It’s good to be back

in Paradise ✨

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Paradise ✨

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A post shared by Kim Oggel (@hello_kimber)

Romblon Islands adventure

Amanpulo, heaven on earth

Amanpulo, also known as Pamalican Island, is located south of Mindoro and Coron, Palawan in the Philippines. I knew that this island was like no other and seeing it myself felt like a dream. For me, it was truly something magical.

Hollywood celebrities like Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Brad Pitt, Madonna and other A-listers have stayed in this beautiful island that stretches 5.5 km of pristine white sand and clear blue waters. The beach front villas, tree top casitas, main club house, beach club, a Japanese restaurant, a garden restaurant, spa and gym, kite surfing and scuba diving area, tennis courts and an obstacle course are all found in this 89 hectare paradise.

To get there, it’s about a 70 minute plane ride from their private hangar in Manila. Upon arrival, they present to you your very own buggy which you will be using throughout your whole stay to get to the different parts of the island.

They have daily activities which you can partake of like snorkelling (watch out for the hundred year old turtles!),  yoga and jungle run to name a few.

or you can also just walk around and explore the whole island yourself.

And don’t get me started with the food. We were so impressed and delighted that the food in the island was nothing short of wonderful. Both the food and the service was of high star quality.

My husband and I are happy and thankful to be able to experience this little piece of heaven on earth. If you can, definitely include this on your list. It is indeed bucket list worthy. ✅

Apulit Island (El Nido Resorts)

Finally found the time to post about my Palawan trip last April 9… ☺️

Apulit Island is an Eco-Adventure island resort set in Taytay Bay, North-east of Palawan. It’s an hour flight from Manila via AirSwift (which handles the air travel of guests booked in any of the El Nido Resorts). In the Manila Domestic Airport (Terminal 4), you will already feel the hospitality and exclusivity of the El Nido Resorts as you will be handed free refreshments and a light breakfast snack while waiting to board the plane. Upon arrival at the El Nido airport, a customized jeepney  will shuttle all passengers to the receiving area. Some Kakanin or rice cake (a native Filipino delicacy) are served with refreshments at the receiving area. From there, a private van will take the guests to Taytay for about 45 minutes and then another 40 minutes by boat to get to the island.

It was about 10 am at that time when we reached Taytay. Unfortunately, the boat ride on our way to Apulit Island was so rough due to the strong waves clashing on the speed boat that I got really dizzy and sea sick. Thankfully I survived without vomiting or anything haha! And good thing that the boat ride going back to Taytay (on our last day in Palawan) was very smooth.. so I was really happy about that.

Anyway, as we approached the island, we could already see the beautiful Water Cottages over the crystal clear turquoise water. The sun was shining, the staff welcomed us w a nice song (and some more refreshments!), after that hell of a boat ride, I felt that everything became perfect once again.

The service was exceptional. There were staff members that were once from the old Club Noah that still remain in the now-El Nido Resort. All loyal & loving ladies and gentlemen servicing us with a smile.

Swimming Pool area

View during Breakfast

View from the top, before rappelling

There are so many outdoor activities you could do on the island. You can climb up the cross that’s on top of the limestones and rappel down 60m, hike up the mountain and end up on the other side of the island, go rock climbing 90m high, do paddle boarding & kayaking, snorkel and feed the fishes, go scuba diving or just have a piña colada while sun bathing. This island is perfect for adventure seekers, couples or families with kids.

These photos are not even half as good as how it is in person. And this is just one of the wonderful islands in El Nido Palawan. I can’t wait to see more of Palawan soon. 🙂

Paradise in Apulit Island

My first time in El Nido Resorts Palawan and most definitely not the last. I can’t wait to see the other islands – Miniloc, Lagen and Pangalusian. ♥♥♥

 

Siargao Summer

3 years ago, I visited Siargao for my 29^th birthday. At that time, I was visiting my friend Sanne who used to work for Kawili, a Swedish-owned Resort. Now, she has her very own place in Siargao called Panglaom Hostel, and it’s actually quite popular! Amazing how the island has grown in a span of 3 years. I mean, not that it’s like Boracay or Cebu. There are just more resorts and cafes now, although still owned by individuals passionate about the island and the lifestyle. So I do hope it stays that way.

My second trip to Siargao was slightly different. It was more touristy, I’d say. My boyfriend’s family visited the Philippines so we had to take them out and show them around. It was fun, of course. We visited a lot of the small islands and lagoon around Siargao and really… I still get blown away by how amazingly beautiful my country is.

We stayed in Kalinaw Resort which is owned by 2 French guys, Fred and Pierre. They only have 5 villas so the place was very spacious, well kept and private. The girls in the restaurant are so cute, friendly & accommodating, as well as the managers, Alex and Mika. Truly fantastic service! Breakfast was yum and the restaurant serves really awesome pizzas and pasta, cooked to perfection – European style and flavor. I am very happy and pleased with our stay in Kalinaw Resort. If you do not mind splurging a bit on accommodations, I highly recommend this place.

We stayed for a few days in the island. Currently off season for surfing in Siargao (best season is around September-February), however there is still surfing all year round. Siargao has numerous surf spots spread across the island. Every morning, we would wake up at 6:30 am to surf at Jacking Horse. Then on our last day, we went to Daku point.

Aside from surfing, there are a lot of activities and places to check out in Siargao.

Sugba Lagoon, also known as Caob

En route you will pass the mangroves in Del Carmen. When you get to the lagoon, there’s a center where you can eat and drink. You can go swimming, paddle boarding and even snorkel. You can find some of those stingless jelly fish just like in Sohoton.

Naked Island

It’s literally a small island full of fine white Boracay-like sand, nothing else hence the name.  And yes, I think you can get naked here (?).

Daku Island

Here you can take the boat and surf at Daku point or for some, go snorkeling. You can also just stay in the island and eat, have some fresh buko and just relax.

Guyam Island

A small island with loads of coconut trees. Nothing to do here but just relax, eat, swim and chill.

There are still so many places to see in Siargao. We didn’t have enough time to visit Sohoton and Magpupungko Rock pool. But there’s always next time. The days went by so fast, 5 days not enough. But well, like anything else in travel, it’s always never enough right? 🙂

Kandaya

Kandaya Resort is a fairly new luxury destination located at the northern tip of Cebu called Daanbantayan. It’s a 3 hour drive from Cebu city and a boat ride away from Malapascua Island.

The resort was very nice and new, complete with gym and spa facilities, a gaming room, a cross fit and boxing ring, tennis and basketball courts, a horse riding venue and a number of private pools outside the beach front and garden villas.

The bed was very comfortable, room was indeed spacious and everything you need or expect from a luxury or 5 star hotel, you will find here.

The resort is exclusive to the guests so you won’t really see a lot of people walking around… perhaps during summer it will be more packed.

The sand in their beach area is just okay though, not like the world famous Boracay sand. But the beach is clean and it’s actually good for families with children. Also, you can go paddle boarding or kayaking for free, or take a boat ride to Malapascua Island for some snorkeling or diving.

We visited over the Valentine’s Day weekend and it was really nice and relaxing. Always good to check out different spots in the Philippines. Kandaya is perfect for a weekend away from the city especially if you just want to relax and unwind. ‘Til my next trip… Summer is coming and I am very excited! 🙂

 

Beach Happy

Welcome to Club Paradise!

It was a sunny day. The sky was clear & blue and the clouds were almost nowhere in sight – a great day to be in Paradise!

We (my boyfriend & I) arrived in Busuanga airport after a quick 1 hour flight and we were greeted by 2 smiling men holding a Club Paradise sign. They escorted us to the van that lead us to a nice private boat exclusively for the resort guests. They gave us a sandwich and some bottled water after handing us these shell bracelets with the logo of the resort. I wore that bracelet for the whole 3 days I was there in the island.

Mang Carding, one of the welcome crew that joined us in the boat, has been with Club Paradise for about 20 years already. He started working in Club Paradise when it was still managed by a German man. Now that the Discovery Leisure group acquired the resort a year ago, he is considered one of the original (and popular) employees of the resort.

The second we got to the island, I was ecstatic. The white sand was almost blinding and the staff were all smiling and singing their original song that goes “Welcome to Club Paradise!…” Refreshments were served and a complimentary foot massage was waiting for us outside our beach front cottage. How awesome was that?

The service of this resort is truly 5 stars and I am happy to be able to visit before they fully jump start their Discovery Leisure renovation. The beach front cottage was spacious and cozy, with dark wood flooring, a large bed with white sheets and fluffy pillows, a walk in closet and a modest bathroom – a beach cottage that I have envisioned as I was booking the room online. Though the food menu and quality was not that grand, everything else was superb. From the manager that approached us to say hi, to Mang Carding who took us snorkeling, to the boys that set up the volleyball net and to the staff that taught us towel origami, our stay in Club Paradise was indeed a vacation in Paradise. This definitely won’t be our last visit.