Surfside Boracay Resort and Spa

Contrary to some other reviews, my four weeks’ stay at Surfside Boracay Resort & Spa was frustrating day after day, from the very beginning. To reach this lodging facility (name it as you like), you will have to drag your luggage over a long stretch of a dirt track, which turns muddy and slippery when it rains. The check-in procedure is a long sermon of all your obligations, their house rules and the sanctions you will undergo if you fail to comply. It makes you feel rather like a villain than like a welcome guest. Furthermore, their staff speaks hardly any English, which makes it quite difficult to communicate with them. The interior of their rooms dates back to the past century, with an aspect of a cheap backpacker hostel, however, with a room rate comparable to a superior resort hotel. All their furniture is old, worn and mostly damaged (see picture). You are greeted by a huge number of dos and don'ts, pinned to literally every wall. There is even a pricelist of the inventory, just in case you would soil or intend to steal one of their valuable linens. This shows what kind of clientele they are usually dealing with, and it won't make you feel much better. The interior of my fridge was soaking wet and dripping from condensation, because they had removed the lid of the ice compartment. Wasting electricity seems to be no issue. I had to wrap everything in plastic bags, otherwise their fridge would have been practically unusable. Internet... yes, it is "available" in your room, but it breaks down as soon as you log on. They tell you to try it at the bar (and make you spend money there), but the internet connection there is as miserable as in your room. By the way, if you intend to get a sim card from a local provider as an alternative, you will likely find out that there is no coverage at this part of the island either. Their restaurant caters primarily to Asian tourists. Its staff is visibly unskilled and absolutely not service minded. Never even dare to bother them with any special request! Breakfast options are limited to just a few poor choices, which are all about the same every day. Though my room rate had "included breakfast" (details not specified), I did not get any fresh fruit, only a tiny glass of canned juice. If you want fruit, they charge you extra. Occasionally they "forget" to serve coffee, too. However, at 6:30 in the morning, before they even started their breakfast service, they instantly hurried to block the beachfront table as reserved for the "more privileged" guests, even though no one ever came. Their attitude was worsening from day to day, no apologies offered. Discrimination of the less privileged, non-Asian guests seems to be part of their game. Contrary to some pictures on the Internet, they offer no beach chairs and beach towels are only available for cash, the deposit cannot be charged to the room. The beach in front of the accommodation is mostly clogged with a thick soup of green algae, which are absolutely harmless and not toxic. Its appearance however is not very appealing, and you can find much cleaner beaches in the Northern parts of the island. To sum it up, my overall experience at this place was disappointing. Why would you want to stay at a place where you are not welcome? I definitely do NOT recommend it for a longer stay.

located for my opinion in the best zone of beach of boracay, the calmest zone. you have the whole beach for yourself, as you go forward to the other zones the beach is full of people. The hotel is ideal, small but on the beach. The large room, is basic but with everything you need and most importantly super clean. The staff is super friendly. They leave you beach towels and change them every day. It comes including breakfast which is very delicious and eating it on the beach is wonderful. we traveled with a six month old baby and were super friendly preparing breakfast. super recommended.

The location of this hotel was the best thing. Located on the side of Station 3, this part of the beach was perfectly quiet and relaxing and also very close to restaurants. The room (Ocean room) was huge and included a large refrigerator with mini bar items and freezer compartment, a sofa and a table and chairs, as well as a safe, a comfortable large bed, a TV with channel listing, WiFi and an outdoor balcony area with chairs and sun loungers.