My family just returned from a fabulous week-long vacation on the beautiful island of Boracay in the Philippines. When we are looking for accomodations for our trips, we usually focus on a couple of things: customer reviews and price. Trip Advisor is an amazing resource to find options that fulfill both of these requirements. When possible, our family likes to stay in suites/apartments just so we have a little more room and kitchen amenities. So when I stumbled upon 7Stones on Trip Advisor, I knew this was the place for us.
Located on Bulabog Beach, 7Stones is not the place for you if you’re one of the crazy, up-all-night partiers that White Beach is famous for. But if you want to be close to the action, with the option to return home to a peaceful sanctuary, then this is your place. When we were dropped off by the taxi in the alleyway in front of 7Stones, we were a little displaced and confused…for about a minute. Once we made our way down the stone-lined path with beautiful flowers hanging from the lattice roof, we were enchanted. The walkway opened up to a charming courtyard with pool, swim-up bar and restaurant. The pool is quite functional and well situated, but without room for lounge chairs it’s not the kind of pool you’re going to lay around all day. But that’s okay here – there is too much to do and so many beautiful beaches that you really don’t want to be tempted to just sit around a pool!
Bulabog Beach is gorgeous – albeit windy and the ocean filled with seaweed. So although you might not want to go for a relaxing swim, there are many advantages to being on this side of the island. It is a world famous kitesurfing beach, and lying in one of the hammocks watching the beautiful kites sail across the sea is quite a sight. Or if you’re adventurous enough, take a lesson from one of the many schools located on the beach! My husband did, and it is quite hard! Considering how hot Boracay is most of the time, the breeze is quite welcome.
And although you are staying on the opposite side of the island from White Beach, that equates to a five-minute walk. And the walk is really interesting! (you can summon a tricycle if you don’t want to walk) If you’re like us, you like to see some of the real country, not just the tourist areas, when you’re visiting a new place.
Sophia made a friend at the kitesurfing place next door. Love the surfer vibe at this beach!
Our room was also not a disappointment. We had two rooms connected by a small entryway. Our kids stayed in a room with two double beds and a large bathroom. Our room had a living area, kitchen with table, bedroom with king-sized bed and large bathroom. We also had a nice-sized veranda with table overlooking the pool with ocean views. The rooms are very tastefully decorated with attractive stone accents. The property has also done a nice job in general working their “stone” theme and logo (it looks like a stone stick figure, it’s very cute!) throughout the resort. Our son even got a 7Stones necklace in their small gift shop!
The on-site restaurant is another reason this is a Boracay gem. Small but nicely appointed, they serve delicious food at reasonable prices (I come from Singapore so everything is reasonable to me!). Their daily breakfast buffet, at around $12 USD, was a great deal. I got a ham and cheese omelet every single day, because I couldn’t bear to try something else, knowing how much I enjoyed it. My son (they charged us one full price for two kids) could have turned into a pancake he ate so many! In addition to traditional Western food, the 7Note served European and Asian fare as well. For lunches and dinner, my favorites were the pizzas and pastas.
Of special note was the “romantic dinner”. For a 5-course meal including a bottle of the house wine, my husband and I enjoyed a special dinner alone. Because of a storm that was rolling through, we had to move it from the beach to an unoccupied room across from our suite. While our children watched a movie, we dined on great food by lantern light, surrounded by flowers and light music. Our server Jovet (more on him shortly!) had our kids come over in the middle of the dinner to present me with the roses that my husband had bought. It was simply a lovely evening.
That brings me to the most important aspect of 7Stones – the staff. Maybe I should have led with this, but they are the most crucial part of the 7Stones experience. Jovet, the resort bartender, is so much more. He took his job so seriously and was a perfect ambassador for 7Stones, his genuine concern for the customers was palpable. Then you have Flor – the consummate professional. She worked the restaurant floor like a pro and made us feel so at home. The night before we left, she even stopped by to say goodbye because she was concerned that she was not going to arrive at work in time to see us off the next day. Ed and Jay were also newer employees that excel at their job and fit in quite well with the 7Stones family. And how can I forget the sweet, sweet other server who took care of us every day. I cannot remember her name, but I remember her smile. (someone please email me her name so I can correct this!)
A couple of hours before we were set to depart, we were sitting at the restaurant having lunch and we happened to meet the very friendly Canadian owners. They were picking new paint colors, and not only asked us our redecorating opinion but also wanted to know if our children had any suggestions for the resort. Our interesting conversation with them topped off a fabulous week, and solidified our decision to return someday.
The best moment of the week (and trust me, there were many) came when my husband and I were sitting on the lounge chairs on the beach at sunset, enjoying a glass of wine, when a group of local kids came walking by. They did not speak English, but within five minutes, they were racing our kids up and down the beach. How can you not fall in love with that?
For more information on 7Stones Boracay, visit their website at 7stonesboracay.com or for more information on Boracay, see our island review.
