Hotels and Resorts

[bagel]

This is for resorts and hotels outside of Metro Manila. Anything about them.

[bagel]

I was going to answer Huaiwei's question about which is the best hotel, not noticing that he was talking about MM and forgetting that the thread is entitled Hotels of MM. I already had most of my response typed in when I wisely looked at the thread title.

So here's my answer for best hotel in the Philippines.

I heard that the Amanpulo resort in Palawan is one of the most exclusive hotels around. Certainly not the most well-known, but maybe that's why it's so special and exclusive. When the elite go to the Philippines for their beach vacations, they go to Amanpulo.





















2000 Best Beach Hotel

1999 Best Beach Resort Worldwide No.1

1999 Best Small Hotel Under 60 Rooms No.1

1999 Best Hotel Worldwide No.2

1999 One of Five Watering Holes to Make Waves

1998 Best Small Hotel Under 60 Rooms No.1

1998 Best Service Worldwide No.3

1998 Best Hotel Worldwide No.4

1998 Best Beach Resort Worldwide No.1

1998 Finished first in the seduction/siesta honors

1998 5 Private Paradises to Refresh your Soul

1997 Best Hotel General Manager No.1

1997 Best Beach Resort Worldwide No.1

1997 Best Service Worldwide No.3

1997 Top 10 Elite Resorts No.5

1997 Idle Idylls 10 Best Hotels Where to Crash Out

[mhe-ann]

wow!

[absent-minded]

I want to go there! who awarded the resort all that? haven't there been any recent awards?

[bagel]

Sorry the cut and paste did not get the awarding publication.

2000 Tatler Travel Award 2000

1999 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1999 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1999 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1999 The Tatler/Abercrombie & Kent Travel Guide 101 Best Hotels in the World

1999 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1998 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1998 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1998 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1998 Honeymoon Magazine's "Top 5 Relaxing Hammocks"/June 1998

1998 The Tatler/Cunard Travel Guide 101 Best Hotels in the World

1997 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1997 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1997 Gallivanter's Guide, UK Awards for Excellence

1997 The Chinese Magazine, Hong Kong February/March 97

1997 The Tatler/Cunard Travel Guide 1997 101 Best Hotels In The World

[bagel]

And here's the text that came from the website I found the awards info from....

Robert de Niro, Claudia Schiffer, Diana Ross, David Hasselhoff, Naomi Campbell, Claire Danes, Tom Cruise, Sharon Cuneta. They all came and were conquered. Amanpulo is definitely top drawer, set on a private island off Palawan with its own art gallery and boutique to boot. Resort guests stay in casitas inspired by the traditional Bahay Kubo (native hut).

A Peaceful Island situated on the private island of Pamalikan, 200 km east of Northern Palawan in the Philippines. The 89-hectare island, part of the Quiniluban group of Cuyo Islands-Palawan, is surrounded by 5.5km of white sand beaches, turquoise waters and a coral reef 50-300 meters from shore. Because the Cuyo archipelago has remained largely undeveloped, its vegetation and waters have scarcely been touched by tourism.

The resort's main building, The Clubhouse, contains The Restaurant and its terrace, The Lobby and Bar, The Library, Gallery and Boutique. The Beach Club is a short walk away. All watersport facilities, except scuba diving, are available from the Beach Club. The Dive Shop is a five-minute club car ride from The Clubhouse. The Windsurf Hut is by the Northeastern side of Pamalican. Beside it is the Lagoon Retreat where windsurfers or swimmers alike can take their showers and eat their ordered picnic in leisure. Take the path by the Plant Nursery which is on the left road from the Clubhouse. The Playground, across casita 24, is a world for kids.

PARADISE FOUND

Imagine this: You enter a spacious room that smells so clean and fresh, its wooden floor so shiny and spotless, you would not want to step on it. You'd prefer to take off your shoes and feel it with your bare feet. Its king-size bed is so inviting and so immaculately made in crisp white damask linens and fluffy pillows to nestle your head. Or just laze around on the comfortable lounging chairs while reading your favorite book or simply sipping freshly brewed barako coffee. Look outside through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Whichever side you look, you have a view of your secluded terrace, your pocket garden or your very own private beach. Yours and yours alone!

What's your favorite spot in the Philippines?

Pamalikan before it became -- rather transformed into the Amanpulo that we know today. We used to frequent the island when there was absolutely nothing there. We had to take along everything -- and I mean everything -- from drinking water to the basic necessities we needed to survive, to live. I remember the times, we slept under the stars. Magical times. Oh how we adored the island -- the source and reason of many wonderful memories.

- From: Doody Tuason


Walk through a doorway and you are in an unusually spacious bathroom, its decors and accessories following the theme of the understated bedroom. And again, it's so spic-and-span, even the most finicky can lie on its wooden floor.

Step outside and see varicolored birds hovering above you. Feel and smell the fresh air anytime of the day. Close your eyes and hear nothing but the chirping of the birds, the rustling of leaves and the breaking of the waves. It's simplicity at its height.

You are now in paradise called Amanpulo! It is unlike most beach resorts anywhere in the world. Though there are the usual biking, tennis, snorkeling, diving and other activities, there is actually not much to do in this Aman resort. But there lies the paradox: the possibilities of inactivity can be endless. After a couple of days acclimatizing yourself in the island, you'd be so busy doing nothing that you would hardly notice the passage of time. Your metabolism downshifts; your pace slows down; there is no schedule to follow; you leave all your worries behind. But your senses are at full gear! You become attuned with yourself. You commune with the birds and the lizards. There is something meditative and spiritual in the Aman lifestyle -- and yet invigorating, perhaps even intoxicating. Could this be the reason why there are 65,000 so-called "Amanjunkies" out there regularly staying in the 13 different Aman resorts around the world?

The word aman is Sanskrit for peace and pulo is Filipino for island. Designed by famous Filipino architect Bobby Mañosa, Amanpulo opened in December1993, in the island of Pamalican, Palawan. To date, it has been voted twice the Best Beach Resort in the World. It has a total of 84 hectares with 40 rooms called casitas, a beach club, and a clubhouse. Each casita is built far from each other to give guests utmost privacy and quiet. It is no wonder it is a favorite hideaway of the rich, the famous and Hollywood stars.

Ringed continuously with powder-fine white sand, one can actually walk around this feather-shaped island for an hour and a half. With its crystal clear waters, one does not have to swim far to appreciate the protected marine sanctuary. And for those who are non-beach or sun worshippers, there is the clubhouse. It has a library where they have books of various interests, a wide selection of the latest DVDs that can be borrowed and viewed in the privacy of their casitas. Amanpulo also has an art gallery, which features Philippine and other Asian art, antiques, handicrafts and other rare items. Then there is the boutique, which does not only sell the usual beachwear needs but has some famous lines: Silk Cocoon, Natori, Prizmic & Brill bags and some priceless antique batik from Indonesia. The shops' merchandise has been exquisitely handpicked and arranged by the very efficient and amiable Palaweña Janet Oquendo.

Stepping inside the clubhouse and dining areas of Amanpulo is like being inside a temple. Everyone seems to be talking in whispers and the staff waits on the guests with such solemnity and grace. Its awesomely expansive swimming pool area is the perfect place to relax and simply enjoy some solitude. One way of spending an afternoon here is have an aromatherapy massage in one of the cabanas. We had ours in one with a breathtaking view of Manamoc Island.

Going around the Pamalican island is made easy as each casita is provided with a golf cart. Or you could bike around like what we did if you want to sweat it out and work up an appetite. The meals are to look forward to. Dining at the clubhouse is such a pleasurable experience -- amid candlelight, you're serenaded by guitarist Butch with Filipino love songs. On our second night, we had a most memorable dinner of blue cheese souffle, seafood risotto and a pan-fried guinea fowl. Compliments to Swiss Chef Fritz Zwahlen for his refreshingly inventive cuisine. Another truly memorable experience we had was a picnic in a secluded part of the island, which we booked the day before. They packed our lunch of selection of cheeses, cold cuts and grapes in a fine Prizmic & Brill picnic basket, and a bottle of excellent red wine to set the mood. Having delivered the basket and set our table, we were left in isolation. It was like having the whole island entirely to ourselves! Anything was just possible from that moment on. Fortunately for us, the birds and the lizards couldn't speak.

All the staff has a way of making the guests feel so special and welcome. A guest is known whichever part of the island he/she may wander. The staff/guest ratio is 2 to 1 even on full occupancy. There's even the very good- looking house doctor Rom Gumabon who's on call 24 hours each day. Every guest's needs are anticipated, which indeed is very impressive. Small things like while sitting by the pool or by the beach, someone would appear out of nowhere to cover your lounging chair with a towel and bring you iced water every time. Move to another place and they will follow you with your drink. You could leave your things lying around without having to worry about them. And the best part of it all is you do not feel the staff's presence. They just appear when needed and quietly vanish right away. Their timing is perfect and their service so unobtrusive. And there are no bills to sign. Everything is settled on the day you check out.

Amanpulo's biggest asset is its being small. As Adrianne Zecha, the founder of the Aman resorts said: "We prefer to think small. Intimate. Involving. It's not that we are better than big hotels because we are small. We're different, that's all. Aman resorts responds to a contemporary lifestyle. That's what we offer - a lifestyle experience, one without limitations... The world is big. Our ambitions will continue to be small." - By Claude Tayag With Mary Ann Tayag

Climate

In Pamalican Island, the weather from November to March is usually dry and cool with prevailing northeast winds. April and May are mostly hot and dry. From June to October, scattered rainshowers may occur which usually do not last very long. The sea is usually safe for swimming practically all year around. Sea conditions are usually very good and ideal for diving, snorkeling, swimming, sailing, boating and other watersport activities. The Cuyo Archipelago has less average rainfall than the rest of the Philippines.

Time Difference

Pamalican Island is eight hours ahead of GMT and the same time zone as Manila.

Language

Filipino (Tagalog) is the official language. English is used for business and legal transactions and is spoken almost everywhere.

Interisland transfers:

Amanpulo has its own Airport Lounge in Manila located at Air Ads Aviation Center, Andrews Ave., Domestic Rd., Pasay City. From there, guests are flown to the island's private airstrip by chartered plane. The flight between Manila and Pamalican takes approximately one and a half-hours.

The roundtrip airfare (Manila-Amanpulo-Manila) cost US$300 per adult passenger; US$150.00 per child from 2 to 6 years old; US$30.00 per infant below 2 years old. Airfare rate is subject to change without notice.

Strictly enforced luggage allowance on all flights except for private charters are 20 kgs (44 lbs) per adult passenger including hand luggage and 10 kgs (22 lbs) per child. Infants have to share luggage with the parents.

On arrival date, we would require an allowance of at least one hour and 30 minutes between guests' international flights and our local interisland flights.

Activities and Services

Swimming; sailing (Hobie cats and lasers); windsurfing with advanced slalom boards and Neil Pryde sails; rowing in tandem kayaks; fishing; boat trips and sunset cruises; snorkeling and scuba diving; full PADI certification courses - beginner and advanced; fish viewing and feeding; bird watching; trekking; biking; tennis; star gazing, babysitting; laundry and pressing; special wedding services; and beauty and massage treatments.

[renell]

ok.. here's a question.

any good resorts near MM, about 2 hours drive max?

[Edmundtanso]

wow! i never hear much amanpulo until a year ago. i know it is very expensive but didn't think it won so much awards!

[absent-minded]

Originally posted by Edmundtanso

wow! i never hear much amanpulo until a year ago. i know it is very expensive but didn't think it won so much awards!

yeah.. same here! it is dang expensive though! which is a good thing, cuz that keeps it from getting spoiled too quickly like what's happening to boracay now...

I can't believe Robert de Niro, Tom Cruise and Sharon Cuneta have been there...! that's how good (and expensive) it really is...!!!

[mhe-ann]

I'm wondering what year Tom Cruise visited the Phils...

@edmund, why not try going there this summer? So that we would know more about this very interesting resort.

[Edmundtanso]

mhe-ann
can't afford i've inquired already and the cheapest room is like more than $500 a night

[SKYLINEPIGEON]

Originally posted by mhe-ann

I'm wondering what year Tom Cruise visited the Phils...

@edmund, why not try going there this summer? So that we would know more about this very interesting resort.

hmm i remember he came with his former wife mimi rogers and they created a scene at naia cause they were not happy with the press taking pictures of them

[Edmundtanso]

botbaha
thanks for sharing the photos and texts. the lsists of awards ended on 2000, is it because they havent updated it? just curious thanks.

[ryanr]

Amazing...absolute paradise. Amanpulo is really a MUST to visit sometime in your lifetime, thats if u have the money....it is freakin' expensive and you have to fly a chartered plane to get there. SOOO beautiful!!

[mhe-ann]

Originally Posted by GreyX

Amazing...absolute paradise. Amanpulo is really a MUST to visit sometime in your lifetime, thats if u have the money....it is freakin' expensive and you have to fly a chartered plane to get there. SOOO beautiful!!

agree.

[ryanr]

Well, just to get this thread going again here are some more hotels:

Cebu Marriott:




Davao Marco Polo Hotel:

[bagel]

I stayed at Davao Marco Polo. Nice place. There are a bunch of fruit stalls right outside the entrance. However, you can't take the durian that you buy from the fruit stalls into the hotel.

I also went to Pearl Farm in Davao... now that was a cooooool place. Anyone have pics of it? Or reviews of it?

[renell]

i'm guessing Davao Marco Polo is Davao City's tallest.. actually it's the only scraper i know there

[apiong]

more of my shots here: http://www.pbase.com/apiong/caylabne

[mhe-ann]

wow. where's that island?