Nikki's Nurturance: Boracay Diary 2: Family-Friendly Fun at Two Seasons

Two Seasons' Beach Front Signage

Sunny and rainy. That was the weather we got in Boracay, and it was just lovely. And our hotel, so aptly named Two Seasons, was thoughtfully designed to offer an enjoyable stay in both conditions, wet and dry. Our cousins Thunder and Rakel invited us to join them at their hotel in Boracay, and we said yes! in a heartbeat. They were traveling with their children: tweeners Bianca and Alec, and their 1-year old Marco. And we brought 3-year old Narra and 9-month old Guijo with us. With 5 kids in our party, we needed a family-friendly place, and Two Seasons did not disappoint!

Two Seasons' beach front

The location was just oh-so-convenient, right on the beach, situated on a quiet spot on the stretch between the isolated end of Station 1, and the busy scene of Station 2. This part of the beach has the perfect balance of relative seclusion and moderate activity - there are enough people, but not too much. The hotel's beachfront cabanas and parasols over lounge chairs offered shade in the sun, and cover from the rain. We had easy refuge for our babies and bags when things got too hot, or too wet.

Our favorites: Four-cheese and pepperoni pizzas from the hotel's Bar Lo

The hotel's restaurant, Bar Lo, served food and drinks right on the beach, and we found ourselves ordering their yummy pizzas repeatedly. The four-cheese and pepperoni pizzas became our daytime staple food. Fuss free to eat, and flavorful, they became our favorite for good reason. The crispy thin crust, generous amounts of cheese, and just the right amount of spice, pleased both kids and adults alike.

One section of the breakfast buffet

Bar Lo's daily breakfast buffet spread was also quite nice. It was compact enough to be manageable, but had enough variety to offer. For Guijo, I'd start his meal with a bowl of congee with some mashed bits of chicken, followed by fruit, with some cereal, and juice! I'd sit him on his high chair, and give him a cracker to munch on, while I went to get Narra food. Her favorite was the omelette station, where she got to request for her eggs, one day sunny-side up, the next day scrambled, with bits of cheese and lots of bacon. And on the few occasions when it happened to rain during meal times, we decided to order in and take our meals indoors, which proved to be so comfortable because we had such well appointed rooms.

Pool view from our room's dining table

Our rooms! The most family-friendly feature of all! We stayed in a Family Suite with pool access - which was huge and just a couple of steps away from the pool. Thunder's family stayed in the Grand Family Suite two doors away which was even bigger, and had a door that opened up directly to the pool, making it literally a step away. Narra loved that pool - I liked how it was a multi-level pool, with ledges and strategically located steps and inclines, that could accommodate swimmers of various height ranges, allowing them to stay together, despite being in different depths. My niece Bianca was an underwater hockey swimmer (I did not know there was such a thing as underwater hockey until she told me about it), and she needed a fairly deep pool to execute her fancy swimming tricks. So there she was, flipping, and tumbling, and doing her dolphin dives, while playing with Narra, who was stationed safely on her own little ledge with knee-deep water. What a cleverly designed pool! Delightfully small, with an efficient lay-out, for maximum enjoyment. One end of the pool had a sloping floor, which allowed even Guijo, my tiny little boy, to soak and wade in baby-friendly depths.

Our family suite right by the pool

It was an added bonus that I could stay indoors and still watch Narra through the glass walls of our room - or should I say rooms! I was always on call to take Narra to the bathroom when she needed to go pee-pee - toilet training continues even in paradise, after all. Too bad our nanny wasn't there to lend a helping hand. There was an extra room in the suite, which would have been assigned to Yaya Ruby - had she shown up! Oh dear, we bought Yaya Ruby a plane ticket, but she was a no-show in Boracay (I will need another blog post for this sad story). We had an empty room in our hands, which went to good use in the end, because it had its own tv and dvd player, and Narra borrowed a bunch of movies from the front desk - and she had a Disney Princess movie marathon in "her" own room, while Oliver and I watched the exciting conclusion of Chief Justice Corona's impeachment drama. I loved that Two Seasons had a sizable movie collection to choose from - it made rainy moments less gloomy, and allowed our entire family some quality snuggling time under their luxurious duvets.

The multi-level pool with ledges, steps, and inclines for various depths

And the service from the staff was just impeccable! Everyone was efficient and friendly, and kind to my kids. From the restaurant staff who brought Guijo his high-chair each meal time, to the guards and bell boys who carried our stroller and held umbrellas for us - to the friendly front-desk folk. I have only good things to say about our hotel stay. And even when our stay ended - and we were whisked away and loaded on the hotels boat and van - even then, to the last minute, they saw to it that we were comfortable despite the rain.

Our last dip in the pool, Narra and Guijo felt right at home in the water.

When we left the pool for the last time and I told Narra we had to go home, she petulantly replied "can't we live here?"... and that, I feel is the ultimate compliment straight from the mouth of babes. If a hotel's goal is to make guests feel at home, then this hotel met their objective. Two thumbs up for Two Seasons!

For more info on Two Seasons Boracay visit their official website:

http://www.twoseasonsresorts.com/

Boracay Diary 1: To and From Boracay, In Transit With Tots in Tow

http://nikki-mama.blogspot.com/2012/06/boracay-diary-part-1-to-and-from.html

post script: We ended up missing our flight on the 31st and had to stay an extra day. With all our bags packed, we could have gone anywhere - to try out a new resort. But guess where we stayed? Still, Two Seasons!