Review: Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay


Hotels under the Henann brand in Boracay and Bohol are known for their impeccably designed pools, and at the beachfront Henann Crystal Sands Resort, it’s no different. Guest rooms are built around huge lap pools and an infinity pool opens out into the gorgeous White Beach.

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
I stayed at this resort several weeks ago and it felt a little like going back to my home away from home; I’ve been to a lot of Henann properties and I was just happy to be back in familiar surroundings. I’m happy to report as well that we felt very safe here. Read on for a more detailed review!

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay


The Premier Room with Direct Pool Access

The best way to maximize Henann’s prized feature—their beautifully designed pools—is by booking a Premier Room with Direct Pool Access. Sure, a gorgeous balcony view is always nice, but there’s something about a room that opens directly into water. While the floor space is compact, this room category still boasts of luxurious beds, a sitting area, a mini-bar, a work desk, and an en suite bathroom fitted with a tub.

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
The deck leading into the pool has a lounge chair and a table set-up for two—the perfect spot for enjoying snacks and drinks in between laps. During our stay, there were barely any people (it was also mid-week) so we had the enormous pool to ourselves! Now that’s what I call luck-xury! LOL!

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay


Safety Protocols

Nowadays, I am quite attentive to how establishments enforce protocols and how they make guests feel safe and confident in enjoying their stay. I’m happy to report that Henann Crystal Sands’ safety practices blew away my anxiety and allowed to truly kick back, relax, and enjoy this vacation.

All guestrooms are thoroughly cleaned and UVC sanitized. Sheets, robes, and towels smell fresh and clean.
High-touch items such as remote controls are wrapped in plastic for easier disinfection.

Sanitary kits (wipes, alcohol, face masks) are provided in each room.
Human contact is minimized during check-in. The front desk officer asked us to send our documents via email instead of presenting them in printed form.

Hotel staff wear face masks at all times.
Hotel staff are courteous and helpful while maintaining distance.
QR menus are provided in the restaurant.
Guests are required to wear face masks except when dining and swimming (and inside the room, of course).

Of course, the best formula is when personal practices are combined with strict establishment protocols—so it’s nice when places do the most they can to make you feel at ease.


Dining

Sapphire, the hotel’s main restaurant, offers breakfast to in-house guests as well as an all-day a la carte menu. During our visit, breakfast buffet was not yet available but I’ve seen recent posts on Instagram and it seems like Henann now offers the buffet. In my experience, however, we were asked to choose from different plated breakfast sets—American, Continental, Filipino—and a variety of sides and drinks. I am not a huge buffet person so this was fine for me. Plus they allowed us to order extras that are not included in the set, so essentially it’s still “unlimited”—there’s just no buffet set up.

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
My friend and I also tried a few dishes from their a la carte menu and I particularly fell in love with the Crispy Squid Sticks, served with aioli and vinegar dipping sauces. The Salmon with Kimchi Fried Rice was yummy and filling too—and I love the spice and the herbs on it!


Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay


Henann Crystal Sands also has a sunken bar on the sky pool (I absolutely love sunken bars). We ordered some Root Crop Chips composed of 4 different types of root crops and we were so addicted to them! The sunken bar only has a few seats around the bar itself, but sun loungers are available around the deck. This spot is the perfect vantage point for the sunset—so make sure you grab your space before other people start coming.

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay




Other Amenities

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands has two swimming pools—the main pool on ground level and the sky pool. The main one actually is composed of two parallel lap pools, directly accessible by the ground-floor guestrooms. The sky pool on the other hand is built around the bar and offers an incredible view of White Beach.

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Right behind the sunken bar is the fitness center which is well-equipped: there’s a Smith machine, benches, free weights, as well as cardio and resistance equipment. I think that long-staying guests who are into serious workouts would be happy with this gym.



Special Touches That Complete Your Stay

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
Different resorts welcome their guests differently—at Henann Crystal Sands, I was shocked to find an old dancesport video of mine playing on the TV upon entering our room. I was shocked and quite emotional. I totally miss my dancing life (I stopped competing and training completely 5 years ago), so for someone to put that in there instead of a "WELCOME, BLOGGER" … it felt really personal and I appreciated it so much.

Henann Crystal Sands Resort Boracay
(Also we were quite good in that video, hahaha! In fact, we got a Silver that time. So… great pick, guys, haha.)


~*~
Henann Crystal Sands Resort
Station 2, Boracay Island, Philippines
(02) 8740 1111

Have you stayed at Henann Crystal Sands? How was your experience?

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