For more than 8 years now, since its foundation, Discovery Shores has been recognized as one of the top luxury hotels in the world. During those years, it has won numerous awards and accolaids from the most prestigious magazines and publications. The real impressive feat though, is the resort’s ability to maintain such a stellar reputation for so many years, by keeping to extremely high standards of world class service. For that reason, Discovery Shores is one of our favorite 5 star hotels in Boracay.
Located at the best part of Boracay’s White Beach, the northern end of station 1, Discovery shores is where people go to have a vacation in paradise. The hotel provides its guests with a true all inclusive experience in the most luxurious setting imaginable. Staying there is especially recommended for couples, as well as small families with 1 or 2 children. Read our review to find out everything Discovery Shores can offer you, and find the best deals for available rooms.
One of the most friendly and helpful staff we've met during our stay in Boracay. Everything in this hotel is ticking like a clockwork. The fact it's not a huge hotel but rather just medium sized, helps guests receive personal attention and immediate help with every concern. Also, a huge selection of extra services are offered, most of which are complimentary, read below for more details.
Even though this isn't a new hotel, we couldn't find any fault there. Everything was meticulously clean and well maintained – from the rooms to all of the public areas. One thing to mention though is that while the reception and pool area are stunning, the design of the garden where rooms are located is slightly underwhelming.
Even the most basic room, the Junior suite, is very impressive. Being 45m2 in size, it can very comfortably fit 2 adults, and even a child with them. The rooms are all very well maintained and include every amenities and toiletry you would expect from a 5 star hotel. The more luxurious rooms are just mind boggling – they are huge, very well designed and even have a private Jacuzzi in them.
The pool isn't very large, but it's centrally located, with an additional kiddie's pool and a hot tub next to it. There's a poolside bar, as well as butlers walking around giving free snacks and drinks. The beach is also right at your doorstep – and it's the absolute best part of the White Beach strip.
5 star resorts are usually located far away from the center, to further provide a sense of exclusiveness. Still, you are only 15-20 minutes walk along White Beach from D'Mall – where all the bars, shops and restaurants are. There's also a free shuttle going out every hour until midnight. Getting to the hotel is also very easy, since they have their own private boat+van service all the way from the Caticlan airport.
Hotels in Boracay are expensive, and naturally even more so when it comes to high end luxury resorts. With that in mind, Discovery Shores actually offers very competitive rates, when compared to other similar hotels. For what you pay, you get the complete package and are guaranteed to leave the hotel with a memory that'll last forever.
The private beach area is located right next to the hotel lobby and restaurants, so you never have to walk too much if you need anything. There’s a big line of beach beds you can lay on, and butlers are always hanging around in case you need anything from the bar. Dry and cold towels, as well as drinking water, is always available for free. At certain hours, they will also walk around and offer some free snacks and lemonade.
Then, they started telling us about the various awards this resort has received over the years. It seems like the most impressive achievements were back in 2013 and 2014, this is understandable as the buzz around the hotel dwindles down and better competition emerges. During those years, Discovery Shores has been named the 11th best hotel in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine, as well as the best family resort in Asia. Still, this doesn’t mean the hotel’s golden years are gone, as the same magazine recently ranked it as the 7th best overall resort in Asia. Condé Nast, another prestigious travel magazine, also awarded Discovery Shores with being the best family resort in Asia just a few months ago.
So, we were already impressed by the beach by the time we got inside, but then our feeling just got much better. There are only 88 rooms in this hotel, which means you are never too far away from anything. The rooms are all large, comfortable and very well designed. They all come with a 42 inch Smart HD TV, a Nespresso machine, in-room safe and the most comfortable beds we found in the Philippines. All usual toiletries and amenities are also provided of course. It’s worth mentioning that the WiFi in the rooms is also one of the best we found in White Beach.
When you look at the list of awards this hotel has gotten over the years, you already know this can't be a disappointment. Based on our communication with staff and management, and the time we spent there, we know for a fact those awards are fully justified. The level of professionalism displayed by the Discovery Shores and all of its employees is what makes us always want to work with them, and recommend them to every client of ours. We are yet to hear any negative feedback about this hotel. All of the people we sent there had the best time of their lives, and generally just wished they could have stayed there longer. Still, we want to give you the fullest picture possible, so went through every piece of available information online. We wanted to get some better perspective from different types of tourists, and especially see if someone didn't enjoy his stay there. Tripadvisor.com is where most reviews are found, with 1364 different ones posted. Discovery Shores enjoys a 4.5 rating out of 5, making it the 6th best hotel in Boracay. Only 2% of guests had a below average stay, while a whopping 77% gave it the highest grade possible. People really liked the beach, the food and the attention to small details which really turns it into a luxury experience. Complaints were rare, but they generally revolve around booking and cancellation policies – just another reason why booking through an agent is better. Discovery Shores is less popular over at Booking.com and Agoda.com, with only 193 and 155 reviews respectively. However, at both sites the resort's average rating is fantastic – 9.3 giving it a grade of exceptional. Guests really praise the staff, the rooms and the beach area. Some concerns were made regarding the pool being too small, and rooms next to it being noisy during the day.
There are so many good things about this hotel, it was hard to select just a few strong points:
We really tried our best to highlight the weaker points of this hotel, to avoid disappointments:
The second restaurant, Indigo, is actually one of the main attractions of this resort. Specializing in modern coastal cuisine, this fine dining establishment has won numerous awards on its own from renowned magazines and publications. Indigo is only open from 12nn to 4pm and 7 to 10pm, and booking your table in advance is highly recommended. People from all over the island come there especially – so make sure you get a reservation.
Lastly, there’s the Platitos kitchen right at the beachfront. They serve small plates with flavorful snacks from all over the world. The nice thing here is that you can get your food while never leaving your beach bed. Occasionally, they’ll even surprise you with some free appetizers and snacks while your’e relaxing at the beach.
The Discovery Shore also offers their own spa and fitness center. The gym is alright, although slightly smaller than what you would expect at such a luxurious hotel. The spa, however, is simply excellent. There’s an endless list of different treatments you can take, and all are given by expert, trained therapists. The level is very high, and the prices are fair for a 5 star hotel. The spa area also has its own showers and a sauna.
There’s a large kid’s zone, with a nice playground and games. While staff will sometimes organize special activities for the young guests, most of the time you’ll have to supervise their play on your own. Luckily, a nanny service is available if you need some time for yourself. It costs 10$ an hour, with a minimum booking of 3 hours and discounts for extended periods of time. It could be a very nice option for parents who want a few hours for themselves.
Lastly, there are the countless small things that turn this hotel from a regular 5 star into a pampering all inclusive experience. The press-reader, available in all rooms, gives you access to major newspapers from all over the world. There’s also DVD players in all rooms, and a large DVD library you can borrow from. Special activities can also be organized upon request. These include parasailing, wind surfing, kayaking and jet skiing just to name a few.
There’s absolutely no chance someone who visits Discovery Shores will leave disappointed. You get an all inclusive holiday at one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Sure, it’s not cheap, but you always get more than what you paid for. Discovery Shores maintains a consistent level of excellence over many years now, and strives to provide guests with the ultimate 5 star experience in Boracay. This is without a doubt one of the best resorts for couples and small families who want to experience White Beach and enjoy everything a luxury hotel has to offer.
The most basic room type is also the most popular, especially among couples. with 45m2 of space, it’s very large and comfortable. You will of course get to enjoy all the amenities and services provided to Discovery Shores guests. The room comes with either 1 king size or 2 queen sized beds based on your needs, and a single bed can be added if there’s an extra guest.
The standard 1 bedroom suite is 65m2 and has a living area, a bar and a bedroom with 1 king size bed/ 2 queen size. 2 additional persons can sleep on the sofa in the living room.
This suite is also available in a Premier version – which is bigger (78m2 and has 2 floors. there’s a bathroom in each, and the view from this loft is amazing – it’s especially nice when you sit at the private Jacuzzi in the balcony upstairs.
with 120m2 of space, this 2 bedroom suite can easily accommodate up to 6 people. Each bedroom has its own shower and toilet, and they located right next to each other. The living room has a large L-shaped sofa, where 2 more people can sleep at. Bedrooms come with either 1 king size or 2 queen sized beds.
This suite is also available in premier version – with the advantage being one of the bedrooms is on the 2nd floor, and the first floor has a private Jacuzzi in it.
