When I first got to Boracay I thought it wasn't for me. Bit too busy, bit too developed, way too much concrete. I'd seen Spiderhouse on Trip Advisor before I left and as soon as I could I jumped on a tricycle to check out the place. By far the best decision I made all holiday.

Spiderhouse is exceptionally beautiful. I loved the walk through a cave to get to it, the attention to detail with the design, the bamboo flooring, the fact you can jump into the sea from the bar (when the tide is high!), the fantastic staff, the food, the hammock, the music, the views, the rooms and more.

As a 'walk-in' I had to move rooms a fair bit since other people had them booked. Though this gave me a chance to check out the various options available and I have to say all were great. Some had great balconies, others had large windows - or rather large open spaces as there's no glass in the place at all. Some had views of the beach, some of the sea and the last room I stayed had both. The only reason I’ve given Spiderhouse four stars for sleeping is that the beds are a little small and my head and feet brushed up against the mosquito net.

As has been said before, some people wont like Spiderhouse, there's no A/C, no TVs and the sound and light from other rooms may seep into yours. But what others may not like about the place was exactly the thing I loved. The fact you're so close to nature, the fact that you feel naturally grouped with the other people staying there (much easier to meet people as a solo traveller than on the rest of White Beach), the fact it’s natural and not concrete. And who needs a TV when you’ve got a laptop anyway?

I’m writing this review because I think Alan’s a great guy and want to help him out. But if I had my way I’d keep Spiderhouse a secret. That way I can make sure it’s not fully booked next time I’m around.

Dave, London

This place has been converted in hotel one year ago and it is already a legend in the island.
I arrived at Spider House for New Year's Eve and stayed there for 3 nights. I was coming from another place in Boat Station 3 that had made me realize that the White Beach was definetely too crowded and noisy for an indipendent traveller. Arriving here was like entering heaven! The place is located north to Boat Station One, next to Diniwid Beach, the most exclusive area in Boracay. The premises are really beyond what you can imagine, they reminded me of the Blue Lagoon house. Most of the rooms are directly overlooking the ocean and from the main room downstairs you can easily access the pristine waters for a refreshing swim. In the same area it is located the restaurant with the open hair kitchen: food, fruit shakes etc. were very good and prepared in front of us. There's a good selection for vegetarians as well.
Most importantly, the owner treated us like family. I went shopping with him and also sailing, I could have the best shiatzu massage there, and they also called for a lady to make me manicure & pedicure on the last day of the year.
There was a really good vibe @spider house, everthing was cool and relaxed, and guests were couples, solo travellers etc..anyway people that were not only looking for a place to stay, but also to meet fellow travellers and share their experiences. It is a place for you if you can catch the magic is in there, it is not if you are just looking for an aircom room with airport pickup etc..or if you want everything organized. For that, there are hundreds of places to choose in Boracay.
For New Year's Eve we had there the most exciting party ever. My only reccomendations is to book well in advance because there are only about ten rooms and you won't be the only one to stay here.

I absolutely adored this place. Built into the side of the cliff amongst the trees it is very basic but what do you really need when you are in paradise?

This is not for those that like there 'comforts', Our room had no radio, TV, air con or any basic amenities you usually find....heck it didn't even have windows...it was completely open to the elements...and that's what made it so special.

You can jump right off the side of the lobby into the crystal blue waters....i quite enjoyed taking my cocktail with me :)

Also the staff were AMAZING. The loveliest i met in all of Boracay.

A great place to experience with you want something different and with character but don't mind roughing it just a bit.

Spider is a tree house built into cliffs overlooking the Sulu Sea. The setting, atmosphere and community make this a pretty amazing place.

It's more a guest house than a hotel, easy to see it's where Allan raised his kids before opening up to the public. There's a deck/lobby/bar, connected to rooms by what are more paths than hallways. Access to the water is easy - climb down the wood ladder or, during high tide, jump from the deck.

I wrote my first review of Spider House last week from a hammock overlooking the water. Blissed out by the sunset and one or more San Miguels, I messed that one up. Five days later, and 7,500 miles away, Spider House has lost none of its luster.

From the jetty, we took a tricycle along the crowded and ugly street that mostly parallels White Beach. The driver turned down an alley and directed us to walk to the water, turn right and follow the trail. We did, along the beach, through a tunnel and up steps carved out of the rock. At the bottom of the steps, our host greeted us "I'm Allan. What would you like to drink?" Within minutes, our 19- and 24-year old sons joined a circle of kiteboarders, and hung with them the rest of the week. It was like that our whole stay - it's still not completely clear to me who were guests and who were staff, just a bunch of really nice and interesting people. On our last day, a guest lost his wedding ring off another part of the island. A team from Diniwid Divers (a terrific dive shop, way more personable than the jammed shops downtown), dove the site, and found the ring in the sand. That night, the whole place celebrated the win with pizza and beers.

Diniwid Beach is an alternative to the deck, a one-minute walk or three minute swim. If you want to go farther, easy to hike to Station 1 along a pretty, partially paved trail or to catch a pedicab to the Mall (Aria, Cafe del Sol, and Lemon Cafe, all owned by Allan's friends, are good restaurants).

I talked with a guy staying at Discovery on White Beach who wished he was at Spider House. Makes sense to me, but guests at that and other expensive resorts who like their 300-count Egyptian cotton sheets ("organic!") might not agree. Spider offers not a bit of marble and no a/c. The mosquito net over our bed was exotic but, more important, functional. The window of our room looking onto the water consisted of a few tree branches, one of which leaked sap onto my t-shirt. We loved it.

How many places have you stayed at where you became a Facebook friend with the owner?