Three days in (Club) Paradise

MANILA, Philippines - Trust me, it’s paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven’t tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It’s probably worth it. — Alex Garland, The Beach

Leaving what was a blistering, traffic-clogged Manila morning for a jet plane ride to Busuanga may most people’s concept of a much-wanted respite, but when greeted by heavy rains just as soon as our 10:30 a.m. SkyJet flight hit the bucolic island airport’s tarmac, I was quickly reminded that we were in the last remaining dog days of summer.

This did not, however, dampen the spirits of the Club Paradise welcoming committee, led by Discovery Leisure Company’s sales and marketing director Joy Bautista, who quickly unfurled the stately welcome, replete with cold towels, beach-inspired trinkets, and refreshing drinks and snacks, reminding us that our three-day discovery trip to paradise had just commenced. What followed was a blur of the most memorable weekend getaway of my life, made clear by the picturesque sea view that easily punctuated it.

Day 1

Despite popular assumptions, the district of Coron did not get its name from the likelihood of it being Palawan’s crowning glory. Despite its opal seas, emerald rolling hills, and pearly-white sands that have become the royal jewels to the country’s premiere eco-tourism destination, it is from Coron’s abundant supply of red clay that it earned its name. Coron, as volunteered by our well-versed guide Jessie Camba, is the Cuyonon (the Palawan vernacular) word for clay pot or palayok. A few minutes off the Busuanga Airport, we already had a clue of what this island, roughly a one-hour plane ride away from Manila, is cooking.

Busuanga is a ranch island where domesticated thoroughbred cattle were raised by generations who called it home. Its limestone cliffs dotted with native ironwood may offer a picturesque distraction, but it is its flat grasslands that once made the area a thriving steak capital. Yet, as all outback destinations can attest to, Busuanga, despite being the playground of the rich for decades, still maintains its rustic albeit rugged charm. Jessie reminded us of our “free whole body massage” while we made the bouncy trip through the island, and as all of us grew silent in anticipation, he added that this 45-minute potholed and puddled ride could very well be this trip’s version of Shiatsu or Swedish. The laughter lasted until we finally reached the river port to Dimakya Island, where the sun, too, finally showed its lighthearted face.

We braced ourselves for 20 more minutes of journey, this time in terra aqua. Quickly, onboard the sea-craft Paraiso, the dense mangrove jungles made way to open sea, where more limestone cliff islets waved their welcome. And slowly looming on the horizon is the island right at the center, now gleaming in pale turquoise, shiny white, and vibrant green. I can only guess that this is paradise.

Waiting at the dock is Discovery Leisure Company’s chief operating officer Jun Parreno, backed by a very skillful band of island musicians; in true Filipino fashion, we were ushered in to our home for three days. As in all Pinoy homes, we went straight for the dining room, at the Hidden Beach picnic area, where we were treated to what would be our first meal in Club Paradise. Entrees of cold cuts, cheeses and bacon-wrapped dates shared the spread with all sorts of pickled vegetables and barbecued meats. But it was after-lunch cups of coffee, arriving from seaside aboard a wooden rowboat, that made that meal memorable.

Stuffed but still hungry for more, we headed to our rooms, which, interestingly enough, offered a lagoon as terrace view. The room is ample with a glass façade that looks out to, when you’re in luck, a bayawak sighting just across the pond. Club Paradise has been around for 25 years, and the rooms have that homey, lived-in feel. Add to that Discovery’s attention to guest satisfaction: sunblock and anti-mosquito lotions, welcome banners, personalized framed photos and complimentary cakes, and the hotel chain certainly takes it to a whole different realm.

“Club Paradise offers a different kind of experience from other Discovery destinations. Club Paradise is purely an island that offers a getaway, a place to be yourself, without the pressures of the world. It is the serenity of the place that is its biggest selling point. You hear the sound of the birds when you take a walk in the evening, you smell nature. What we’re offering now is the luxury of being in this island. We don’t have neighbors here, so our playground is quite big,” explains Discovery’s Jun Parreno of the luxury lifestyle brand’s latest acquisition, just before taking us on a tour of the whole island.

Facing the eastern seaboard are the sunrise villas that, other than the deck chairs generously dotting the shore, is a view best enjoyed from the hammocks. On the opposite side of the island are the sunset villas which promise the same majestic sights at different times of the day, so depending on your bio-clock, Club Paradise lets you choose the best way to sun-worship. But, nothing beats seeing the sun take its final dip while on a cruise, as the Paraiso takes you around Dimakya Island at that golden moment.

And as the boat docked on our return, the awe continued even after the sun had long set, because dinner — a whole, well-executed spread — had been awaiting our arrival right at the beachfront. Serenaded with traditional folk dances from Club Paradise’s very own dance troupe — made up by its multi-talented waitstaff, housekeepers, and bellhops — it seemed like this resort would never run out of aces up its sleeve.

Day 2

After a sound sleep lulled by the chatter of crickets and fruit bats, I awoke to a full to-do list. The Club Paradise staff had arranged for us to sample what they simply call the Coron Island Tour, which meant that we would go back to mainland Busuanga and experience for ourselves what is quickly making Coron the world’s most celebrated tourism destination.

First stop, Coron Island, long home for its native Tagbanua, this marine mountain has, at its heart, what is known as the country’s cleanest lake, Kayangan. After some 150 rocky steps up, there, amid massive boulders below, was the refreshing brackish water that would erase our exhaustion from the trying trek. 

But what comes up must also come down, so we descended the same trail with the promise of lunch lingering in our minds. It came soon enough at Banul Beach, five minutes away by boat, an unspoiled coast save for only a few bamboo huts and parasols for shade. What awaited us was, in true Discovery fashion, a stately lunch perhaps arranged by the Sea King and his courts, but for which we had to use our hands.

We set off the great Coron sea, on our way to the most talked-about Twin Lagoon, but upon reaching it, I was short of words. The limestone that had grown familiar now played hide and seek with what may be this region’s best-kept secret. The greater lagoon, which I christened “Richard,” offered a stunning sight where a piece of solid rock embraces the open water. But go further, through a small crack that could only be possibly reached by some cautious swimming, welcomes everyone to “Raymond,” the more concealed gem bordered by skyscrapers of commanding rock. This is one of the rare times where you could get lost while finding yourself, amidst excited swimming and the echoes of your feet’s lapping, with nothing but the sea, the sky, and the soaring structures in between.

The experience hadn’t even subsided yet when we found ourselves boat-bound again, this time to a set of seven islets that also offered breathtaking views. But it’s not what quickly meets the eye that makes Siete Pecados a must-stop for this Coron Island Tour, it is what’s beneath. With nothing but a trusty snorkel and goggles, you can get acquainted with a cathedral of corals, altars decked with anemones, and a choir of angelfish radiating light like stained glass windows. I was of renewed faith — a belief system that involves caring for our seas.

And finally, after all that trekking, swimming, snorkeling and boating, we found our way back inland for yet another water wonder. Ten minutes away from downtown Coron, we arrived at Maquinit, a truly rare experience of a saltwater hot spring. Its bubbling, almost boiling water offers that perfectly soothing, reviving touch to muscles tried and tested by Coron’s other physically demanding sights. The hot spring was definitely the most suiting finale — like an all-natural spa — to the whole day’s island tour.

We found our way back to Club Paradise, spent but certainly satiated, with a festive safari-themed dinner and some acoustic jams as a nightcap. I have never slept more soundly than that night.   

DAY 3

I tried my best to wake up really early for the last stretch of my Club Paradise experience, rising as soon as my alarm struck six. After a quick, light breakfast off the clubhouse buffet, we suited up in our snorkeling gear and headed straight for the island’s Home Reef, reputedly home to sea cows, giant stingrays, sea snakes, and marine turtles. By this time, Manila was clocking its rush hour, but the only traffic that I experienced was a frenzied crossing of silvery jackfish. A hefty assortment of other species and a massive one-meter clam later, and right there, by the sea grass beds, was a miraculous sighting: the gentle pawikan, gently flailing its wing-like fins up to meet the golden ray of the morning sun. Just like that, I had proof that heaven is indeed a place on earth.

“It’s an eye-opener for me, since it’s my first time here in Coron, despite being in the tourism industry for over 20 years. I didn’t realize that this part of Palawan is different from other parts of Northern Palawan that I’ve been to. Club Paradise gives you that sense of isolation, peace and tranquility, things that people are looking for these days,” shared Rajah Travel and Tours’ general manager Jose “Jojo” Clemente III.   

But more than the breathtaking sights, the awe-inspiring accommodations, the rare, moving experiences, and the priceless, unmatchable experiences, it is the people who make paradise what it truly is. It is Lorraine, whose smile offers that warm welcome even when still hours and a plane ride away from the resort, or Loida, whose cordial embrace makes you feel right at home, Joegil’s burst of laughter that reminds you that service is not a chore nor a duty, but a passion and pride, or Jessie’s witty, lighthearted anecdotes that gave the tour the extra-mile of wonder. The people of Discovery surely make paradise every bit closer to home.

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Experience Club Paradise with rooms for as low as P21,000 this lean season, until Oct. 15. SkyJet flies to Busuanga every Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Photos by John A. Magsaysay