One of my favorite travel and money tip is to take advantage of off-peak seasons and off-peak rates. Not only are the prices better but it means less crowd, traffic, and a more beautiful beach experience.
For Discovery Shores Boracay, rate until December is Php 11,000++ only for a beautiful Junior suite.
- Overnight accommodation in a Junior Suite
- Complimentary WIFI
- Buffet Breakfast at Sands Restaurant
- Roundtrip boat and van transfers from/to Boracay Airport in Caticlan
- En Suite Foot Wash upon arrival.
You can book directly through their website.
Here’s our experience:
Airport and Sea transfer to and from Boracay Island
It’s been more than a decade since I experienced Boracay. Back then, my mother arranged the trip – from the air fare, land transportation, sea travel, and hotel accommodations. My impression was that traveling back to Boracay would be complicated, especially now with a family of my own. For this trip, the only thing we arranged was our airline tickets.
We booked a direct flight via Philippine Airlines going straight to Caticlan Airport. From there, someone from Discovery Shores (Julie) greeted us. Julie took care of presenting our IDs to the guards, filling up the visitor registration, and leading us to the Discovery Shores shuttle that was waiting in front of the exit.
Together with other guests, the spacious van transported us to the port. There were LOTS of tourists on the makeshift bridge. At that time, other boats can’t come near the shore because of the low tide. Thankfully, it wasn’t a problem for the sea taxi of Discovery Shores.
We were out of the van and in the sea taxi in no time. No waiting, no buying tickets, and no waiting in line. What a relief. The sea travel only takes 5 minutes. We were offered cold water and oatmeal cookies (hooray!) while on board.
Reaching Boracay Island, we were escorted again to another Discovery Shores van and this transported us to the hotel. Travel time was 15 minutes or less.
It would be difficult to imagine not having airport, land, and boat transfers arranged by the hotel. I sure do remember my family scrambling for tickets, lining up, and waiting when we first visited the island. Just for this seamless and stress-free travel experience, choosing Discovery Shores Boracay is already worth it.
The Beautiful Junior Suite
There are three of us: my son, my husband, and myself. The Junior Suite was an excellent choice as it had more than enough space for three. The suite is equipped with 1 king sized bed and a day bed that transforms into an extra bed.
When we arrived, the day bed was already setup for our 5 year old. The teddy bear and other treats automatically made Ashton call this space his own.
The suite also features a balcony and is furnished with a coffee table and chair. Another important fixture is the drying rack for all our wet swimming gear. Major plus points for this, we got to re-use swimwear the next day and avoided bringing home wet clothes with us.
The bathroom is equally spacious and the best part is, it is located just in front of the door. This avoids guests from soiling the entire room with water and sand, especially after enjoying the beach.
The sink is just outside the bathroom and near the mini bar. I like the location because it prevented all three of us from cramming ourselves in the bathroom just to wash our hands, brush our teeth, etc. I really appreciate the logistics & functionality of this room.
I don’t always unpack our clothes but the spacious cabinet of this hotel motivated me to do so. There’s simply more than enough space for everything to be organized and to have a comfortable stay in Boracay.
In-room amenities
Happiness is only real when shared, and so we did enjoy sharing photos and updates of our Boracay adventure with family and friends on social media. Discovery Shores Boracay has FREE and strong wifi everywhere in their property. Even when we’re in the beach front, the signal was still strong and we could lazily browse Facebook and Instagram on the beach.
My favorite amenity of Discovery Hotels is the Press Reader which allows guests to browse and even download international magazine on their iPads.
Even in the island, your children can enjoy their favorite shows with the cable TV service. There’s no changing the channel with Ashton, Disney Junior all the way x.x
Us grown-ups on the other hand, can enjoy the Nespresso machine with coffee bullets of your choice. There’s also a choice of teas and an electric kettle.
Peaceful Beach Front in Boracay
Station 1 is known to be a calmer, more peaceful, and exclusive beach front compared to station 2 & 3. Here there are fewer vendors, no tiangge, and fewer people in general. This is the best resort in Boracay for a family with small children who want a wholesome beach experience.
Ashton and I enjoyed making sand castles and make believe mountains for his toy dinosaurs. Travel tip: always bring an assortment of small toys for your kids to play with.
Breakfast Buffet at Sands Restaurant
Our booking included breakfast buffet every morning. Breakfast starts as early as 6am which is perfect for families who have scheduled water or island hopping activities.
In our case, we just want to soak in the beach and enjoy nature. Such as having a family breakfast by the beach.
The food choices had everything we wanted, even chocolate croissants, danish pastry, and for healthier choices there are wholewheat options too. We wanted to keep things light so me and Ashton opted for traditional pancakes and eggs every morning.
Daddy Az was happy to indulge in rice matched with Filipino breakfast dishes like tapa, dried fish, tocino, and more.
Delightful Surprises
When you stay in Discovery Shores Boracay, you will be surprised how the staff knows your name. This is true from the moment we stepped off the plane. Inside our room, there’s a welcome banner and our family photo. We felt like very important persons.
Welcome drinks and snacks were also waiting for us inside the room. No extra charge. And every afternoon thereafter, someone delivered for free – native delicacies for us to enjoy. Our favorite was the Bibingka from Indigo Restaurant.
I haven’t heard of welcome foot spa & massage until we stayed at Discovery Shores. All three of us, yes all of us including my son were given this complimentary service. It was very nice especially after hours of travel, did I mention it’s free? I asked and this is provided for all guests as part of their warm welcome.
If you’re still hungry, you can lounge by the pool and enjoy complimentary pool side refreshments and light snacks. During our stay we had snow cones and fruit crepes, no extra charge. How convenient & money-saving especially when traveling with children.
Inside our room, a schedule of FREE kids activities was provided. This happens every 4PM at the Kids Room. During our 3 day stay, Ashton took two afternoon classes: lollipop cake making and cupcake making.
I can’t express how delighted I am of this free activity. This prevented my son from getting bored (you know how easily bored children can get even in the most exciting islands) and allowed me and my husband to enjoy coffee dates at Sands Restaurant.
Kid Friendly Swimming Pool
Discovery Shores Boracay’s swimming pool has 3 sections. A 2 feet pool for kids, 4 feet pool for adults, and a steamy jacuzzi. It is a very nice option to have especially when you want a more relaxed swimming location not as vast and unpredictable as the beach.
My son felt very confident and safe in the 2 feet pool, I did not have to encourage him to play in the water. Usually, Ashton is scared of drowning and becomes too cautious. At Discovery Shores, he enjoyed hours of playing with his toy fishes, toy boat, and water gun.
Since the 2 feet and 4 feet pool are closely connected, I was able to sneak in a few laps while he was playing with his Dad. I also noted how clean and well maintained the pool is. I know how challenging it must be with guests having sand everywhere and swimming in from the beach. I saw with my own eyes how the staff vacuums the pool floor each night and treat the water each night. So everyday, we woke up to the sight of a luxurious and inviting swimming pool.
Fitness Gym
Discovery Shores has a mini gym that includes all basic equipment plus treadmills and elliptical machines. I worked out on our second day especially after enjoying all the food and had a good sweat session.
https://instagram.com/p/6w2MqQJ7xv/
Clean towels are available and when one of the staff noticed me working out, he brought me a jug of cold water. How sweet!
FREE Shuttle service anywhere from Station 1-3
Subject to availability, Discovery Shores’ luxury van can take you anywhere from Station 1-3. On our second night, we met up with friends to explore the famous D’Mall of Boracay. It was also a nice opportunity for me and my husband to show our son around the island and tell stories.
Ashton picking a Boracay ref magnet and toy shopping in D’Mall
We saved a lot of time and energy walking because of the shuttle. We also only had to text the driver where to pick us up.
Going Back Home
It’s always difficult to say good bye to a vacation, especially in a paradise like Boracay. As usual, Discovery Shores provided us with airport transfer via shuttle and their private boat. When we arrived in Caticlan Airport, Julie of Discovery Shores was there again and she took care of checking in our luggage and getting our boarding passes.
How convenient. We also felt at home waiting inside the Discovery Shores Boracay airport lounge. We had it all to ourselves, it was equipped with cable TV and remote so you can control what you want to watch like your child’s fave show to keep him behaved.
I already miss Discovery Shores but with their off-peak packages being all worth the travel and money, it’s not difficult to imagine going back anytime soon. I’m not connected to the resort so please visit Discovery Shores Boracay website for booking inquiries.
