FOR some inexplicable reason, I was up at 7:30 a.m. even though I was on vacation. I peered through the window slats of my room at the Boracay Regency Beach Resort & Spa and caught a glimpse of the white beach with the sun softly glowing overhead, and puffy white clouds chased each other in the bluest of blue skies.
I gave a little cheer. After all, meteorologists had forecast rain for much of my vacation on the island – my first in three years. Was I ever so glad for them to be wrong.
So for three days I soaked up the sun, swam in the island’s surrounding waters again, and walked barefoot on the softest powdery-white beach.
I noticed that the beach was cleaner; there was no mucky green algae that had become typical of the island practically anytime of the year. The waters seemed to have returned to a more pristine state even on Station 2, that there were actually bigger fish darting about, swimming close to the shore, and playfully nipping at my toes and ankles.
I woke early every day and raced down to take my breakfast at the resort’s ballroom among hundreds of other guests. The buffet tables were laden with a myriad of choices designed to please the palates of both local and foreign guests (e.g., pancakes for the Westerners, congee for the Chinese, kimchi for the Koreans, and sinangag for the Pinoys).
Boracay Regency is quite popular among domestic and foreign travelers being centrally located on Station 2, and also because it has spacious rooms and suites, about 285 of them as of the last count. The resort is currently renovating some areas, expanding dining options, and adding more rooms.
Evening entertainment at the resort was a hoot. Its cooks and waitstaff gleefully danced to Psy’s still wildly popular “Gangnam Style” and other dance tunes. And of course the dancing was so contagious, foreigners would pick up the beat and join in the fun.
I loved swimming in the resort’s pool at the main wing especially after a heavy dinner. It was a way to melt away all the calories accumulated from a day of binge-eating and imbibing an indecent number of alcoholic beverages, before resting in my sleep-inducing bed.
Indeed, the wide array of food and beverage choices is one of the reasons Boracay continues to be one of the best places for a holiday. While there are more and more restaurants opening (and closing), I stuck with a few favorites from back in the day, which have never failed to provide not only sustenance but are palate-pleasers as well.
Island Chicken is the restaurant to go to for chicken inasal the Dumaguete way. Its kansi (the Ilonggo’s version of bulalo) was also a comforting broth to someone like me who was on the verge of a cough. Its leche flan was a creamy concoction with a tamed sweetness which I liked.
Lemoni Café’s Lunchbox Specials come complete with soup, salad, sandwich and dessert. In my case, I got a beef pastrami sandwich served with toasted ciabatta bread, with pumpkin soup, a raspberry vinaigrette on my tossed salad, and coconut panna cotta. For a drink, the café’s watermelon ginger crush was refreshing with just the right spot of spice.
Despite the rise of other Mexican restaurants on the island, Maya’s at Jony’s Resort still stands out for its take on tacos, burritos, margaritas and the like. Everyday as I watched the sun dip on the horizon, my friends and I would partake of the Happy Hour and order buy one, take one beers (and in my case, mojitos and vodka tonics), and munch on a host of Mexican favorites like nachos, ceviches and tacos.
At the Sun Asian Kitchen, I couldn’t help but get a panic attack at the wide array of interesting ingredients spread out for the Mongolian barbecue buffet. I confess I had two bowlfuls of barbecued meats and veggies, washed down by a bone-chilling mango fruit shake.
Boracay Regency, of course, also has its own food and beverage outlets to appease one’s hunger for just about any type of cuisine. There’s Christina’s for fine-dining options, Hap Chan for fast-food-style Chinese dishes, Mesa for a modern take on Filipino food, while guests can order an assortment of tapas and bar specials at the Wave Bar & Lounge.
At the end of my three-day holiday, I was refreshed, relaxed and pumped up to take on the demands of my work back in Manila. Of course, as I sit before my Mac rushing through an assortment of work deadlines, I can’t help but long to be back in Boracay’s arms again to enjoy another spot of fun under the sun.
(For inquiries or reservations, call Boracay Regency Beach Resort & Spa at 523-1234, or e-mail hotel@boracayregency.com.)
Special to the BusinessMirror