Review: Taj Guesthouse in Boracay

When people ask me for hotel recommendations in Boracay, I couldn’t name any hotel because the first time I went there, I stayed at a friend’s house. This time however, I already have one hotel I wholeheartedly recommend: The Taj Guesthouse.

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Tucked in a small narrow alley, Taj Guesthouse isn’t a beach front property. But that doesn’t matter, as the beach is only about a hundred meters from the shore. Another great thing about its location is that it’s in Station 2. Though not right smack in the center of Station 2, it’s a comfortable and pleasant walk to D’mall, where majority of the shops and restaurants are.

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We didn’t make any reservations when we went to Boracay, so we don’t have any idea what kind of room we’ll be sleeping in that night. When we arrived at Taj, the simple facade looked promising. The rooms we got certainly surpassed any expectations: the beds are comfortable, the pillows fluffy, and the toilet is very very clean. There is even a TV, a place for storing clean and wet clothes, a mini refrigerator and even a safe. Best of all, the rate we were given for the room was only Php 2,000 per night. Since there were three of us sharing the room, that’s only Php 667 per person, per night! Budget was a big issue for us in this trip, so this price suited us perfectly.

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There isn’t much in terms of amenities and facilities, but there is daily housekeeping. Towels are provided, and a small soap and a couple of sachets of shampoo in the shower. All the rooms are airconditioned and there’s a hot and cold shower.

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If you’re looking for a hotel in Boracay, look no further than Taj Guesthouse. The rooms have a nice, clean design, have adequate space for 5 people to maneuver (we stayed at the Family room, which is good for 3-4 people) without bumping into each other, clean toilet and bath (always a big plus!) and it’s run by a friendly and very hospitable couple.

Disclosure: We paid for our first night’s stay in Taj. We were able to stay for free during our second night, in exchange for Melo taking photos of their rooms for their gallery.

Taj Guesthouse
Balabag, Boracay Island
Malay, Aklan, Philippines
Phone: (036) 288-4628 (+6332-2884628)
Mobile: (0920) 919-6509 (+63920-9196509
Fax: (036) 288-5695 (+6332-2885695)
E-mail: tajboracay@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taj-Guesthouse-Boracay/121290147933020
View map to Taj Guesthouse

Seair flies daily to Boracay, with as much as 11 flights from Manila to Caticlan. Book your flight now by calling the Seair hotline at 849 0100 or book online through www.flyseair.com.

Comments

45 responses to “Review: Taj Guesthouse in Boracay”

  1. dong ho Avatar

    looks good. it looks very much like “hey jude resort” in boracay.

  2. bchai Avatar
    bchai

    Man, it looks really nice. Thing is, the beds—I hope they’re comfy. It looks kinda hard in the pictures. LOL! πŸ˜‰

  3. nina Avatar

    Dong Ho: I’ve only seen Hey Jude from the outside, but yes Taj has the same serene vibe. Taj is way smaller than Hey Jude in comparison though, and doesn’t have the same enclosure as Hey Jude

    Bchai: Lol! Believe me, they’re comfy πŸ˜‰ Not overly soft and bouncy, but soft enough for a comfortable sleep. πŸ˜€

  4. Shell Avatar

    the place looks very inviting! eventually, i will get to visit the Philippines again and I am definitely asking you for tips =)

  5. dyanie Avatar

    Hi Nina! I made reservation na here in Taj! Thanks for your suggestion. I’m so excited! Btw, is breakfast included? πŸ™‚

  6. nina Avatar

    Dyanie: Nope, breakfast is not included.

  7. dyanie Avatar

    Hi again nina!

    u also have video how long is taj from the beach?

  8. Jennie Avatar

    Hi Nina! I have been trying to contact Joewana to finalize our reservation but I cannot seem to get in contact with her again for some reason. I even called the resort and was able to talk to Sai. Is it really hard to make reservations with them. I’m hoping to get things finalized, so accommodation will not be a problem anymor when we get there πŸ™

  9. rusel888 Avatar
    rusel888

    nice place…will surely stay here this August 2009…

  10. kate Avatar
    kate

    quite disappointed with taj guesthouse. we made our reservation in may but when we arrivedd in the philippines in june to get their accnt number, they did not save slots for us. we were left looking for other resorts..

    we have reserved at sheena but i need to know if it is okay. i cant seem to find any reviews.

    thoughts anyone?

  11. Jennie Avatar

    Hi Nina! We finally got our accommodation reserved and we will be flying to Boracay tomorrow morning. I made a pre-vacation post: http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2009/06/15/taj-guesthouse-our-boracay-getaway-sanctuary/

    And here’s hoping we come back to Manila with a good review πŸ™‚ God bless!

  12. Jennie Avatar

    I borrowed the private balcony picture nga pala and I put credits. πŸ™‚

  13. rusel888 Avatar
    rusel888

    hi nina… I already made my reservation in Taj for my August trip to bora… My husband personally went there and made the reservation fee and checked the rooms… I’m so glad that the rooms are truly nice and the rest rooms are very very clean too… Can’t wait to be in boracay again after 2 years…

  14. Pasyalera Avatar

    Hey Nina,

    Thank you so much for this entry. It really helped me a lot. Pati rin sa mga tips and advices na binigay mo about Boracay. Sobrang nakatulong talaga yun lahat. I was so confident all through out our trip. Feeling ko madalas nakong nagpupuntang Boracay.

    Our room at Taj Guesthouse was very cozy. Ang ganda at ang linis ng room namin. Yun lang everytime na pumapasok kami sa room para kaming laging inaantok. Hahaha!

    Anyway, I will also be posting my review of the place on my blog soon. Too bad, hindi ako nakakuha ng maraming pics kasi tinatamad akong magpicture picture nung araw na yun sa sobrang pagod ko sa byahe. Hehehe! Thanks again! πŸ˜€

  15. michelle Avatar
    michelle

    ganda ng rooms nila kaya lang its quite disappointing to make a reservation, i was texting the cellphone no., when i was asking for a discount kc 4 nights kami, suddenly they didn’t reply anymore, if they don’ t want to give discounts, its ok then, but at least reply so not to leave us hanging, i think it’s unethical, who know’s i can still book even without discounts, i was just trying my luck on stretching the budget, luckily there are other options on the same alley.

  16. ikeng Avatar
    ikeng

    hi! thank you very much for the information.

  17. Mike Lopez Avatar
    Mike Lopez

    ms. nina may contack pa po ba kau sa tag kasi po yung mga # po na naka post un atended na po nag mail namana po ako alang response!! may package po kasi sila naun ang ganda sayang naman po kaisi!! pa email naman po yung mga countack info po nila thanks po!! e2 po email ko mr_yoso_02_16@yahoo.com thanks po!!!

  18. raquel lomibao Avatar
    raquel lomibao

    hi to everyone…please help find or can suggest a family room with kitchen which we could cook kahit yung fry eggs n hotdog man lang..coz my kids are sort of maselan , they dont eat fish (mdyo nsanay sa mc do , kfc etc) and likewise good for 2 adults n 3 kids . tks…..
    please

  19. Lindsay Avatar
    Lindsay

    Hi Nina,

    I enjoy reading blogs of those things that interests me in any given time.

    Your blog is the most interesting, detailed (wherein i can clearly imagine/create picture what you are saying), and most helpful article i’ve read so far….

    Planning to go to Boracay on budget trip this June hope it pushes through…

    Thank you and there are people like you who are creative enough to share their thoughts and experiences of the things that might interest other people as well but are so afraid to do it on their own or are not adventurous enough to do things alone without getting confirmation or encouragement from other people, like for instance me!

  20. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    Hi Guys, are towels provided in this Guesthouse? its a major concern for us since we’re light travelers. it would be nice if towels are provided right? it would less the weight of our lugagges. Thanks in advance.

  21. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    Thanks Ms. Nina for replying πŸ™‚ i got a confirmation from the owner/contact that there are towels provided! i am just so excited! reading your review about Taj is such a big help on deciding where to stay. Mr. Mike (the owner i guess) was so accomodating even thru text msgs. -hoping for a great vacay!

  22. Aisa Avatar
    Aisa

    twas too hard for us to make reservations at TAJ’s GUESTHOUSE. Active naman lahat ng contact numbers na naka-post pero kung walang sumasagot, binababaan ako. Nakaka-disappoint. Ganda pa naman sana…… Sana maimprove naman yon. TY

  23. negneg Avatar
    negneg

    Sorry to bust your bubble but I didn’t have a good time at Taj. I’ve been to boracay around 8 times already and have stayed in various resorts. I wanted to try it since I’ve been hearing raves about it. True, the rooms are well maintained especially the bathrooms. Although the standard room is small, the room has wifi, there’s a personal ref, cable TV and aircon. However, the receptionist is ALWAYS missing during crucial hours (12nn and before 8am), breakfast is served in your room at past 8am which is a bit waste of time since you can’t start your day earlier and the bathroom sink is so small that you can’t brush or gargle without spilling on the floor.
    If you’re really on a tight budget and don’t mind having your breakfast at past 8am, then Taj is good enough.

    1. Vincent Z Avatar
      Vincent Z

      ***PLEASE READ***

      Stayed here for 2 days and 3 nights from saturday to monday (coz our flight on monday was at 8:30 in the morning and had to leave at 5am).
      Unfortunately, we didn’t get a bang for our buck on staying in this place. We knew that the place we reserved for was in the MAIN bldg because we were not informed that they had an annex which was 50 steps away from the beachfront compared to just 10 steps from the main bldg. Sure enough we let that go since we didn’t really had any choice and finding another hotel to stay in would be a big hassle, plus we already paid half of the accommodation. They had us stay on 1 room where we could leave our stuff while we wait for the other guest staying at our reserved room to check-out. We were only able to check-in at 2pm. We NEVER got our towels until 8pm, the guy said they were still in the dryers. We didn’t bring towels since they said that there would be 2 towels for every room. Instead of being able to take a shower and start bathing in the sun, we were forced change plan and just walk around d’ mall and along the beach path. I can’t stretch this enough but the receptionists is “ALWAYS” missing, even in day time! At the time that we were able to check-in our room, the place wasn’t cleaned thoroughly. The previous guest’s trash collection was still present at the bottom of the sink when you open the drawer doors! 1 soap was only given, no shampoos. They kept on hassling us about a copy of our deposit slip whereas in our previous conversations with the receptionist he confirmed that we didn’t need to bring anything else, just a valid ID for identification. It’s true though that they have WIFI in the area, BUT as soon as you try to connect to the net or just open google.com, nothing happens. From the start of our visit until the day we leave, we never got to use their WIFI. Water wasn’t that strong, it was only barely enough. Cellphone signal was ZERO for suncel subscibers but for globe it was okay, though we were only in the 2nd room from the open. 2nd day came and we were waiting for our breakfast at 7am, we asked them about this and said that it will be delivered to our rooms, after 30 mins of waiting, one of their employees came and said that our reservation wasn’t in the PROMO, where in our previous conversation and we even confirmed that there will be breakfasts because that would be a big help in our budget. Sadly, we had to go and look for some other place to eat breakfast. On a scale of 1 to 10 being 10 as the highest, I would rate them as 2.5 in service.

  24. bea francisco Avatar
    bea francisco

    just like to ask if what is the schedule of the boat heading to bora since our time flying back home is 7 in the morning.. and is this possible that there is boat @5 in the morning?… thank you

    1. nina Avatar

      As I replied in your previous comment, I’m not sure what time the first ferry leaves Boracay to Caticlan, but if the regular ferry isn’t operating yet, you can probably arrange for a boat to take you to Caticlan. The trip only takes 10 minutes or less, depending on the weather condition.

  25. Marla Avatar
    Marla

    Hi Nina.

    I just wanted to ask if Taj’s hotel is still something you’d recommend for this year and the next since I saw that the blog you wrote was dated in 2008. (I found it very useful by the way, so good job! =)

    Another thing I wanted to ask if you know which of these beach front hotels are handicap-friendly. I’m planning to bring my dad who’s in a wheelchair. I want him to see Boracay since he’s never been there. But I’m going on a low budget and I haven’t gone around boracay much to know which of the beach front hotels are cheap and have rooms that will not be so difficult for somebody in a wheelchair. Thanks so much for your help. God bless!

    Marla

    1. nina Avatar

      If you are staying at Taj, ask for the room up front, so you can easily go in an out. Unfortunately, there’s a big step and there might not be enough space with the wheel chair. You can also try Namaste, which is beach front.

      1. Marla Avatar
        Marla

        Do you have Namaste’s contact information (email and phone number?) Thanks.

  26. Randy Azur Avatar
    Randy Azur

    I’D like to make a reservation on june 19th till 22.and i’ll take 3 de lux rooms for 7 pax.

  27. glaiza Avatar
    glaiza

    Hi, magkano ang room rates nila..pupunta kasi kami this aug.13-15. we are 6 person.

    1. nina Avatar

      Best to inquire directly with them, since luma na tong post na to malamang iba na ang rate nila ngayon.

  28. glaiza Avatar
    glaiza

    ..Hi thanks for this blog.. it really helps us..we stayed at TAJ last Aug.13-15’01. room are maintained especially the bathroom.. very near at the beach.

    1. nina Avatar

      Thanks for sharing your experience Glaiza! Glad you enjoyed your stay πŸ™‚

  29. Leslie Paral Avatar
    Leslie Paral

    HI, ID like to know if u still have 1 standar room available for 2 adults and 1 child for checkin on Dec.23 and check out on Oct.27,2011.. pls send me ur price quotes asap! thanks!

    1. nina Avatar

      Hi Leslie, I’m not affiliated with Taj Guesthouse. If you want to inquire or reserve a room, you better contact them directly. I believe their e-mail address and contact numbers are posted in the entry.

      1. Leslie Paral Avatar
        Leslie Paral

        dear Ms. Nina;

        wla kn b alam na medyo mura na accommodation.. P2,500 yung sa tajguesthouse

      2. nina Avatar

        Hanap ka sa Station 3, alam ko may mga 1,000 or less na rooms dun

      3. Leslie Paral Avatar

        thanks Ms.Nina.. try ko mag search.. medyo matagal kc yung stay namin sa bora.. until now still in shock na 5 days kmi dunn,…. wla budget… tns for the help

  30. anne camino Avatar
    anne camino

    Nina,

    super thanks to your very helpful blog about taj’s guesthouse, will be in boracay this november and i have been constantly sending emails with mike, super friendly and very accomodating. looking forward to our stay in taj. super thanks to you and your review.

    1. nina Avatar

      Glad this review helped you! Enjoy Boracay!

  31. Princess Avatar
    Princess

    Thanks for your helpful blog! Quick question lang po πŸ™‚ Quiet pa din ba ung place at night time? ..Considering nasa Station 2 sya where night life is active. πŸ™‚ Thanks!

    1. nina Avatar

      When we stayed at Taj, it was in one of the inner rooms, so it was fairly quiet. Not sure if it’s the same if you get one of the outer rooms.

  32. Dess Avatar

    I’ll have my summer vacation on April and I’m searching for some cheap guesthouses in Boracay and thank God for your review..I am now decided to reserve a room at Taj

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