travel #11 Weekend full of surprises in Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa

A weekend full of surprises in Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa

I have always loved the Shangri-La whenever I go to Boracay. i choose it over Discovery for the same reason that most people do not like it for: it is far, isolated from the main beach’s craziness and massive throngs of people. I don’t mean to be snobbish —
I only love privacy and quiet time each chance i get to enjoy it in Boracay and there has never been a better place but Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa.

What I have always loved about Shangri-La Boracay, aside from its isolation from the main beach, is the superior level of attention to detail the resort puts in making your stay memorable and hassle free. After all, it is the little details that make a stay wonderful. From booking to transfers from the airport to the resort, to check-in, to the daily turndown service to check-out. After four stays each with a minimum of three nights, we could truly say, Shangri-La Boracay is one of the finest in the country, and definitely better than Discovery Shores and the best choice when in Boracay.

lets fly

our destination from cebu going to caticlan

Getting to Boracay is a bit complicated. First, airlines use two airports: Kalibo and Caticlan. Kalibo is bigger but much farther. If you’re landing at Caticlan Airport, lucky you. You will save yourself from additional two hours of land travel.

From Caticlan airport, you will be taking two more modes of transportation: a short tricycle ride to the jetty and a 15-minute boat ride to the island.

Boracay doesn’t have an airport, locals and tourists have to take a boat from Caticlan Port on the neighbouring island of Panay. Often packed with hoards of party-seeking travellers, catching the public boat can be a hectic experience. Guests of Shangri-La get to avoid all of this by travelling through the resort’s exclusive departure lounge and private jetty. I felt an immediate sense of calm as I stepped inside the lounge. Immaculate staff welcomed us through the doors and after 5 minutes of sipping on ice-cold water we were shown the way to our private speedboat.

closer view.. boat ride..The 4 buildings on the lower part are your hotel type rooms. While those on top are your lofts with individual lap pools. Impressive.

There are many reasons why this resort has become our family’s top choice. It is one of the newest, the biggest and the most private amongst all the resorts in the island. It is, in fact, the first and only international deluxe hotel and resort in Boracay.

The 4 buildings on the lower part are your hotel type rooms. While those on top are your lofts with individual lap pools. Impressive..its really an amazing place to visit sangri-La looks like the ideal place to enjoy it. I love that it’s eco-friendly too!

In our case, we were led to our room by LOURDES. She was really helpful in giving advices and tips on what to do in the resort and of course in BORACAY.

this what's inside of the room we rented

well stocked bar and Complimentary coffee and Dilmah tea.

well stocked bar and Complimentary coffee and Dilmah tea.

Closet with all the essentials. Like rubber flipflops, huge bathrobes, iron board, and other needs.

Excellent couch...Why? Well I slept on it for two nights. =)

And of course the bed They fix the bed for you and place a snack too. Aside from that, they have a linen on the side of your bed just so that your feet won't touch the cold floor in the middle of the night.

yum yum yum for my starving tummy

so lets go now enjoy the beach and the facilities..

another selfie.. =) sorry guys..

THE IMMACULATE POOL AREA

There are two beaches within the resort, one of which is totally private (Banyugan Beach) and the other is semi-private (Punta Bunga Beach). Behind the private beach is the hotel pool; an impressive design of waterways, jetpools, bridges and fountains. A separate, smaller infinity pool stretches right out over Banyugan Beach and overlooks the crashing turquoise waves. The water feels immaculately clean and I loved the intricate dark blue tiling, which spread throughout the entire pool complex.

THE SPECTACULAR TREE HOUSE VILLAS

We stayed in a Premiere Sea View room, but I also got to check out all the different villa types during my stay. The spectacular tree house villas were by far the most impressive, and look like something from ‘Grand Designs’ (a UK TV programme about innovative property design). Located close to Rima at the top of the resort’s hillside, the tree house villas definitely provide the best panoramic views of the resort. The expansive duplex villas have a jaw-dropping outdoor deck with Jacuzzi and the ‘bathtub with a view’ is another talking point. Staying in one of these villas would be a phenomenal experience, but not one I’d recommend if you’re scared of heights!

THE LIND BORACAY

In an ideal world I would write about a hotel close to the time of my stay. But I am so far away from my ideal world that I am writing about The Lind.

HEADING TO FRONT BEACH

The Lind manages to strike a balance between being well spread out and cozy. It is not as far spread so that you need to use golf carts or buggies. But at no point do you feel that all guests have bunched into one area. I like cozy places and to me The Lind was one such experience.

my prada is having a good time on this place

taking few more steps along the crystal beach

again happy tummy no more care about my figures.. no more diet..

TANNING SESSION

View from the Hotel Balcony!

I would love to go back to The Lind Boracay as it is a cozy place, has excellent location and friendly staff. If you are looking for a chic hotel by the White Beach do consider The Lind!

There are two things I learned from this experience:
One,
An excellent stay is always a collaboration between guest and the resort/hotel. Topnotch services thrive in good feedback from their most loyal customers. If we do not give feedback, how can service improve to exceed our expectations? If we truly care about our experiences, shouldn’t we go out of our way to build it together with those who work so hard to provide it?

Two,
What sets the mediocre apart from the best is the ability to turn things around and set the record right. This requires agility to respond fast, the leadership and will to exceed expectations. The ability to correct what was wrong and go beyond simply meeting expectations and leave a lasting impression that it has done well in doing so — that’s what sets the benchmark high that only a few can do.

Shangri-La Boracay has turned this around on its head making sure there is no such indelible bad experience it will leave behind, uncorrected.

We thank Shangri-La (Keith, Jeszreel in particular) for caring so much to turn feedback into action and for exceeding expectation when it corrected what was wrong, an authentic move to admit fault and set the record right.

The dinner was a bonus, a delighter that sealed the weekend off in a truly memorable, surprising fashion only a Shangri-La could provide.

Till next time.

I can't stop saying how I am impressed with everything. From the facilities to the staff, Shangrila Boracay anticipate and delivers.

The sleep quality was excellent and the facilities top notch. Next up, Things to do in Shangrila.

SHANGRILA BORACAY
Boracay Island, Aklan, Philippines
(036) 288 4988
(63 2) 841 9686
www.shangri-la.com/boracay

Special thanks to my IDOLS @sweetsssj and @knozaki2015
long live, more travel