As we relaxed on the lounge chairs and admired the beautiful crystal clear waters and fine white sand before our very eyes, Ross turned to me and said:"aren't we lucky to come from two of the most beautiful places on Earth?"
This is paradise!
The beautiful beach right on our doorstep
Ross had just arrived from a 3-month stint in the freezing temperatures of Argentinian Patagonia and was in need of R&R and fun in the sun. We'd been planning a trip to Palawan during the Philippines' summer months (March to May), but we didn't get the chance to since he'd been working all that time. Fortunately, we received good news that he'd be coming home at the end of August and we'd have enough time to steal a few days away for a well-deserved holiday. We'd done our research and shortlisted a few places but Ross' heart was set on Club Paradise when we came across it online. I had no objections as I'd visited the island resort once--though some 17 years ago--and have fond memories of the place, especially since it was the first time I'd taken a shot at scuba diving. I also remembered my friend Cheryl Tiu's (whom I also just recently featured in my Passion Q&A series) blog post on her visit and only had good things to say about the place. So as soon as Ross confirmed his return to Manila, we booked our holiday to Palawan.
Club Paradise Palawan
Club Paradise is located on Dimakya Island, Coron in Northern Palawan in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It features a 700-metre beach as well as a beautiful and colourful house reef where you can see and swim with over 500 marine life species. If diving and snorkeling aren't your thing, there are other activities that are just as exciting like kayaking (choose the see-through kayak!), paraw sailing, hiking, and island hopping. How can you say no to any of that?!
Booking
We booked a 4-night/5-day stay in a Beachfront Cottage via Booking.com (best price option at around Php31,000 / USD660 / GBP435 for 2 adults and includes daily breakfast). Airport transfers had to be booked directly with the hotel which I did via email with no problem (roundtrip Php1,830 / USD39 / GBP25 per person). For F&B, we spent a total of about Php30,000 / USD640 / GBP417 throughout our entire stay.
Our beachfront cottage
Not so bad a view to wake up to and have at your doorstep
Getting to paradise
We took the afternoon Philippine Airlines 55-minute flight from Manila to Busuanga (Coron) (Php22,000 / USD470 / GBP306 for 2 adult round trip tickets) and were greeted by JC of Club Paradise upon arrival at Francisco B. Reyes Airport. JC took us to the resort's private van where he explained that we would be going on a 20-minute drive to the jetty and then another 40 minutes by boat to the island. The drive was really bumpy as most of the road is unpaved and with deep trenches, but this wasn't a problem for us since the scenery was beautiful and interesting. Plus, you're on a beautiful island amid greenery and fresh air; don't expect some 6-lane paved motorway!
Philippine Airlines Bombardier Q400
Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga Island, Coron, Palawan
We were given "his" and "hers" Club Paradise bracelets
When we reached the jetty, we transferred to a small boat since the tide was low and sailed through the mangroves. Once we got to deeper waters, we moved onto a bigger boat where we were offered tuna & cheese sandwiches, a bottle of water, and a beach towel to keep from the splashes of the waves. It was a nice and relaxing ride with incredible views of the surrounding islands and mountains. We finally reached the island and were welcomed by the beauty of the pristine beach, charming smiles of the Club Paradise staff, and the amazingly friendly general manager Joegil Escobar who personally greeted us upon arrival. Checking in was stress-free as Bea from Reception gave us a tour of the resort on the way to our cottage. When we got to our cottage, Bles aka Ms. Happiness and Eunice were waiting for us to give us our complimentary foot massages. Talk about a start to a great holiday! After enjoying the massages, we finally entered our room where we immediately felt like home. I'll let the following photos do the talking here.
The mangroves we passed on the way to the island
All aboard!
View of the ocean, mountains & islands from the boat
We made it! :-)
A singing welcoming committee!
California King Bed
Initialised pillows and cute towel babies!
Sweet treats!
Complimentary foot massages upon arrival
We'll get there - one island at a time!
Overjoyed!
Beautiful sunsets
This view leaves me speechless
I just can't get enough!
It's all in the detail
Throughout our entire stay, the staff kept on surprising us and never missed a beat. On top of the extremely warm welcome, we had glasses of wine and a platter of cheese waiting for us in our room after dinner. There was also one night when we got a handwritten note from Joegil wishing us a good night. Every day there was a treat waiting for us in our room--a basket of mangoes, rice cakes, banana fritters--it was always a pleasant surprise! And on the day we were leaving, we got another handwritten note from the housekeeping staff thanking us for our stay and wishing us a safe journey home. Right from the beginning, the entire Club Paradise team made us feel so comfortable and at home. So much so that it was strange that we had to leave and go back to reality.
Personalised note from the GM Joegil Escobar
Wine & cheese waiting for us in our room after dinner
Sweet note from housekeeping
One with nature
Apart from the amazing underwater wonders, the island is also home to a colony of fruit bats and monitor lizards. During the day you can see the bats hanging on the trees, and at dusk a wonderful display of flight as they wake from their slumber and take off to feed on fruits and small insects. The monitor lizards also roam freely so you may just be at breakfast and have one of these big guys stroll by you. Another pretty awesome thing that happened was when we were walking on the beach a small wave crashed onshore and a stingray washed up within a few inches from my feet! Isn't it so great that you can get so close to nature??
The resident colony of fruit bats taking flight at dusk
One of the island's monitor lizards taking a leisurely stroll
I'm calling her Stella the sting ray
But probably the best interaction with animals was when we went swimming in the ocean. The resort's dive team offers anything from intro to wreck dives and you're able to get your PADI Open Water license in just 3 days. I already have my Open Water license but it's been years since my last dive so I need a refresher course. Ross still has yet to get his license and though he could have gotten it during our stay, we opted to just have a nice and relaxing few days with no agenda just doing what we wanted, when we wanted. However, we didn't not want to experience the beautiful sea world so we went snorkelling instead!
Ross and Vincent our snorkelling guide
We borrowed snorkelling gear (which is complimentary for guests by the way!) from the aquatics centre and asked if we could be "toured" around the house reef. Vincent from the aquatics centre was more than happy to come with us. So we geared up and took the plunge and it was amazing! We swam with sea turtles, sting rays, different schools of fish, batfish, a 3-foot giant clam, and the best part of all was seeing a black tip shark (4-5 feet in length)--not once, not twice, but a few times every time we went in the water. On a separate occasion when it was just Ross and Vincent who went out, they also saw an octopus and a lion fish. The corals were also so beautiful as they swayed in the current. It's an incredible whole new world down there and has definitely convinced Ross to take up a new hobby and for me to get down and get that refresher course out of the way!
Take me back!
We truly enjoyed our stay at Club Paradise and would definitely go back again. If you're the type of person who enjoys being away from the hustle of the city or someone who simply needs to recharge, this is the place for you. First and foremost, the people are what makes this resort so worth it. Plus, all that sea life and adventure makes it all the more appealing!
My love and I thoroughly enjoying the sea, sand & sun!
Special thank yous to the following people for being so awesome and making us feel like long-time friends:
General Manager Joegil Escobar
The dive team--Brenda, Rachel, Ayn, Randy & Gabi
Vincent from the aquatics centre
Bles and the service staff
Dandie and the other bartenders (by the way Dandie is a great poi (fire) dancer!)
And to the rest of the Club Paradise team (apologies for not being able to remember everyone's names!), please know that we appreciated everything!!
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