A Secluded Family Resort in Paradise: A Review of Fairviews & Bluewater (TBIP Summer Diaries)

Everytime  I book for a hotel in Boracay, I always go for the quiet area in Station 1 and it has to be beachfront.  I didn’t know what exactly happened, but I just found myself reading reviews and blogs about Fairways and then in just a flash, I already booked the property via Booking.com.  So, what convinced me to book in a secluded area in Bo. Yapak?  I’m a hypocrite and a liar if I won’t say that the photos didn’t help.  When I saw the image of the Ventana pool and the other amenities in the resort, that was the hint that I should give this a try.

In this post, I will give you my unbiased review of Fairways & Bluewater Newcoast.  Let us begin with their Front Office and Reservations staff.  When I heard about the Boracay closure and when the airlines and transfer service were willing to give a refund except them, I was quite disappointed.  I have reached them a lot of times via phone, messenger and email and they were firm in saying that they do not give a refund, but they can modify the dates up to 1.5 years.  I had no choice but to reschedule it to 2019.  I have informed them about the changes I wanted, but there was no confirmation from them yet.  One day, I just decided to take a peek at Boracay before its closure and surprisingly, their marketing manager approved the changes to April 15-17, 2018.  They gave me instructions to mail Booking.com and asked for another voucher with the modified dates.  I received a reply from the latter that it would be impossible for them to issue another voucher because my booking with them was already cancelled due to the closure.  They encouraged me to contact the hotel directly.  When I called back Fairways to ask for the voucher, the reservations staff told me that they already have noted the changes in their system.  To cut the story short, I didn’t print any voucher at all.

The Fairways shuttle service

We were picked up by BPHT and the Fairways shuttle took us to the property.  We were ushered to the Veranda Lobby to check-in, but uh-oh, there was a teeny-tiny problem.  Ms. Dindin, the front desk officer was asking for a voucher.  After waiting for about 10-15 minutes, they were able to confirm with the reservations and the changes were already applied in the system.

Ms. Dindin, Front Desk Officer

Though I have encountered a problem, I didn’t feel irritated.  Ms. Dindin was very friendly and accommodating.  While we were waiting, we even had a short talk about the Boracay closure and the presence of Ms. Jhoy of BPHT was indeed a great help because I didn’t get bored and she didn’t go until everything was finally okay.

With Ms. Jhoy of BPHT

And so, upon confirmation, we had a short briefing about the amenities.  We were assigned to Villa Riviera and was a bit disappointed that my request to be assigned near the swimming pool wasn’t granted because they were fully-booked.  After giving us the map of the property, we left our luggage in the Luggage Area and planned to have lunch while waiting for the standard check-in time which is 2pm.

Now, let’s take a tour of our one bedroom suite in Villa Riviera.

I was expecting to be assigned in a higher floor, but we were assigned in the basement 🙁  Anyway, when we opened the door and saw the suite, my disappointment turned into satisfaction.

The suite was spacious enough for 3 people.  It was more than what I expected.  It has a living room, a dining area, kitchen equipped with kitchen utensils and cutlery.  It has two bathrooms (one common bathroom) and the other one located in the bedroom.

The kitchen

One advantage of choosing a suite is that you can stock groceries and even cook your own food in the kitchen.  They almost have everything that you need to make your stay comfortable.  They have a grocery store beside the main gate where you can buy snacks, drinks and other things that you need.

I enjoyed the spacious bathroom– the hot shower and the hot bath in the tub.  It’s just that the bidet in our bathroom wasn’t functioning.  As for the toiletries, those were basic and incomplete.  They didn’t provide bathrobes, cotton buds, razor/shaver, sewing kit and bubble bath gel.

The bedroom was big enough for us.  Our 10 year-old kid slept with us in the room and shared the bed with her.

There was a writing desk in the room, a nice blogging area actually, but I wasn’t able to utilize it because I knew that we had very limited time so I didn’t bring my lappy with me.

One thing that I loved about the suite is the wardrobe room/walk-in closet.  Our stuff especially the clothes were only in one place because of this.  When you open the door, you can see the open closet where you can easily see your stuff.

They have two terraces– one in the living room (with two chairs) and the other one in the bedroom (one chair).  When you open the sliding glass door, you will witness the amazing view of the golf course.

All the rooms in the suite have a phone but we were not able to use them because when we didn’t have to call for help.  When you go out of the villa, there is a waiting area for a shuttle service and there were times that before we sit down, a security officer would approach us to ask where we wanted to go.

Where to go in Fairways?  Actually, there is no need for you to go out because they almost have eveything that you need.

1.  The Pools

The Ventana Pool

Hideaway Jacuzzi

I liked the view here but the water is dirty if you come at lunch or in the afternoon.  Better yet, come when they open at 9 or 10am.

 Lucia Pool

Though The Ventana Pool has a breath-taking view of nature feature the Sibuyan Beach, one of my favorites is the Lucia Pool, which is not crowded and very clean.  Unlike the other pools that open at 9am, Lucia Pool opens as early as 7 am, so after having breakfast at 6 am, you can already proceed there if you would like to have the place to yourself.

Atlantis Pool

Aside from the Lucia Pool, Atlantis is my fave.  It was very relaxing and peaceful in the area– not crowded.

The Infinity Pool

2.  The Private Beach

If you don’t feel like going to the White Beach or Puka Beach, Fairways has its own private beach with lounge chairs.

Honestly, though I like the view, I still prefer to swim in White Beach and Puka Beach.  This is advisable for those who would like to go to the beach early.  They are already open at 6 am.

3.  The Restaurants

Though they have several restaurants to choose from, we were able to try only the Kudetah Italiano Restorante and the Veranda Restaurant where we have our daily free buffet breakfast.

KUDETAH ITALIANO RESTORANTE

THE VERANDA RESTAURANT

I wasn’t able to get her name, but she was very friendly to us and even offered to help in taking a family picture.

4.  The Spa

There are two spas to choose from:  the Maris Spa located near the private beach and the Bluewater Spa.  During our stay, I was hesitant to schedule for a treatment because of the time.  A spa treatment would take 2 to 3 hours.  Next time when we go back, I will include one of their spas in my Spa Detective Series.

5.  The Gym

They have a gym located in Monterey ,but it’s not as big as what I have pictured in my mind before.  You can borrow towels and get a glass of water after your workout.  They have indoor jacuzzi but it is only for club members and you have to pay if ever you will use it.

Ideally, Fairways is perfect for big families.  The room is for 2 pax but you can add a kid for only P200 (includes breakfast already).

If there is a disadvantage of staying there, I could say that it has something to do with the schedule of the trips going to D’mall and vice versa.   We have experienced calling a tricycle instead and we paid P100 per ride.

 Will we come back?  Definitely YES!  Next time, I will bring all of my kids with us.

FAIRWAYS & BLUEWATER NEWCOAST

Bo. Yapak, Brgy. Balabag, Newcoast Boracay, Malay, Aklan, 5608

                                                                 Phone Number;  +63–36–2885587