Janet Butler
Escape to true luxury in the Philippines at the Boracay Beach Resort, a Shangri-La property that encourages you to “indulge your every need.” This property has something for everyone, with 219 guest rooms, suites, and villas that range from the simple to the most extravagant, including a villa with butler’s quarters. Standard hotel and resort amenities, of course, are here, from a business center to a shopping arcade — but there’s so much more. From your arrival at the welcome lounge in Caticlan, you’re pampered every step of this vacation: you are put on a private speedboat for a 30-minute cruise along Boracay’s pristine beaches to reach the resort itself. Even a “basic” room here is “deluxe,” with private veranda and views of the ocean as part of your package…and then it just gets better.
You can choose a loft or tree house villa — a two-story with a loft bedroom and a lower-level living room, private veranda, and pool. Have dinner at the resort restaurant, Rima — or have it delivered to your own private gazebo. Lounge on the daybed for some sun — or take a cooling swim in your infinity pool. Villas have all the comforts of home, and then some: double sink bathrooms with marble floors, rainshowers, and deep tubs; mini-bars and fridges for those late-night snacks; and, of course, 24-hour room service. Flat-screen televisions, iPod docks, and complimentary broadband Internet are available for when you want to reconnect with media…but you might not want to do that often. Use “Shangri-La” as just that — a perfect escape from the “madding crowd.”
