By Charmaine Hibbert

After videoing James playing golf and lunch at Fairways and Bluewater and then a second lunch at the Shangri-La's Boracay Resort & Spa – you will notice eating is a big part of this trip – we are off to the Mandala Spa and Villas which is about a 30min journey to the South of the Island.

On arriving at the reception, the feeling of tranquillity and oneness with nature are a big part of this resort’s mantra, the Gaudi inspired reception building is round and made from wood and its magnificent high structure captures your eye as soon as you walk in and while there is a roof the building is open to the elements, with large open entrances front and back.

After filling in a form, I am presented with a sarong and escorted along a wonderfully designed stone path through the trees to one of the many small wooden villas which on entering I realise is a treatment room that has a shower and a deep soaker tub behind a curtained off section of the villa. My masseuse/therapist May Malijan asks me to change into the sarong and after a hectic morning I decide to take a shower first.

May Malijan escorts me to a small veranda where a chair and bowl of warm water and rose petals await and as she soaks my feet I already know that I am not going to last long once May has me lying face down on the treatment tables.

After a few questions one of which was how much pressure I would like her to use and of course I went for strong and rigorous, thinking that may save me from slowly drifting off to sleep the next minute I know is May is asking me to turn over while she protects my dignity with a towel.

Her magic hands worked every inch of my body, although the massage was deep and strong I spent most of the time in a blissful state between awareness and a deep sleep while my body just purred at the perfection of May Malijan technique to sooth the very depths of my soul without making me wince in pain.

It seemed like only minutes when I was told just to relax a while before getting up to change back into my clothes yet 90 minutes had passed and I think I must have floated back to the reception. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see the rest of the resort and its rooms and villas but if the treatment villas are anything to go by then this would certainly be a retreat where I would love to spend some time. If there was a luxurious way to spend time with mother nature then I think the Mandala Spa and resort comes very close to perfection.

Mandala Spa & Villas Boracay
Barangay Manoc-Manoc
Boracay Island, Malay
5608 Aklan
Philippines


W: mandalaspaboracay.com
T:+63 36 288 5858