Tucked along Boracay’s famed shoreline, Mandarin Bay Resort & Spa marries luxury island experience with warm hospitality, making guests feel pampered and genuinely cared for.
The only five-star hotel in Boracay Station 2, it ensures that guests receive impeccable service from the moment they step onto the hotel premises.
At the reception area, the friendly staff ensures that guests are welcomed with refreshing drinks and cold towels to help them cool off after the ride from the airport.
The lobby leads to an expansive pool area, offering views of the island’s longest pool and mid-rise hotel buildings, dotted with coconut trees and lounge chairs that invite guests to forget city life for a while and fully immerse themselves in vacation mode.
Of the 365 luxurious suites and rooms available, the West Junior Suite is one of the must-try accommodations.
It is a spacious corner room with its very own patio fronting the pool area. Because it's on the ground floor, it's accessible to all the hotel amenities, and guests can easily come and go to the beachfront.
The luxurious room has its own sitting area, a day bed, and a long marble ledge that can serve as a workstation or a table for meals and knicknacks.
It doesn't feel cramped even when you have several pieces of luggage in tow.
The coffee bar is equipped with a choice of drip coffee sachets made exclusively for Mandarin Bay or branded coffee bullets for quick caffeine fixes any time of the day.
There's also freshly made dalandan juice, tea bags, and water bottles in the mini fridge to keep guests refreshed during their stay.
Another favorite spot in this corner room is its spacious bathroom, which is big enough to accommodate separate areas for bath, shower, and toilet.
Ladies will appreciate that the room features a large vanity mirror and a full-length mirror for outfit checks before heading out to the beach.
Don’t miss out on enjoying a hot bubble bath with lavender or sweet rose bath bombs, available at the cute boutique stores in D’Mall.
The best part about the room is how Mandarin Bay goes the extra mile in making guests feel special with a personalized message that accompanies not just the welcome drinks and desserts, but is also displayed on the flat-screen TV and king-sized bed.
This can be arranged upon booking a room at the hotel, especially if the hotel stay is meant for a special occasion like birthdays or anniversaries.
For the ultimate VIP experience, families or honeymooning couples can also book the VIP suite, which has its own dining area, living area, and a garden jacuzzi.
It is so complete that, come rain or shine, guests can choose to stay in for their entire time in Boracay.
Or guests can step out of the hotel long enough to visit Mandarin Spa at Mandarin Inn Boracay, a sister hotel of Mandarin Bay, also found in Station 2.
This beachfront spa place offers relaxing foot massages and traditional hilot that will effectively chase the guests' worries away.
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mandarin bay RESTAURANTS
Travelers often visit Boracay not just for its pristine shores, but also for the food trips offered by the island’s various restaurants.
At Mandarin Bay Resort and Spa, its in-house restaurants provide some of the best dining experiences that vacationers shouldn’t miss.
La Fiesta is a foodie destination that offers Pinoy seafood lunch buffet. Guests can even customize the experience by choosing their preferred sauces since there's a chef that cooks the orders on the spot.
Customers can also pick the ingredients they want for their hot noodle soups.
Located at the beachfront of the hotel, it's accessible to tourists who want to have good Filipino comfort food.
Mamma Mia Ristorante Italiano is known for its mouth-watering pizza flavors and all-you-can-enjoy pasta dishes.
While it's not easily spotted since it's right at the back of La Fiesta, it provides a quiet place for couples and families who want to enjoy good food sans the noise of the usual crowd outside.
Mandarin Bay is also adding four more restaurants inside The Bay: Hoshikura, Red Chopsticks, and La Castella, and a karaoke bar.
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A FAMILY AFFAIR
Mandarin Bay's warm approach to its clientele is intentional, according to Christina Po, vice-president for sales and business development.
Christina's parents own the business, with her father Robert Po as chairman and her mother Lily Po as managing director.
Their family hails from Iloilo, and they have been in the hotel business since 2008.
Speaking to PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), Christina says, "Mandarin Premiere started with Mandarin Island hotel. It started 17 years ago. It’s a family business.
"After that, our family got into Island Inn, then Mandarin White Sand, then most recently, Mandarin Bay and Mandarin Nest. These two have been operating for almost two years."
Talking about what she learned about running island hotel chains, she underlines the value of providing the best possible service to guests.
"I think that in concept, a lot of people would think running a hotel is easy. 'Coz it’s like running a house. You know naman how to clean, how to cook, how to invite guests in.
"In essence, it’s still that. It’s the hospitality that’s most important.
"'Coz you could do everything to a five-star level, of thinking that, 'Oh the glass should be exactly two inches away from the knife.' They all look so beautiful, right?"
She continues: "I'm sure you've also experienced going to a place where there’s warmth versus a place where it’s perfect but the warmth is not there.
"I would say that element is very, very important. And from our experience, that's actually what guests appreciate, that’s what guests look for.
"And that’s also what keeps you going. That gives you a purpose."
While the way a hotel looks elevates the over-all experience of a guest, Christina points out that the end-goal is always all about the guest.
"Our goal is not exactly not just IG-worthy. We want it to be thoughtful. When the guests come, it’s not just pretty.
"How does the guest feel when they’re there? Does it transport them to a different experience?"
A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, Christine joined her parents’ business as a sales director in 2008 before eventually rising up the ladder.
In 2023, Christine personally handled the building of Mandarin Nest, from pre-construction up to the nitty-gritty of its interior design.
Then she began running Mandarin Bay Resort & Spa in 2024.
As a leader, Christine pushes the envelope by ensuring that the hospitality not only serves the clients but also supports the hotel employees.
"I'm not sure if this is confusing, but I like being in the industry where people are happy when your team is happy.
"If you take care of your team, your guests will be happy. I'm sure it applies to everyone.
"But particularly for hotels, if your team is not happy, your guests will feel it immediately.
"We're definitely far from perfect. But that’s our goal—how can we be more hospitable not just for our guests but towards our own people? How can we show hospitality for everyone?"
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Christina takes after her mom, who exudes elegance and motherly warmth at the same time.
At the annual Masks and Lights event of Mandarin Bay, Mrs. Po made sure that she passed by each table to check on guests, asking everyone if they're enjoying the party at the newly launched convention center of the hotel.
In her speech during the program, she proudly mentioned how Christina "pioneered" Mandarin Nest, before pointing out that all five properties of Mandarin Premiere "has its own special feature totally different from each other" depending on the clients' vacation preferences.
Mrs. Po then said, "The only common thing among all these Mandarin properties, you know what? It's the Mandarin service."
Even Mr. Po's speech at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony highlighted how the company honors bringing joy, warmth, and togetherness among guests.
It all stems from having a hotel chain run by a family that has the same goal in mind.
Summing it up, Christina tells PEP: "I would believe that it's an advantage in the sense that when you have the same or very similar values, that would reflect on how you would run the organization.
"As a family, that’s what we try to achieve. We try to align what’s important for us, and we hope that translates."