Boracay Island is one place in the Philippines that is always on the bottom of my bucket list. Why? I am not a beach lover because I do not know how to swim, and even I will know how to swim, I am more of the mountain girl. It makes me more at peace seeing green lushes’ mountains, sightseeing different kinds of plants and flowers, feeling the air sweep the leaves and just sitting in a shade.

However, who can say no to free travel experience? ❤

I was lucky enough to be one of the awarded employees of the year by the company I am working with. With this recognition, we were awarded a free travel experience at Boracay. All expenses including the airfare, hotel accommodation, food, boat and land transfers were part of the award.

It was my first time to be part of this elite circle of awardees and to have a free travel experience. So, who am I to ignore the beach and waves?

It was also a timely event as one of my colleagues from my former company was about to get married in Aklan, too. The wedding venue was near Jetty Port in Aklan. So, I extended my stay in Aklan to attend my friend’s wedding.

How did I get there?

My departure flight was booked by our HR via Air Asia. It was an early call time at NAIA Terminal 2. I met with the other awardees and our HR Team to check-in. Upon arrival at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport at Malay, Aklan, our HR Team pre-arranged SouthWest Travel and Tours to have our land and boat transfer. It was a 15-minutes transport from airport to port. Upon arrival at port, we transferred to the boat and arrived in Boracay Island in less than 5 minutes.

As I extended my stay in Aklan, I booked my flight back to Manila at my own expense.

Where did I stay?

Our HR arranged hotel accommodation at Belmont Hotel located at Station 0. From the port to our hotel, it took us another 30 minutes via land transfer to reach the hotel. I like the fact that Belmont Hotel is far from Stations 1 and 2, which we know is a very busy area in Boracay.

Belmont Hotel has its own beach which is a 5-minute walk from the hotel. I shared my room with 2 other awardees whom I am working with on some projects. My roommates were also awardees, and I was very happy to share the room with them since I know them a bit and I knew them more personally.

Our room has a balcony where you can view the beach. It has also a nearby bar and pool.

Where are the places I travelled to?

Our HR Team curated an itinerary that involves workshops and roaming around Boracay. We had free time to enjoy the beauty of Boracay Island. As for me, the solo traveler me, I was happy sightseeing the beach, the sand, a bit of sun and the people on the island.

Aside from walking around inside the hotel with some fun activities, I think I enjoyed most meeting new people from our organization. We were used to chatting or calling via MS Teams, now, we enjoyed the island with them physically.

I was also delighted to listen to workshops about leadership and branding. One of our ExeCom members, Ms. Abi, joined our travel, her story from how she began her career up to now was very inspiring. Her background and how she risked some decisions over her personal life were very much much of an eye-opener for me. It was a very relatable discussion. ❤

We also had a buffet lunch at Hennan Resort. The dishes were very mouth-watering! It was actually a pleasure to eat delicious and free dishes from Belmont Hotel up to Hennan Resort. All dishes really tasted better if its free! 😀

We were given ample free time to enjoy the island. As for me, I was just happy seeing the waves, a bit of sun, fine sand and the happy people at Station 1 and 2. After pandemic, this was the furthest place I visited in the Philippines, so it was indeed an experience to see how Filipinos and foreigners enjoy a normal life again.

After a short time in Station 1, I stopped by at Coco Mama to experience one of the best desserts in Boracay. And yes! It was very refreshing!

On our last day in Boracay, I enjoyed a rainy morning near the Belmont Hotel beach. Though the sand is not fine as like in Station 1 and 2, the beach here is more enjoyable due to the privacy it offers.

It was indeed an experience as a professional that I will cherish! I will be forever grateful for this reward to relax. ❤

After a short dip at the beach, we prepared to check-out. Before we check-out, we had a sumptuous boodle fight lunch!

Time to leave Boracay on that note. 😦

Thank you to my organization, Boss and colleagues for letting me be chosen as one of the awardees. ❤

I also would like to thank our HR L&D Team and the other people from Functional Teams that organized this Zen In Zen Ka Award. I am also happy to meet new people and connect with them. ❤

My next adventure will be in Malay, Aklan! ❤