Feliz Hotel Boracay — Hotel in Malay

Before you proceed to read, I want you to know that I am not a blogger nor an influencer. You won't even find me on social media. So know that what you are about to read is true and based on my experience, 100%. Not sponsored, not paid in any way.

I don't often review places but I felt like I owe it to Feliz Hotel and its staff to let the people of the internets know how amazing this hotel is. My brother even told me that he was blown away by how elegant this hotel is. He did not expect it to be as luxurious as it was because he knows we only paid a certain amount, definitely not as much as the other upscale hotels at Station 1 and 2 were charging.

The hotel is in the middle of D'Mall. You ask your eTrike drop you off at Jasper's Tapsilog and you enter through the D'Mall palengke eskinita and Feliz Hotel will be right ahead. You'll be seeing its right hand side though, not its front. Don't be alarmed by the word "palengke," this narrow street is super clean.

Once you enter, the staff greets you warmly. The check in desks have seats, the lobby has a high ceiling and also a big couch. Even without aircon, it's nice and cool. They give out cucumber coolers while you wait for the front desk staff to check you in.

They then guide you to your HUGE room. The bed is nice and firm, and the pillows are cool. As in hindi sha umiinit and you don't have to flip it. Haha. As an average person who can only afford average pillows, this was amazing to me. Amenities are all complete but if there's anything else you need, you just have to ask and they will do their best to provide it for you. They won't be able to provide them all but they will try (like I asked for an extra glass bottle for our room since we paid for an extra head for the double deluxe but it seems like they weren't able to provide it at the time). My sister-in-law had a tummy cramp so they even let us borrow a hot bag and it helped her sleep through the night. We were also able to borrow an iron and board. They even had a small birthday cake ready for my dad when we got back to the room after dinner. They also let us borrow towels we can bring to the beach (just ask the front desk). These were small gestures but made us feel like special guests.

My brother proposed to his girlfriend at the rooftop pool and it was SO PERFECT. We asked the staff to put together some tables for our party of eight right by the kiddie pool area but when we got there, we saw that they didn't just put the tables together. They even set it up with table decors and things. It was so nice. Then my brother and his fiancee got a small congratulations cake with sparklers at the end of dinner. Again, very nice.

Before I booked this hotel, I did some research also, like what you're probably doing now. And I found that one of the most common negative is the excessive noise from the evening band at La Plaza. But during the three nights that we were there (Wed to Sat), the band wasn't noisy at all. I guess they took to heart the reviews from past guests and made sure that the band did not disturb any guests who might be resting.

Pro tip: If you're a first time Boracay tourist or you just want to watch the firedancers (every night from Thu to Sun, it seems), book a table for dinner at La Plaza and ask to be seated in front of the stage. That will give you a front row view to the amazing firedance performance, which happens at 9pm. Bring cash so you can tip the performers!

Speaking of dinner, if there's any comment I can give the hotel management team, it would be to focus on developing their food options further. The breakfast buffet is ok but for guests staying more days, it can get boring. The lunch and dinner options are also limited and while they are good, they are not stellar. If not for the firedancers I would not have chosen La Plaza for dinner on our third night. It's not bad. But there are sooo many other dining options in Boracay and I think if La Plaza can improve their menu, wala na, tapos na ang boksing. Feliz Hotel is going to be the best place na in the island...

To be honest, I always have a slightly uneasy feeling when booking hotels in the Philippines, as there is often a huge gap between expectations and reality. However, when I made the booking, I didn't realise that I would be entering a world of hospitality I had never experienced before when I walked through the massive, 10-metre-high double doors.

Firstly, I would like to talk about the positive features of our room. Thankfully, we were able to stay in a very large room with a view of the fountain in front of the hotel. From our room, we were able to marvel at the fire show in the evening and enjoy the live music. Our room had a very large bathroom with a bathtub (a dream for our children) and a separate toilet. The whole room was very well lit thanks to the numerous lamps. The many storage options, such as a kind of treasure chest that also served as a table or a large shelf for shoes, jackets and the like in the entrance area, are particularly practical for a longer stay. The bed was big enough for two adults and two children and the duvets were really cosy. Last but not least, the thorough cleaning (twice a day!) should be mentioned. In addition, drinking water is topped up regularly and while you are not in the room, a cooling system is still running so that you don't have to wait ages for the air conditioning to reach a comfortable temperature. Basic lighting is also guaranteed while you are away. These may be small things, but they make your stay a little more pleasant.

My next point is the hotel's facilities and general impression. You quickly realise that the Feliz Hotel is based on a well thought-out concept. The entire design and furnishings make sense and are perfectly coordinated. The entrance portal is impressive and it is safe to say that it is characterised by a high level of ‘Instagramability’. I could often see other guests taking marvelling pictures of the huge doors. The reception itself stands in contrast to this first impression. It is kept simple and reserved, almost inconspicuous. Ultimately, it epitomises exactly what the Feliz Hotel stands for in my eyes. Above all, you are perceived here as a guest and not as a paying customer who needs to be processed as quickly as possible. In all the hectic surroundings (D'Mall, White Beach), you suddenly find yourself in an oasis of calm, emphasised by the calming effect of the water inside the hotel. There is great live music on the square in front of the accommodation at the weekend evenings, where you can always make your own music requests. The impressive fire show was also a real crowd-puller every time and gave our daughter great pleasure. You can also hire towels for the beach at the entrance and there are always toys for the children to borrow for the beach. Let's go up a few floors to the hotel roof. Here there is a bar, two pools (one for children), a playground and, above all, a great view of the sea and the rest of the island. There are all kinds of board games in the bar area and you can even sing karaoke in the evening. The playground was a highlight for us and, with two children, almost the decisive criterion for booking the Feliz Hotel. No script could have been better written for our son to take his first steps here.

Finally, I would like to praise the behaviour of the entire staff. All the hotel staff really made us feel like welcome guests. Filipinos are known for their friendliness, but the staff at the Feliz Hotel set a new standard of hospitality. The warmth is always authentic and never artificial. Even when they were very busy, they always made time for a quick chat or to play with the children. It is the people who work there who make up the soul of the hotel. We are very grateful to the entire staff and have firmly planned...

We were initially disappointed by Feliz as the room we checked into had a couple of problems that we noticed within the first couple of hours of checking in. But they were able to redeem themselves after giving them a second chance and we ended up having a great stay.

Cons: We were blown away by the interiors and look of the hotel and the room but when we started noticing things like the floor felt like it had not been vacuumed and had sand on it. The shower appeared to be dirty and the pipes under the bathroom sink were leaking. We ended up complaining and requested another room but unfortunately there were no more available and we were ready to leave.

Pros: However, Lou, the hotel manager, really pulled through and provided us with 5 star treatment. She upgraded us to a suite and gifted us a free massage. She also gave us a personal line if any other issues or concerns arose. She is a gem and we are glad we gave Feliz a second chance because of her efforts. We definitely would have left and given a negative review if it wasn’t for her efforts.

The suite was beautiful. We were blown away with the decor and amenities. It really felt worth the recommended price.

We also found that the staff were extremely helpful and provided good customer service. The hotel transfer service from the airport to the hotel was seemless. We never had to worry about where to go, or our bags which was all looked after by the transfer staff.

The buffet is also very good. The food is freshly made and there was a lot of variety. In room dining was also very good. I needed sugar due to a diabetic hypoglycaemic episode in the middle of the night and I requested churros. These were made fresh and tasted incredible. The serving size was also very generous.

The guest services and house keeping were also very good. Whenever we called guest services they were polite and happy to help. Housekeeping was always available. We thought we missed the opportunity for our room to be made us as we left the room late but found it all made up when we returned in the evening.

We also highly recommend the massages therapists at the Feliz spa, Amy and Jovelyn. They were so professional and experienced. We loved their massages and got massages from them multiple times. They never disappointed. They were able to apply the exact pressure we needed, listened well to our requests, and were very skilled.

The location was right in the heart of D’mall. Where a lot of local shops and restaurants are. There was a courtyard out front with lots of local performances. It did get noisy at night. But that’s the trade off for being in the heart of the action. We didn’t mind as much as we were tired from all the island activities and knocked out every night and the noise would never really go past 10-11pm.

We didn’t try the pool as we spent most time at the beach.

Verdict: Although initially disappointed we really enjoyed the stay thanks to Lou’s efforts, the upgraded suite and the efforts of staff like Amy and Jovelyn.

We do recommend getting the suite for an extra special experience over the basic rooms as thats where the style of the hotel really shines.

This hotel is definitely worth its 4 star rating.

Thank you Lou and to all...