Only once previously had I seen such crystal clear water, and that was in the Maldives. Arriving to the Apulit Island Resort, you begin to realize that booking your vacation in the middle of the ocean was the best thing you could have done.
We stayed at El Nido Resorts’ Eco-Adventure Island Resort, Apulit Island, for the nights of 27 February to 6 March 2017 (8 nights). The island is amazing – you will not be sorry if you choose Apulit. Let me tell you why.
We booked and paid for a loft water cottage as opposed to a standard water cottage. However, what you should know is that even though the loft water cottages are bigger, their location is not as nice as the water cottage. After the first night we requested to be moved to the water cottage. The loft water cottages are around the side of the island, so you are away from the ‘action’. The walk to the breakfast area / pool area is much longer. The loft cottages have a view directly out to sea, which is nice, but you lose out on seeing what is happening around the island, which we enjoyed. What we found as well is that we spent most of our time in the main section of the room anyway, downstairs, and just used the loft area for sleeping.
One nice feature of the loft cottages is their direct access into the sea. But what you should know is that the current near the water loft cottages is much stronger than ‘in the bay’ near the water cottages so it’s more difficult to swim near the loft cottages. Also the balconies of the loft cottages are quite small, which is strange. The balconies of the water cottages are much bigger and more practical – you can sit comfortably on the balconies without feeling squashed like you do on the loft cottages.
The photo’s that you see of the island on the Apulit website – those are all the water cottages. Around the side, to the left in the photo on their website, are the loft cottages. I made the mistake in assuming that the cottages on the right of the photo were the loft cottages. What I suggest you do is ask for a water cottage on the right of the photo (see the cottage numbers later that you should ask for) for the following reasons: I) you get a lovely sunset view, i.e. looking west, II) the swimming is much better (there is a beautiful house reef right near the cottages), whereas the other cottages have a rather nasty rock formation close by, and III) you are close to the paddle boards / massage cabana / rappelling area / pool area. The cottages on the right in the photo on the Apulit website go from 36 to 51. We had cottage number 44. Ask for a cottage between number 40 and 51 (51 is the one right on the end, i.e. to the far right in the photo on the Apulit website). Cottages 36 to 39 are quite close to the edge of the water, close to the paddle boards. So if people go out early in the morning you may find their noise disturbing. We had cottage number 44 which was great.
This is an all-inclusive resort, so all meals are included, and all activities. We enjoyed the food, though the selection was rather limited as one would expect being in the middle of the ocean. We took part in most of the activities during our vacation. The rappelling was challenging for me though Arlyn had a wonderful time and took some amazing photo’s. They even have GoPro mounts attached to the helmets – a nice thought.
We enjoyed the snorkeling trips to different islands – that was great fun and a nice way to see different reefs. You will get the most amazing photo’s – the water around the island is magnificently clear and truly beautiful. Upon arriving at the resort I can tell you, without a word of a lie, that you will be spoiled by some of the most clear blue water that I have ever seen.
You are taken care of right from the time that you land at El-Nido – there are buses clearly designated for your travel to TayTay where you catch the boat to the island. Everything is taken care of from the time you step on the plane in Manila until you arrive at the island (and on your return journey too). The drive from the airport in El-Nido to TayTay is around 75 minutes, before you board a boat for the 75 minute cruise to the island. All part of the adventure in getting to this wonderful island.
Make sure you try the private dinner on the beach (for an extra cost). Our first private dinner was arranged by the resort on a complimentary basis since we were staying eight nights. We then booked a second private dinner – a 5-course dinner, wonderfully prepared and presented. This was unforgettable, and a great opportunity for photo’s.
Make sure you walk around to the west beach – you will experience true privacy in the three cabanas on the beach. There is a nice reef for snorkeling and taking photo’s. Or you can just relax on the beach with some amazing views across to the neighboring islands. Watch out for the monitor lizards: harmless, though you may get a surprise if you stumble across them. They are even around the breakfast area – say Hello to Hercules from me (the name that I gave to all lizards on the island).
Make sure you do the sunset cruise as well – a gentle cruise around the island with a chance to take some wonderful photo’s of the amazing Philippines sunset.
Another suggestion: do the morning cruise to Isla Blanca, around 25 minutes from Apulit. There you will spend 90 minutes or so swimming and relaxing and taking some more great photo’s. The water, like at the resort, is crystal clear and beautiful.
Try out the house reef below cottages 36 to 51 – that is really enjoyable with some pretty fish. The water doesn’t have a strong current so you can swim comfortably, unlike around the side of the island near the loft cottages where the current is reasonably strong.
Lastly, make sure that you try the kayaks, the paddle board and the round coconut thing – all good fun, though the kayaks are more practical and enjoyable than the other two.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation at Apulit Island – you must visit the Philippines, you will not be sorry. El-Nido / Palawan is lovely, and Apulit Island is really special. I have no hesitation in recommending the resort. We were fortunate to have eight beautiful days with bright sunshine and beautiful sunsets – an enjoyable and unforgettable vacation. If you have any questions about the beautiful Apulit Island Resort, you are welcome to contact us here.
Our video review of our arrival to the resort may be found on our YouTube channel here, while the video from our afternoon cruise for snorkeling may be found here. A timelapse video of the beautiful sunset over Apulit Island may be found here and the video from our morning kayaking adventure may be found here.
Consider other accommodation options in Palawan by clicking in the box below with booking.com and with Agoda here.
Booking.comOur other posts from the Philippines may be found here.
(Visited February 2017)