Boracay Trip 2016: Henann Lagoon Resort

My 2nd beach vacation for the year was in my favorite destination: Boracay.

In the past, I would normally just book a room at Boracay Regency (now known as Henann Regency) because that’s the resort that my boyfriend and I have come to love. We feel that Boracay Regency is the perfect beachfront resort because not only does it offer everything that we desire but its location is also the best since it’s in the middle of Station 2.

This year though, I thought it would be interesting if we try Henann Lagoon Resort because I figured that even though it’s not beachfront, it’s still a Henann Resort, it’s still in Station 2 and is just walking distance from Henann Regency.

If you have read my review on Henann Resort Alona Beach, Bohol then you would know that one of the things that I like about Henann Resorts is their VIP lounge. Hotel guests can only access the VIP lounge if they book the Suites or the Premier & Grand rooms with pool access so when I made a booking through the website of “My Boracay Guide“, I made sure to book their Grand Room with pool access.

Why did I choose the Grand room with pool access? Well, aside from having a direct access to the pool, the Grand room also has a free-standing bathtub so I decided to go with that without consulting my boyfriend. LOL!

 

I was very excited when we arrived at the resort because the place really looked nice. It was definitely not as big as Henann Regency or the Henann Resort Alona Beach (Bohol) but it has the same aesthetics as the other two. Their lobby was pretty small though so you can expect it to feel and look crowded during peak season. As I’ve mentioned awhile ago, Henann Lagoon is just walking distance from Henann Regency but for those who still don’t want to walk much, don’t fret because Henann Lagoon does offer free shuttle service from their resort to the main entrance of Henann Regency so that cuts your walking time going to the beach. And need I mention that since Henann Lagoon is NOT a beachfront resort, it means that their room rates are also slightly cheaper than Henann Regency so if you want to be able to experience what Henann Resorts have to offer, you can try Henann Lagoon.

Can I tell you a secret? Even with the beauty of Henann Lagoon Resort, my boyfriend was not happy when I booked a room there without consulting him. In my defense, I didn’t think it would matter since it’s from the same group of resorts, with the same-looking rooms and suites, and the same facilities and amenities too. What made him not like the resort was that it wasn’t beachfront. I guess we are just so loyal to Henann Regency that every time I book a different resort without asking him first, he gets a bit irritated. Unfortunately, even though the booking was done through http://www.myboracayguide.com  and even though only 5% down-payment was paid through their website, we were already bound by their terms and conditions, which meant that even if we decide to transfer to their other resort (Henann Regency), we would still have to pay the balance to Henann Lagoon Resort so even though my boyfriend wanted to transfer, he had no choice but to stay.

The Grand Room with direct pool access was nothing short of amazing. It has one king-size bed, a sitting area with sofa, one 40-inch LCD TV, a luxurious bathroom with a separate shower and free-standing bathtub, safety deposit box, bathrobes, rubber slippers, JBL radio-clock with i-Pod dock, veranda with outdoor dinette set and sun lounger, coffee and tea making facilities, free WiFi access, as well as some complimentary toiletries and welcome fruits. We also had access to the resort’s gym and fitness center but we didn’t get to try it because we spent most of our time eating, swimming and roaming around Station 1 to Station 3.

The resort has 2 Grand Rooms and the one we ended up in was the new one from the Annex Wing so if you want the same room, make sure to mention that you want the one at the Annex Wing. I would have wanted to stay in that room for the rest of our stay but my boyfriend requested to be transferred to the other Grand Room (in the Main Wing) since the pools there are bigger than the pool (called Intimate Lagoon) in the Annex Wing. I forgot to take photos of the other Grand Room but trust me when I say that the Grand Room in the Annex Wing is WAY BETTER than the other one. The Grand Room in the Main Wing has the same features as the one in the Annex Wing BUT it looked a little bit outdated. Having said that, staying at the old Grand Room wasn’t really that much of a deal breaker because it also has a direct pool access so I still enjoyed it just the same.

Our favorite hangout at the resort was the VIP lounge because we got to eat a lot of delicious snacks. My favorite was the pandesal that was filled with adobo. It was really yummy that even though I wasn’t supposed to eat much, I found myself eating more than I had planned, which caused me to gain a little bit of unwanted weight. LOL! They also offer a wide selection of drinks – from coffee to juices to cocktails.

The VIP lounge at Henann Lagoon Resort is actually my favorite because not a lot of guests go there (at least not at the time that we were there) so it felt like as if we own the lounge. We just felt at home there. All the staffs were very nice and accommodating but our favorite one is Marjorie (see the photo above) because she was the nicest one. We were so happy with her service that we made sure to give her a nice tip before we checked-out. If you happen to see her there, please do say hi for us. 🙂

While I do prefer the new Grand Room in the Annex Wing, I was actually happy that my boyfriend made us transfer to the Main Wing because the pools there were wider and, on top of that, the pool bar was also located just across our room. It made it easier for us to order some Mango shakes because we didn’t have to go out of the room anymore. Even though I don’t know how to swim, I still had fun relaxing at the veranda while taking a whole lot of selfies.

The only time that I felt unhappy at the veranda was when I saw a tiny frog on the sun lounger. It was really tiny but I’m thankful that I was able to see it because had that frog jumped on me, I would have freaked out. Good thing that my boyfriend asked his friends to catch it and take it somewhere else so that I can go back to lounging at the veranda. Phew!

The Lagoon Cafe was not too big but I liked it because if you are lucky enough to grab a seat by the poolside, then you get to dine while in awe of the amazing view of the lagoon. That was truly a great way to enjoy breakfast with your partner, right?

What’s great with them? When we arrived at the resort (August 13), I mentioned to them that my boyfriend’s birthday is on August 14 and they told me that when we go have breakfast, not only will they send him a special birthday cake but they will also sing happy birthday. Oh! The expression on my boyfriend’s face was priceless. He didn’t know that I had this planned for him so when the staffs at the cafe started singing, he was just pleasantly surprised. I loved that they gave us a cake that wasn’t part of the buffet spread because it meant that they really made an effort to make my boyfriend’s birthday extra special. The cake was delicious!

Even though Henann Lagoon Resort is not a beachfront resort, it’s still not very far from the beach. There were times when we would walk from the resort to the beach and there were also times when we would take the resort’s shuttle service to drop us off at Henann Regency and from there, it would take us about 3 minutes to get to the beach. We were also allowed to use the sun loungers of Henann Regency so we didn’t have to sit on the sand.

In the past, my boyfriend and I were not able to go on a boat ride because we didn’t feel like it would be worth it to pay a lot of money to rent a boat for just 2 people but since his friends were also in Boracay to celebrate his birthday, we were finally able to rent a boat. We went snorkeling but when I say we, I meant them. I didn’t really go snorkeling since I was scared. Haha! I don’t know how to swim and I’m scared of sea creatures too so I just stayed close to the boat’s wooden ladder. I didn’t move at all because even though I had a life jacket on, I didn’t trust it enough for me to let go of the ladder. I also didn’t try to look underwater because I was afraid that if I see any fish swimming near me, I’d panic and cry. LOL! I did, however, like the island that we visited. There was no one there except us so we got to eat the food we brought picnic-style and I also got to take a lot of photos so not bad at all.

Vacation in Boracay won’t be complete without eating crabs and lobsters at least once so we made sure to visit D’ Talipapa the day before we checked-out. We were able to get one lobster and a crab for just Php1500. I know Php1500 is still a lot of money but it’s actually a good price already since lobsters alone usually cost Php1500 and up so to be able to get a crab along with it makes it a good deal. If you want more information about buying seafood at D’ Talipapa, please check this post.

Apart from snorkeling and going on an island tour, we also decided to do some land activities. We all wanted to ride the ATV but since its cost is higher than the Buggy car, my boyfriend decided to pay for just 1 ATV and 3 Buggy Cars for him and his friends. I was so happy that I got to ride the ATV all by myself while all 6 of them were following me with their Buggy Cars. I felt like I was the leader of the group. Haha!

It’s been a while since we went on that trip so I could no longer remember the price but to give you an idea, ATVs and Buggy Cars usually cost more than a thousand. We rode it going to Mt. Luho and after taking photos at the viewing deck, we rode the ATV and Buggy Cars again and went back to camp. It was a short trip. I think the entire trip only lasted somewhere between 15-30 minutes but we still had so much fun.

By the way, while we were walking around, we saw the employees at Henann Regency’s Sea Breeze Cafe dancing. They actually invite people to dance with them, making it much more fun to watch. 🙂

I’m really glad that I got to go back to Boracay again. I missed it so much! I’m also happy that I got to try Henann Lagoon Resort because I really did enjoy my stay there. Even though my boyfriend was initially not happy with my choice of resort, he still ended up having a great time there. I have now stayed in 3 different Henann Resorts and not one of those has disappointed me. I love them all.

Henann Lagoon Resort, Boracay

Website: http://henann.com/boracay/henannlagoon/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/henannlagoonboracay/