Length of Stay: 4 days and 3 nights
Total expense: PhP 31,100.00 (not including airfare)
Additions: Underground River tour, Snorkeling (substituted for Honda Bay Tour), Van/SUV Rental (the alleged "City Tour")
Purpose of Stay: a "third honeymoon."


LOCATION

The resort is located in Sabang, which is a good two hours away from the city proper of Puerto Princesa. On arrival at the airport, we immediately located our pick-up shuttle (an SUV). The driver was very knowledgeable and gave us a decent background on all the sights seen during the lengthy drive.

The beach is PRISTINE. Although It does not have the powdery white sands of Boracay (it has more of the grainy, cream-colored kind), it does not have the same commercialized and congested feel either. At any given time there were probably only up to fifteen guests on the beach (to be fair, there were only 16 rooms in the resort, and it was not full to capacity when we were there). The water is clean and clear, practically devoid of debris, and only has a faint salty/fishy smell. Overall we thought it was better than even Panglao (Bohol).

One of the best features of the resort is its remoteness. I suppose because it's so far from "civilization" and because the price is steeper than hotels you can get in the city, people prefer not to stay here, but if you're looking for privacy you've come to the right place.

On a side note, mosquitoes abound, so bring plenty of insect repellant.

FOOD

The menu is fairly interesting and allegedly created by an "internationally-trained chef," but somehow retains a "local flavor." It's hard to describe, but for the "fine dining" prices they charge (300-600 pesos per dish, although the pasta dishes can be as low as 165), you do expect a corresponding level of quality. I realize that this is completely subjective, but in this regard i feel their restaurant fails to deliver.

If you are staying on a package, remember to clarify which meals are included. When we sat down to order after our Underground River tour, the manager came up to us and told us that lunch was included, which saved us at least 600 pesos that day. Breakfasts appear to be complimentary with all packages. Our Wednesday breakfast was a buffet.

You're not necessarily locked-in to Daluyon's restaurant, as there are adjacent resorts with their own eateries (for apparently cheaper, but we never got to try any).

ROOM

The standard room was decently-sized. From the balcony, there is a fantastic view of the beach. There is also 20-inch LCD TV and an in-room DVD player (you can borrow DVDs for free from the front desk). The airconditioning is appropriately powered and cools the room enough despite the heat outside. It deserves mention that they have a generator nearby (probably situated on the adjacent property; we could only hear the faint sound of the motor when we were at the swimming pool) and claim that they are the only (current) resort that has 24-hour electricity, which is a boon when you want to sleep someplace cool at night.

The problem was the bathroom, which had a faint unpleasant musty smell (my wife referred to it as "amoy imburnal"). We were told that this was from being inadequately ventilated, and did improve slightly (although never quite disappeared) once we started leaving the door open. At one point we found an earthworm in the shower, which may have climbed up from the drain somehow.

AMENITIES

Advertising their pool as "infinity" as a bit misleading. While the pool's far end is "invisible" at a certain angle, the resort's villas obstruct the view of the coastline - which i thought was the entire point to having an "infinity pool." Honestly however, given the quality of the beach you won't really need to spend any time lounging in the pool, unless you really want to avoid saltwater, sand, and waves.

There is no business center to speak of. Wireless internet access is available in the lobby (just ask for the network password). Whether or not guests can use their computers to access the internet is up to debate. Depending on who you speak to, it is either 1. not allowed, 2. allowed only after 7pm, or 3. allowed to a fee of 50 pesos per hour.

There is no fitness room, but you can always just do isometrics or run along the beach. Or swim.

SERVICE

The resort staff was very attentive and efficient (maybe the fairly low occupancy during our stay had something to do with it). When you need something, it gets taken care of promptly. The manager was always available when needed.

One big fault is the lack of communication between staff members. This was obvious from the get-go, when we were told by the manager that we should have done the Honda Bay Tour prior to arriving at the resort (apparently the driver was unaware) and consequently got bumped to a snorkeling outing instead. When we went to go kayaking, the lifeguard was hesitant to let us use the equipment because he wasn't sure we were allowed. At checkout time, we had to go line-by-line because the person finalizing the bill didn't know which meals were freebies. For a place that's been operational for almost two years and seems to be positioning itself as a first-class destination, this is almost unforgivable. The only saving grace is the staff's responsiveness when we point out the errors, but really those errors shouldn't be happening in the first place.

ADD-ONS

The Underground River tour was as expected. Travelers should be warned that "Filipino time" is in effect with the scheduling; we were told that we were scheduled for 1030am, but only got on the paddle boat at 1pm. It's possible to hike the entire 5k from the resort to the Underground River, but we opted for the bangka instead.

The Mangrove Paddleboat tour and Snorkeling outing were as expected, although the substitution of a half-day snorkeling outing for a whole day Honda Bay Tour (which presumably would have included some snorkeling as well), left a sour taste in my mouth.

The "City Tour" was a HUGE disappointment. We paid 1500 pesos but were told that it was essentially just a "van rental." The driver - in contrast to the one who brought us to the resort on the first day - remained quiet for most of it, responding only curtly to queries. Entrance fees (40 pesos and 25 pesos per head at the Crocodile Farm and Butterfly Garden respectively) were not included, nor was lunch. Then at 5pm, our driver insisted on taking us to the airport so that we wouldn't miss our flight (which was at 7pm), despite having told us earlier that a 1-hour check-in time was sufficient. I guess the incessant text messages and phone calls from the office had something to do with it (we overheard from one of his phone conversations that he had another errand to run). I guess we should consider ourselves fortunate in a way, as another group of people we met were charged 974 pesos/head for a party of five.

SUMMARY

All-in-all, considering the resort's secluded location, the price we paid wasn't horribly bad at a little over PhP 30k ($650). I would have preferred more first-class food and service with the (relatively, compared with hotels in the city proper) first-class price, but as i told my wife - the privacy was at least worth the premium.

It needs to be kept in mind that they are the best resort in that particular area (which is only halfway developed) AT THIS POINT. However once the roads get completely paved, the area becomes a more popular destination, and competing resorts with equivalent facilities start popping up, they are going to have to either step up their game or reduce prices to what they're really worth.