Planning to go this holiday break? Haven’t seen the new and improved World’s Best Island mainstay? Bringing balikbayan visitors this Christmas? Keep this handy guide to help you navigate the new Boracay so you can maximize your stay.
Movenpick Boracay
Perfect for: Luxury travelers
Come here for: The ultimate in luxury and privacy.
Chain brands like Movenpick follow exacting international standards, which you should come to expect in all of their hotels—except that no other Movenpick in the world can boast of Boracay’s powdery white beaches. Located at Station Zero, with its exclusive beach at the Punta Bunga Cove, the five-star Movenpick is set on a lush tropical landscape that gives guests a sense of utmost privacy. And thanks to the 3,300-square-meter multi-level pools, you’ll feel like you have your own personal oasis (no bumping into someone’s elbow or foot when you’re doing your laps).
This sense of indulgence extends to its restaurants. Movenpick’s team of chefs prepares beautifully crafted dishes in seven of its dining outlets. The star of the show? Italian restaurant Brezza’s Quattro Formaggio, which may be the best cheese pizza you’ll try anywhere in the Philippines. Baked in the restaurant’s signature brick oven, which serves as the centerpiece of this open-layout restaurant, the P600 four-cheese pizza is famous island-wide, along with the Pizza Vongole.
If you want to go to the main island to party, Movenpick offers free shuttles, but why stray when Sol Marina, the resort club, offers great party music on scene with a live DJ, and some of the best cocktails while you have an uninterrupted view of the breathtaking sunset.
Movenpick has the youngest, hippest vibe in the Station Zero location. Coming with family? The Kids Club offers activities like pizza and cookie making, bracelet making and fish feeding—and you can leave your children to enjoy movies and video games. Movie nights for kids are also offered, so Mom and Dad can enjoy the Boracay night in silence.
Don’t miss: Chocolate hour! What could be more luxurious than one hour eat-all-you-can chocolate hour? Swiss perfection!—KRIZETTE CHU
Coast Hotel
Perfect for: Families with small children
Come here for: The best service on the island—bar none.
Coast Hotel is a 71-room beachfront property in Station 2 that is known not just for its homey feel and excellent location (as well as a Netflix-enabled Smart TV in every room), but also its topnotch service.
Here, the staff know you by name, and will create special pancakes with their name on it to surprise your little ones, enthusiastically assist you so you can have a special banig or lounge bed by the beach front, or provide you with free popcorn and ice cream. It’s not a luxury hotel, but customer service is top of mind for the resort, which is managed by the Raintree Group. Families with young kids will appreciate its comfortable Sealy beds, its wildly Instagrammable interiors with tropical themed, pineapple-stenciled walls—and because it’s managed by Raintree, which also has great restaurants in its rosters—its excellent homegrown restaurant, with an ever-changing menu depending on the weather, like introducing bulalo on rainy days, planned by executive chef Kalel Chan.
“We don’t consider ourselves a luxury hotel,” says general manager Randy Salvador, “just a little bit upscale, but our rates are just half the price of luxury brands.” And yet, the Coast arrival experience includes luxury hotel perks, like an exclusive van and speedboat to bring you to the resort.
Eco-conscious travelers will also appreciate that the resort, post Boracay closure, has gone green and use completely zero plastic. It uses bamboo straws at the restaurant, has put water dispensers everywhere so that you only have a glass pitcher and tumblers in your room, and uses laundry bags that are reusable. Shampoo bottles are biodegradable, soap dispensers are available, and no plastic cutlery is available on the premises.
Interior designer Erik Richard has also collaborated with Yakang Yaka Barter to create beautiful handmade pieces from Mindanao weavers to give this mid-century designed hotel a uniquely Filipino touch to go with its remarkable Filipino hospitality.
That, and the excellent customer service, has made this small, unassuming hotel on Station 2 the best rated number one hotel in Boracay by Tripadvisor.
Don’t miss: The island’s best breakfast buffet. Coast is famous for its ube champarado—its signature breakfast item you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else.—KRIZETTE CHU
The Lind Boracay
Perfect for: Couples
Come here for: Romantic getaways.
Nestled on the edge of White Beach’s Station 1, the five-star hotel has one of the most beautiful vantage points overlooking the beach and the sunset, making it the perfect spot on the island for people in love. A beachfront property with 119 rooms and the only establishment in Boracay with a ballroom that affords a great view of the sunset vista, The Lind Hotels is a premier lifestyle hotel that is both a relaxing summer paradise and a coastal playground for the city-weary jet set who favors a more active approach to downtime. Its interiors, stylish with a touch of quirk, by Manny Samson are unique at every corner, yet all designs fit together seamlessly in every nook and cranny of every room, indoor and outdoor. Some of the amenities include a full functioning gym, lap pool, kiddie pool, infinity pool, Jacuzzi, Kid’s Club (playroom for children of all ages), and a spa. Meanwhile, the ballroom, enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass windows, could accommodate 280 banquet guests, and has an outdoor viewing deck. It is also among the most sought-after locations for weddings and events in Boracay.
One of the best activities when staying over at this hotel is a massage session in The Spa, the country’s leading brand in luxury wellness and Lind’s partner. For food, The Lind Boracay owns three restaurants namely the beach bar and café Crust, +36, and all-day dining Tartine. Crust takes pride in having a rustic brick oven, in-house made pizza dough, breads, pastries, and noodles. +36 on the other hand, is named after Boracay’s area code, designed to resemble a sophisticated salon. It specializes in mid-day snacks, quiet cups of coffee, or gin and tonic. Last but definitely not the least, Tartine, whose name was inspired by the French open-faced sandwich famous for its elaborate spreads, serves international flavors ranging from continental classics to the savory tastes of Asia. These three food places are helmed by top-notch chefs with extensive experience in banqueting and fine dining. Room sizes vary from a cozy 47 to a spacious 181 square meters, all of which have balconies, and beds with a thread count of at least 300. In its earnest desire to preserve the cleanliness of the rehabilitated Boracay and to push for sustainability, the establishment has joined the #AyokoNgPlastik campaign by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) by replacing single use plastic water bottles with carton containers and utilizing special biodegradable packaging for their toiletries. The Lind Boracay is the flagship property under Scottland Leisure Inc.’s The Lind Hotels. Four years after it first opened, it is still one of the best hotels on the island.
Don’t miss: BBQ and Wine Dinner Buffet every Tuesday, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. , at Crust on the newly expanded beachfront. Priced at P1,100 per person without wine and P1,600 with wine, the eat-all-you-can comes with live entertainment. —JULES VIVAS
Belmont Hotel Boracay
Perfect for: Budget travelers who appreciate value
Come here for: The solitude and peace the private hotel and beach resort has to offer. Located at Boracay Newcoast, this hotel is among the new properties in the recently developed area on the other side of the island. Far from the crowd that pack the stretch of the main stations, here, only the hotel guests have access to the white sand beach, providing privacy and quiet space for everyone. Aside from this, Belmont Hotel Boracay is also strategically built within the sloping area, giving each guest room an overlooking view of the eastern beach of Boracay. And if the main station flaunts its majestic view of the sunset, on this side, guests shouldn’t miss the breathtaking view of the sunrise. As the sun slowly reveals itself early in the morning, its image reflects in the crystal-clear ocean blue water, cascading a warm feeling that promises a new hope and a new beginning. Couples and backpackers will also enjoy the gastronomic food choices at Belmont Café, from Filipino to Mediterranean, and of course, mouth-watering desserts. An advocate of sustainable dining, the restaurant supports local. From vegetables t seafood, it sources its ingredients from the local farmers. By doing so, each dish is fresh, fair, and sustainable.
Don’t miss: The Belmont Café’s signature halo-halo. Instead of using regular ice, the café churns ice in an ice cream machine, producing sweet, buttery, milky ice, making it unnecessary to add milk or sugar to each serving.—JESSICA PAG-IWAYAN
Savoy Hotel, Boracay
Perfect for: Barkadas who want good, clean partying
Come here for: the fun yet green, uncompromised #ForeverSummer island vibe! Located at the master-planned Newcoast township, it is deemed by locals as the “bonggang” side of Boracay with calmer breeze, finer sand, and fewer people. Savoy is more of a “fun” than a posh hotel with a color palette of magenta, azure blue, and red. Each hotel room—deluxe, premier deluxe, and executive suite—comes with a contemporary high island vibe and a private balcony that offers the perfect vantage point for those seeking seascape and a view of the sunrise. It is also one’s ticket to see what’s hot and happening by the Chambery Pool Bar—the first concert pool in Boracay. This pool bar with colorful floaters and mini bridges boasts of Boracay’s freshest fruit shakes and experimental cocktails that make use of the island’s spirits.
Patrons’ favorite Vienne Lobby Lounge was rebuilt into an in-house restaurant with the same name, serving an array of Western and Asian fusion dishes such as Singapore’s favorite, the Hainanese chicken rice, and Gambas Al Ajillo, a Spanish-style garlic shrimp, among others. Savoy also brings Ibiza indoors with Zabana Bar that houses fine wines and local beers. To maintain Boracay’s reinvigorated shores, Savoy spearheads activities among the Newcoast community like hosting a Saturday morning clean-up drive with a hearty breakfast amid the sunrise.
Don’t miss: the complimentary bike tour around the Newcoast vicinity! You can join in on the cycling fun every Saturday at 5 p.m. and Tuesday at 6 a.m.—VIANCA GAMBOA
Feliz Hotel Boracay
Perfect for: Families and children
Come here for: If you’re planning on a chill island getaway with the whole family, then the newly-opened Feliz Hotel Boracay is the place to be. With its strategic location in the middle of D’Mall District at Station 2, everything this bustling island has to offer is literally within reach. Souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, and concession stands are lined up right across the hotel. Just a few steps away, tourists are guided to the beautiful sight of the island’s famous white-sand beach.
Meanwhile, staying inside Feliz Hotel Boracay is like being at a luxurious home. Upon entering its massive 18-foot doors, guests are greeted with the quaint mix of Latin American culture and the Philippines’ tropical charm in its interior decorations. The 80 rooms in the hotel also boast of massive spaces varying from 27 to 46 sqms studios and 52 to 72 sqms suite rooms that can conveniently accommodate couples with children.
Apart from its 24-hour reception and room service, the hotel staff also sees to the enjoyment of every family member through its fitness center, in-room massage services, and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Just like most hotels in Boracay, it also has a kiddie and an adult swimming pool that are kid-friendly at depths of two feet and four feet, respectively.
The food experience is also something families shouldn’t miss. Sticking true to its theme, the hotel mostly serves mouthwatering Latin cuisines like its seafood and meat paellas, chicken croquette, and delectable churros at La Plaza restaurant. On the other hand, its rooftop restaurant Buenavista serves pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches, as well as cocktails.
“We are really excited about Feliz Hotel Boracay. It is truly a great addition to the new Boracay island experience where it offers the perfect balance between fun and relaxation. We aim to redefine the travel experience through top-notch amenities and impeccable service with the iconic Boracay as its backdrop,” says general manager Jun Delos Santos.
Don’t miss: Watching the sunset at the hotel’s rooftop. Whether you and your family are swimming at the kid-friendly pools or enjoying a hearty meal at Buenavista, the majestic view of Boracay’s sunset is a must-see! —KRISTELLE BECHAYDA
