The beauty of Boracay
THE PEPPER MILL by Pepper Teehankee / The Philippine Star

Paradise is an understatement when describing Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, the first international deluxe resort on Boracay Island. The hillside resort is set on a flourishing nature reserve located on the northern part of the island. The luxury of first-class facilities and conveniences goes beyond the resort and is extended to guests on their journey to the island.

Upon landing at the Caticlan Airport, I was met by a resort representative who escorted me to the van that brought me to a private lounge where refreshments awaited. At the exclusive jetty port area, I was whisked off by the resort’s speedboat for 15 minutes to meet GM Mark Kirk, director of communications Patricia Javier and communications executive Demi Redoble. I was accompanied to my room and shown the facilities around the hotel.

The 12-hectare resort has 219 rooms including 36 villas and suites, comprehensive leisure facilities and 350 meters of secluded beachfront. Deluxe rooms measure 60 sq. m., all with balconies and sea views. Villas are butler-serviced retreats – each villa measuring a minimum of 108 sq. m. – with private plunge pools

and whirlpools. Eleven tree top villas have a fabulous view of the sea, the sunset and private Jacuzzi on the second level of each villa.

The seafood restaurant Sirena offers fresh favorites (try the fresh lobster!) from a cliff overlooking the sea while the Solana Sunset Bar is the hub of activity after dark. The la mien or hand-pulled noodles in the Coffee Shop are tasty and it is a delightful experience to watch how the noodles are made. The wood-fired thin crust pizzas by the pool bar is great for merienda.

Chi The Spa at Shangri-La is nearly 6,000 sq. m. and is located at the northern tip of the resort. It offers five single villas, four couple’s villas and a private Grand Kalakal Villa that can accommodate four persons. A 12-meter lap pool is within the landscaped garden.
Chi features treatments based on ancient Chinese and Himalayan healing philosophies as well as ingredients and practices with local origins. Among the popular Chi Sense of Place treatments is the Sand and Sea, a scrub that makes use of white silica sand, natural sea salts and virgin coconut oil to exfoliate the skin, as well as stimulate lymphatic circulation to aid in detoxification.

The Aklan Duet Massage captivates the body and mind as two therapists work on opposite ends of the body, performing a harmonizing facial and foot reflex therapy massage at the same time. Other must-try scrubs are the Sampaguita Skin Polish that combines the fragrance of the country’s national flower and the natural grounds of patola for a lasting radiant glow and the Sinaw Skin Scrub that combines calamansi and pomelo applied with crushed coconut shells and shea butter. Palina Hilot revitalizes the senses with a four-handed massage of two therapists on the body.

The resort’s recreational facilities include a health club, one of the country’s largest free-form swimming pools, a marine center, a watersports

pavilion and two outdoor tennis courts. Its Entertainment Center and Adventure Zone offer everything from giant slides to the latest video games to a karaoke system in private rooms.
Situated on an island where potable water is a scarce resource, the resort has its own desalination plant. The resort is able to treat salt water and convert it to clean, potable water safe for human consumption. Currently, the desalination plant supplies up to 30 percent of the resort’s water consumption.

The resort is not only guaranteed of a reliable potable water supply but more importantly, this eases the strain on such a vital resource on the island. Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa is surrounded by an eco-reserve and it recognizes its responsibility in creating a natural sanctuary for the marine life, flora and fauna that thrive on the island.

During the resort’s inception stages, Haribon Foundation, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Philippine biodiversity, was commissioned to identify and survey the different species of plants that covered the property. Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa regularly organizes activities that encourage care for the environment. The resort has participated in World Coastal Care Day with employees gathering for the hotel’s beachfront clean-up, which now takes place at least twice a month. The resort is situated in a locale known as Barangay Yapak.

The support for Barangay Yapak is enhanced with the resort’s pledge to put bright students through high school by way of a scholarship fund. This pledge goes as far as giving the scholars the option of employment in the resort after graduation.
The resort has recently been named into the Conde Nast Hot List 2010 and the Travel + Leisure It List of 2010.

People who know me know I am not fond of the beach or sand but I shall make an exception for Shangri-La Boracay! In fact, I am headed back there for some R&R.