psychoPEDIA: Daily News

Rafe Totengco didn’t waste time becoming one of New York’s most acclaimed accessory designers. Four years after launching his eponymous collection in 1995, the Manila-born FIT grad was nominated for the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Accessory Designer Award, only to win Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award the following year. Since then he’s been accessorizing every stylish It Girl from Karen O. and Daria Werbowy to Lindsay, Mischa, and Eva Longoria. The allure of his designs? A perfect blend of urban-cool and beach ease – much like Rafe himself.

After visiting Boracay Island (located in the Visayas region of the Philippines) for a wedding last May, Rafe found himself a new favorite place to kick back and soak up exotic inspiration. Here, he discusses the tropical island’s allure. In his own words:

What I love about Boracay is that it’s small, so everything is 5-10 minutes away, the food is reasonably inexpensive and fresh, and the beach is amazing. I have friends who live there, so every time I go it's a bit of a reunion. You can party or chill -- there's something for everyone. You can forget about all your troubles, at least for a little while.

In Boracay, the sand is powder white, and the water clear and warm with cool undercurrents. Friday's has the best beachfront property. Their beach stretches to about a mile of really shallow water. I love to go to the tip with a fresh green mango shake and sit in the water.

When the sun is at its strongest, I like to go to the spa at Mandala and get a massage at one of their private huts. At the end they give you this amazing 'salabat' ginger drink that has healing qualities and is good for your throat. They also have a great vegetarian restaurant.

Other restaurants worth noting are: Cyma, a Greek restaurant that gets a line before dinner because it's that good. And Aria, an Italian restaurant. The chef has lived on the island for the past 20 years.

For going out there are a ton of open-air bars and clubs. Pre-dinner or après dinner, everybody goes to Hey Jude. There's a live DJ who spins cool lounge music, then progresses to dance as the night goes on. It's great people-watching, because this bar seems to have a cutie magnet.

Other great dance clubs are Club Paraw, Cocomangas and Summer Place.

What I love most about Boracay is that it's way off the beaten track. From New York, it takes about 18 hours to get there. It's a little bit of paradise once your feet hit the white sand beaches. Almost immediately, a sense of calm overtakes you and everything else just drifts away. The only thing necessary at that point is a cool green mango shake.