Go Back To Boracay For You, But Go For The Locals, Too

There’s something the employees of Hue Hotels and Resorts Boracay do when they cross paths with you. They smile, place their hands over their hearts and bow their heads in greeting. It’s a gesture of warmth, of welcome, one the Department of Tourism introduced to hotel front-liners in 2019.

“We train all of our employees to do it. It’s hospitality, it’s service from the heart,” said Sheryl Cham, the property’s general manager.

And in the time of a pandemic, it’s also a contactless way to greet guests.

It wasn’t my first time at Hue and Station X. In 2019, I spent a lot of time there on vacation with my family, alone and also with my mom—hanging out and drinking at Prisma, admiring that pool, wolfing down a burger at Supermagic, getting Coco Mama and ordering way too many things at the food hall.

This was months before COVID-19, a more carefree time, when we were still blissfully unaware of the horrors coming our way, that life as we knew it was about to end and that we would spend more than a year in lockdown.

Home away from home

In March, I returned to Boracay armed with my negative RT-PCR test results, Aklan Tourist QR code, Traze app, bottles of alcohol and so many masks and face shields. To travel to Boracay now, you need negative RT-PCR test results, roundtrip plane tickets, confirmed booking at a DOT-accredited establishment, health declaration card with QR code (get it from aklan.gov.ph or touristboracay.com), approved S-Pass registration (s-pass.ph), and a government-issued ID, of course.

Since I first set foot on that powdery white sand many years ago, I had always considered Boracay a home away from home. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been there. I remember realizing one December that I had visited the island with friends 10 times that year.

But this time, I went with trepidation. I was worried about going back under such strange circumstances. Will Boracay still feel like the Boracay I’ve always loved?

On the flight to Caticlan, as I listened to an announcement about how “every three minutes, the entire cabin is refreshed so you are breathing the safest possible air,” I stared at the clouds outside my window, a view I hadn’t seen in so long.

And while I watched the waves splash against the boat as we sped to Boracay, it hit me: I was out! In nature! After spending an entire year in my room! I felt like crying, but instead I grinned behind my mask and shield.

Warm welcome

Leis of seashells and flowers were hung around our necks as percussionists beat on tribal drums. Behind them, a huge sign read “I ♥ HUE.”

We had arrived. Our bags were brought to the luggage disinfection area and our temperatures were checked before we were handed refreshing welcome drinks.

I drank mine while staring at Hue’s beautiful pool, the glorious centerpiece of the hotel. It was the beginning of a couple of days away from constant worry, a much-needed escape from COVID.

Hue has done such a good job with their safety protocols that it was easy to feel secure there.

“We at Hue Hotels and Station X are very, very mindful about the safety protocols, and that all the practices are in place,” said Dexter Lee who, along with his brother Dennis, are the managing directors of Luana Lifestyle and Leisure Inc. and owners of Hue Hotels and Resorts Boracay.

The hotel has gone above and beyond following the minimum health protocols.

Cham said, “Prior to opening, we made sure that our employees also went through RT-PCR tests and quarantine before they went back on duty. This is to ensure that the guests that are coming into our hotel are well protected also.”

Employees don’t leave the island—if they do, they have to undergo testing and quarantine again.

Apart from doing temperature checks, providing alcohol and foot sanitizing pads at entrances, contactless check-in and checkout, and the disinfection of luggage, the hotel also partnered with Lysol.

People from the brand’s regional office trained Hue’s staff in using their products and following guidelines for different surfaces and high-touch areas.

Also in the room is a hygiene kit that includes alcohol, face masks and gloves. There’s also a disinfectant spray for hands and surfaces.

Hospital-grade UV lights are used to sanitize the rooms after guests check out. “There are no back-to-back check-ins. The room isn’t used for 24 hours,” said Ryan Pangilinan of Hospitality Innovators Inc., which manages Hue Hotels and Resorts Boracay.

Happy hour

You’d feel so comfortable there—both at Hue and Station X—that it’s tempting not to leave the area. And why would you? The rooms are lovely and those beds so cozy that it’s hard to get out of them. When you finally manage to get up, everything you need for a fun and relaxing time is there—the pool, those daybeds, so much good food, open spaces for chilling and, if you feel like shopping, there’s always Local Color, which houses some great Filipino brands. (Love the Amihan Healing Salve and the postcards by designer Isai Araneta that I bought from there.)

Plus, happy hour is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Every hour here at Hue and Station X is happy hour,” Cham said. We can’t disagree.

But we did venture out—to head to the beach, of course. We went paraw sailing and watched the sunset from boats. As we sailed, we talked to Ayeng, the paraw man. We asked him how things had been for them during the pandemic. His income, reliant on tourists, changed drastically. His savings ran out in October 2020 but they were still fortunate, he said, because the owners of the hotels and resorts really came together to help the locals.

You’d feel that urge to help locals, too, when you’re in Boracay. You’d realize that your trip isn’t just good for you and your mental health after being cooped up for so long; it’s also a good way to making a positive impact on people’s lives, even by just eating at local restaurants, handing out tips, getting your hair braided, or going on that banana boat ride.

“Here in Boracay we have a fantastic community; young and old nagsasama ’yan,” said Binggoy Remedios, the owner of Boracay landmark Dos Mestizos, as we ate cochinillo and paella and nursed our glasses of sangria.

Support local

We heard about how, to support one another, restaurant owners would eat at each other’s establishments. 

Despite their businesses suffering because of the pandemic, people like Nowie and Odette Potenciano of The Sunny Side Group held feeding programs in some of the hardest-hit communities on the island.

“In Manila, we also conducted several feeding sessions for people who were trying to return to their provinces but were stranded at the airport,” Odette said. “And at the height of the pandemic, we converted all our social media pages into venues that provided information and connected those who wanted to donate or help with those who needed it the most.”

With the help of their friends from Gouache Bags, they also donated personal protective equipment to medical front-liners in Boracay and Aklan during the time hospitals around the country were struggling to get supplies.

“Support local when you’re here,” said Odette. “Try other places that you haven’t tried before, give them a chance. Enjoy Boracay without the hordes of tourists. And stay as long as you want. You can safely practice social distancing here. The beach is amazing. The sunsets are still amazing. And there’s great food.”

Even for the owners of Hue, it’s the locals who make all the difference. “There’s magic in Boracay where it’s work but it’s still not work, especially when I’m talking to locals. ’Yun talaga ’yung nagpapa-excite sa amin ni Dexter, eh,” said Dennis.

“Our favorite spot in Station X is that circular table near Little Wave. For hours, I would sit and work there. What’s fun about sitting there is you get to meet locals, and the most exciting part is when they talk about their passion.”

Those conversations often lead to great things—that was how they met Tolits, the artist who has become Station X’s resident painter.

Empower people

Dennis said, “Hue Hotels and Station X were born out of our calling and our passion to empower people by providing opportunities … At the heart of our purpose for all our community development projects like this is to gather and grow.”

Near Budget Mart, a man asked me, “Activity kayo bukas, ma’am? Pandemic price po.”

I shook my head sadly and said, “Aalis na po ako, eh.”

I didn’t want to leave Boracay. I didn’t want to leave Hue. And a lot of people have been making the choice to stay in Boracay longer than they ever have before.

“DOT coined the term ‘digital nomad’ for this kind of traveler,” said Dexter.

Digital nomads are lucky people who, instead of working from home, get to choose to work from the island. They’ve been taking advantage of great rates, like Hue’s Alternative Abode packages.

Dexter said, “We offer them the proper space for them to work, and at the same time, balance that with some leisurely activities as well.”

Meanwhile, those who can’t stay long can go for the We Got Hue package for three days and two nights for two people that includes RT-PCR tests.

Unlike those digital nomads, I had to get back to the city fast. But those few days turned out to be a gift, a revelation and a reminder—of how good it is to be out in nature, how precious it is to be able to laugh with friends old and new, and that what makes Boracay Boracay is its people: locals and transplants who have made the island their home, people who’ve faced all kinds of challenges not just because of the pandemic but also the rehabilitation closure, but who continue to smile and persevere and shower visitors like us with so much warmth and kindness.

I can’t believe I was worried about Boracay feeling different this time—but maybe it did feel a little different. In a good way. This trip made me love the island even more.

Boracay still feels like paradise. And the hardest part is still leaving.

Source:

Pam Pastor. 2021, July 11. Go back To Boracay For You, But Go For The Locals, Too. Philippine Daily Inquirer.