Willy's Beach Hotel

ABOUT THE HOTEL

The Story
What makes Willy’s Beach Hotel the clear winner among mid-priced hotels is its absolute beachfront location right across what has come to be known as “Willy’s Rock,” Boracay’s distinctive and most popular landmark, and the subject of most Boracay travel snapshots. This lone rock formation that breaks the four-kilometer stretch of the White Beach had earned its name in the 1970s from “Willy’s Place,” a traditional cottage that, like most homes on the island, became “homestays” for occasional backpackers who sought the secret paradise that was Boracay.

In Willy’s Place, the father of the home was Wilfredo “Willy” Gelito, and his wife was Becca, after whom the in-house Becca’s Café and Restaurant was named. Both Willy and Rebecca were esteemed locals, he a famed fisherman and she a nurse whom everyone regarded then as the “doctor of Boracay.”

Willy the fisherman was a local legend; he owned the largest boat (which could seat 100 people) at that time, knew the best spot in the sea for catching lapulapu (a secret he took to the grave), and could smell a weather change or a season shift from far away. Whenever Willy brought out the windbreakers, everyone followed suit, trusting the instincts of this natural weatherman. Rebecca, on the other hand, was legendary in her own right for her compassion towards the sick who couldn’t afford medical care. Word about her had reached surrounding islands, for she would frequently be ferried to meet the needs of poor, distressed families across the seas.

Willy and Rebecca were one of the pioneers of hospitality on the island, when “tourism” was a simple but heartfelt practice of receiving travelers into your home. However, with the development of the island came the growth of hotels, and it was their daughter who transformed the lovely cottage home into the great hotel that Willy’s is today. Still a family-run hotel, it now stands as 38-room affair on a sprawling property that looks like a Mexican villa by the sea.

Why choose this hotel?
• Location. For travelers who prize location above all, Willy’s Beach Hotel is the best option. The hotel is on Station 1 where there’s no footpath between establishments and the sea. When it’s high tide, the waters almost kiss the foot of the hotel’s premises which include a sandy courtyard and a roofed restaurant—both beachfront. The hotel is located on the part of Station 1 that borders on Station 2, and there’s a hotel entrance from the Main Road where one can hop into public transport. These make Willy’s Beach Hotel one of the most accessible hotels on Station 1, not too far from other restaurants and bars on both the beach and the road.

• Ideal for Weddings. If only for having the iconic Willy’s Rock as backdrop, Willy’s Beach Hotel is the perfect Boracay wedding venue. For church weddings, the hotel is just right across the Main Road from the Holy Rosary Parish. Willy’s Beach Hotel is also just a stone’s throw away from another low-cost hotel, Boracay Breeze, where guests or suppliers may alternatively be checked in. Since Willy’s Rock is a popular tourist spot, aside from your own guests a happy holiday crowd may also witness your exchange of vows on the beach, though it’s also possible to conduct the ceremony further inside the hotel’s premises (in the courtyard and restaurant).

• Economically priced rooms. Given its prime location, complete amenities, and great service, the room rates at Willy’s Beach Hotel are lower compared to the slew of luxury hotels on Station 1. The rooms are roomy, simply designed yet elegant in subdued neutrals—leading one to think that the design might have been deliberately simplified so as not to distract the guest from the great outdoors of sea, sand, and sky.

• Eco-friendly. Solar panels are installed on the roofs for heating bath water in all the rooms.