TRAVELGUE:

DISCOVERY SHORES BORACAY

Last year I had the chances to spend several days at Discovery Shores Boracay.
With a group of friends and family. I figured it be a great time to take a school
vacation. I’m no fan of stressing out, so I’d do it in a way that I have no need to
cram a ton of work to prepare for a pure vacation, since the way I go about my
school gives me a fair amount of flexibility anyway. Id heard some good things
about where we would be staying.
Boracay bound, we took a 45minute flight out of Davao and landed at Kalibo
Aklan, then we took a 2hour bus ride to get to Caticlan, for a 7minute boat ride to
the island itself. On landing at the beach, we were greeted at the port by clear
water, white sand, a variety of boats, and as one might expect from an island
paradise, large billboards and concrete parking lot. From there, we took one last
van ride to arrive at our destination, which took us 20minutes, having us wind
through very Davao thoroughfares, congested and overcrowded. I expected a bit
of runaway development, but I didn’t think it would be to that degree.
Like other resorts on the island, discovery shores Boracay primarily faces the sea,
with its accommodation set toward the rear, naturally encouraging guests toward
their beachfront facilities for their day to day. We pulled in from the roads from
the inside of the island towards where the rear of the resort is; we were greeted
at a pickup point by friendly staff and cold beverages, briefed, and were
subsequently guided through and toward the front desk to get settled in.
It struck me as odd, through, that to get from the main entrance of the resort to
the front desk, you had to go through a meandering series of pathways and
staircases before you could get to the front desk to get your own room and to
your luggage. This is an accessibility issue it shows a bit of disregard for more
elderly guests and any who may have problem in mobility due to disabilities,
having to walk that far and go through multiple sets of stairs. There were
elevators, but they oddly placed, and it didn’t appear to me that there were
enough of them that any and all levels of the resort’s various facilities could be
accessed without forcing a potentially injured or mobility-challenged guest to take
the stairs.
That being said and putting these issues aside, discovery shores Boracay is a really
good-looking and aesthetically-pleasing resort: it’s modern, its beautiful, and it
puts you to ease the moment you step inside, feel the breeze against your skin,
and see the friendly, well-trained staff smiling at you.
Foodwise, there’s a lot of your standard Filipino fare, plated and presented in
some rather harming ways, along with a selection of international dishes and
menu items to round off their offerings. Most everything we had tasted really
good, apart from a new dishes that were a bit salty for our taste and the near-
flavorless fried chicken slather something in ketchup or any condiment to make it
taste good, there’s something wrong with that dish. I’m personally a fan of their
burgers and sandwiches-very good stuff.
All in all, I had a good time. Sure, a half of my days were spent tapping away at a
keyboard, but the rest spent eating good food, spending time with our group of
friends and family, and just plain relaxing. I wasn’t able to do everything I wanted
or go with the group to all the places they went to-like when they went kayaking
and island hopping – but I did plenty. Hey, if you get the chance to study in a
school in a place with views like this – even if it was just for a few days – it
wouldn’t be too bad of an idea to take it.
To me, Discovery shores Boracay is a stark contrast to the island of Boracay itself,
which now seems to be the polar opposite of its better resorts and hotels. It’s a
bit ironic: the only time Boracay feels like an island paradise – which is how its
marketed times – is when you’re ushered into resort specifically designed to hide
what the island is as a whole and present you with a curated, insular – and quite
honestly, artificial – experience that only shows you a particular slice of the island.
Is that a bad thing? It depends on what your expectations are and what you want
to get out of your vacation coming to Boracay. Personally, I really enjoyed my
time at Discovery Shores Boracay. Working vacation or otherwise, it’s a great
place to be, and I’d love to visit it again.