Discovery Shores

The time was exactly 5 PM and I was lounging on a duyan, glass of bubbly in hand, the sun blazingly hot on my semi-clad body. To my left was a bubbling jacuzzi. As far as the eye could see there were mountains and forests. Nothing could perturb me up here on Discovery Shores Boracay’s 360-degree rooftop deck, where all that was wonderful and to live for were pleasuring my sense of touch, sight and sound. I was in total bliss.

After stepping out of the jacuzzi I plunged into the swimming pool across the deck and rose up, wet and warm, to view the magnificent ocean in front of me. There were a few boats bobbing in the water, and from way up here, they looked like toys I could pick up and play with like rubber ships. The sun beat down and I continued to revel in the moment.

They don’t call it the 360 Roof Lounge for nothing. It was the perfect setting in this Boracay working vacation for me, and each drink I was handed was done with respectful service.

I think I fell in love with Discovery Shores Boracay a bit. There was Bogart the Bear, the resort mascot, who was large, cuddly and cute; the friendly associate who had earlier plumped up the pillows during the interiors’ photo shoot; and the polite and pleasant Marc Lim, the resorts’ Associate Director of Operations. And then there was the glorious beachfront, large enough to hold volleyball games and easy enough to reach from the modern, classic Indigo restaurant which served delicious seafood (can we use coastal cuisine instead of seafood?). There was also the Butler Service daily at 11AM and 4PM which included a refreshing spritz of Evian on your face, cucumber slices for your eyes, a cold towel and some fresh fruit—all done to remind you where you were, forget your troubles, and be pampered like a princess.

These are part of the charms and strengths of Discovery Shores Boracay, a 99-room beachfront resort in Station One on White Beach.
Discovery Shores Boracay specializes in relationship-building with its guests, and Lim said that despite the pandemic, they retained many people in their workforce. “I was told to take care of my employees first, and the guests second. If you have happy staff and their families are happy as well, they will do the best they can for the guests,” enthused Lim.

“Our guests come back again and again because of our service and our employees. They come back and look for Jiggs, the head butler, or Jomar, every three months or six months or a year.”

Needless to say, the guests also come back for the modern, classic rooms and suites. The one-bedroom suite with jacuzzi had a fantastic central view facing the beachfront, big, stuffed baby Bogarts for kids, and two bathrooms. Lim told us that floors weren’t mopped but cleaned by hand by employees who crouched on all fours. “That’s part of what makes use different. We offer service that’s all heart,” he said. The Signature one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites all have swimming pools or jacuzzis, and the Signature one-bedroom suites have complimentary mini bars that are replenishable everyday. The Grand Signature Suite or Presidential Suite includes a game room laden with board games, and best of all, a mahjong table for those who have money to burn (you’ll have to if you want to afford the Presidential Suite). Vast, with wonderful views and large rooms, the Grand Signature Suite was undoubtedly the best suite in the resort. The suites all have their own lounge area located by the elevators on the second floor from. If you don’t book a suite, you can’t enter the spacious lounge, the Great Room. Mostly, the Great Room is just a place to chill out and enjoy talking to your fellow suite-mates. It’s also located beside Forno Osteria, one of the hotel’s restaurants.

At Forno Osteria for lunch, we were treated to a feast. According to its chef Enzo Artadi, the steaks were cooked in a Josper oven, of which there are less than a handful in the Philippines. The steak was juicy and not well-done, its flavors powerful even without Artadi’s delicious balsamic vinegar reduction. Also on the menu were squid ink risotto, pappardelle bolognese (which was sumptuous) and pesto and parma pizza. The real winner of the meal was the white clam pizza, which had just the right mix of flavors. Dessert was strawberry-topped cake and blueberry pannacotta.

The resort’s Executive Chef Enrique Abasta said that Forno’s specialties were really their steaks and pizzas (spot on!) and that the concept of the food was what he thought a typical Italian would like to eat. “The inspiration of the steak comes from Florentina steaks. When you see our rib-eye, it’s really thick, about 500 grams. We dry age it for two weeks and we marinate it the way the Italians marinate it, with olive oil and some herbs. It’s really simple.”

Abasta, who says he has no formal culinary training—although he opened the restaurant at Discovery Suites Ortigas and worked there for 10 years—has travelled around the world on food tours. He has gone on private study sessions with chefs who demonstrate, study, and discuss food in small groups. “I go on vacation for two weeks and I enroll. The class stay in a small house and are inundated with the cuisine 24/7. I’ve done this in Mexico, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore.”

Abasta continued, “I started from the bottom. I was a busboy in Clark airbase in an airline club and then I became a breakfast cook. Then suddenly I was given the chance to go to Guam, got military training and became a citizen.” He believes that becoming a chef was his destiny and it all happened organically. When he went to Mexico, he happened to meet the natives of the land and talked to their families to learn about local cuisine. When he got into Creole cuisine, and South African cuisine, it was done with a passionate curiosity and need for knowledge of the country’s dishes. He feels that he earned his wings to become the Executive Chef of Discovery Shores through this need to know—and the intrinsic and deep desire to discover flavors.

Abasta mentioned that in January 2023, Indigo restaurant will have a ten-course degustation in its menu, and that in December 2022 most of the resorts’ restaurants would have new items on their menu. “I’ve thought of things inspired by restaurants in New York. It’s all about learning and experimenting.”
We also ate at Bogart’s Bar, which felt like a quiet enclave, just a few steps down from a private swimming pool. There, we had chicken katsu sandwiches, sisig nachos and gambas tacos. They were satisfying and on-the-nose, perfect for the sunny climes of the island.
The sun continued to shine brightly and we made our way back home, grateful to have felt and discovered, at least for the day, Discovery Shores Boracay’s best.

DISCOVERY SHORES IS ALL ABOUT SERVICE FROM THE HEART—NOT TO MENTION SPECTACULAR FOOD

words by Ria de Borja and images by Gabriel D. Dela Cruz

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