Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel

safety deposit box, WiFi, TV, mini bar, and hot and cold shower.

Amenities

What’s it like?

LOCATED ALONG BORACAY’S world-famous White Beach in Station 2 is Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel, a three-storey property with a charming and homey ambience. Enjoy the luxury of waking up to blue azure seas or grab a bite to eat right by the shore. Tables and chairs are right on the beach front, giving you the best access to the sea and tall palm trees just a few yards away. A great big sunburst adorns the ceiling, a nod to the hotel’s name and a reminder your holiday has begun.

Rooms

Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel has 77 modern rooms, all designed to provide you with a comfortable stay. Each room has a comfy bed, air conditioning, in-room

Lounge by the beach chair or take a dip in the outdoor swimming pool — not only is it the best spot after a fun day of island hopping or water activities but also a great spot for taking your Instagram photos. Enjoy a refreshing tropical shake, cocktail or light snacks at the pool bar or head to Beach Café, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant. It’s located right along the beach so you get to enjoy your food with the best beach views. D’Mall with its row of stalls for shopping and restaurants is just a two-minute walk.

How much?

A Deluxe Room starts from Php4,125. For the best deals and the latest promos, book directly on the hotel website.

FORGET THE AIRPORT queues, fly private on AirTrav’s Cessna Grand Caravan Ex Amphibian, taking off from Manila on wheels and landing on the island of your dreams on floats, right on the beach.

It’s a James Bond way to arrive, with the seaplane landing gently on water, and delivering you straight to your private island resort deck, where resort staff are ready to welcome you.

The whole trip is seamless, no airport queues, no waiting, no check ins, no stranger travelling next to you.

It’s your own private flying taxi, which in a country with 7,461 islands — many not accessible by commercial aircraft — has a lot of appeal. When the pandemic hit, private flights came on its own, seen as a “safer way” to travel.

At the height of COVID -19 in 2021, BBC reported 3.3 million private flights, a 7% increase from the previous year and this increase is widely seen to continue.

Some commuter airlines in the Philippines jumped on the bandwagon, starting “bubble travels,” chartered flights exclusively for families and groups headed to private island resorts.

Today, with COVID -19 almost behind us, AirTrav, a new entrant in the market having started only in 2018, is leading the way in private seaplane travel, with license to fly scheduled flights to Boracay, Puerto Galera, Coron, and El Nido. It is the only seaplane flying to ultimate gold-list island destinations in the Philippines such as the US$2,650-a night Banwa Private Island Resort and

STYLISH ARRIVAL: Clockwise from bottom right, selfie on arrival; from the seaplane to the jetty and straight to your resort; Flower Island Resort, one of AirTRav’s resort partners; and enjoying the view from 10,000 feet

Ariara Island available for a seven night booking from about $25,000.

“The idea when AirTrav started,” according to AirTrav business development director Audrey Ngui, “was to see if there was a way to travel from one island to another, hassle free. Some commercial flights were not available direct to resort destinations.” This meant, people who could pay top cash for luxury resorts still have to go the circuitous way to get there.

Travel to AirTrav’s resort partner, Banwa Private Island Resort in the Sulu Sea by commercial aircraft, for instance, could take almost half a day, taking in the combined time it takes to fly and go on van and boat transfers. Factor in long airport queues, and checkins and you’ve got the picture. The private seaplane option on AirTrav gets you to the same destination in only two hours, with the aircraft delivering you on the doorstep.

Seamless Service From Start to Finish Manila-based AirTrav has a hangar in Andrews Avenue, Pasay City, where all flights depart. The advantage of a private flight is that you don’t need to go to an airport terminal building. AirTrav’s van — available on request — can pick you up at home and drive you straight to the tarmac, where your seaplane awaits. A blue lights police escort accompanies you from the hangar gate to the tarmac, making you feel like a rock and roll celeb. From the van or your car, you get on the seaplane, ready for the joy of flying private.

“Flying taxi”

AirTrav’s single-engine Cessna Grand Caravan Ex Amphibian used for the flight is often described as a “beast” or a “multi-purpose powerhouse” of an aircraft because of its ability to adapt to any situation, able to land on water, grass, or rugged surfaces. It is dependable and efficient.

The 8-seater aircraft’s interior is comfortable, with seats configured so everyone gets a window seat. The flight is low lying, taking off and ascending to 10,000 feet, giving an amazing bird’s eye view of the city and islands. InFlight’s chief contributing photographer and assistant drone photographer were able to get an amazing view of white-fringed islands as AirTrav circled Flower Island resort in Palawan, one of the airline’s partner resorts, prior to landing.

The High Life Destinations

AirTrav’s partner resorts in Coron, Palawan are Club Paradise, El Rio Y Mar, Marina del Sol, Paolyn, Sunlight Eco, and Two Seasons. In El Nido, Palawan it flies to Lihim Resort and El Nido Resorts’ Pangulasian Island. In Taytay, Palawan, the airline flies to Flower Island.

In Boracay, partner resorts include Discovery Shores, Crimson Boracay, and One Hagdan, with designated landing stations, depending on weather conditions, at Bulabog Beach or Station 3.

In Puerto Galera, partner resorts are Arkipelago and El Galleon with a designated landing station at Muelle Port where passengers can embark and disembark.

What’s the Bill Like?

An AirTrav Gold Premium Experience to Boracay for up to six passengers will set you back from Php250,488 or roughly P40k per passenger, round trip. An AirTrav VIP experience costs from Php333,984, round trip. What’s the difference? Ngui explains that AirTrav Gold allows passengers to book on a per seat basis for six people only. Airtrav VIP is for chartered flights for passengers less than 6, destined for any destination.

The Verdict

Private flights will continue to be fuelled by the rich as well as travellers wanting a special trip of a lifetime, or thrill seekers and adventure travellers wanting the next big thing. Business travellers who’ve tried their first private flight will want to continue travelling in hassle free style.

No airport queues on arrival, only clear blue waters and your holiday waiting for you. If you feel like it, you can jump right into the water