Distant bells ring across the sea from the village of Sablayan on the set side of Mindoro Island. It is Easter Sunday morning on Pandan Island. Clear sea laps against the white sand beach, calm and glowing with the reflected colors of the rising sun. Mahal, the diving banca, is being prepared by the Whitetip
White House Safari Lodge, 45 minutes away by plane from Manila, is a good place to start discovering Occidental Mindoro, a region that has remained untamed and exceptionally beautiful. David Anthony “Tony” Parkinson, an Englishman who lived 28 years in Kenya, built his small hotel. He came to the Philippines when the Calait Animal Reserve
Right on Big La Laguna Beach in a small sheltered cove, this resort is managed by Australians Michael Donaldson and his partner. The resort as 33 rooms tightly laid out, without any green spaces, but nonetheless pretty and well-maintained. Its location in the middle of a nice white-sand beach where snorkeling is great is definitely
El Galleon Beach Club is ably manged by Alla Nash, an Australian national who took over in 1994, when the resort only had 7 rooms. Today, the resort has 31 rooms set in a vast, steep area covered with lush vegetation. The property is at one end of Small La Laguna Beach just beside Sabang
On an isolated 10-hectare property, the Coco Beach Resort was the brainchild of Danish-Italian, a furniture-buyer who frequently traveled to the Philippines. He fell in love with the site. It had all the necessary ingredients for a dream resort: white beach, tropical vegetation, crystal clear water swarming with fish and fabulous corals. In 1986, Coco
Atlantis Resort stands out because of its Mediterranean architecture evoking Greek village with its gleaming white structures. It is manage by George Bender, a German national. The hotel is slightly off Sabang Beach from which it is separated by a small public path. Because of the steep terrain, the building are literally clinging to the
Isolated on one of the promontories dominating Muelle Bay, Kalaw Place brings to mind the settings of “Sleeping Beauty” as soon as you walk through its large iron gate. The are is filled with molave trees, bougainvillea, cycas, fan palms, narra trees and wild orchids, all growing over wild grass. The main house, constructed more
Perched like an eagle’s nest on the peak of a hill overlooking Varadero and Muelle Bays, Tanawin is only two km from Puerto Galera. Far from the bustle of Sabang Beach, Small La Laguna or Big La Laguna, it is ideal resort for those seeking secret and serene places. The resort is surrounded by a
The Kosta Alcantara Beach Resort is located between two rocky promontories at one end of the white, kilometer-long Marilima Beach. The residence of Severo Alcantara who retired here with his wife and opened it to the public a few years ago. The atmosphere of the resort is a reflection of the graciousness of Mr. Alcantara
Locate in the heart of Sorsogon. the hotel’s owner, Gina Duran, is its good fortune. She knows the region well, loves it, and takes pains to quaint visitors with the area, in an effort to promote ecotourism. She is full of good advice and can even organize a variety of excursions. In a region that
Tayamaan Beach is located just north-west of Mamburao. It is a coconut tree lined white sand beach, one hectare long. One of the famous beach resorts in Mamburao. Very affordable rates and easily accessible. The beach is ideal for swimming and is frequented by local residents and a few foreign tourists. The cove is perfect
Punta Riviera Del Mar Resort is uniquely located at the estuary of the Ilog Marino river view from the elevated sea frontage embraces a stunning marine ecology with constant, natural air conditioning from incoming cool sea breeze as frothy turquoise waves crash onto the edge of the coral fringe only 100 meters away. Such natural
In the chaotic town of Legaspi, Albay Hotel is the best possible choice. It is a large, white five-story building in the city center, brighter than the other hotels. On the ground floor are the large reception hall with marble flooring, a restaurant and a coffee shop. The rooms are a bright and spacious, offering
Batanes Resort is located on the edge of the cornice facing the South China Sea. As a result, its benefits from superb view of the wild, jagged, wave-beaten coastline and the cliffs covered by green pastures. From the hotel you can see a beach down below, but is is without direct access. Batanes Resort is
Over the vast stretch of black sand, the mist on certain mornings cascades down the mountains overlooking the sea. The wind has twisted the surrounding trees — such is the superb and strange setting of Pannzian Beach and Mountain Resort. The resort is located along the little coastal road from Pagudpud to Claveria, between the
Saud Beach Resort is probably the most pleasant of the few resorts on this part of the coast, far away from the tourist track. The property is located between a beautiful marsh of majestic trees and a beach bordered by palm trees. The hotel is owned by a Filipino, and managed by a German-Filipino couple.
The hotel was constructed just to accommodate the guests at the wedding of Irene Marcos, daughter of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Spread on a 77-hectare area on the edge of Suba beach, it is the only rated hotel in the entire Ilocos Norte which offers comfortable accommodations for travelers between Vigan and Pagudpud.
The Cordillera Inn is an old Vigan house. Unfortunately the interior was completely renovated in a modern style, its charm now lost, given up for more comfortable amenities. It is well located on Mena Crisologo, the restored main road of the town. You enter directly from the street into a large, pleasant reception are with
Located in the central part of Vigan, Villa Angela is a charming, beautiful old house built in the middle of the 18th century. It is still filled with traces of the past, as it was not subjected to major renovations since its construction. The two-story house nestles at the end of a small, quiet garden.
Bangaan Family Inn is in a choice location along the train from Banaue to Mayoyao overlooking the rice terraces of Bangaan. It is from here that you can go on foot to visit the famous rice terraces of Batad. If you wish to continue along this road (very bad during the rainy season) to the