A hidden side of Boracay

Imagine no kiteboarding.

It’s easy if you try.

No noisy nightclubs.

No henna tattoos to dry…

Yes, imagine going to Boracay and not heading to White Beach, or even bothering with the usual beach-party activities.

For those who’ve visited Bora enough times that they’re seeking something different, this is a possible dream.

At Mandala Spa & Villas Boracay, you can completely forget you’re in the party capital of the Philippines, and actually find some peace and solitude. Sound impossible? Nestled on a hillside near Station 3, Mandala is surrounded by green forests and contains 12 villas that are completely hidden from one another. Instead of karaoke, it features spa treatment centers, offering everything from hilot and Ayurvedic treatments to Watsu (that’s water shiatsu) and daily yoga classes. There’s not even a swimming pool in sight.

That’s because Mandala’s guests are searching for something more rarefied than a soak in a pool, and while one hedges at calling it “spiritual,” what this resort offers is deeply holistic in nature — addressing the needs of the mind, body and soul.

And now, visitors to Mandala Spa & Villas who use their Citibank Classic Card can enjoy a 10-percent discount on all massage and spa treatments at this award-winning resort.

Even more enticing, Mandala created a truly wonderful experience for Citibank clients called the Special Romantic Getaway Package. Citibank Gold and Platinum cardholders are entitled to a free Mandala Signature Massage and choice of Bath Experience when they book the three-day, two-night package, which is being offered until February 26, 2009.

They’re not kidding when they say “romantic getaway.” For that all-too-short amount of time, you and your partner will be able to shuck off the stresses of daily life. Workaholics who don’t know the meaning of the word “relax” will be able to unwind. Couples who have lost touch will be able to reconnect again.

Mandala’s incomparable attention to detail begins once you land at Caticlan airport. We were met by Renz, who didn’t make a move until he first gently informed us about what we were about to do. (Same goes for the rest of the Mandala staff, like spa manager Dang Romero and supervisor Rolly Navallo. Look up the word “solicitous” in a dictionary, and you’ll probably see a picture of them there, smiling.) From the pier, we took our own private boat and van to the resort, with Renz dispensing bottles of mineral water and cooling towels along the way. While waiting for the boat, in case we got bored, he handed us a copy of Great Hotels of the World. Of course Mandala is on page 32, the sole resort representing the Philippines in this globally distributed book. Next to swoon-inducing pictures of the spa are listed their multi-award-winning treatments, three of which — the Watsu, Hilot Trilogy and Shodhana Karma — are included in the Romantic Getaway package.

As you enter the resort, a hush descends. The chaotic traffic sounds from the rest of the island are not only muted but shut out entirely by the arches and walls of greenery that enclose the resort. If owners Karen Villarica, husband Tom Neff, and German partner Dieter Schrottman were trying to approximate the Garden of Eden before the snake came, they did an excellent job. Mandala is, quite simply, a tropical paradise.

And they try to keep it that way by having villa accommodations limited to 12 couples or 24 people. Each villa is designed so that even neighbors can’t peek in. No pets or children under 15 are allowed and the Prana restaurant serves a limited selection of alcohol — all to preserve the privacy, exclusivity and stillness of the place.

Inside our villa there were flowers everywhere: gumamelas dotted almost every surface and a path of rose petals led to the bathroom, which had a tub and separate Vichy-type shower with biodegradable toiletries imported from the US.

The villa’s glass doors open out onto a wooden deck with a lounge chair and view of the ocean. On the king-size bed with a canopy of white netting was our first romantic ritual: we were encouraged to tie handmade woven bracelets crafted by local artist Django around each other’s wrists, to “deepen our connection.”

We had lunch at Prana, Mandala’s sole dining outlet, a vegetarian restaurant with extremely tasty dishes created by some of Manila’s top chefs. A diehard carnivore, Scott’s immediate reaction was one of panic (“Most people ask, ‘Where’s the beef?’” laughs co-founder Dieter) and plotting about where he could score a burger — and fast — later on; but after his meal of roasted vegetables and pasta, he found he miraculously didn’t feel like fainting after hours without animal protein.

Our first treatment was Watsu with Tom Neff (wife Karen is the only licensed Watsu practitioner in Asia), who learned the art in California. Developed by Harold Dull in 1980, Watsu combines water therapy with light massage treatment, but it goes deeper than that: the subject lies on his or her back in a circular pool (35.5 degrees Celsius; the legs are supported by floaters) and is cradled by the therapist, then gently drawn through the waters in an experience that approximates a womb-like condition for some, elicits therapeutic tears in others, and simply leaves many limp as seaweed. There is an intake form one signs before experiencing Watsu, acknowledging that you understand the “emotional changes” that the therapy might entail. This is because of the intimacy Watsu involves: you are literally held by the therapist, and it elicits a strong trust relationship. To us, it just felt very relaxing, and Tom noted the experience varies with everybody. One banker, he mentioned, decided during the one-hour session to quit his job and instead “do what he loved” — teaching — for the rest of his life; one woman, a lesbian, decided to come out after the curiously intimate procedure. We heard of local celebrities who cried like babies in the warm waters. The Watsu experience can even go one step further: Water Dance, in which the client is drawn around underwater for increasing periods of time, “like a dolphin,” according to Dieter Schrottman. As trust increases, the clients grow calmer, use less energy and find they can hold their breath underwater longer. The ultimate trust level, says Tom, is when the client lies flat on the bottom of the pool, with the instructor standing on his or her back. Back to the womb, indeed.

After drying off, we returned to our villa to find a white mat lying at the foot of the bed. This would be our introduction to Zen Touch, in which the therapist instructs the couple in basic massage techniques they can use on one another. Definitely a hands-on experience, the instructor focuses on meshing her strokes with the lucky recipient’s breathing: chakras are addressed, and simple maneuvers are demonstrated to focus on energy centers of the body. The best thing is, you get to take turns giving each other massages later. (Not with the therapist; just the couple.)

We had a second “romantic ritual” awaiting us on the canopy bed that afternoon: a tiny cage with four exotic butterflies fluttering inside. We were given written instructions to release them together from the balcony and “set our dreams free.” So we did. Our final surprise came after dinner: already feeling completely blissed-out, we entered our villa to the gentle aroma of incense and ambient music; the lights were dimmed, the canopy mattress bedecked with flower petals, and a pair of massage tables were set up at the foot of the bed. There we received the Mandala Signature Massage, a luxurious experience that lasted 90 minutes (time being irrelevant, since both of us passed out at some point). When it was over, and we were limp as noodles, we followed a trail of flower petals and candles leading into the bathroom. There, a warm, ginger-infused Purification Bath was drawn. Cold tea drinks and ice-cooled white towels were spread on a tray across the tub. The Romantic Getaway package practically guarantees you will make a connection of some kind.

This sharing is key to Mandala, as we learned while talking to Dieter Schrottman the next day at lunch. A tall German who moved to Boracay in the ’70s, Dieter came to run a health food resto with Karen there called Floating Bar (it eventually floated away in a typhoon). He also opened the first blind masseur school in Manila (Hands For The New Age) back in the ’80s. Returning to Boracay from California in 2000, he and Karen conceived of Mandala as a holistic treatment center: “Originally the core idea was to provide an environment where great body work could happen. We wanted to bring it to a different level, quite a different animal from what you get here, the masahistas.”

Since opening the villas in 2004, Mandala has racked up numerous awards for exemplary service, including two Boracay WOW Awards for “Most Outstanding Establishment” and several Asia Spa Baccarat international awards for “Best Holistic/Spa/Rejuvenation Treatments.” Still, Dieter and Karen are not eager to expand to Manila. (There’s already an additional Mandala Spa at Discovery Shores in Boracay and tentative plans to open in Tagaytay.) “We don’t want to water down a good product by expanding,” he says with a shake of his head.

Our last two treatments were the Hilot Trilogy and Shodhana Karma. The Hilot Trilogy celebrates Mandala’s Filipino heritage with not just one but three traditional therapies. For close to two hours, you experience an intensive session of Bentosa (vacuum cupping to gather and remove toxins from energy points on the back), Dagdagay (a foot massage using bamboo sticks to stimulate the immune system and rebalance energy) and hilot (deep-tissue massage to release stress).

Shodhana Karma (“cleansing therapy”) is taken from the Ayurvedic tradition, with a few Mandala twists. First, you are massaged with a special mix of sesame oil and calamus-root powder, which penetrate into your skin and draw out toxins. Next you sweat out these toxins in a sauna, which are then cleansed off with a Springtime Scrub of essences and oils. After the last indulgent step, lying under a Vichy shower that felt like rain, we felt to our amazement that all of our stress-induced aches and pains had melted away.

After all this attention to our needs and enjoyment, there was one more romantic ritual we did together: each writing out a personal wish which was later attached to a tiny bamboo banca and released by us into the waters off Boracay. As we left the Mandala gates, we again entered a world of chaotic tricycles, noisy bars, diesel fumes and swarming humanity. But, bidding goodbye to the hidden side of Boracay, it was actually possible to forget all of this static for a few more precious hours, at least until we hit Manila.

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The Citibank-Mandala offer is just one of over 40,000 available to Citibank cardholders in outstanding establishments spanning over 30 countries, across Asia Pacific and the world. It is part of Citibank World Privileges, an exclusive privilege program that allows Citibank cardholders to enjoy special discounts and offers from shopping, travel, spas to dining and more. To enjoy these offers, they simply need to ask for Citibank World Privileges when they charge to their Citibank Card at participating merchants locally or abroad. For inquiries on Mandala Spa & Villas and its Romantic Getaway Package, call +63 36 288-5858 or e-mail reservations @mandalaspa.com.