Finally, a real vacation for a Boracay veteranBY MA. STELLA F. BERNALDO
There are two types of people who go to Boracay.
One is the young party animal who wants to drink and mess around all night after spending most of the day getting a tan at the beach during sizzling summers. She is also among those who annoyingly call the island “Bora”, and is possibly still a “virgin” in terms of the number of visits to the southern playground. (Less than five visits is still strictly a “virgin” from where I sit.) She is the one who will furiously pray that she can get cheap rooms on Station 1 that will open up to the beach.
Then there is the island veteran who just wants to commune with nature—spend an early morning or late afternoon at the beach, or go trekking in the forests. She can go to Boracay any time of the year, already well-acquainted with its charms, whether it is at the height of summer, in rainy weather, amihan, habagat, even stormy weather.
She no longer requires a beachfront location as she is just on the island for a real get-away-from-it-all vacation. She will try to sleep in, or maybe catch up on her reading, check out what her friends working/living on the island have been busying themselves with while she had been stuck in Manila. And, yes, perhaps grab a glass or two of sangria while shooting the breeze with them, with some relaxing lounge music playing in the background.
I suppose you can tell that I am the latter type, having been visiting Boracay since the early ’80s when there were very few resorts and all we had was the long stretch of powdery white sand to amuse us. (That and supercold San Miguels if the resort/restaurant could manage it without their refrigerator conking out, what with the intermittent power.)
There was no segregation between Stations 1, 2 and 3 then, because the entire beach and its waters were still superclean. So whichever resort on the island you stayed in, mostly beach huts cooled by electric fans, was just fine. I suppose my minimum requirement then was just a hut with adequate indoor plumbing; but even then, we still had to contend with the buhos type, as a real sewage system and running water were still pretty much a dream at the time.
Over the years, however, I have pared down my visits to the island in the face of untamed commercial development, which has put it in a precarious environmental condition. It seemed as if one morning I just woke up on the island and there were just too many people, too much noise and tons of garbage. It’s been heartbreaking.
The first week of December 2009, however, was a great time to be on Boracay. (I normally choose to go there during the slow season.) There were enough clouds in the sky to obscure the searing sun, and there were still some moments of serious sweater weather in the evenings. Mercifully, there were very few people to bump into on the beach.
My friends and I stayed in a wonderfully quaint new establishment called Hotel Soffia, owned by former Asian Spirit majority owner and professional pilot Archie Po. Nestled on a hill in sitio Hagdan, barangay Yapak, past the chi-chi splendor of some of the most expensive resorts on Station 1, the boutique hotel with its whitewashed walls stands out against the cobalt blue sky. From a distance, it slightly resembles a Mediterranean cliffside, and no wonder it does: Santorini, Greece, is the favorite spot on earth of Archie. Architect/interior designer/master plumber Chi-chi Victoriano, who did the Amorita Hotel in Bohol, designed the Soffia, which is also considered an environmental marvel as it uses only natural lighting aside from energy-saving light bulbs and solar heaters. More impressively, the Soffia also filters its waste in a leaching field, which produces fertilizer, instead of just emptying the waste into the island’s sewerage system.
The hotel also replicates the Santorini experience as the property has a breathtaking 340-degree view of the island resort, from the wide expanse of the ocean in the distance, to the forests at the back, and the lush greenery of a nearby golf course.
Inside, the rooms are distinctly designed with splashes of color from the colorful tiles that adorn the room number, to the bed linens and lighting fixtures. Also, the beds are of the orthopedic type used in high-end hotels such that every time your back lays down on it, it guarantees a restful sleep each night.
On the premises is an infinity pool with an enthralling view of the ocean. With the island enjoying the lingering caress of cool December breezes, I decided against swimming, although now that it’s summer, I’m pretty sure lounging about there would just be divine. The Soffia features a restaurant, which serves home-cooked Filipino fare with a charming Ilonggo touch.
One is the young party animal who wants to drink and mess around all night after spending most of the day getting a tan at the beach during sizzling summers. She is also among those who annoyingly call the island “Bora”, and is possibly still a “virgin” in terms of the number of visits to the southern playground. (Less than five visits is still strictly a “virgin” from where I sit.) She is the one who will furiously pray that she can get cheap rooms on Station 1 that will open up to the beach.
Then there is the island veteran who just wants to commune with nature—spend an early morning or late afternoon at the beach, or go trekking in the forests. She can go to Boracay any time of the year, already well-acquainted with its charms, whether it is at the height of summer, in rainy weather, amihan, habagat, even stormy weather.
She no longer requires a beachfront location as she is just on the island for a real get-away-from-it-all vacation. She will try to sleep in, or maybe catch up on her reading, check out what her friends working/living on the island have been busying themselves with while she had been stuck in Manila. And, yes, perhaps grab a glass or two of sangria while shooting the breeze with them, with some relaxing lounge music playing in the background.
I suppose you can tell that I am the latter type, having been visiting Boracay since the early ’80s when there were very few resorts and all we had was the long stretch of powdery white sand to amuse us. (That and supercold San Miguels if the resort/restaurant could manage it without their refrigerator conking out, what with the intermittent power.)
There was no segregation between Stations 1, 2 and 3 then, because the entire beach and its waters were still superclean. So whichever resort on the island you stayed in, mostly beach huts cooled by electric fans, was just fine. I suppose my minimum requirement then was just a hut with adequate indoor plumbing; but even then, we still had to contend with the buhos type, as a real sewage system and running water were still pretty much a dream at the time.
Over the years, however, I have pared down my visits to the island in the face of untamed commercial development, which has put it in a precarious environmental condition. It seemed as if one morning I just woke up on the island and there were just too many people, too much noise and tons of garbage. It’s been heartbreaking.
The first week of December 2009, however, was a great time to be on Boracay. (I normally choose to go there during the slow season.) There were enough clouds in the sky to obscure the searing sun, and there were still some moments of serious sweater weather in the evenings. Mercifully, there were very few people to bump into on the beach.
My friends and I stayed in a wonderfully quaint new establishment called Hotel Soffia, owned by former Asian Spirit majority owner and professional pilot Archie Po. Nestled on a hill in sitio Hagdan, barangay Yapak, past the chi-chi splendor of some of the most expensive resorts on Station 1, the boutique hotel with its whitewashed walls stands out against the cobalt blue sky. From a distance, it slightly resembles a Mediterranean cliffside, and no wonder it does: Santorini, Greece, is the favorite spot on earth of Archie. Architect/interior designer/master plumber Chi-chi Victoriano, who did the Amorita Hotel in Bohol, designed the Soffia, which is also considered an environmental marvel as it uses only natural lighting aside from energy-saving light bulbs and solar heaters. More impressively, the Soffia also filters its waste in a leaching field, which produces fertilizer, instead of just emptying the waste into the island’s sewerage system.
The hotel also replicates the Santorini experience as the property has a breathtaking 340-degree view of the island resort, from the wide expanse of the ocean in the distance, to the forests at the back, and the lush greenery of a nearby golf course.
Inside, the rooms are distinctly designed with splashes of color from the colorful tiles that adorn the room number, to the bed linens and lighting fixtures. Also, the beds are of the orthopedic type used in high-end hotels such that every time your back lays down on it, it guarantees a restful sleep each night.
On the premises is an infinity pool with an enthralling view of the ocean. With the island enjoying the lingering caress of cool December breezes, I decided against swimming, although now that it’s summer, I’m pretty sure lounging about there would just be divine. The Soffia features a restaurant, which serves home-cooked Filipino fare with a charming Ilonggo touch.
The bestsellers are the lechon kawali and its crispy fried tilapia, dubbed the “flying fish” because the cooked flesh is arranged as wings. Acknowledging that most Boracay vacationers eat at the island’s restaurants, the Soffia’s in-house dining fare is simple and uncomplicated, but still packs a punch in terms of taste.
Although the hotel is on a hill, guests can make full use of the establishment’s vans to travel down to the main beach, which is only eight minutes away. So guests can spend the entire day on the main beach and party until the wee hours of the next morning; all it takes is a text message to the front-desk officer for a van can pick them up and ferried to the hotel.
Although the hotel is on a hill, guests can make full use of the establishment’s vans to travel down to the main beach, which is only eight minutes away. So guests can spend the entire day on the main beach and party until the wee hours of the next morning; all it takes is a text message to the front-desk officer for a van can pick them up and ferried to the hotel.
Because of its great location, Boracay veterans like me will likely start returning to the island again, and be able to enjoy the relative seclusion and quick accessibility to the main beach the establishment affords. With Hotel Soffia, an honest-to-goodness relaxing vacation is now possible on the island again.
***For inquiries: 851-6770 or 853-5809. Check out www.hotelsoffia.com for soft-opening rates.
***For inquiries: 851-6770 or 853-5809. Check out www.hotelsoffia.com for soft-opening rates.
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