Booking your 2016 trips? Make sure you plan one to Club Paradise soon. (Click here for the list of 2016 holidays.) A lot of people have been asking me about Club Paradise ever since they started seeing our vacation photos on my Instagram, so I decided to tell you all about our stay in detail—and most of all, show you as many photos of our trip as I can.
Pangawaran River
Getting there
Club Paradise is a mere 60-minute flight from Manila to Busuanga. (Tip: Avoid taking the last flight going back because there’s a tendency for that to get cancelled.) From the airport, the Club Paradise staff will pick you up and take you on a 20-minute land transfer and 40-minute boat ride through the brackish waters of the Pangawaran River that leads to the sea–and to the 19-hectare island of Dimakya, home to Club Paradise. They gave us bottled water and a sandwich to snack on during the mini river cruise.
Club Paradise is The Discovery Leisure Company Incorporated’s resort property in the scuba diving destination of Coron, Palawan, bringing with them their brand of quality service. The island resort is blessed with a 700-meter stretch of sun-kissed soft white beach, and its turquoise waters serve as sanctuary to a wide array of unique flora and fauna, including sea cows (dugong) and sea turtles (pawikan). The reef surrounding the island, known as the House Reef, is a favorite site because of its accessibility (you just swim from the shore—no need for boats) and abundant marine life. I’d daresay that’s my favorite snorkeling spot in all of Coron.
Our first look at the island from the boat
Good news for Globe subscribers: Globe signal and internet is strong at Club Paradise and the parts of Coron I was able to visit, even when we were in the middle of the sea! That’s why I was able to post a lot of photos on Facebook and Instagram even while we were island-hopping.
Warm Discovery welcome
Once on the island, we were welcomed by a three-man guitar band and refreshing cucumber-calamansi shake on the beachfront. Then we were led to our room, one of their newly renovated Garden Suites, different from the native nipa beach cottage where I stayed last time I was in Club Paradise. Our room is bright, clean, and cool, complete with a modern, minimalist, and spacious bathroom.
Club Paradise guests can choose to stay at one of the three types of accommodations: Sunset and Sunrise Beach’s Beachfront/Sea View Cottages’ architecture make for charming and modern accommodations inspired by the Filipino hut or bahay kubo, while the Island View Rooms are apartment-type rooms. The Garden View/Hillside Cottages are modern junior suites, built on a hillside fronting the island’s natural lagoon, with amenities designed for comfort and convenience. This is the room type we got.
Garden View suites
As expected, we got a warm welcome from the Discovery Group, complete with a banner that says “Welcome Home” bearing our names on the wall, a plate of cookies and pastries, a beach bag with sunscreen, and my favorite, a bouquet of flowers, since we’re Discovery regulars! That, and a foot wash that my boyfriend and I immensely enjoyed. It’s like our anniversary part two.
After settling in, we went for lunch then drinks at the in-house Ocean Restaurant (watch for my separate food review of all the dishes I tried). Then we settled on beach chairs on the white sand facing the sea and just soaked up the sun as we stared at the blue sky and water. Bliss.
Fun and romantic activities on and off the island
Ocean Restaurant
The next day, we had buffet breakfast before leaving for an island-hopping tour the resort arranged for us. Watch for my separate feature about our experience, but one thing I just want to highlight is how our guide, Kuya Noel—who also works at Club Paradise—is equipped with a complete first aid kit and underwent first-aid training. This should set your mind at ease.
That night, knowing we were celebrating our monthsary and because we’re loyal Discovery guests, the Club Paradise team surprised Jessie and I with a romantic dinner set-up by the beach. It was so sweet of them, and it truly made our last night on the island special. While there’s the band again that serenades guests during dinner, it was something different when they serenade you on the beach; we asked them to play our song. I had to have a disclaimer that my boyfriend hasn’t proposed yet when I posted the video on social media because it sure looked like it!
A honeymooning couple we were with during island-hopping saw us and told us the romantic dinner was a great idea, and that they were going to request the same the next night. For this request, you just have to pay an additional fee to your dinner buffet rate to have your own romantic setup; you can also do an a la carte dinner, so you won’t have to go to the buffet area.
Sunrise Beach at the back of the island
On our last day on the island, we wanted to explore. We first went to Sunrise Beach and Hidden Beach at the back of the island. After breakfast, we requested a guide to take us on a hike up to Eagle’s Point, the highest peak of Dimakya Island. The view of the island and its surrounding waters and islands is breathtaking, plus the hike is a good workout. Make sure to let the staff know before you head up there because they have radars they’ll need to turn off for your safety. There are steep steps you can climb so you can really see all the way from the top.
After that hike, we wanted to cool down by taking a dip in the sea, so we decided to go snorkeling in the surrounding House Reef. We borrowed snorkeling masks, life vests, and flippers from the aqua sports center, and requested a guide to lead us to must-see creatures. We saw two pawikans so close to us, and we saw two schools of fish! There had to be thousands of jackfish, swimming in a thick mass. It was both fascinating and intimidating to be so close to that huge tornado of fish!
We saw a wide variety of other colorful fish of all sizes; we were also hoping to spot a stingray, which I saw around there last year and which other guests claim to have seen the days before, but they were being elusive that day. Eventually, we decided to chill out with drinks by the pool before getting ready to depart the island on their private boat. We will definitely be back!
What’s really special about our stay is how they really took care of us and were attentive throughout our stay; so attentive, that when they gave us a ball of light they distribute during sunset, they even remembered to set it to my favorite color, purple!
Besides island-hopping and snorkelling, Club Paradise also offers activities like kayaking, paraw sailing, diving, and bottom fishing. Its leisure and adventure facilities include the Club Paradise Divers, a clubhouse and bar, an entertainment room equipped with karaoke machines, a spa, a salt-water swimming pool, and activity area for children. They can also arrange tours for you, like the Coron Island Tour package we got and the Calauit Wildlife Safari Tour.
View the gallery below for more photos of our stay in Club Paradise. Click the first thumbnail to enlarge the image, read the caption, and launch the rest of the slideshow. Then scroll after the gallery for promos.
Packages & promos
Book & Buy
Stay at the newly-renovated Garden Suites where we checked in, and enjoy a special rate of P7,500++ per night for a minimum stay of two nights. The package includes complimentary WiFi at the Clubhouse and Ocean Restaurant, buffet breakfast at Ocean Restaurant, and en suite foot wash upon arrival. Book now until March 31, 2016 for your stay between now and March 31, 2016.
View from the hiking trail
One Day in Paradise
Spend a day in Paradise to explore, discover, and experience what the island has to offer. A Day Tour package is at P2,200 net per person. It includes a hearty lunch at Ocean Restaurant; access to Eagle’s Point hiking trail, Sunrise beach, and Sunset beach; as well as water activities like kayaking and snorkeling—the latter pa lang, super sulit na!
You have the option to add P1,400 net per person for roundtrip transfers from Coron Town/Busuanga Airport (you have to be a minimum of four persons). If you want a day use (a maximum of four hours use between 9AM to 6PM) of a Hillside Room, you can add P3,500 net.
Stoked
Quench your thirst for adventure in paradise. Get a two-night package that includes buffet breakfast daily at Ocean Restaurant, P3,000 food and beverage credit valid in all outlets, choice of one activity during your stay (bottom fishing or tour of one island), and roundtrip boat and land transfers from and to Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga. Rates for this two-night stay start at P23,000++ for a Hillside Room during the Lean season (rates are subject to change during the Peak and Super Peak seasons).
Island Escape
The two-night package includes buffet breakfast daily at Ocean Restaurant, lunch and dinner at Ocean Restaurant for two days, an exciting paraw-sailing adventure with complimentary refreshments, and roundtrip boat and land transfers from and to Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga. Rates for this package start at P24,500++ for a Hillside Room during the Lean season (rates are subject to change during the Peak and Super Peak seasons).
All About Love
Club Paradise is the perfect setting for a romantic rendezvous. This three-night package includes daily buffet breakfast at Ocean Restaurant, a picnic lunch at the beachfront, one hearty set dinner at Ocean Restaurant, a romantic moonlight dinner at the beachfront with a complimentary bottle of wine, a relaxing couple’s organic massage at Glow Spa, and roundtrip boat and land transfers from and to Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga. Rates for this three-night stay start at P36,750++ for a Hillside Room during the Lean season (rates are subject to change during the Peak and Super Peak seasons).
Club Paradise, Coron, Palawan is a Discovery World Resort located at Dimakya Island, Coron, Northern Palawan.
For inquiries and reservations, contact Club Paradise Palawan at +632-7196971 to 74 or email cp.reservations@discovery.com.ph. You may also book your stay via Agoda here.