In the center of an island paradise, on a budget

PERFECT for snapshots, this resort is located at the seaside town of New Washington, Aklan. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

When you’re caught between an airport and an island paradise, where do you go? Two hotels serve as pleasant surprises for tourists in Kalibo, Aklan, and the island paradise of Boracay. They’re just over 70 kilometers apart, but are strategically located, secure, neatly laid-out and affordable.

The Marzon Hotel in Kalibo is easy enough to find. It’s just a km away from the Kalibo International Airport, and for road-bound tourists making the land trip from the Caticlan Jetty Port to Iloilo via Kalibo, it’s a convenient stop to spend the night over.

Sprawled in its 12,133-square-meter lot is a Zen-inspired 360-sq-m building. Another building is currently in construction. The Marzon Hotel building, whose name was derived by combining its owners’ surnames Maravilla and Sazon, is clean, neatly painted with beige-brown hues that match the lighting at night. The building has 25 rooms (at 26 sq m each) with mineral water stations conveniently located on both the ground and second level hallways. The hotel also offers a 312.5-sq-m swimming pool.

Located in Sta. Monica Andagao, Kalibo, Aklan beside Latte Café, the hotel is a 5-minute drive from Kalibo International Airport and 5 minutes away from the Kalibo town proper. The hotel sits on the quiet side of the town, yet accessible to the main road.

According to Marzon owner and manager Editha M. Sazon, the 4-story, 476-sq-m Building B currently under construction will offer an additional 36 rooms at 22.75 sq m each.

LOCATED one kilometer away from Kalibo International Airport. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

The hotel was built from the ground up by the family. The architect was engineer Robert John B. Bagnes, and the interior designers were children of Editha and Roberto T. Sazon Sr.

Boracay on a budget

Tourists who harbor this mistaken notion that you need to spend much to enjoy Boracay need to visit an Inn in Station 2, right at the center of the island.

The 3-story Boracay Royale Residence Inn, an apartelle on a 273-sq-m lot area, has 30 clean rooms, and has developed quite a favorable reputation for long-staying tourists, owing to its offering a P6,000-a-month lease on its fan rooms.

Rooms on the ground floor were designed for backpackers. There is a set of 10 rooms on the ground floor reserved for long stays. The second floor offers eight rooms, and are air-conditioned and available for monthly rental, as well. The third floor’s 12 rooms are meant for guests on daily accommodations. A roof deck offers a place to hang out in.

“It is an apartelle wherein we also cater to daily and monthly accommodations due to higher demands of both local and international tourists and professional local workers, yet, the setup is like that of a hotel to ensure comfort, privacy and security of all registered guests,” explains resident manager Pinky Aquiling.

STRUCTURES here are themed Christmas all-year round. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

Boracay Royale Residence Inn is located right smack within D’Mall, the commercial center of Boracay. The guest checking in might have to ask a few directional questions from the mall guards, but once the tourist discovers the Inn, the location makes perfect sense, as the Inn is literally a stone’s throw from the main road, the shops on D’Mall, bars, restaurants, optical shop, ATM machines, coffee shops, and a 5-minute walk to the beach front.

Practical to stay

“Aside from the accessibility, it is also practical to stay here for those who are budget conscious because the rates per room per night are reasonable and negotiable,” Pinky says.

Pinky couldn’t give specific measurements for each room. “Each room has different sizes, and was a brainchild of my uncle (Frank Delroose P. Aguiling, now based in California) together with his engineer (civil engineer Roy Allen S. Arangote) for practical reasons.” Pinky did the interior, which she says has been a “hidden talent and passion.”

A novel stopover (to witness an over-the-top interpretation of Western architecture) would be the Sampaguita Gardens Resort at the seaside town of New Washington, Aklan, 10 minutes east of Kalibo International Airport. Some of its structures are themed Christmas all-year round, and statues of angels form a welcoming line at the driveway. Otherwise, the rest of the structures are Mediterranean-themed, perfect for snapshots.