At Large
Lean time in Boracay

BY RINA DAVID-JIMENEZ

Henry Chusuey says he started visiting Boracay in the 1980s “when the only accommodations available were nipa huts.” Today, he is the biggest hotelier on the island, with three resort hotels offering more than 600 rooms to visitors.
The Iloilo-based businessman, once known as the city’s “movie house king” while running his family’s chain of movie houses, was looking for business opportunities after independent movie houses were driven out of business by the malls and cineplexes invading urban areas around the country. With a group of investors, he decided to put up a “small” hotel in 1998 called Boracay Regency on a site chosen, he explains, “because it had a good supply of underground water.” Fortuitously, Boracay Regency also stands smack in the center of the island’s action, being just a short stroll away from D’Mall on the island’s central Station 2.
At the same time, says Chusuey, he was driven by “Filipino pride,” determined to build a hotel that would meet international standards and lift the quality of Philippine hostelry.
The original 30-room Boracay Regency expanded over the years, and has now become the largest hotel on the island with 285 rooms, three distinct pool areas, landscaped gardens, its own in-house spa, and an iconic fountain featuring water flowing down a flight of stairs. Recently, the Regency group added two more locations to expand its offerings: the upscale Regency Lagoon with 120 rooms and accessible through Boracay’s main road, billed as an “adults only” hotel; and Boracay Garden, formerly the Seraph Hotel just beside the Regency. With 201 rooms, Boracay Garden brings the number of rooms under the Regency Group to just over 600 rooms, undisputedly the biggest operation on the island.
Boracay Garden used to be owned by a group of Korean investors and catered to a largely Korean market, which makes up the biggest segment of foreign visitors to Boracay. Though diminished somewhat by the global economic crisis, the Korean market is enjoying a resurgence, and although Korean tour groups still make up a valuable clientele, Chusuey says they are expanding Boracay Garden’s marketing efforts to reach out to more Filipino tourists as well as other nationalities.
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At the same time, Chusuey is president of The Boracay Foundation Inc., a group of business people and locals working to protect the island’s environment, look after the interests of both investors and residents, and promote business on the island.
For now, Chusuey finds himself the spokesman for the aggrieved locals, chafing at remarks that Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim rather injudiciously shared with the media recently. Reflecting on the tourism situation, Lim expressed the opinion that Boracay was becoming an “outdated” destination, citing problems like the alleged algae pollution on White Beach and the poor sewerage system. Lim added that there were too many “small” establishments on Boracay and that he favored hotels and resorts built and managed by huge multinationals.
“Before he opened his mouth to the media,” says Chusuey over dinner with a group of media people, “Secretary Lim should have checked the scientific basis for his remarks.” The algae growth, he claims, “has always been present on White Beach,” especially during the warm months, and may not be tied to pollution. As president of BFI, Chusuey has already sent a letter to Lim expressing the group’s sentiments though they are still waiting for a reply.
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THE habagat or westerly wind season in Boracay has been delayed, so days are still warm and balmy, although visitors must still prepare for rain in the afternoons and evenings.
But just to make sure, establishments along the beachfront have put up windbreakers, temporary bamboo, wood, nipa and plastic “walls” designed to keep out sea water and sand that blow inland when the habagat strikes.
And though there are still tourist arrivals from the rest of the country and abroad, the island is now in the midst of a “lean” season. That might just be good news for locals, who can avail themselves of lower rates and more attractive offers. SEAir offers a special lean season promo for all flights to Boracay until Oct. 15, with one-way tickets going for as low as P1,235. It has also increased flights from Cebu to Caticlan (and back) to six times a week.
Passengers are flown on the Dornier 328 that enables SEAir to offer the fastest flights to Boracay at just 35 minutes. Capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) with full pay load, the planes are the most appropriate for the small runway of Caticlan.
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Both Seair and Boracay Garden are also offering its “Boracay Free and Easy Package” that includes roundtrip airfare from Manila, Cebu or Clark, three days’ accommodation, daily breakfast, and land and sea transfers. The promo is valid until Oct. 15.
The former Hotel Seraph (so-called because it features a huge “angel” sculpture and two angel-shaped pools) stands on a two-hectare property with some rooms enjoying direct access to the pool. Rooms in this wing feature heavy, ornate wooden furniture that give them a feeling of solidity. (I had a hard time climbing up the huge bed.) “It’s still a work in progress,” says Chusuey, gesturing around the garden where we were having our outdoor dinner. In the coming months, he said, he plans to transfer the gym to another location and use its glass-encased structure for a continental restaurant. Also in the offing is a new dining pavilion.
So while it’s “lean” season in Boracay, it’s lean only in terms of tourist arrivals. The island itself, despite Lim’s observations, still retains its charms and bustling night-time atmosphere. There’s no better time to visit than now.