Tired from a 7-step procedure having arrived at Caticlan by air, & from walking briskly for 10 min. from the main road to the hotel, our party of six adults was welcomed by Sheena, the front desk lady who promptly cheerfully checked us in a couple of hours early & even upgraded us to rooms that open to the pool. She also handed us one Php500 gift voucher per room for the Paraiso Grill. We were given refreshing chilled mango drinks, shell necklaces & cold moist towels- a truly wonderful touch. Sheena made our day. That’s Filipino hospitality. Tiptop service with a smile.
As soon as we got to our room, the safe wasn’t working & the sliding door to the pool failed to latch properly. We had rooms next to each other & were given extra towels on request- simple things another hotel in Boracay refused us so I fired them & went with Boracay Uptown. In 5 min., the maintenance guy came & fixed our concerns but we were leery of the safe box so we never used it. In 10 minutes, the housekeeping lady delivered our extra towels & hair dryer. Wifi was available in our rooms & in public areas. It was so slow that oftentimes, photos failed to download.
The room was big enough for several people. We had two queen beds. There was a rainshower in the bathroom. I would have wanted a handheld wand as well. They also had toiletries. The water drained properly in the bathroom.
The pool consisted of a shallower kiddie pool & a deeper adult pool (not that deep), well maintained with chlorine & no floaters. It was protected by a roof so one can swim safely even during a rain. There were lounge chairs & tables close by. When we opened our patio door, we had direct pool access. We swam in the evening though the water was quite cold. The front desk had towels for pool use. There was a bar near the pool.
Breakfast on the 5th floor was a sumptous buffet from six to ten. They have an egg station, fruit juices, bread, tropical fruit slices, hot beverages & an array of warm rice (fried & steamed) & Asian dishes. The place was kept in tiptop shape by several waiters who filled my water glass several times & promptly too, like in a cruise ship.
The evening entertainment by the Lobster Grill next to the beach was great. There was a guitarist who performed nightly from seven to nine. He had a soothing voice that pulled in tourists walking by. His awesome guitar skills and voice were relaxing after a day’s beach activities. You’ll see him in my photos. They had a tower drink that was fun to watch. They also served other drinks & food- even a regular dinner. A rock band performed after him- not my cup of tea so off we went.
The hotel is right by the beach. Take a few steps & you are in the midst of Station 2- the activity center of Boracay Beach. There are many restaurants, shops, massage places, etc. just a few steps away. Of course, there’s D’Mall, too.
I recommend this hotel by the beach. If we were to go back to Boracay, we’d most definitely stay here again- Boracay Uptown, the hotel that serves customers with a smile.
