Travel Thursday on Empty Streets: Amanpulo Palawan

(Beach Front)

I love going to the beach and nothing is more majestic and serene than the Amanpulo beach. A private island, where sea and sky meet as one, where velvet white sand is caressed by the lap of crystal water, where palms bow to vermilion bougainvillea in tropically kissed vegetation, where nature’s hand streaks the sun’s iridescence on its unbridled canvas, where night skies are admired beside the crackle of a ‘tepee’ beach fire, where sleep is submerged in pristine white, where luxury is defined by its earth-given beauty, where peace embraces its island host. This place is Amanpulo, in the Philippines, a realization of a dream.

Lying between the latitudes five to twenty-one degrees north, the Philippines archipelago comprises more than 7,000 islands sprinkled across the westernmost rim of the Pacific Ocean. The islands are actually the tips of half-submerged mountain ranges, part of a great cordillera extending from Indonesia to Japan. From north to south, the country stretches for more than 1,800km towards the equator. The islands are defined by the Philippines Sea to the east, Indonesia to the south and the South China Sea to the west. The country’s capital, Manila, is the centre of government, business, education and culture. The sprawling international city offers a wide variety of restaurants and bars and one of Asia’s liveliest nightclub scenes. The Philippines can be divided into four groups: Luzon, Mindanao, Visayas and the province of Palawan. Palawan is made up of 1,768 islands. Pamalican Island, home to Amanpulo, is one of them.

Amanpulo is a private island (known as Pamalican), set among the Quiniluban group of Cuyo Islands, 360km south-west of Manila. Lying along the trading routes from Southern China to Borneo, the Sulu archipelago and the Spice Islands, the Cuyo Islands have been known to sailors and traders since pre-Spanish days. The Cuyo archipelago has been largely forgotten since then. The people of these 40 islands live mostly by fishing and seaweed cultivation. Tourism has scarcely touched the islands. Seven square kilometres of reef surround the island. Beyond are sandbanks and a channel where whales, dolphins and sea cows have been glimpsed. At its widest point, the island is only 500m across.

Amanpulo is accessed by scheduled charter flight from Manila, which has flights to several major international destinations. Guests are met at Manila's international airport and taken by complimentary transfer to the Amanpulo lounge, located at a nearby hangar. Complimentary refreshments are served at the lounge. A selection of books, newspapers, magazines and games, luggage storage and shower facilities are also available. Guests fly directly to Pamalican Island in a 19-seat, twin-engine turboprop, landing at the resort’s private airstrip. Flight time is one hour. The cost of the roundtrip air transfer, Manila-Amanpulo-Manila, is US$400 per adult. Baggage is limited to 20kg per adult, including carry-on luggage. See flight schedule

Here is a video slide show of what one can expect to see in this island wonder: