MANILA, Philippines - Barely an hour after we buckled up and got ourselves some sweet shut-eye, our Seair plane was gliding over Caticlan ready for a nice and easy touchdown close to lunchtime one fine Saturday. Already shriveled under the scorching sun that threatened to reduce us to dried danggit, we were relieved to find ice-cold towels and drinks/mineral water waiting for us. A speedboat was to whisk us off to Boracay, and as soon as we sank our flip-flop-shod feet into the powdery sand of Bora, we knew a whole stretch of adventure lay ahead. Bora habitues know this only too well. But we’re talking about Bora virgins here. Like me.
No Room for the Blues in this Green Resort
Our home in Bora for this sweet-but-brief weekend is the Boracay Garden Resort managed by Boracay Regency. Formerly called Hotel Seraph (a Korean-owned hotel), Boracay Garden Resort sits on a nearly two-hectare lush property located at the center of Station 2, Balabag, Boracay and boasts Triple A rating with its landscaped gardens, 201 well-appointed rooms, some of them with their own private swimming pools. Simply open the sliding door to the porch and step into your swimming pool. Talk about a pool’s paradise!
Amid the refreshing greenery and the promise of a colorful weekend, you know there’s no room for the blues at Boracay Garden Resort. And soon, you’ll find out why you can never erase Bora from your memory.
Check-in is a breeze at Boracay Garden Resort. But instead of going to our rooms, we head straight to the al fresco restaurant and bar for lunch. A humongous serving of seafood chowder immediately warms our growling stomachs — and our weary spirits.
Rib It Up
The seasoned Chef Mario Gatmaitan who cooks up Italian, Mediterranean as well as native favorites for the Boracay Regency Group never fails to please even the most finicky palate. For our welcome lunch, Chef Mario whips up a double treat: baby back ribs with the hotel’s hickory barbecue sauce and steamed lapu-lapu in ginger and light soy sauce. Chef Mario, also the food and beverage manager of Boracay Regency Beach Resort and Convention Center, loves to pamper his guests by giving them set menus consisting of a duo of dishes — deliciously pairing meat and seafood — just so guests have a choice. Fast-forward to dinner: We’re having the Surf & Turf, which is fillet mignon and tiger prawns in lemon butter sauce. For lunch the following day, Chef Mario makes sure we don’t leave Bora without tasting the place’s famous chicken inasal that’s cooked in garlic, ginger, fresh herbs, and freshly ground pepper. Now, you know why it’s called chicken with an attitude.
For the early risers, Garden Café serves a staggering breakfast fare from 6 a.m. until past 10 a.m. as well as a la carte dishes. For a little night of music and fun, bonding moments, the resort has seven private KTV rooms with modern equipment. Boracay Regency also boasts its gazebo grill, available at the beachfront from 6 to 10:30 p.m. As the sun dips into the sea, you can dig into such fresh offerings as lobsters, crabs, tiger prawns, clams that are grilled right before your delighted eyes.
But there’s also food for the soul in this garden resort. “I wanted this place to look like a beautiful garden so we even got stones from Indonesia, like the ones you see in Bali,” says Henry Chusuey, chairman of the Boracay Regency Group. “A resort needs space so we’ve invested in a 1.6-hectare property. The air is good in this part of Boracay. And our beachfront is cleaned every day.”
The beaming Boracay Regency honcho adds, “We’re very proud of our newest acquisition. Boracay Garden Resort’s cozy ambience makes your stay in the island truly enjoyable and relaxing.”
Boracay Garden Resort, barely 15 minutes to the airport, is very centrally located. Location, location, location! But it’s also about space, space, space, which the resort certainly has lots and lots of. The spacious rooms each have a private terrace, WiFi access, bath tub with a separate shower area, individually controlled air-conditioning, cable television, direct dial phone, in-room safe, coffee and tea-making facilities and a personal refrigerator. Cool! If the sun gets too hot for comfort, you can simply stay in your room and enjoy the amenities.
The Gospel According To Hey Jude
Bright and early Sunday morning, we join the horde of faithfuls trooping to church to hear Mass and listen to the Gospel according to St. Luke. After sundown, we find ourselves with a herd of nocturnal devotees flocking to d mall to tune in to the gospel according to Hey Jude, one of Bora’s hottest happening places.
Surely, you wouldn’t want to miss out on all the things that people go to Bora for: beach bumming; swimming; doing assorted water activities, the latest being zorbing (globe-riding or rolling in an orb); hiking/mountain biking; island hopping; party hopping; shopping; riding the wheel at d mall; getting tattooed and/or braided; going sunset cruising; going horseback riding; wining and dining, but of course! With its assorted gargantuan food offerings, there’s something for every kind of craving — certainly the place to be for those with Bora-cious appetites.
Did we forget anything?
Oh, yes, get a massage! Well, you get the best massage on the island at the Kai Regency Spa. From the menu of treatments that promise to soothe your soul and senses, I gingerly choose the 60-minute well-being Swedish massage. Tess Arrieta is my masseuse. She ushers me to the Imperial Suite and I submit myself to some royal pampering. With all the kneading I get under her skilled hands, I turn into a putty, all the knots and kinks in my body, along with the workaday stresses, smoothened out. Talk about people who knead people!
For the past 12 years, Boracay Regency has carved a niche in the market for its prime location, excellent rooms, good food, first-rate facilities, and quality service. Expect a lot more as Boracay Garden Resort undergoes a multi-million renovation.
There’s a glow in the eyes of Henry Chusuey when he talks about future plans for the Boracay Garden Resort, one of his babies. Henry’s wife Annalisa shares in his paternal pride and excitement. Following in his father’s giant footsteps is the 21-year-old Alfons Chusuey, who graduated cum laude from the College of St. Benilde with a degree in hotel and restaurant institutional management. The eldest of three children, Alfons is fast learning the ropes of running a resort hotel.
Boracay Garden Resort appeals to all kinds of tourists, foreign and local, with different budgets and tastes. And now, you have another pretty good reason to fly via Seair (Southeast Asian Airlines) and stay at Boracay Garden Resort. Seair and Boracay Garden Resort recently announced their discounted travel package to the island, which includes roundtrip airfare, three days’ accommodation, daily breakfast and dinner with land and sea transfers for as low as P8,994 per person for double occupancy and P8,406 for triple occupancy. Promo runs from June 16 to September 30.
Boasting the fastest flights to Boracay at 35 minutes with the Dornier 328, Seair also offers complimentary transfers for all Boracay-bound passengers, minimum check-in time of only 35 minutes before the flight, short queues at the airports, fastest baggage claim, and discounts and privileges in partner establishments in Boracay and Manila.
“We want our passengers to travel without any hassle so they can enjoy every minute of their vacation,” says Patrick Tan, Seair VP for commercial affairs. “Seair is truly the airline of choice and the most convenient way to go to the country’s top leisure spots.”
Did Patrick say the hottest spots? It can only get hotter in Bora.
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For inquiries on room rates, packages, and reservations, call Boracay Garden Resort’s Manila booking office at 353-1111 or e-mail manilareservations@boracaygarden.com.ph.
To purchase tickets, visit www.FlySeair.com or call 849-0100. For packages, call Seair Leisure Escape Packages at 843-7308. Join Seair Facebook Fan Page for updates on promos and new routes.