We move into Melinda's Garden after two nights at another place that was horrible. It felt like an upgrade. The owner, Horst was nice and friendly. We enjoy listening to him when he describe Boracay 25 years ago. We had a wonderful time even though the weather was not the best and was raining. Our room was clean daily and we were given hot water to make our own coffee or tea every morning or when we woke up. Occasionally there are big spiders and bugs but I guess thats everywhere in Boracay.

A selection of nipa cottages within a jungle garden, Melinda's offers a taste of more tranquil times in Boracay before recent developments and hotel building began threatening the harmony of the Isle. The cottages are situated down a little path, 50 metres behind Station 3 on the quieter end of the White Beach. I wanted a simple, authentic experience so opted for an economy cottage with private veranda, hammock, electric fan and mosquito net. On a little outside table, a daily flask of hot water was placed for tea and coffee. A lovely peaceful setting with maybe only a curious lizard for company. Horst, Mary Jane and the staff were delightful hosts and very helpful catering for any needs I might have. When a tropical storm was about to break, I found a pink umbrella on my veranda, just in case I might get drenched. A very nice touch. And on my my final morning, slightly stressed over breakfast with a long travel ahead, a bottle with incense stick was placed under my table to help me relax. Another very nice gesture. When I go back to Boracay I shall certainly stay at this charming, relaxing venue.

We went to Boracay for a few days to have some time off work. It's a great place for vacations and the resort was lovely as well.
Although Melinda's Garden was a little difficult to find at first (it's only about 3 mins walk to the beach, but it is located behind a building), it was worth it. :) We stayed in cottages that had their own balconies. The place is very quiet and it's basically a big garden. It's definitely a good place to relax and go back to after a long day at the beach or busy nights out.

At first Melinda's Garden looked nice: the beds were comfortable, guests were provided with free distilled water, the restaurant served delicious fruit shakes, and the garden setting was lovely. Things went downhill from there. The cottages are all different and some are very dark (no overhead lighting) and small. The thing they all had in common was a nasty bedbug infestation. 6 out of the 7 in our group were bitten during our stay there. We told the owner, who said he didn't know what it was and recommended we visit a doctor. There is only one MD on the island, and he immediately diagnosed bedbugs and prescribed medication for the two more severe cases-- one man's bites had gotten infected. The doctor suggested we use Lysol on our beds, which we did. The problem didn't clear up so we checked out early. The owner (who we had to speak to on a cell phone because he was in Manila and his wife wouldn't speak to us) told us he'd believe it was bedbugs when he saw them. We asked him to pay us back for the Lysol and medication but he denied our request, though he had already seen our bites and he was the one who suggested we go to the hospital. He insisted he'd never had a problem before and kept telling us we must have mosquito bites. Even the Filipino staff who were present recognized them as bedbug bites. We were traveling separately before arriving in Boracay so we know we got them at this hotel.

Rates are pretty reasonable for this part of the island but to me any rate is too high for a bug-infested bed. Also, the restaurant inexplicably closed at one point and never reopened. A sign in the room claimed that breakfast was served there, but it wasn't. They also had a big dog who growled and barked at guests.