My wife and I stayed here during our 3 week Philippines trip. We were here for 5 night from the end of December 2011 to the beginning of January 2012.
We stayed 4 nights in the Tree House and 1 night in the Rock House (we couldn't book all 5 nights in the same room since they were already booked)
Pros:
- Great location away from the White Beach. Secluded and romantic.
- Great private beach. Good swimming. Bar at the beach for drinks.
- Breakfast is included in the price. You can eat in your room overlooking the water, up at the restaurant with some good conversation with the owner, or down at the beach.
- Both of our rooms we overlooking the water. The Rock House has a slightly better view, but it's only a one bedroom as opposed to the 2 bdrm Tree House
- Very friendly staff and fun to talk with. They weren't FAKE nice like some of the places around. Instead they were genuinely nice and were very fun to talk with.
Cons:
- Bugs - There were quite a few bugs around. This didn't bother me at all because the rooms are very "naturey" and bugs are expected. My wife on the other had was a little freaked out. In the end, she said it was worth it though.
- View - the trees block the view from the rooms a little. It'd be nice if they were trimmed back a little bit.
- Distance from White Beach - to get the seclusion, you will have to deal with the 10 minute trike ride to the White Beach. Not bad and totally worth the seclusion!
Tips:
- Get down to the beach early, because if it's crowded they have a limited number of beach lounge chairs.
- Price of trikes - don't ask the trike driver for the price, they will always try to upcharge you. Going from Balinghai to the White Beach, you can get away with 20 pesos/person. Going back to Balinghai at night, they will always charge you more, expect to pay from 100-200 pesos total.
- Puka Beach - this is close enough for a 30 minute walk, or you can take a trike. Good food and away from the crowds.
- Stairs - there are a LOT of stairs. Beware if you are out of shape or old. With all the food we were eating, I thought it was a good workout and didn't mind the stairs.
Conclusion
My wife and I will definitely stay here again if we go back to Boracay! It's an experience like no other and you won't regret it!
- Baling Hai Beach Hotel
