Dos Palmas Resort Palawan - Unbridled Beauty and Luxury

Riding on a boat into luxurious Dos Palmas Resort is like stepping into a candy-coated dream. Everything is set to stoke your senses. A group of welcoming revelers queue at the foyer, dressed in floral shirts and skirts. A few of them play what would seem like indigenous percussion instruments. This thumping sound always signals the arrival of guests. Then as you steady your sea legs on to the concrete path that leads to the resort lobby, you are handed a drink of Four Seasons with miniature paper umbrellas, a slice of orange, or a chunk of pineapple sitting atop your glass. This is a common scenario every time.

On my third visit to this resort (I can’t seem to deny myself the pleasure every time I am in Puerto Princesa), nothing has changed much. Day tour guests are ushered into the restaurant where a 15-minute briefing is conducted by a resort staff. This time, it was a girl named Maricel. You have to be patient and hear them out coz this briefing actually saves you time. It will tell you what activities you can partake; what facility you can use or how much. It also saves them time rather than receiving individual queries. This briefing will optimize your stay on the island. Payment for your day tour is expected at the end of your stay before taking your boat back to mainland Puerto Princesa, although I suggest you pay the soonest possible time. You don’t want to miss your boat back just coz you were belatedly paying at the counter.

Calm and pristinely blue, the Honda Bay waters sparkle...

ABDUCTION AND DEATH IN THE SEAT OF LUXURY

Dos Palmas Resort sits on a 20 kilometer island called Arrecife. It emerges among 10-15 major islands and sand bars that dot the pristine waters of Honda Bay, almost an hour of travel from mainland’s Santa Lourdes wharf. It’s also farthest from the bay after Fondeado Island. This accounts for its security vulnerability, contributing to why several years ago, the Abu Sayaf bandits were able to sneak in and abduct tourists from the resort. They have since addressed that freak incident! For a good reason, the management never seems to address queries about that unfortunate incident. But this tack is a bit irresponsible, if you ask me. Another unfortunate incident was the death of teen actor Rico Yan (he died in his sleep over acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis). During the “cottage tour”, we were told they are not allowed to discuss queries on which particular cottage the beloved actor died. “Malas daw sa negosyo,” (It’s bad for business) we were told.

Having mentioned those two incidents, it is important to note that Dos Palmas is a well secured, albeit expensive haven. Would I visit it repeatedly, despite its limiting rates if I didn’t think it was safe? Usually, I am happy with a single visit. But I love being left all alone in Dos Palma’s sister-islet, Isla Putting Buhangin, aka Area 6.

FLOWER OVERDOSE

Here are a few of the activities to be enjoyed at this luxurious resort – kayaking, diving or snorkeling, waddling at their swimming pool, massages at their zen-styled spa (with flowers artistically spread all over tables, walls, bathrooms, posts, mirrors, couches - ridiculously everywhere! You do tend to wonder if they never run out of fresh flowers if they over-decorate the whole resort on a daily basis. I am not complaining, but I have to mention that this practice is a bit extravagant. I am nevertheless more than impressed.

DON’T FORGET YOUR TOWEL – RATES IN DOS PALMAS

Visiting Dos Palmas is an expensive endeavor especially if you have your family with you. It is, after all, a luxury resort for the well-heeled. For example, if you suffered a bout of momentary idiocy and forgot your towel and you wanted to rent one, they would charge PhP500 ($10) for it. Their published rate is as follows (on a per person per night basis):

Bay Cottage – These are the front cottages standing on stilts in mid-sea. These are also ideal for honeymooners.

Single PHP 14,500.00 ($296)
Double PHP 12,000.00 ($246)

Beach Villa – These are the land-based cottages, facing the sea.
Single PHP 13,500.00 ($276.50)
Twin PHP 11,000.00 ($225)

Triple/Quad PHP 10,000.00 ($205)

Child Rate PHP 3,000.00 ($61.50) for children 6-5 years old. Younger kids are free of charge.

Package Inclusions
• Accommodation in an air-conditioned cottage or villa
• Full board meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) per night stay
• Scheduled roundtrip land and boat transfers (city-resort-city)
• Picnic lunch at nearby island (minimum 2 nights stay)
• One DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING per person per stay (for non-divers) inclusive of diving gear OR One FILIPINO MASSAGE/HILOT service from our Paranarian Island Spa (for a minimum of 2 nights stay)
• Complimentary use of the following facilities and equipment:
- Swimming pool and Jacuzzi
- Children’s playground
- Ocean kayaks
- Snorkeling equipment (mask, snorkel, fins)
- Courts and equipment (tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, beach badminton)
- Recreation center (darts, billiards, table tennis, videoke and mini-library)
- Resort bikes
• Speedboat transfers to nearby snorkeling and picnic sites
• Complimentary coffee and/or hot tea throughout the stay
• Welcome drink.
• Services of a guest officer and marine sports guide.
• Service charge and applicable government tax at time of booking

DAY TOUR OR STAY-IN?

Having mentioned the rates, it is instructive to say that it is best to just get the day tours that usually start with a bus ride from mainland’s NCCC grounds. Dos Palmas buses wait for reserved guests until 7 AM, then leave for Santa Lourdes wharf. Guests are then ushered into a boat and ferried to the island. This boat ride is a very comfortable 1 hour ride. The boat leaves Dos Palmas and back to mainland Puerto Princesa at 3:30PM. Don’t lose yourself in your frolic by missing the afternoon ferry.

Published rate for a day tour is as follows:

ADULT PHP 2,500.00 ($51)

CHILD PHP 1,200.00 ($24.50)

Package inclusions
• Scheduled roundtrip land and boat transfers (city-resort-city)
• Lunch
• Use of the following facilities and equipment:
- Children’s playground
- Ocean kayaks
- Snorkeling equipment (mask, snorkel, fins)
- Courts and equipment (tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, beach badminton)
- Recreation center (darts, billiards, table tennis, videoke and mini-library)
- Resort bikes
• Speedboat transfers to nearby snorkeling and sites
• Complimentary coffee and/or hot tea throughout the day
• Welcome drink
• Service charge and applicable government tax at time of booking

OFF-PEAK PROMO – THE NO-TV ZONE!

This aforementioned rate gets cheaper during off-peak season so it is better to plan ahead. They charge PhP1,800 ($37) during off-peak. Their lunch buffet is to die for and we shall feature it at a separate post.

It is my favorite part of the visit. Their stay-in rates include all meals. We do have a warning. All their cottages and villas have no television! Nope, you cannot idly lie back and watch your cables. Their reason for this is that they believe it will encourage their guests to try out the other services that the resort offers because, after all, “why go on a holiday if all you do is watch TV?” But I do believe there are dead hours where you do absolutely nothing on an island. Those hours after dinner before bedtime. Those twilight hours at sunrise before a hearty breakfast. I think it is a lame excuse not to invest in cable television. For a stupendously expensive resort, I think its guests should have the prerogative to watch their tv or not! Other than that minor detail, Dos Palmas should be perfect!

WHAT FANTASIES ARE MADE OF

Isla Puting Buhangin (which literally means “white sand sland”), otherwise known as “Area 6” is a 15-minute speedboat ride north of Dos Palmas. It is an isle barely 1 hectare in size. There are no facilities to speak of, but you can stay there, gather your thoughts, do your soul searching – on your solitary self! My previous visits were special. I instructed them to take me there and for 2 hours, I would be left alone. There were no other people. I was stranded on a beautiful small island and it felt like the ultimate getaway from everything! Isn’t that what fantasies are made of? I loved how the wave patterns shifted in the afternoon - when sandbars changed form. On my third visit, however, they have set limits to visit the island. A guest can only visit Area 6 if they have a minimum of 2 overnights. Otherwise, you pay PhP4,000 for your short visit! Isn’t that ridiculous? For an island with no facilities to speak of, they will charge you $81.60!

NAMING A RESORT

Dos Palmas derives its name from the iconic twin palm trees that grew at the center of the island prior to its development (allegedly by the same group that developed Davao’s Pearl Farm Resort). These days however, only one palm tree stands – and it is a dead trunk! We took a hike to get there. It is situated behind the Beach Villas, a few walks behind the Housekeeping Building. It is Dos Palmas no more, except for the vestiges of its being. Isn’t it sad?

Arrecife Island is supposed to mean “8 reef”.

If you are planning for a day tour, reserve for a spot at least a day before your planned visit. I booked mine (by calling) from Manila through a guest officer named Elvin who suffered a bout of stupidity. When asked if they pick up guests from Casa Linda (I stayed in 4 different hotels for this trip for a constant change of environment), he replied by rationalizing, “No, we don’t, because it is out of the way.” Last time I was in PP, I stayed in ultra-posh Asturias Hotel which is OUT of the way. But guests from Asturias Hotel enjoy an exclusive pick-up service (I had the van all to myself. Even my boat ride only had 4 other people in it.) at no additional cost! You see, Casa Linda is along Rizal Avenue, so if you believe that your guests don’t know their maps, then you are an idiot to think that I would take your word when you say that it is out of the way. Hotel Asturias is out of the way, not Casa Linda. Use a more logical excuse – like “you’re not staying at an affiliated hotel.”

Welcome drinks for the arriving guests. A resort staff beats his drum.

The resort's main runway to the front desk.

Bay cottage

Dos Palmas area map

Briefing area at the restaurant.

Randomly arranged flowers in every space available.

Bougainvillia entry into the swimming pool area.

Mangrove poetry.

Foot path to a hidden cottage.

Kayaking

The PhP14,500 (per person per night) Bay Cottage. Yup, that's $296!

A chapel.

They grow their own vegetables, as well as their own pigs and chicken (photos of them next post).

Hiking path some 20 minutes from the lobby. I wanted to roam the whole island, but as i went further, i heard livid barking from 2 dogs. And I hate stray dogs, so I went back and took another wavy path.

Desalinating plant.

Una Palma. The remaining palm tree, located at the back of the Housekeeping Building, is dead and rotting. Dos Palmas no more.

Sumptuous lunch buffet - my favorite part of the PhP1,800 off-peak rate.

Resort Spa's swimming pool

Spa's main lobby (above) and their curvaceous rattan chairs (below), spread all over the resort.

Front desk - this is where you pay your entrance fee. Pay well ahead before departure (best after lunch).

This photo, the aerial view (3rd photo) and the maps below only courtesy of http://www.dospalmas.com.ph/accommodation.php.

Puerto Princesa is a 50-minute plane ride from the capital of Manila, and about 45 minutes from Cebu City. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to and from Davao City, the country's 3rd most influential city.

CONTACT DETAIL

Dos Palmas business office is located at 89 Lacao Street, Puerto Princesa City 5300, with telephone number (+6348) 4343118. They have a Manila office along Julia Vargas in Ortigas Center (+632) 637-4226, 637-4236), but it is more advisable to call their PP number for a more direct and faster result at no additional expense (except for the long distance call). Get the name of the person you’ve spoken to – for reference. Their email address: info@dospalmas.com.ph for further inquiries.

In this post, we feature an overview photoblog of the resort, but there’s more to come next blog for those who are considering an overnight stay. If you have the urge to splurge, this is your perfect holiday getaway!

Food, fruits and flowers in Dos Palmas Resort - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/09/food-tripping-and-flower-overdose-in.html

More photos: http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/09/images-from-dos-palmas.html

Puerto Princesa Airport - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/10/puerto-princesa-airport-chaos-in-small.html

Torrential Rains in Paradise - 3rd Time Lucky in Dos Palmas Resort Palawan

Today would be my 3rd visit in Dos Palmas, a resort that rises from Arrecife Island in Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. At around 2AM, the warm blue skies turned into dark, heavy cumulunimbus clouds that soon ravaged the seas with a grand torrential rain. Any form of sand castles would disintegrate, and most of the guests who had been enjoying the beach got worried, me included.

There is something frightening about a tesmpestuous rain that wrecks havoc on an otherwise calm sea. As we were close to taking our boat ride back to the mainland, I decided to calm myself. It was letting up a bit.

Dang! And I was gonna do my sun dance to pay homage for the soul of an erstwhile matinee idol who died of acute pancreatitis here - as well as for the former Abu Sayaf hostages. This was supposed to be off peak, but our resort bus service was full!

It felt good to be back, but things are a bit different. Every activity that you engage in, the resort seemed to find ways to charge it. Times are indeed hard. Even for the seemingly well heeled.

This is the Eye in the Sky.

Overrated Things about Vietnam - Back in Halong Bay

There are a couple that comes to mind. First, there's the Water Puppets Show being flocked by tourists. This cultural show has 4-5 shows a day, every single day, and every show is packed to the rafters. Show tickets cost 20,000 dong for the farther seats and 40,000 for the closer half of the audience seats. I got my ticket at around 2PM, after queueing for 15 minutes, and the earliest available time I could get was the 5:30 show, which was fine with me.

There were a thousand and one tourists excitedly waiting outside when I finally got back to the theater. As the show started, I learned that I could take photos of the actual show for a price, of course (15,000 dong for a camera, and 40,000 dong for a video cam). However, I didn't wanna queue again outside. It was freezing and I was tired from walking and waiting.

The seats were comfy but there was not much legroom, so it was kinda stuffy inside. To my left was a Brit who was excited, and to my right was a quiet Eastern European girl who took photos overtime, way before the actual show started. It was another packed show, and someone is obviously making a lot of money from the show.

Running for a little more than 1 hour and 30, the show consisted of vignettes of Vietnamese life, occuring on a spread of water, occupying 80 % of the stage. To its left shoulder is the group of musicians and their home-grown instruments, and a couple of singers. The stories were narrated in French, English and Vietnamese, but as the show started its full run, it was easy to grasp, as they weren't real continuing narratives, but as I said, vignettes of folk stories and legendary animals: men fishing, dragons fighting and flirting and giving birth to baby dragons, courtship among natives, etc. all occuring on water.

As the floating objects lose their novelty, the show starts to bore. Kung sa pelikula pa, it needs editing. The men infront of me were keen on leaving but it was almost impossible to do so, so you can just imagine how difficult it was to stay put. When the show finally ended, the puppeteers stood up from behind the curtin, and yeah, everyone clapped mainly for having successfully endured the show. Interesting, but I wouldn't pay it to watch it again. Or let's just say, not even if I get invited for a free show (much like watching Lloyd Webber's Cats).

The puppeteers take their bow after the show.

The other overrated thing about Vietnam? Ha Long Bay! Sure the limestone rises are beautiful, but I was more in awe of the little islands in Puerto Prinsesa's Honda Bay. The very slow cruise is very relaxing, but I would think it's a way better view from a helicopter ride than from the calm seas. If one has been to Ha Long Bay, I would not recommend a second visit. Go elsewhere. The desert sands of Mui Ne perhaps (from Dalat) or go Sapa trekking.

It only gets barely interesting as the tourists are forced to chat with each other, and it sure is an interesting way to meet people. I hated the Austrian couple who was with us. These annoying couple stayed in the same hotel where I am currently staying, and I took offense in her demeanor. She was pushy, ordering Teyet around. Wasn't Hitler's reign over eons ago??!!

She talked to the Tung Tram people like they were nincompoops. I hate people who talk down to others, and MY GOD, how uglier she looked. (As I am writing this, guess who just passed by my cafe? Yep!!! Lucky me, it's the Austrian couple from Hell; her voice booming like she owned the city. If only she were barely pleasant looking, it would have been a little bearable.)

From our drop off point, i AVOIDED those 2 like the plague . I just wished the earth would swallow them up, but then there's a good chance they would get regurgitated.

Now as for my 2nd Halong trip, our midway stop 2 hours from Hanoi, was a Ceramic shop where I bought a Lonely Planet Laos at just $10. Jeez, this book costs PhP1,600 at Powerbooks in Shangrila. Our cave visit was one called Surprising Cave (my first time, it was with Tien Cung Cave). I kept thinking if this one would turn out to be as dour as its nomenclature. It was way bigger than the Cave of Heavenly Light, and the hike turns out to be a ball-breaking, laborious one (and I am used to hiking); absolutely not for the unfit! Also, the stories and legends behind the latter (Tien Cung Cave) are far more interesting. Food was ok, but I cannot enjoy a meal when I share them with people I don't know. I tend to be self-conscious munching and masticating when with foreigners.

Should I reach out and ask the muted Korean couple for the sauteed vegetables? Would the Malay lady mind if I pierce my tofu with a fork rather than pick it up with a chopstick? These things concern me. Should i sip on my Pepsi while they munch on their omelette? Hehe.

My fond memories would be sitting on the cot at the upper deck, frosty wind blowing my hair. My face was turning red from the cold, and I felt numb. I relish that sensation. It was a welcome experience, reminding me that this was an experience that doesn't come by everyday. I alone and smug. My second Halong Bay visit!

The ride back home was drudging. We went back to the wharf a little later than expected because we had to wait for those who tried kayaking. I sat beside the Malaysian girl whose name I wasn't able to get. She was a pleasurable gabfest; very opinionated but very smart. We talked about KL and the other places to visit in her country (she recommended the seat of the opposition, Kota Terangganu, and even wrote down the plane that would take me there via Fireflyz.com or Maswings. This would cost me about 90 Ringgit one-way); their being a commonwealth and not needing any visa to travel to London or any parts of Europe; her travels all over the world, including Manila, the rotation and changing of Kings every 5 years; the new government program of "5 corridors", her disgust to the current PM’s son-in-law’s political meddling (he is Oxford-educated and is very opinionated). Hmm, sounds familiar. GMA had her "corridors" from her last State of the Nation address.

On the way to Halong, near Haiphong City, our van stopped at this pottery/souvenir shop for the toilet break. I bought myself a popsicle. I literally slobbed my way infront of the kids. Mybad! ;->

The wharf at Halong, aka Bai Chay Pier.

Our boat's dining area.

Up there is a dog, shouted the guide. Snap, snap! Looked more like a seal to me.

Live giant squids being sold at the seafood "market" where we were egged on to "buy one, very delicious". Not live, they aren't!

More sea creatures for sale.

"Gawd! I need a manicure!"

The perfect place to just out to the sea and be bored.


A temple up the hill.

Upon reaching the eponymomous "Surprising Cave"!




Somewhere in this photo is a couple of haughty eastern Europeans that needed to be dipped in a huge bowl of the nastiest chilliest pepper! ;->

That is one colourful erotic toy! Or is it happy to see us? Hahahaha! The guide says, it's a cannon!

From up the hill, this is the awesome view that greets you.


The shrub that I mentioned in "Hanoi- A Not Very Pleasant Return".

If "beautiful" isn't a word...

A long stop for those who wanted to go canoeing!




This is the Eye in the Sky!