An island lover named Julia
Julia Lervik, a Swedish national, came to Boracay island 31 years ago, fell in love with it in a heartbeat, and decided to stay. The decision to stay was resolute. She built eight splendid villas on the hills of Diniwid Beach — thus, Diniview Villa Resort was born.
Diniview is where fantasy meets reality, where heaven and earth are one. Up on a hill, which seems closer to God, is a different world, different from the resorts fronting the beach. Away from the crowd — which has yet to come in throngs, as Boracay was hugely affected by the pandemic — Diniview is majestic as it is perched in isolation among lush tropical gardens of dipterocarps and ornamental plants. If privacy has perfection, Diniview has it.
“I have been living in Boracay since January 1990,” begins Julia, adding that the resort started when she built her own private home in the 5,000-sq-m property in 2004. “The name of the resort came from a combination of our beach below, Diniwid Beach, and that I have built all the houses with a view. I have planned them and built them to make sure we respect nature and that they all have a fantastic view.”
Diniwid Beach is on Station 1 of Boracay. It is the almost hidden extension of the White Beach. Up on Diniview, particularly on the veranda with the plunge pool of the fully-furnished Salt Villa, the whole stretch of the White Beach, from Station 1 to Station 3, can be seen. The view is at once magnificent and calming. Watching the sunset from the pool deck of Salt Villa is also a blissful experience, if not divine.
“For me it is key to respect the environment we live in. When we build, we try to respect as much of the natural surroundings. We don’t use any kinds of pesticides in the resort or fertilizers, thus we have plenty of flowers and animals, including monitor lizards, civet cats, tree frogs and butterflies,” she adds.
The resort on a hill is an extension of her own home. It was created as a labor of love and a personal project of Julia, who hails from a family of artists in Sweden and a longtime Boracay resident.
“In 2004, my father and I discovered an untouched hillside of Diniwid Beach and there, I built my own home. Through the years, the landscape was conscientiously developed and contoured without disturbing its natural grandeur,” says Julia.
She adds: “By 2007, the groundwork began for a haven of private villas designed as the ultimate tropical escape amidst the lush jungle terrain. Built for a group of friends looking to own an idyllic escape in Boracay during the coldest months in Europe, the villas can accommodate families and small groups of friends traveling to Boracay, all-year-round.”
Sustainable architecture
The resort’s architecture is inspired tropical living. Each of the eight villas is a masterpiece, an unmistakably Asian tropical home, with ingenious Scandinavian design touches. Modern comforts and amenities such as air-conditioning, hot and cold showers, and Wi-Fi are present, too, in each home.
The resort is proud to be a green sanctuary. All the villas were designed to complement the natural terrain. Old trees are preserved, serving as the private demarcation lines between villas in an already private paradise. Nature nurtures the guest in an embrace that soothes the soul and empowers the spirit. Every nook and cranny allows the pampered guest to be wrapped in bliss as he or she is nestled in profound joy and peace.
Diniview, says Julia, is also a proud supporter of the Friends of the Flying Foxes (FFF), a non-stock, non-profit organization of Boracay resident volunteers and returning guest volunteers, as well as wildlife specialists interested in the preservation of one of the many treasures of Boracay – the endemic and endangered golden crown flying fox fruit bats. Julia founded FFF and serves as its president. She says 90 percent of reforestation on cleared land is attributed to the fruit bats that preserve the island’s main source of fresh water, as well as its green landscape, Diniwid included.
Hope floats amidst the pandemic
As local tourism slowly opens, Julia becomes more hopeful not only for Diniview but also for all the resorts and other business establishments in Boracay.
“The pandemic hit us all hard and as Boracay purely depends on tourism, we have no other means of income,” Julia says. “So, for all the people of Boracay, we have had to find our own way of how to survive. We have grown vegetables in our gardens to provide food among many other things.”
She adds: “I believe that once travel will be allowed, tourists will come back to Boracay. I just hope that the government doesn't push for a mass tourism market again.”
Island lover
Julia continues to be in love with Boracay. The island is her home. She speaks the language of the island people, proof enough of her love, her devotion to the paradise that nurtures her heart, mind and soul.
“We hope we can provide you with an authentic Boracay holiday, with the comforts of home where you feel cared for, and a soulful place that cares for its environment and neighborhood. We wish you lasting memories, and that you go home with a fresh perspective on life,” Julia concludes.
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