Boracay and Belmont beckon
MANILA, Philippines — Those looking to spend a quiet, affordable holiday in Boracay now have the perfect place to stay and chill on a private beach. Belmont Hotel Boracay, the 2.1-billion hotel by Megaworld through its subsidiary brand Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI), recently opened its doors to holidaymakers.
Located in the 150-hectare township Boracay Newcoast, Belmont is a three-tower hotel with 442 rooms in three categories: deluxe twin or queen, premiere deluxe and executive suites, ranging from 27 to 52 sqm.
Belmont is one of five Megaworld Hotels’ homegrown brands, which include Richmonde, Savoy, Twin Lakes and Hotel Lucky Chinatown for a combined total of close to 3,500 hotel rooms. In the next five years, the company will also open hotel brands in Parañaque, Bacolod, Iloilo, Boracay and Laguna.
Megaworld’s hotel business is the fastest growing segment of the company, soaring 56 percent to P574 million compared to last year’s P368 million in the first quarter.
On a recent media fam visit to Belmont, we experienced its brand of hospitality, well-appointed spaces and lovely Filipino food with produce sourced from Aklanon farmers.
Beside Savoy Hotel — which opened two years ago and designed for millennials with its young vibe and colorful interiors — is Belmont Hotel, for the more mature visitors with its subdued color palette and larger spaces. There’s even a courtyard on the third floor and gardens to feel the Boracay breeze while having a drink or reading your book.
Belmont is also a short walk to Newcoast’s private beach. I like this area of Boracay — Station 0, they call it — because of the mountains on the horizon that are seemingly close to the waters, the hills, the keyhole, and the golf course that surrounds it. It’s nice to be away from the crowds of White Beach, yet you can go there with the regular shuttle from Belmont to experience the nightlife and shopping.
“Our second hotel under the Belmont brand offers an exclusive nature experience in the paradise island of Boracay as it allows guests to see the island’s panoramic natural scenery from one building to another — from the vast sea to the lush mountains and hills of the island and other nearby islands,” says Raymundo Melendres, managing director of Megaworld Hotels.
Families will certainly enjoy staying at Belmont with its kid-friendly swimming pool (and adult-friendly Zabana Pool Bar!). There’s also Aqua Spa with single and couple’s rooms for massages, a fitness center, meeting rooms, concierge and 24-hour room service and shuttle service
“Our continuing thrust to help boost tourism in the country is even gaining more momentum as we open more hotels across our tourism townships. GERI, as the developer of Boracay Newcoast, remains committed to help build our country through tourism developments,” explains GERI president Monica Salomon.
Because Belmont is inside Boracay Newcoast, getting to and from the hotel is a breeze thanks to its own quay (which for now is a pontoon) right beside the hill’s keyhole. It takes only a five-minute drive from the hotel to the pontoon and 15 minutes on a speedboat to get straight to Caticlan Port.
Boracay Newcoast makes up 12 percent of the entire island — and will keep 60 percent of the property open, building only on 40 percent. It is planned for both vacationers and those wanting to stay longer or permanently such as balikbayans or investors. For vacationers there are the Megaworld hotels and boutique hotels on the beach front, which will be developed and managed by other brands.
Apart from mid-rise condominiums, there is a residential village being developed called Newcoast Village, a vacation-inspired subdivision, as well as a Shophouse District, and leisure and retail areas. All these are anchored on green building practices, such as having its own sewage treatment plant (STP), solid waste disposable system and the installation of solar LED street lights.
It’s easy to imagine how Boracay Newcoast will look a few years from now, when the condominiums, hotels and shops will be completed: a lively, well-planned community of residents and tourists, chilling and partying, and shopping and hopping from one restaurant or bar to another.
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For more information, visit www.belmonthotelboracay.com.
Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow the author on Instagram and twitter @iamtanyalara.
