Out of the box
May 9, 2004 | 12:00am
Summer is a season of obvious choices. For one thing, everyone’s out to either escape the heat or to sizzle in it and turn out a certified bronzed bum. More often than not it’s the latter, and the most obvious choice of doing so is making your way to Boracay. It’s so trite a vacation spot that, as much as a lot of people try to avoid it (especially during the summer), most people still end up gravitating toward that sun-lovin’, fun-lovin’ beach bum’s paradise. The allure of Boracay is apparent enough. Certain things about it, though, aren’t as easy to figure out.
Without a doubt the most frequently asked question is where to stay. It’s easy enough to hit a travel agency and go with the flow of a package deal that makes you as standard a customer as the room you’re going to get. Again, the obvious: customize your trip to whatever the hell suits your fancy. If you’re satisfied with a box of four walls with some furniture thrown in the middle, then that’s perfectly all right. On the other hand, Boracay’s the perfect place to discover the unfamiliar, indulge in the exotic, and simply allow yourself a little character beyond the obvious. Take a few steps farther down the beach and live a little with that whole island resort feel. Because ideally, you aren’t in one of the most beautiful beaches in the world to find yourself inside a room that does a great imitation of any other bedroom in the city.
So if you do find yourself traipsing toward – where else? – Boracay this summer, here are a few not-so-obvious choices for you to get into the whole island groove.
Hands down, this place has the most interesting name in the island. With a name like that, you can be assured there’s at least a good story you’ll get out of staying there. Actually, that’s really the deal. The mystery of the resort’s name will only be revealed to you if you grace their Polynesian-styled cottages with your presence for at least a night. Otherwise, the resort’s happening bar is the next best place to pick up a good story. Look out for Kalaw, the resort mascot, who happens to be the eponymous bird that never fails to be a good conversation piece if not a source of entertainment.
Nigi Nigi prides itself in offering unique pagoda-style cottages that aren’t lacking in modern comfort. Foreigners and expatriates particularly favor this place because it’s their best bet in getting the whole tropical experience that isn’t bereft of the comforts of civilization. Falling into the category of a tropical native resort, Nigi Nigi steps up to its promise of providing the authentic "modern-day native island" atmosphere. The plant-lined pathways that lead up to the pagoda-roofed cottages have an interesting assortment of little Buddha statues, stone sculptures, wooden benches and a proliferation of greens that’s convincing enough for anyone to buy into the full island experience. The resort’s restaurant is also popular for its seafood menu, which fits in quite well with the entire theme. Relish the scenery and the ambience because it comes scarce in the commercialized section of Boracay, which, interestingly enough, is where Nigi Nigi is located.
You’ll find Nigi Nigi Nu Noos ‘e’ Nu Nu Noos in Station 2. Just look for a wooden sign with a funny name, or you could go up to a bearded Englishman who hangs around the resort’s bar. He’s likely to be Karl Noble, one of the resort’s owners who’ll gladly tell you about the beautiful, natural spots around the island. And if you rent a room, he’ll definitely be happy to tell you the story about that senseless name you won’t surely forget.
Let’s go back to stating the obvious. There are expensive resorts, and then there are expensive resorts. What else could you expect, when it’s peak season and real estate on the-most-beautiful-island-in-the-world (or so some say) is the most prime commodity? Everyone just wants a piece of Boracay, if only for a few days. Hotels and beach resorts are bound to be packed, and anyone would wish he simply had a house to crash in while some beach frolicking ensues.
Unless you actually do have a house to crash in, the next best thing is to go a-knocking on Fat Jimmy’s door. Actually, they don’t even have a front door – this bed ‘n breakfast style resort is that open and welcoming. So warm are the proprietors of this establishment that they only have ten rooms that surround a patio and garden where "Fat Jimmy" Gomez and his family will treat you like household guests. It’s a quaint set-up that screams "family" – in a good way – by keeping everything small and intimate. The veranda is a cozy nook you’d probably find in your own backyard, and it’s a happy find. The kids’ artworks line the walls of the stairway, and while the bedrooms look standard enough, there’s still that home-away-from-home feel. If you won’t feel it upon arriving, you’ll realize it soon enough when your room becomes one big mess because you didn’t read the sign that says the staff won’t touch your room unless you ask them to clean it.
Fat Jimmy’s is the place to stay if your idea of a good Boracay trip means feeling at home there. Service is personal; if you’re lucky, one of the family members will chat you up while serving you breakfast. The place is tucked away at the back of D’Mall in Station 2, a short walk away from the beach and right beside the beginnings of greater capitalist schemes. Room prices are student-friendly, the place could very well be your house, and the staff will treat you like family unless you prefer being the black sheep that doesn’t care to socialize. Any way you want it, Fat Jimmy’s is all about making you as comfortable as you want to be. After all, families are usually quite accommodating.
Mango Ray appeals to a certain type of person, and that’s probably part of the reason why the place only has four rooms and one apartment for rent. But if you do fall under that personality type, you’ll absolutely love the place and all its quirks. The interiors of this resort-bar-restaurant have so much character, you’d be curious to meet the owner.
Moritz Bertschi is a Swiss man who loves mangoes and obviously has artistic inclinations. As the owner of Mango Ray Resort Bar and Restaurant, his personality is inextricably a part of his establishment, and very interestingly so. There are half-a-million resorts lined up in Station 2, but you’ll easily find the one with a compact forest jutting out of the beachfront, and don’t ever miss those yellow "mango" lights hanging from the tree out front. Stepping inside is a real trip; there’s a myriad of novel things from the gigantic, multi-colored Chinese dragonhead to totem poles to the inverted fishbowls laid out in the gardens. The rooms are charmingly sparse in contrast with the outside, but, of course, there are moon- and sun-shaped lamps that color the ambience.
Don’t let the Frida Kahlo-esque mural on the wall scare you. It’s all part of Mango Ray’s appeal to the kind that isn’t afraid of something different. The restaurant will only get you as far as European food that’s difficult to pronounce. Enjoying the resort for all its eccentricities shows you Boracay past the twin bed/hot-and-cold shower++ deals. It’s a step out of the ordinary, and at baseline, it’s an interesting one.
At the end of the day, it’s all about making everything about your vacation count. Everyone wants to make every single thing worth it, and when it’s something as major as where to live for a precious few vacation days, don’t shortchange yourself with a standard experience. Boracay’s got so much more to offer than the usual. That would, by far, be the most obvious thing.
Without a doubt the most frequently asked question is where to stay. It’s easy enough to hit a travel agency and go with the flow of a package deal that makes you as standard a customer as the room you’re going to get. Again, the obvious: customize your trip to whatever the hell suits your fancy. If you’re satisfied with a box of four walls with some furniture thrown in the middle, then that’s perfectly all right. On the other hand, Boracay’s the perfect place to discover the unfamiliar, indulge in the exotic, and simply allow yourself a little character beyond the obvious. Take a few steps farther down the beach and live a little with that whole island resort feel. Because ideally, you aren’t in one of the most beautiful beaches in the world to find yourself inside a room that does a great imitation of any other bedroom in the city.
So if you do find yourself traipsing toward – where else? – Boracay this summer, here are a few not-so-obvious choices for you to get into the whole island groove.
Nigi Nigi prides itself in offering unique pagoda-style cottages that aren’t lacking in modern comfort. Foreigners and expatriates particularly favor this place because it’s their best bet in getting the whole tropical experience that isn’t bereft of the comforts of civilization. Falling into the category of a tropical native resort, Nigi Nigi steps up to its promise of providing the authentic "modern-day native island" atmosphere. The plant-lined pathways that lead up to the pagoda-roofed cottages have an interesting assortment of little Buddha statues, stone sculptures, wooden benches and a proliferation of greens that’s convincing enough for anyone to buy into the full island experience. The resort’s restaurant is also popular for its seafood menu, which fits in quite well with the entire theme. Relish the scenery and the ambience because it comes scarce in the commercialized section of Boracay, which, interestingly enough, is where Nigi Nigi is located.
You’ll find Nigi Nigi Nu Noos ‘e’ Nu Nu Noos in Station 2. Just look for a wooden sign with a funny name, or you could go up to a bearded Englishman who hangs around the resort’s bar. He’s likely to be Karl Noble, one of the resort’s owners who’ll gladly tell you about the beautiful, natural spots around the island. And if you rent a room, he’ll definitely be happy to tell you the story about that senseless name you won’t surely forget.
Unless you actually do have a house to crash in, the next best thing is to go a-knocking on Fat Jimmy’s door. Actually, they don’t even have a front door – this bed ‘n breakfast style resort is that open and welcoming. So warm are the proprietors of this establishment that they only have ten rooms that surround a patio and garden where "Fat Jimmy" Gomez and his family will treat you like household guests. It’s a quaint set-up that screams "family" – in a good way – by keeping everything small and intimate. The veranda is a cozy nook you’d probably find in your own backyard, and it’s a happy find. The kids’ artworks line the walls of the stairway, and while the bedrooms look standard enough, there’s still that home-away-from-home feel. If you won’t feel it upon arriving, you’ll realize it soon enough when your room becomes one big mess because you didn’t read the sign that says the staff won’t touch your room unless you ask them to clean it.
Fat Jimmy’s is the place to stay if your idea of a good Boracay trip means feeling at home there. Service is personal; if you’re lucky, one of the family members will chat you up while serving you breakfast. The place is tucked away at the back of D’Mall in Station 2, a short walk away from the beach and right beside the beginnings of greater capitalist schemes. Room prices are student-friendly, the place could very well be your house, and the staff will treat you like family unless you prefer being the black sheep that doesn’t care to socialize. Any way you want it, Fat Jimmy’s is all about making you as comfortable as you want to be. After all, families are usually quite accommodating.
Moritz Bertschi is a Swiss man who loves mangoes and obviously has artistic inclinations. As the owner of Mango Ray Resort Bar and Restaurant, his personality is inextricably a part of his establishment, and very interestingly so. There are half-a-million resorts lined up in Station 2, but you’ll easily find the one with a compact forest jutting out of the beachfront, and don’t ever miss those yellow "mango" lights hanging from the tree out front. Stepping inside is a real trip; there’s a myriad of novel things from the gigantic, multi-colored Chinese dragonhead to totem poles to the inverted fishbowls laid out in the gardens. The rooms are charmingly sparse in contrast with the outside, but, of course, there are moon- and sun-shaped lamps that color the ambience.
Don’t let the Frida Kahlo-esque mural on the wall scare you. It’s all part of Mango Ray’s appeal to the kind that isn’t afraid of something different. The restaurant will only get you as far as European food that’s difficult to pronounce. Enjoying the resort for all its eccentricities shows you Boracay past the twin bed/hot-and-cold shower++ deals. It’s a step out of the ordinary, and at baseline, it’s an interesting one.
At the end of the day, it’s all about making everything about your vacation count. Everyone wants to make every single thing worth it, and when it’s something as major as where to live for a precious few vacation days, don’t shortchange yourself with a standard experience. Boracay’s got so much more to offer than the usual. That would, by far, be the most obvious thing.
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