A seventh heaven in Boracay

You’d think that opening a seventh Henann Resort on the tiny island of Boracay would already reach saturation levels. But with Henann Park Resort, now on its “soft opening” (though seemingly fully up to speed with a nonstop parade of arrivals during our stay), the dream Dr. Henry Chusuey hatched decades ago to offer premium resort experiences on the island paradise continues to thrive.

Henann Park is the seventh, after Henann Regency (soon hitting its 25th anniversary), and other variants, including Crystal Sands, Prime Beach, Palm Beach, Garden and Lagoon. The lucky seventh edition offers 232 rooms:  Deluxe, Premier (upper rooms with balconies), Premier with Direct Pool Access, and Family rooms (for four people).

What sets Henann apart, if you’ve visited any of their resorts, are their central locations, high-quality accommodations at affordable price points, warm service, generous buffets, and inviting pools. Most rooms offer a balcony overlooking these inner-courtyard pools with a sunken poolside bar. It’s almost iconic, at this point.

The latest, Henann Park Resort, was already under construction before the Boracay closure, says VP for marketing Karl Chusuey (the middle child among three kids running various aspects of Henann resorts countrywide). “At the time of the closure, this was about 80 percent done. Then, after reopening — the pandemic hits.” Henann is back with a bang, though: “We actually opened two resorts recently — this one, and then Henann Tawala in Bohol. That one opened during Holy Week.”

We can say from experience that Henann Park is a very modern, luxurious-looking and -feeling hotel with good service, an excellent breakfast buffet and not just one, but multiple pools to dive into, with three types of rooms at very attractive prices. Right now, rates run from P4,000 to P5,000.

Our Deluxe room was beautifully appointed and spacious, with peaceful, nature-based décor, queen-size beds, 300-thread count linen, premium bathrobes and slippers, a safe and mini ref, 43-inch LED TV, WiFi (of course), complimentary tea and coffee, and a balcony with breakfast nook and drying rack; plus large marble baths with Rainforest shower heads, dual vanity sinks, bidets, hair dryers, and guest amenities (toothbrushes, shower caps, razors). So, what you’d expect from a premium resort.

But with some special details: in a nod to sustainability, there are no plastic water bottles in sight; just a pitcher for guests to refill from the water filling station right outside in the hallway (a feature that Scott liked because he’s always refilling).

There is no spa (“It’s not very profitable,” says Karl), though you can book your own poolside massage therapist or have one visit your room; there’s also a hair-braiding service, if you’re craving the beach experience without actually leaving the comforts of the enclosed resort.

The Pool Bar and restaurants offer classic and signature cocktails like Hennan Isle, a colorful mix of Stolichnaya vodka, pineapple juice, grenadine and blue Curacao; Citron Coast for him (Absolut Citron vodka, Triple Sec Orange liqueur, blue Curacao, calamansi juice and Sprite) and Sweet Citron for her (Absolut Citron vodka, Midori melon liqueur, pineapple juice and Sprite).

If you do decide to venture to the beachfront, Henann Park is located at Station 2, a quick golf-cart ride or walk through nearby D’Mall.

What sets Henann Park apart from their other resorts, according to Karl, is “it’s the newest.” With so many Henann resorts available on Boracay (and soon in Cebu, Siargao, Coron and elsewhere), that’s actually a comfort: people want what they’ve come to expect from Henann.

And that includes the buffets. Henann’s breakfast buffet may be the best and most varied in Boracay. They have something for everyone, even the pickiest eaters, ranging from Asian favorites like noodle soup and congee to Western staples like breads, cheeses, eggs, cereals, salads, and cold cuts. While some buffets may offer you pancakes one day and waffles the next, at Hennan they give you pancakes, waffles, crepes, French toast (done in the pain perdu way Therese loves) and bread pudding with vanilla sauce daily. (Scott loved his crepes with chicken sausage.)

In fact, Karl says buffet hopping is a popular pastime at Hennan.

For the “Best Buffet on the Island” head over to Hennan Regency’s Sea Breeze Café, where they offer lunch and dinner buffets daily.  Hennan Crystal Sands’ Sapphire boasts a seafood buffet; Hennan Palm Beach’s Palm Tree features a “BBQ Nights” dinner buffet, while Hennan Garden has another dinner buffet at The Garden Café to check out.

If you prefer ordering a la carte, Hennan Park’s Orchard Café has a lunch and dinner menu of Asian and Filipino dishes like Vietnamese shrimp salad, kare-kare, Cambodian black-pepper squid, Malaysian beef rendang, laksa and Indonesian nasi lemak with chicken. All are mildly spiced, comforting and delicious.

The beds are remarkably comfy, offering a deep, sound sleep. There is a gym that’s pay-per-use (P300), but the pool offered us more than enough extra exercise. Honestly, it’s hard to bestir yourself to leave the cocoon of Henann Park, once you settle in.

It’s a family-friendly resort as well, but not really by design. “Actually, we never build a project with family in mind, but as you can see, the product just gravitates to the family market,” says Karl. Right now, Henann is at 80 percent occupancy, we’re told.

All Henann resorts offer over 200 rooms. When Henry Chusuey first started building here in 1998, the first hotel was only 43 rooms, but even that seemed like a big risk. After all, back then, who thought building 200-plus-room hotels on Boracay would become the norm? “Now it’s automatic,” says Karl, who adds his dad is still “very hands-on,” deciding what the rates will be from day to day, week to week. “He still decides everything when it comes to rates and a majority of the decision-making.”

So, with seven Henann resorts existing already on Boracay, is there still room to expand?

“Of course! There is still a lot of room,” says Karl, adding their problem is not having enough rooms. “Right now, we are saturated because we don’t have any more resorts; I don’t know about the rest.”

For Boracay, Henann is thinking beyond the beach (“We still have plans to open a luxury line”), and while the existing Henanns are categorized as premium, “We have plans to open a luxury resort here” on Station 1. Stay tuned.

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Hennan Park Resort is located at Station 2, Main Road, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. Book at the website, hennan.com; contact the Manila office at 8230-3000 or 0956-336-1922; the resort at (36) 288-9700 or 0917-713-1802; or email manila.hpk@henann.com.