Boracay Redefined

BEYOND THE USUAL:
A Bora Skeptic/Convert’s Rediscovery

Text and Photos by
YANNA VERBO ACOSTA

Ok…We all know how typically rowdy it gets on this island…Especially on Holy Week. I, for one, am not a real fanatic of the place as it has gotten a tad too crammed for me. But for six days, all of my cynicism got washed up. There is, in fact, another way to enjoy Boracay’s serenity…If you know how. So here’s a little a little story of an adventure of how I survived the experience last year…

So once again, this gypsy has been challenged by the spirits to head out of the urban jungle and escape from the rancid mundanity of Manila life. And a welcome challenge it is, indeed. Without any indication of hesitation, I fervently un-strapped my gorgeous black, ostrich leather stilettos; unmasked my face of urban vanity goo/corporate war paint, packed my bag, and zealously flew out of the city. The mission: rediscover the very essence of the word “vacation” (in more ways than one). Destination: Boracay. The challenge: accomplish the mission on HOLY WEEK. It sounds all too common a task perhaps. To me…It’s daunting. Regular visitors of the island would know exactly why it could be nightmare: from booking your flight to getting an accommodation, to finding a nice and quiet spot to enjoy your food… I know, ‘coz it’s not exactly my first time to be there. Mixed emotions – the relief of getting out of the maddening stress of the city and the terrifying anxiety of getting stressed out, all the same, by the holiday crowd – ran around my head. Flashes of “Baclaran Day,” as a dear friend put it, kept haunting me as I was waiting to board Asian Spirit flight 6K851. Everything started spinning…I could not breathe…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

Then I snapped out of it.

Fast Forward, Easter Sunday: As I am writing this travelogue, everyone’s already rushing out to catch their flights back to Manila or wherever else they’re heading. Away from the rush, I am enjoying my sundown drink, my hair flailing freely with the sea breeze, with a spectacular view of the ocean that’s only ten steps away from where my sunbed is. No blasting music, no mad crowd. The only rush I feel is that of overwhelming tranquility…Not a typical Bora Easter Sunday scene? That’s because I’m staying at a secluded resort.






PARADISE BAY is located on the North-Eastern side of the island, on Manoc-manoc at the Tulubhan beach area. This hidden sanctuary is a four-star resort that, contrary to what’s posted on Boracay websites, has its own beachfront. The place is owned and managed by German couple Angie and Maxi Fastenmeier, who are very much accommodating. It’s no wonder why their guests feel very much pampered. In fact, the moment I stepped out of the Kalibo airport, someone from the resort was already there to welcome me; Paradise Bay has already arranged for everything. And true enough, I did not have to worry about anything anymore. When I got to Caticlan, Ate Cel (from the resort) made everything stress free for me. I did not have to worry about my stuff, or where to go next, what to do next. She guided me all throughout ‘til I was finally checked in at the resort. Surprisingly, I found myself VERY relaxed. And when we got there, photographer Adam Roszak personally gave me a nice warm welcome complete with all the information I need to know about the resort…and the standard welcome drink, of course (with the pineapple wedge sitting nicely on the lips of the glass…the works). And then he introduced me to the owner of the resort, the lovely Miss Angie. Most of their guests are Germans. If I’m not mistaken, I believe I’m the only Filipino guest at the time. But never at one point did I feel alienated at all. Everyone’s very warm and smiley all the time. The staff is very efficient and very friendly. I did not receive any differential treatment whatsoever, it pretty much feels like we’re all family ‘round here. But wait, there’s more…

For such a wonderful place, a four-star accommodation may I reiterate, I was very much surprised that their rates are VERY affordable. And it’s peak season! Imagine, for a standard room – which they call the VIP room – I have a queen-sized bed, a ref, cable TV, my own bathroom (huge one, you could practice spinning!) with a nice water heating system, a safety box. All rooms are air-conditioned and have verandas so guests can enjoy an amazing view of the sea – a perfect spot to catch the gorgeous sunrise, by the way! I also love their rattan and bamboo furniture. And the pool is so nifty, it has a bar where you can refresh yourself with your fave drinks without having to leave the water. And of course, they have their own restaurant – the food is always fresh here, they don’t stock their food in the freezer. So if you want to have dinner here, you have to inform the staff what you would want to have. I observed that they regularly do a market run at 4:30pm to get the freshest ingredients for the guests’ dinner requests. They are THAT attentive to your needs. In fact, for every single aspect of your stay here, they make sure that your stay is absolutely hassle-free and greatly enjoyable. It’s German efficiency applied to resort management…So you can just imagine how precisely true to word their service is. I mean, when they said Paradise Bay is a hidden treasure in Boracay, they were not kidding. When they promised an enjoyable stay, they kept their word. And even if the place is secluded, it’s pretty accessible too. You can opt to request to be taken to White Beach or anywhere you want to hang out and the resort’s van can easily bring you there in no time. Free of charge too. Or you can ask the staff to call in a trike for you, it’s only P50 up to the Station 1 area. Or you can just walk it, in 5-10mins you’re already at Station 3!

Now, if all these details have not tempted you just yet, I dunno what else will. For further information, you can contact them via email at paradise-bay@web.de or at info@paradisebay.de. You can also check out their website, http://www.paradisebay.de/ or their homepage http://www.paradise-bay-boracay.com/.

GLOBAL FOOD FINDS

Mi amor and I are absolute slaves to our palates. We always love our food adventures, discovering great gastronomic delights. Other than our kitchen experiments (which are almost always successful, thank you), we just love seeking out new flavors and diverse cuisine. Here at Bora, there is definitely A LOT to choose from. Here are some of the best in my list of great food finds…



CYMA

I was walking around D’Mall looking for great pasalubong items. And then, there in the little alleyway leading to the center, I saw this nifty little Greek restaurant called CYMA. The place just opened last December 28 and is owned by Nino Zulueta. Here, they offer a wide array of Greek dishes with servings and prices that won’t put you off guard a la Trojan Horse.

Chef Richie Quivido recommends some of their bestsellers for Greek cuisine virgins. For starters, you can try their Mezedes – pita bread with dips. The best way to enjoy it would be to get the Mezedes Combination to get all the four different dips that they offer: Tzatziki - classic cucumber and yogurt dip in mild or strong garlic flavor; Malitzanosalata - freshly roasted eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, fresh lemon, and EVOO; Hummous - velvety chickpea, Tahini, and garlic; Htipiti – feta cheese, cream cheese, roasted spicy peppers and EVOO. Another great appetizer to try is the Spinach and Artichoke Fondue, with their blend of melting cheese, sliced sundried tomatoes and feta, served with warm pita triangles and grilled garlic bread. Their specialties are absolutely great, some can actually serve about 3-4 people. The family of four next to my table ordered the CYMA Roasted Crabs – these are roasted mangrove crabs with tons of garlic, black pepper and EVOO served with garlic pasta and spirits of lemon. Another highly recommended dish is the Pastisado, which is Greek ossobucco with spaghetti. This one is a sumptuous pasta dish with beef shank braised in Greek tomato sauce. For weight-watchers and non-meat eaters, this is the best place to get a great bite. Their bestselling fish fillets, served either roasted wood planked or charcoal grilled, are just perfect (especially for Holy Week). They also have Vegetarian dishes. The Meatless Moussaka is a divine serving of layered seasoned green lentils and tofu, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and Greek Bechamel sauce. Or, if you just want to have a snack, you can try their homemade gyros. They have an original recipe, the Chicken Gyros with tomatoes, red onions and Tzatziki, all wrapped delightfully in pita. So, if you’re looking for great Greek cuisine just look for CYMA and get your healthy cravings fulfilled. (Oh, they’ll be opening a branch in Manila this May…)

To get there: From the Main Road, enter D’Mall and walk towards the faeries wheel in the middle, take the left aisle from there. It’s the 4th resto to your left.

TRAVIESA
Before I flew in to the island, I already sent word to dear friend Chef Binggoy that I’ll be paying him a visit. And when I finally did, I was surprised that his Dos Mestizos Spanish Restaurant is now TRAVIESA, located at the newly opened Asya Boracay. Still very true to his Spanish roots, Chef Binggoy gives his creations that flair and passion as he always does. The bestseller is definitely the paella… You can choose from chicken, squid, mixed seafood, and vegetarian. Whatever your choice, you will absolutely be more than satisfied with all the flavor locked in every single bite. And…at P780 for a medium-sized plancha, four to five people can enjoy and savor authentic Spanish paella at Traviesa. With that great value, it wouldn’t hurt to match it with your wine of choice! It is definitely worth every buck. And with the five-star location and service, you are sure to enjoy dining at Traviesa.

To get there: From the Main Road, enter the aisle beside Boracay Tropics and look for Asya Boracay, it’s to your left. From the beach, enter the aisle beside the Tourism Center and look for Asya Boracay, it’s to your right.


ISLAND CHICKEN INASAL

What can I say, Pinoys are naturally foodies… And even if we search hither and dither for international flavors, we still and always will love our very own. And more often than not, we just love chicken. It’s like we just can’t do without it. Again, let’s head back to D’Mall where you can find the best authentic Chicken Inasal, no matter what time of the day you crave for it. Yup, ISLAND CHICKEN INASAL is open 24-hours! It’s conveniently located near all the gimmick spots so wouldn’t have to worry about your insomniac dining even after after-hours parties. The prices are so affordable and well worth every cent…And when they say it’s the best authentic Bacolod Chicken, you better believe it. The taste is definitely incomparable! You’ll surely have a happy tummy after all that all-nighter guzzling feat at the nearby bars. What more can I say, filling, yummy, and affordable just hits the spot. It’s Pinoy pride at its finest. Truly, it’s great to have this place at a major tourist hotspot.

To get there: From the Main Road, enter D’Mall and look for the faeries wheel in the middle. Look to your left and you won’t miss it.



TRUE FOOD
Just a few minutes away from D’ Mall is this amazing authentic Indian reso called TRUE FOOD. You definitely can’t miss the façade , you will surely stop in awe of the gorgeous Asian interior of the place. With low tables and mats to enjoy your favorite Indian recipes. It’s located at the beachfront as well so if you haven’t been to hippie Goa, this just might be the closest you can get! The vibe and flavor will surely hit you faster than you can say “Masala!”

To get there: From D’Mall, exit toward the beachfront and turn left. The place is to your left and is about 4-5 blocks down. Look for the sign…


CHILL OUT REDEFINED

And now for the best part of my journey…

Did you know that gourmet and adventure, two concepts quite on opposite poles, can actually go together? It ain’t too impossible if you know how. Here’s a tip/adventure story that you might actually want to consider and enjoy for yourself…

It’s Good Friday… It usually rains on this day, if you’ve noticed. I was a bit worried that today’s plans will go down the drain. Luckily, the weather cooperated and the skies cleared by 12 noon. Mi amor and I headed off to meet another couple – good friends of ours – for a picnic. Assembly point: ALOJA DELI, located at the back of the hospital (just tell the trike guy and he’ll take you there…just follow the sign). We could not believe our eyes! This humble hidden little shack actually has got it goin.,. The brilliant part is that for P1,500 we were able to get three different cheeses of 100grams each, two types of salami (Hungarian and Milano) also a hundred grams each, a good bottle of French rosé, olives, gherkins, and cocktail onions. For that value shared by four people, it’s a marvelously great deal!
Now that we got our supplies ready, we hired a trike to take us to our hideaway. Ooops, we forgot to buy bread! So we stopped over the first bakery that we saw (we were headed towards the Northwestern side of the island) by the Main Road, and guess what we found…Baguettes! And they’re good ones too. The crust was perfect, the consistency was not too crumbly nor too chewy…it was perfect. And they were only P15 each!

When everything was ready, we proceeded with out journey. It was only a few minutes from White Beach. We passed all the other private accommodation areas and ended up at this dirt road where we were supposed to actually pass, according to out navigator, Fritz – our “maltreated unidentified foreign starving artist” friend. But the trike guy insisted on taking another path and took a wrong turn! We were already close but because out trike guy took a wrong turn, we had to do a little “trekking” of sorts. We paid him a good P100 for taking us there anyway. And here come the hawking biker dudes, who were assuming that we did not exactly know where we were going, trying to convince us to hire them to get us to our secret destination. And Fritz, being an Austrian, was a potential target. Little did they know that this ex-island resident was actually our guide!




And so we went on walking…We were in the middle of nowhere and we were just following our instincts (and Fritz’s recollection of where the spot actually is). We took on a path that lead us to barbwired property (Which we literally crossed. Talk about crown of thorns if we made a false move with those things! ) and then to a narrow trail amongst the bushes…From there we can already see the water. Hence, our confidence was regained. After about three minutes finding our way down from the bushes, we have reached our hidden paradiso… This is ILIG-ILIGAN BEACH! The place is near the famous Batcave. It’s pretty easy to find. Just make sure your trike guy isn’t as insistent as ours.

And there we were, four Castaways enjoying the beauty of this gorgeous hidden wonder, with our gourmet deli baon. There, you wouldn’t need chairs and tables, just look for a spot and enjoy your afternoon (the entire stretch of the beach is practically yours ‘coz there’s NO ONE there…). Ok, so we were lucky to find this little cave-like spot where we saw a set of bamboo benches with a matching long table for our gourmet picnic buffet. No complaints at all!

After a lovely afternoon of frolicking in the clear, algae-free, divine blue water; flying a kite; practicing spinning and just enjoying the beauty of the place, we gathered all of our bottles, plastic bags, and others to make sure we do not leave any trace of dirt on this divine side of the island and then we ran off to catch the sunset back at the White Beach area. We wanted to do it at the Floating Bar but it was already full. So we opted for an uncrowded area with less bangkas around and was able to capture a nice Boracay sunset from the beachfront of Boracay Terraces just in time.



And of course, sundown signals the beginning of the day for nightcrawlers. Boracay has got a major lineup of places and events for nocturnal partygoers. But the perfect one jus had to hit the worldbeat gypsy in me. And I found the perfect event sponsored by the wonderful people of British American Tobacco’s Dunhill (saluté to Sir Derrick who took really good care of the artists). International DJ, Kaskade, played at Club Paraw. The opening act was astonishing…Superfly was jamming with our very own world music group, PINIKPIKAN! Imagine the ambient sound of electronica immortalized by the powerful beat of live percussions that gave it an altoghether different feel. It was the best of both worlds! The music was soothing and awakening my spirit at the same time. It was absolutely extraordinary, yet not too overwhelming for the common raver. The music was apparently taken to another dimension. Although the group wasn’t able to perform as a whole, they were still able to hold up the banner…the crowd, as always, was divinely blown away. It only shows how greatly versatile Pinikpikan is. In fact, the night before the event, they played at TJ’s Café at Boracay Terraces to welcome the delegates of British American Tobacco – Vietnam. There, they had their own set and later on jammed with the café owner’s son, Armand, who was in his element playing the piano. He was quite a crooner too, I must say… And when the Pinikpikan boys came in to join him, it all the more turned into a grand session.



HANDS DOWN

Now looking back, I ask…Was I able to accomplish my mission? To my surprise and my own verdict, I must say: Yeah, Baby! And now that I am about to pack my bag heading back to reality (or illusion, whichever applies) of Manila, I have to admit – Boracay has yet again garnered another aficionada…For a Bora skeptic like me, it was unbelievable how my six days showed me to see beyond the obvious. I will never look at Bora the same way again, that’s for sure. And on a usual basis during my travels, I yell out “VIVA LA CONQUISTADORA!” after discovering a destination. But I guess in this case, and cheesy as it sounds, Bora has truly conquered me. Indeed, I will surely miss the island. I do hope that more and more endeavors will be made to help protect and save this wonderful paradise. And for that, a sunset toast. Cheers and fare thee well!!! Until the next adventure then…