Where to Stay in Boracay: Discovery Shores

Boracay is home of the famous White Beach that draws travelers from near and far. Though it’s consistently rated as one of the best beaches in the Philippines, it’s definitely busy and crowded. Think of it like the Cancun of the Philippines.

If you make it this way, you’ll enjoy beautiful white sand, clear blue ocean and plenty of options for water-based activities, but the beaches are bustling, and don’t necessarily provide the unplugged, relaxing vibe that most people hope for when booking an island getaway.

The beach is divided into three, ‘Stations,’ which are all connected by one main road and one long strip of beach. The most populated is Station 2, where you are likely to experience a lot of tourists crowding the shores, along with many local solicitors trying to sell you everything from selfie sticks to catamaran rides.

We stayed at Discovery Shores in Station 1. Here’s a little more about our experience and time in Boracay:

One of the primary advantages of staying at Discovery Shores Boracay is their location toward the end of Station 1. It is only a 15-20 minute walk up the beach from Station 2, but is vastly less populated, which makes it much easier to kick back and enjoy.

The water itself is warm and crystal clear, with a shallow sandbar not far off shore. This makes it an excellent beach for families with kids, or those seeking an easygoing and beautiful beach experience. We had a blast playing around in the water, which ranged from ankle to thigh height at any given point between the shore and end of the sandbar.

Discovery Shores offers cozy beach beds and umbrellas for guests, with staff and security overseeing the area to ensure you have towels, water, and don’t have to worry about leaving your belongings on the sand while enjoying a swim and splashing around. They will even help set you up with a variety of water-basted activities (making sure your chosen guides are reputable/trustworthy), AND you can order from the bar and enjoy your drinks and snacks right there on the beach beds!

Discovery Shores Boracay has fine tuned their beachfront formula to ensure guests can have a relaxing, accommodating and secure experience enjoying their little slice of paradise.

The shining star of your culinary experience at Discovery Shores is seated right on the beach at their acclaimed Indigo Restaurant. The menu is not huge but their offerings are solid, and are fresh and delicious across the board. They feature fun and indulgent apps like duck fat tater tots, and entrees ranging from juicy steaks and lamp chops, to fresh sea scallops and lobster. It is the best foodie-focused location within the resort, and many say across the entire island, for those seeking a more elevated dining experience.

The Discovery Shores Boracay breakfast buffet is excellent, featuring a diverse variety of sweet and savory options that will satisfy any palate. They have delicious coffee, a fresh fruit smoothie station, a great selection of Filipino fare, and all of the standard breakfast options one could hope for. It is already included in your room rate, so this is something you will definitely want to take advantage of!

As expected the food is on the pricey side at the resort, so starting the day with a solid breakfast is a good plan. Also worth mentioning is their daily happy hour, featuring 2-for-1 cocktails served all over the resort (we enjoyed ours in the jacuzzi)!

The guest rooms at Discovery Shores are generally well-appointed. Beds are ultra comfy and the turn down service is a nice touch (expect a little note and slippers by the bed). Before turn down each day staff makes a round delivering a little local treat like cassava cake or glutinous rice patties, which is very sweet indeed! The coffee and tea available in the room are good (Keurig style coffee, and a variety of teas with an electric kettle).

Every room has a small balcony with a drying rack for your swim clothes, which comes in handy since you will likely be at the pool or beach everyday. The only note for improvement would be that the bathrooms are a bit outdated, and could use some renovation to bring them up to par with the rest of the space. All in all our room was very clean and comfortable, and by the time we left it felt like we were leaving our own little island apartment.

The spa experience at Discovery Shores begins the second you walk through the doors at Terra. They have definitely taken great strides to ensure that guests enjoy a fully relaxing sensory experience, with a soothing ambiance and calm, graceful staff that are attentive from start to finish.

We arrived just before our appointment time for their standard 60-minute massage, and were warmly greeted by name with cold towels and delicious lemongrass iced tea. We were asked to complete an information form indicating any allergies or specific areas of the body we would like focused on, and in practice it was easy to tell that the massage therapists read and acted accordingly based on the information we provided.

The front desk staff member gave us the option of three different essential massage oil combinations to choose from for use in our massage, and introduced us to our therapists for the session before making her exit. The massage therapists led us outside, up a short flight of stairs and down an open air hallway to a different area of the hotel where the massage rooms are located. This is perhaps our only real critique of the Terra experience, as walking out into the sounds and heat of the larger resort detracted from the buildup of bliss that began when we entered the main registration area.

The massage rooms were lovely, temperate and very relaxing. The massage began with a soothing foot scrub, and ended with a super delicious hot tea we savored to the last drop. For only about $44 USD (2200 pesos), Terra knocked it out of the park for the overall scope of their spa experience, and the skillful work of their masseuses.

All in all, we loved our stay at Discovery Shores. Staying here in Station 1 as opposed to the busier Station 2 really made the best experience.

If you’d like to experience a stay at Discovery Shores Boracay- listed as No. 7 in the Top 10 Best Resort Hotels in Southeast Asia in Travel + Leisure 2017 World’s Best Awards- you’re in luck! They’re having a 10-year-anniversary special and you can book it via this link.