Lifestyle
ESCAPE
The island of Boracay offers a tranquil escape from the pressures of the boardroom.
By Robert La Bua
Shangri-La Boracay Resort & Spa beachfront dinner party
A
s the beautiful waters
surrounding the 7,000
islands of the
Philippines and the
energy of the
country’s vibrant capital gain
greater international recognition as
destinations worth the journey, the
country better known for maids
than moguls is making a statement
this year, which has been declared
Visit the Philippines Year by a
national tourist board intent on
increasing awareness of the
Philippines on the global stage.
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Destination: The Philippines
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AUGUST 2015
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Flight Centre Travel Group’s Managing Director
Australia Melanie Waters-Ryan reinvents
the company as a world-class travel
and adventure retailer
The campaign seems to be
paying off; with a notable increase
in air links and frequencies to
Manila, the principal port of entry
for visitors to the country,
adding to the efforts of the tourist
board, the number of visitors
is on the rise. True to our
reputation for global exploration,
Australians are already there, now
ranking among the top five
nationalities for inbound
travellers to the Philippines.
It may seem that, until now, the
Philippines has been the forgotten
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country among East Asian holiday
destinations, but the country’s
unusual history makes it a unique
place to visit. With three centuries
of Spanish rule followed by three
decades of American
administration, the multiple layers
of contemporary Filipino culture
make this one of Asia’s more
interesting destinations.
The concentration of cultural
highlights in Manila is impressive,
but most visitors to the Philippines
come to enjoy the exceptional
beauty of the country’s outer
islands where the colours of the
sea are at their most resplendent.
One legacy of the American
period is the excellent English
spoken by the great majority of
the population; as in India, where
English serves as a linguistic
unifier among various subcultures
with their own languages, the
Philippines’ many distinct cultural
groups, spread out as they are
over thousands of square
kilometres of ocean, use English
in a similar manner. What already
existed before the arrival of
either the Spanish or the
Americans was the extraordinarily
warm hospitality of the Filipino
people, who see visitors to their
country as honoured guests to be
welcomed with utmost respect
and graciousness.
Back when the world was a
simpler place and constant
connectivity was still many years in
the future, certain isolated places
(isolated in the literal sense that
they were islands) became the
ultimate getaways for dropping out
of sight for a week or a year.
Though other islands in the
country have grown in
international reputation as new
resorts catering to sophisticated
travellers have opened in recent
years, Boracay remains the
quintessential Filipino destination
where collective enjoyment of a
good time is had along the famous
White Beach, a strip of powdery
white sand that first attracted
bohemian visitors in the 1960s
and 70s and remains high on many
lists of the most beautiful beaches
in the world. Like fellow Asian
(former) hippie destinations such
as Goa and Bali, Boracay has
With three
centuries of
Spanish rule
followed by
three decades
of American
administration,
the multiple
layers of
contemporary
Filipino culture
make this one
of Asia’s more
interesting
destinations.
The CEO Magazine - August 2015
147.
Except for the months of the
northern summer when cyclonic
conditions can churn the ocean
and generate strong waves, the
beautiful shades of blue and green
are an effective visual elixir for
eyes more accustomed to looking
at a computer screen all day. A
sunset cruise enjoying drinks as
the deep orange circle drops into
the ocean is one of the nicest ways
to appreciate the relaxing effect
that water can have on a set of
nerves usually standing on end.
Have you ever noticed how quickly
the sun sets near the equator?
locals, increasingly a favourite
location for call centres and other
telephone-service companies. The
modern business district of
Makati City is just as impressive a
mass of sleek skyscrapers as any
found in Singapore, Kuala
Lumpur, or Bangkok.
About those maids and moguls.
The Philippines is well known as a
source of labour for construction
teams, ship crews, and domestic
help all over the world, and
those expatriate remittances are
a major contributor to the
Filipino economy. There is, as
any visit to Metro Manila’s
Makati City will reveal, much
local wealth as exhibited in an
abundance of shopping malls,
fine-dining restaurants, and
excellent hotels. With a
population close to 100 million,
the Philippines is a growing
economy and, thanks to the high
level of English spoken by the
Shangri-La makes a stay at its
Boracay property easy from start
to finish, beginning with private
launches meeting commercial
flights to the island’s Caticlan
airport for transfers direct to the
Shangri-La’s private dock. Easier
still are helicopter transfers from
Manila airport direct to the
Shangri-La property. Caticlan is
the smaller of the two airports
serving Boracay and can only
accommodate propeller planes,
but it is also the most convenient
being only 15 minutes away
from Shangri-La by private
launch if arriving on a commercial
flight. Kalibo airport is able to
Complementing Shangri-La’s
resort on the island of Boracay is
Shangri-La Makati, located
adjacent to the deluxe Greenbelt
mall and an ideal place to spend a
few days in transit to or from other
destinations in the country.
Shangri-La Boracay Resort & Spa infinity pool
View from Two Bedroom Ocean Villa
moved up in the world, now
attracting a more elite range of
travellers accustomed to the best in
accommodation, dining, and
recreation in beautiful
surroundings. These travellers
head straight for Shangri-La’s
Boracay Resort & Spa, located on a
private headland with its own
beach for the exclusive use of
Shangri-La guests. A range of
superb accommodation options
includes rooms, suites, and private
villas where spaciousness is the
rule rather than the exception. The
two-level Tree House Villas offer
the most expansive views of the
beach below, easy to appreciate
while soaking in the whirlpool
bath on the deck. The very large
villas are sought after by wealthy
weekenders from Manila and
foreign dignitaries visiting the
Philippines for conferences such as
the APEC summit this past May.
The resort’s presidential villa
148.
The CEO Magazine - August 2015 On an island
like Boracay,
water is the
main attraction.
Whether
swimming in it,
dashing across
it in a
catamaran, or
simply admiring
it from the
balcony of a
villa, the sea
is the
undisputed star
of the show.
complex consists of a living room
and two bedrooms occupying two
buildings; between them is a
beautiful private garden and pool
with stunning views of the sea.
Life at Shangri-La is such that there
is no reason to leave the property at
all; for this reason, it has become a
favourite for weddings,
honeymoons, and corporate retreats
in tropical splendour. If in doubt,
have a traditional Filipino hilot
massage and think it over under the
relaxing warmth of a herbal balm
and hot banana leaves; Shangri-La’s
Chi spa offers an array of other
treatments as well. For more active
reflection, private boat excursions
can be arranged for the fishermen
among us and for those who simply
enjoy being on the water.
Unlike Goa and Bali, much of
Boracay remains undeveloped, the
exception being the strip of sand
Presidential Villa ocean view
along White Beach, which now has
a continuous stretch of resorts,
shops, and restaurants lining the
narrow road that serves as the
island’s main artery. Some people
do prefer to be in the thick of
things on White Beach and seek
accommodation there. Discovery
Shores is an award-winning resort
recognised for its family-friendly
layout and amenities; the twobedroom Premier suites are
spacious options for families or
friends travelling together. Life at
Discovery Shores centres on the
popular swimming pool in the
middle of the property onto
which almost all the rooms have a
direct view.
On an island like Boracay, water is
the main attraction. Whether
swimming in it, dashing across it in
a catamaran, or simply admiring it
from the balcony of a villa, the sea
is the undisputed star of the show.
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Shangri-La Boracay Resort & Spa
Two Bedroom Beach Villa
take jets, but then a 90-minute
boat transfer is required on arrival
and departure.
If pulsating cities are a favourite,
world travellers will be happy to
know that Philippine Airlines has
recently extended its global
network to include New York,
offering the tantalising possibility
of having a brisk January visit to
the Big Apple during Australian
summer holidays balanced with a
restorative stopover in the
Philippines on the way back. For
many travellers who expect the
highest-quality service in the air
as on the ground, arriving into
JFK on an international flight
rather than changing to a
domestic connection in Los
Angeles or San Francisco is a very
appealing option for a trip to
Broadway, Wall Street, or
Bergdorf Goodman.
philippineairlines.com
experiencephilippines.org
phl2015.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com
discoveryshoresboracay.com
shangri-la.com/boracay/boracayresort
shangri-la.com/makati
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The CEO Magazine - August 2015
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