and it really did, with the couple doing a Harry met Sally east-west version of their love story, minus the moans.

 

One of the staff began to sing a string of Abba hits to signal the start of the program, which had sun-browned local hunks paddling to shore with the dragon boat trophy for the night’s awardees. A poignant finale of wish lanterns floating to the sky fizzled in a sudden burst of rain, but the heartfelt thank-you handshakes and kisses from the staff relayed the message of gratitude just as perfectly.

 

After the two-day breather, it was hard to drag oneself from the room for the midmorning flight to Manila. “Just a couple more minutes please,” says tour operator Nelya, as she recounted the last-minute dash to the van for the ride to the pier.  

Indeed, the respite was all too short, and for those lucky enough to spend a night or two at the resort, it is certainly worth the extra expense. It would be nice if more Filipinos can experience such luxuries – for those who can afford it, published rates start at a few hundred dollars per night – so promos during the off-season should be taken seriously. 

 

In the end though, it’s not so much the material comforts such as goody bags and sweet treats discreetly placed in the room between meals, but the simple gestures such as the signature “service from the heart” with one hand on the chest and the friendly smiles that spell the difference. Along with quiet conversation and folksy humor, these little touches would make any holiday in Boracay an island experience to remember. – KG, GMA News