Palawan, the country’s last frontier, is living up to its reputation as three of its world-famous “nature” destinations emerge as winners of Kalakbay’s Resort of the Year in the “AAA”, “AA” and “A” categories.
Winning in the Class A category is El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island, Double A Club Paradise, and Triple A El Nido Resorts Lagen Island.
El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island is located at the center of Bacuit Bay, a 40-minute boat ride from El Nido Airport. Set in one of the coves with a fine white-sand beach lined with coconut trees, it is the only resort on Miniloc Island and the first to be built in El Nido.
This tropical island retreat has a total of 31 native-style cottages and rooms, and offers four types of accommodation – garden cottages, cliff cottages, and water and seaview cottages on stilts.
These cottages have individually controlled airconditioning units, private verandahs, hot and cold running water, room-to-room telephones, handwoven beach towel bags, and many other conveniences.
The resort has a clubhouse restaurant, bar, a fully-equipped function room, library and video room, safety deposit boxes, boutique, communication facilities, fire prevention and response system, desalinating and sewage treatment plants, medical clinic, marine sports center, fish-feeding station, and game area.
Also available are such services as airport assistance and transfers, flight reconfirmation, babysitting, boat services, credit card payments, foreign exchange, laundry, and massage, among others.
Thoroughly and regularly checked and maintained, these facilities also undergo quarterly pest control, water quality inspection, and structural repairs and improvements.
The resort implements a comprehensive program to maintain the pristine state of the environment, including the installation of mesh filters in the runoff drainage to avoid polluting the waters in front of the resort.
Highly trained security personnel monitor the resort and patrol its surrounding areas. Well-trained guides equipped with two-way radios accompany guests in such tour activities as birdwatching, cave tours, diving, fish feeding, fishing, hiking/trekking, hobiecat sailing, island hopping, kayaking, mangrove tour, snorkeling, sunset cruising, waterskiing, and windsurfing.
Other events include “Team Challenge” for corporate training activities, weddings and receptions, and such themed parties as Pirate’s Night, Retro Night, Jungle Night, Fiesta Filipiniana, Island Serenade, Lagoon Concert, and special holiday celebrations.
On the other hand, Club Paradise is a 19-hectare tourism showcase with some 700 meters of talcum white sand beach on the island of Dimakya, one of the Calamianes group of islands in Northern Palawan.
Teeming with marine life, the island is also home to a wide collection of birds, plants, and the endangered monitor lizards and the Calamian deer.
Guest structures are made from native materials to match the beauty of the natural environment. There are island view rooms, single detached, and duplex-type accommodation facilities, all offering various amenities to meet every client’s needs.
Its unique services include scuba diving to the Apo Reef marine sanctuary, or into shipwrecks of the Japanese fleet from World War II, or with dugongs, an endangered marine mammal that can be found only in the area.
Other services and facilities are wildlife info museum, Kamalig Restaurant, Dugong Bar, Jungle Bar, fully-equipped business center with satellite Internet, satellite TV room, satellite phone, videoke room, clinic, gift shop, mini-library, video room, helipad, message handling, ticket reconfirmation, babysitting, laundry, safety deposit box, dive shop, aqua sports center, table tennis, billiards, darts, reflexology/massage center, hiking trail, tennis/basketball courts, beach volleyball, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, choir and dance entertainment, and activity services.
The resort’s organized activities include an escapade in any of four nearby island destinations, island hopping, bottom fishing, day tour of the Maricaban Bay, kayak expedition around the Calamian, Safari Tour of the Calauit wildlife sanctuary, and tour of Coron Island’s Cayangan Lake, Maquinit Hot Springs and Coron town.
There are themed parties such as the Mongolian Grill, Tempura Night, Pasta Night, Grill Night, Flambe Night with Steak and Filipino Night; sunset escapades and cocktails; moonlight cruise; water polo; kite flying; and tournaments in pingpong, billiards and darts. And for kids, there are face painting, cookie baking, kite making, poster painting, clay molding, and egg painting activities.
Club Paradise is also seriously involved in liquid and solid waste management, and wildlife conservation. It has a four-process sewage treatment plant, powerhouse with oil and water separator, a solid waste segregation and disposal system, composting area, and strict policies to avoid disturbing the wildlife and the natural environment.
To promote the resort as well as Philippine tourism, Club Paradise has joined 15 domestic and two international trade fairs and sales blitzes, produced and distributed various promotional materials, engaged in advertising, hosted numerous familiarization trips, and came out with attractive tour packages.
[ Palawan Museum Wiki ]
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