Head: Noche Buena de Bora

Christmas has always been about family, friends and great food, that is why people
often celebrate their reunions during this most festive of seasons. It is a time when
most family members from abroad come home to enjoy the longest holiday season
in the world.

Unfortunately, reunions can also be hectic and stressful and finding a venue at this
time of the year can be tough, so if you’re planning a family get together, why not
do it far from the maddening crowd of the city and go somewhere that is both laid
back and festive.

Boracay—a white Christmas with a twist. Instead of snow, you’ll be greeted by the
pristine white sandy beaches, and in lieu of pine trees you’ll see lined up coconut
trees decked with Christmas lights and ornaments. “Boracay is not just a summer
destination anymore, says Michelle Molano, Banquet and events manager for
Boracay Garden Resort. During Christmas and New Year there are plenty of
activities that our guests can enjoy-- from island hopping, snorkeling and other
water activities to late night parties with live bands, performances by fire dancers,
and firework displays along the beach.”

As for the food, Boracay Garden Resort has you covered with its specially prepared
Christmas feast. “For Filipinos, Noche Buena may be the most important meal of the
year. It’s that one special night when we gather for the simple joy of partaking
dinner with loved ones,” says Mario Gamaitan, Food and Beverage Manager of
Boracay Garden Resort. That is why we have decided to create a menu that
features our all-time favorite Filipino Christmas dishes cooked just the way our
grandmother’s or mothers did.”

The exquisitely chosen line up will be prepared by executive chef Patrick Obia, a
Bicol native, who has gained extensive culinary experience from various
international hotels in China, the Middle East and Australia. A master of Asian-
Fusion dishes that he creates at the resort, Obia promises to make this Noche
Buena feast as traditional as possible.

“Among the dishes we’ve prepared include Pinoy favorities such as kare-kare,
relyenong bangus, pork morcon, chicken embutido, sweet ham, arroz valenciana,
lumpiang sariwa, sugpo sa aligue, sinigang na ulo ulo ng maya,”says Obia. He adds
that for Christmas Eve and New Year they will also be tempting guests with such
guilty delights like crispy pata, lechon baka and lechon baboy.

He said they have also included comfort foods like chicken and pork adobo, native
chicken binakol, sinaing na isda among others--which he says will have a Boracay
Garden Twist to make it even more tastier. To truly appreciate Obia’s twist, you
have to try the papaitan soup, rellenong alimango, and his different takes on fish
fillet.

Popular holiday drinks such as hot chocolate, peppermint tea, salabat, ginumis and
buko pandan all make it to the menu as well. As for dessert, there’s buko fruit salad,
a trio of tiramisu, sans rival, cheesecake, mango crepe flambé, macaroons,
banoffee pie and crème brulee. There will also be a variety of Pinoy delicacies such
as bibingka, leche flan, putong makulay, kutsinta, tamales, suman sa ibus, ubeng
halaya, maja blanca and espasol.

Boracay Garden also prides itself with their version of surf and turf—grilled tiger
prawns and beef tenderloin wrapped in crispy pork bacon served with mushroom
risotto, flowerets of vegetables and an emulsion of burgundy wine jus. For guests
craving healthy food, they have an original creation called duo of scallops and
salmon served with pancakes, sour cream and Ponzu emulsion over a bed of mixed
greens and cherry tomatoes.

For breakfast, guests will wake up to a buffet that includes their signature tapa and
tocino, a selection of steamed and fried rice, an egg station, fish, pansit and
Boracay Garden’s famous kimchi among others. There is also a vast array of other
choices like French toast, pancakes, and other specially baked delights.

To make it the ideal venue for your reunion, Boracay Garden Resort is offering a
special treat this yuletide season. From December 25, 2010 to January 2, 2011, the
resort offers a promo package for only Php 7,097 per person. This rate is based on
triple sharing, inclusive of four days’ accommodations, daily breakfast and dinner,
and roundtrip transfers.

Formerly Hotel Seraph, Boracay Garden Resort is run by the Hennan Hotel
Management, the same group that operates the Boracay Regency Group of Hotels.
The 201-room hotel located at Station 2 boasts of a Triple-A rating, the highest for
the resort category in the Philippines.

The rooms are quite huge and can easily accommodate an extra bed making it ideal
for families. Each room has a terrace and the premiere suites even have direct
access to the pools. Other amenities include a bath tub with a separate shower
area, individually controlled air conditioning, direct dial phone, cable television and
Wi-Fi access, in-room safe, coffee and tea-making facilities and personal
refrigerator. One would actually find it very tempting to stay inside the room and
just enjoy its cozy and relaxing setting. If one finds the beach too crowded, you can
just stroll around the breezy tree-lined property, hit the gym, or take dip in the mini-
Olympic sized pool. Despite having an occupancy rate of 80 percent, the resort is
never congested and you’ll rarely see the other guests.

Hennan Hotel Management chairman Henry Chusuey says the resort is still
undergoing a lot of renovations to give the hotel an even more “garden-resort” feel.
He likewise says that by next year guests can look forward to more improvements
in the resort including a convention center, a new restaurant that will serve
International and Asian-Fusion cuisine, a koi pond and an even better garden
landscape.

“I entered the hotel business because I like seeing people happy and making sure
that they have the most memorable vacation--there’s no better satisfaction than
that.” says Mr. Chusuey.
For inquiries about room rates, packages, and reservations, contact Boracay Garden
Resort’s Manila booking office at telephone 353-1111 or email:
manilareservations@boracaygarden.com.ph.

Ed Uy