Island heaven

Club Noah Isabelle is the kind of resort you fall in love with at first sight.

Located in a hidden cove of Apulit Island on the Bay of Taytay in northern Palawan, Club Noah Isabelle is home to a variety of exotic animals and birds, flowering plants and fruit-bearing trees. Its marine environment is a remarkable sight alive with thousands of colors and species.

Club Noah Isabelle got its name from an old Spanish fort in Taytay’s Puerto de Sta. Isabelle named in honor of Queen Isabel II of Spain. The fort was built to protect the town from 18th century pirates.

Surprisingly, the paradise this side of Palawan seems more popular in Korea and Europe than in the Philippines. This is evident by the large number of Korean honeymooners and European couples who patronize the luxury resort.

It took us an hour and 10 minutes to fly from Manila to Sandoval Airport on board a 19-seater SeaAir plane. Built on nipa and other light materials like wood, the Sandoval Airport serves a large number of domestic flights carrying local and foreign tourists. Arriving and departing aircrafts have to share the airport’s airstrip with a part of an unpaved road primarily used by motorists.

After the airport arrival, a jeepney took us on a 10–minute ride to the river banks where a small motorized banca took us to deeper waters of the bay. Here, we boarded a larger boat took us through a scenic, 45-minute trip to the resort.

FIT FOR ROYALTY

Club Noah officials and its gaily dressed staff greeted us with native dances and music from improvised musical instruments. Two rows of air-conditioned cottages on stilts jutted out into the sea, flanking the clubhouse where a string of restaurants and bars are located.

The clubhouse crowned by a triangular-shaped cogon roof houses the resort’s main dining room fronting a small swimming pool with Jacuzzi.

A swinging rock-bar with a spectacular view of the bay can be reached by climbing 109 steps.

The sea in front is shallow and ideal for wading and promenading, sunbathing, beach games and snorkeling.

During night time, the beachfront area is lighted up with hundreds of candles transforming it into a very romantic hideaway for dinning honeymooners, lovers and plain resort guests. The imposing cross on top of a hill on the east side of the cove serves as the symbol of the resort.

The resort can hold at least 150 guests who can go diving, kayaking, windsurfing, island hopping with snorkeling, cave tour, picnic lunch, sunset cruise, or beach cocktails.