Philippine island beach goes upscaleBY YVETTE FERREOL / Bloomberg
When I last visited Boracay about two decades ago, the beach was lined with wooden huts and makeshift eateries. But the extra-fine powdery sand and low-cost accommodations on the Philippine island appealed to budget travelers.
Much has changed on this island 200 miles south of Manila. While you can still find a $10 room, there are more than 100 high-end resorts
My family and I were with a wedding party booked at the Two Seasons resort, named for the country's weather patterns of wet and dry. We had flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations and bathrooms looking out on fenced gardens. Rooms start at 6,000 pesos (about $130) a night.After the reception, we strolled to a more downscale, crowded part of the beach lined with bars and restaurants offering happy-hour discounts and platters of fresh seafood.
Our passage among burger joints, sushi bars, crêperies and a huddle of shops called D'Mall was suddenly arrested by a group of tiny smiling people, some no higher than my elbow. They waved and cajoled us into having a drink at the aptly named Hobbit House.
Its Web site boasts of "the smallest waiters in the world," while its menu features 100 international beers, sizzling beef cheeks and crisp pork trotters.
Lunch the next day involved flagging down what locals call a tricycle -- a motorcycle taxi with a sidecar -- to take us to the talipapa, or wet market, about a kilometer away. Within minutes, we were seated at a banquet of grilled calamari, steamed shellfish and deep-fried fish, with side dishes of sliced green mangoes and fermented shrimp paste.
Our vacation ended at the Mandala Spa & Villas, a tranquil hillside sanctuary of private bamboo and grass huts, where we ordered a three-hour spa package.
When it was all over, we were given sarongs to wear Dorothy Lamour-like, and sat on the veranda sipping ginger tea and soaking in the silence.
My family and I were with a wedding party booked at the Two Seasons resort, named for the country's weather patterns of wet and dry. We had flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations and bathrooms looking out on fenced gardens. Rooms start at 6,000 pesos (about $130) a night.After the reception, we strolled to a more downscale, crowded part of the beach lined with bars and restaurants offering happy-hour discounts and platters of fresh seafood.
Our passage among burger joints, sushi bars, crêperies and a huddle of shops called D'Mall was suddenly arrested by a group of tiny smiling people, some no higher than my elbow. They waved and cajoled us into having a drink at the aptly named Hobbit House.
Its Web site boasts of "the smallest waiters in the world," while its menu features 100 international beers, sizzling beef cheeks and crisp pork trotters.
Lunch the next day involved flagging down what locals call a tricycle -- a motorcycle taxi with a sidecar -- to take us to the talipapa, or wet market, about a kilometer away. Within minutes, we were seated at a banquet of grilled calamari, steamed shellfish and deep-fried fish, with side dishes of sliced green mangoes and fermented shrimp paste.
Our vacation ended at the Mandala Spa & Villas, a tranquil hillside sanctuary of private bamboo and grass huts, where we ordered a three-hour spa package.
When it was all over, we were given sarongs to wear Dorothy Lamour-like, and sat on the veranda sipping ginger tea and soaking in the silence.
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