A home away from home

I will never get tired of Boracay. It will always be one of my favorite places everytime my haywire schedule permits me. I flee to Boracay away from the madness of the city. Some people complain that Bora has become too commercial. It is the price one has to pay for being famous and beautiful. Just sitting by the fine white sands of Bora and watching the sunset is in itself paradise. You don’t even have to talk to be entertained. It is so relaxing to watch people walk around in their beachwear — from swimsuits, shorts, micro-minis — to sometimes just a smile.

I have been to Boracay innumerable times. Many years ago, when being luxurious was not yet heard of in Bora — no electricity, no malls, no big time hotels — just you and the beach and the white sand and a few locals, I remember flying to Boracay on a chartered plane with Bong and another friend. It was a four- seater plane which we chartered. We saved hard for that one trip. We were crazy about Boracay. We were excited as the tiny plane took off Manila. It was just a little larger than a giant grasshopper. But who cared, we were on our way to paradise. Weather was fairly good and there was not a sign that it would rain. But as we were already halfway through our air travel, the pilot matter-of-factly declared that something went wrong with the engine and that we had to go back. I pulled out my rosary and started to pray. Bong was pale as a piece of chalk and was perspiring like he was in the sauna but was forcing a smile to assure me that it was okay, that we were far from hell. As I was praying aloud my fifth Lord’s Prayer, the pilot again announced that the engine was properly functioning and that we had to turn around again towards Panay Island. We landed in Boracay safe and sound. But that harrowing plane experience never prevented me from going back to the place over and over again. And since then I have established friendships with a lot of people in Boracay.

Last Holy Week, my nanay, Bong and some friends spent the Lenten season in Bora. We stayed at True Home, located at Station 1. It is a beach front boutique hotel and right across it (facing its main door just a few steps away from the street) are the small church and small plaza of Boracay. True Home has the amenities and comfort of a home. It is a cozy, comfortable place that at one moment, you would forget your own bed. True Home is a home away from home. It is a wonderful place to stay with your family.

Another favorite place of mine is La Carmela de Boracay which is now earning the reputation as the favorite place among the stars. If you are new in Boracay and you want to see movie stars and have your pictures taken with them, just drop by La Carmela and chances are your favorite movie star is there. Once, I overheard a boy begging his mother to stay by the gate of La Carmela a little longer. He expected to see movie stars anytime soon. Boy So, the amiable owner of La Carmela is the perfect host. Boy often treats us to sumptuous feasts of tuna, prawns, crabs, chicken, etc. La Carmela offers the best buffet in town at very affordable prices.

"La Carmela de Boracay is a dream come true for me," says Boy who hails from Iloilo. Boy used to frequent Boracay and had always thought of putting up a resort. Thus, when some foreign partners asked him to set up one, he gladly agreed to the idea. "I used to have foreign partners. Ngayon ako na lang," he says. Boy started with Boracay Courtyard, located at the back of La Carmela de Boracay and where comfortable, air-conditioned rooms are offered for as low as P1,150. "Prices are very affordable. We are looking at families because nobody wants to come and enjoy the ambiance of Boracay na mag-isa lang siya. Ang Pilipino kasama lagi ang pamilya niya." La Carmela and Boracay Courtyard have always the family in mind. "Even our buffets, are affordable for the family," he adds.

La Carmela de Boracay has the beachfront convenience of a vacation house at very affordable prices. It is located at the heart of Station 2. It is also a perfect place for meetings and seminars. La Carmela has 150 spacious and air-conditioned rooms (superior, semi-deluxe, family/VIP suite and penthouse suite), with hot and cold shower, cable TV, telephone and refrigerator. Other facilities are a business center with Internet access, a swimming pool with slide and jacuzzi, an elevator with a view of the sea, air-conditioned function rooms, restaurants, a souvenir and boutique shop and 24-hour security. La Carmela also offers airline ticket assistance, laundry service, boat ride arrangements, land and boat transfers, on-call medical services and safety deposit boxes.

The next time you visit Boracay try La Carmela and True Home. You’ll understand why Boracay is both home and paradise.