A review on a family friendly hotel: La Carmela de Boracay

Being a practical mom, everything should work around within the budget that’s why I love it when I get to scout for promo’s or discounts without of course sacrificing the quality of the product we are availing.

I am pretty sure you’ve heard about La Carmela de Boracay, since it has always been mentioned and endorsed by well known celebrities one of which is the well-known Mr. Boy Abunda. It can be frequently seen at Metrodeals and other deal voucher websites.

Francis and I had a lot of options for the accommodation since we availed the service of one of his co-worker who owns a travel agency. From station 1 to 3, everything was presented to us with an affordable rates, from high-end hotels to the most budget friendly ones. But why did we decide to stay at La Carmela considering there were a lot of options that was laid down.

 Why we chose la Carmela:

At first I was a bit hesitant since I have read some negative reviews about it, but hey, every person and every stay at a place is a unique experience. So I don’t have to dwell much on those, since most can be pretty much worked around for, unless it says that they had a life threatening whine like food poisoning.

1. They arrange airport-hotel transfers at a reasonable price.

Weeks before our trip, I already scouted different vendors who offer a transfer arrangement thinking I will be getting a cheaper deal but La Carmela still has the cheapest price compared to others. We landed at Caticlan and will be leaving by Kalibo. So here is a little breakdown for your reference

Caticlan Airport to hotel Php 325.00/ person

Hotel to Kalibo Airport Php 500.00/person

***2 years old is free of charge so in total is PHP 1,650.00

Disclaimer: This price is not in line with the one on their website, again we availed our accommodation through a travel agency.

…I hope the hotel will invest on a more sturdy walkway for their passengers, like 2 sided railings specially for elders and those who have kids…  the ocean is not always calm after all. 

2. Efficient Friendly staff:

This is what I loved most about La carmela, their courteous staff. They always have a smile on their faces every time you ask them for some requests and very prompt I should say.  They love kids too, since they always say hi and greeted Frankie very warmly. Quick to respond to requests too… Kudos to that!

3. Cleanliness:

When we got to our room, the first thing I did was to inspect everything.  Since it is the first thing that tops my lists: cleanliness! You do not want to stay at hotel room that is infested by bed bugs and mosquito’s right? We do have a child with us, so I always put Frankie’s safety first.  Happy to say that it passed my nanay standards. The whole place is kept clean even the pool, the corridors, the dining area, etc. You would see staff sweeping every morning as early as 5am even outside the hotel keeping their beach front tidied up.

4. Complete basic amenities for a room:

We stayed at a standard room and here are the amenities that come with it:

2 double sized bed (with 4 pillows and blankets)

Air-conditioned room

Telephone

A mini Refrigerator

Safety deposit box

Cabled TV

Private Bath (with hot and cold shower; and basic toiletries too)

Bath towels and floor rugs

A balcony  (wall view sad to say for standard rooms) where you can hang your wet clothes.

…main door

…please excuse my tired looking face! blame it on the 1 hour sleep haha!

…thank you for hangers!!!! 🙂

5. Beach Front:

This is the top most we considered when we booked at La Carmela, since we have a toddler with us we do not have to walk miles away  or ride a tricycle just to be able to go to the beach and it is near everything. Has a convenient store (7/11 ) beside the hotel, near at D’mall where most resto’s are.  Hassel free if you forgot something at your hotel room since it was just a few walks away from the beach.

…photo grabbed from google…

6. Welcome drinks and buffet breakfast:

This one is on my list too since we do not want to start our day  with grumbling stomach and then wonder where to eat to think we have to carry a toddler with us. So it is very helpful and efficient if the hotel has a breakfast inclusion.

Upon arrival welcome drinks were handed to us, and at the front desk coupons were already given for the whole duration of your stay. They have a set breakfast and a buffet one, it depends which packaged you availed.

Please do not expect that the food will give you a “wow” moment, they serve average tasting food. They have soups, pancakes, cereals, bread, basic breakfast menu like eggs and hotdogs and they never ran out of kimchi’s (breakfast, lunch or dinner). Beverages includes: juice of the day, coffee, and tea.

***you can have your water re-filled at the refilling stations at every floor. 

…my babies enjoying their breakfast at 5:30AM! 🙂

…favorite part! coffee station!!! 🙂

7. 24 hours room service:

You would not need to go out to grab something to eat when your stomach is hurting due to hunger, or you simply just want to eat. They do have a wide variety of food to choose from.

***please be sure to prepare your cash payment when your order arrives at your doorstep, the hotel does not accept room charges.

8. Firm safety regulations:

They are very strict when it comes to using their amenities like the pool. You just can’t jump on it anytime you want to. You have to take a full body shower, and wear the recommended swimming attire in order for you to take a dip. Lifeguards will always be at sight.

…photo grabbed from google…

9. Good value for money:

For our 4D/3N stay, we only shelled out 5K for our room that includes a  buffet breakfast, (this is of course through a travel agency) so it’s a win situation for us.

If you will be booking through agoda or booking.com their rate would be 2,700-2,900/ night for a standard room (of course this varies with what month you will be booking). The hotel is relatively cheap compared to some beach front hotels at station 2.

Some important reminders:  (the information indicated below was grabbed from their official website)

Transfers

• Kalibo Airport – Resort (RTT)  Php 1,000.00/pax
• Caticlan Airport – Resort (RTT) Php 650.00/pax

Seasons

• LOWSeason: June 1 to December 15
• HIGHSeason: December 16 to May 31, except Super Peak Season
• SUPERPeak Season: December 26 to Jan 2, Holy Week (Holy Wednesday to Black Saturday), April 28 to May 2 (Laboracay)

Check-out Time: 11:00 AM

Check-in Time: 2:00 PM

 *** stained beddings and towels will be charged, here are the list with their corresponding charges/rates:

 

Thoughts to ponder:

• While most hotels have a free-flowing coffee/tea, the hotel don’t.
• You still need to call room service if you want your room to be cleaned and for beddings to be changed.
• Charges apply if you want to connect through their wifi which is PHP 100.00/gadget/day. But lower down your expectations about browsing swiftly cause it ain’t happening.  (depends on the number of guests perhaps) 

• Charges apply too if you request an extra pillow: PHP 30.00/day
• They only give a small amount for their shampoo and soap (single use perhaps). No toothbrush and toothpaste included so it is better to bring yours.

…you can have them refeilled 🙂

• No hair dryer, but you can request for one. (just don’t know if its free of charge)
• They don’t have anti- slip mats inside their bathroom, so be extra careful since the floor tiles can be realli slippery.

 

To know more about their room rates, or what does the hotel has to offer, you may visit their website at: www.lacarmeladeboracay.com 🙂