Having planned my holiday for the Easter break, I was unable to get any acco at any of the well-known usual suspects on White Beach. Ultimately booked a room at Strand because even though it was not right on the beach, it was just a minute's walk away from the best stretches of sand according to their map. Plus a tripadvisor member had vouched for the rooms on a forum discussion.

Was very happy with my choice! It is a small, new establishment run by a couple with a grand dog. The rooms are in excellent condition. We stayed at the one-bedroom condo and had loads of space to ourselves - a living room, kitchenette, and a private balcony in addition to a well-sized bedroom. Bathrooms were great. The small hotel's setting amidst a lovely garden with hammocks topped the experience. Moreover - as promised by to us - the place is very short walk to the beach. Location wise to give you an idea, you can walk to Fridays in 5 minutes.

Staff was very friendly.

On the downside - food was not so good (we only tried the breakfasts). But having said that, we rarely enjoyed food in Boracay anyway.

Being new, I guess Strand is still getting its act together in housekeeping - cleaning is fine, but small things like bath toiletries, minibar and tea selection could do with an upgrade - just small stuff really.

Though the staff will be happy to book tours for you, it did not seem they had enough experience / info on it - we used their help and the boatman who took us for scuba diving was rather incompetent.