{Hotel Review}: Strand Boracay

Since it is rainy and or cold in many parts of the world (I’ve been to both Singapore and NYC in the last week and good weather didn’t follow me anywhere!) I wanted to reminisce about a warmer place and also review a recent hotel stay.

I first heard about Strands when I read about it on Tripadvisor (my first place in checking out any hotel!)  I was bought in by the price (our friends were staying at resorts that were almost 3x the price of this hotel!) and the availability for our last minute trip.  I was a little worried due to the initial lack of response to my room reservation queries but the reservationist made up for the delayed response and even called us by name right before we checked in. I would certainly stay here again and wanted to highlight this hotel because it is an affordable gem and possesses a warm and mellow atmosphere.

The resort is intimate and quiet because of its location on a side street off the beach.  There were couples, small families, and groups of friends here who smiled and chatted with other hotel guests.  The grounds were green and well maintained and the rooms were in good condition. The major downsides were the aforementioned delayed response to emails and also the strange inability to take credit cards for reservations directly booked with the hotel (all other reservation types on other hotel booking websites could easily book here, but would impose extra fees)

We received responsive, friendly and quick service from the front desk.  The restaurant staff were efficient and quick as well.  The staff certainly created a warm atmosphere here.

The rate is about P $8,000 ($190) during high season for the one bedroom suite and I was able to get a small discount through my travel network.  I felt that this was perfectly reasonable and literally 1/3 of the price for a similar hotel on the beach. We did pass a few budget friendly hotel options on the beach though so I would be curious about those options.

There is a small pool and restaurant on the premises; however the restaurant is small and has a handful of tables (perhaps 16 seats or so) so we never ate here beyond breakfast.  But the grounds were well maintained and who can say no to a hammock resting among tall, lush trees?  The downside is that this hotel is two blocks off the beach and it can be poorly lit at night.  The only time I was worried was when a dog was sniffing around on the street outside and we would not have encountered this dog at the beachfront hotel (there are rabies scares so one should  be worried!)

A scene just outside the hotel – roosters in a row!

It is hard to dislike the welcome sight of the beach, only two blocks away