At the end of April and start of May we spent a few weeks travelling through China and the Philippines. Many of our clients and friends share our insatiable wanderlust so we thought we would share our experience on our journal. Of course if you follow us on Instagram you will be well up to date with all our movements! Following our epic week in Beijing, which we blogged about recently here, we headed to the main destination of the trip in the Philippines. When flipping through a travel magazine last year we read that Palawan was voted the most beautiful island in the world. Our decision to visit was instant! Even with such lofty expectations exploring this magnificent land was wonderful beyond our wildest imagination. We connected with amazing people, enjoyed epic sunset upon epic sunset, remote island hopped through some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever seen and heaped up a great collection of soul warming memories.
We started our Palawan exploration amongst the Limestone Cliffs of El Nido town. After 7 hours on a van from Peurto Princesa we arrived at our luxurious lodgings at El Nido Overlooking. Without a doubt the best view from a room {pictured above right} we have ever seen! Our time in El Nido was all about serious chillaxing, drinking copious amounts of fresh coconut juice and simply taking in the views. Sunbathing and sundowners created the unofficial structure for each day.
From El Nido we set sail on our TAO Expedition; 5 days of remote island hopping on a traditional Filipino Paraw all the way to Coron in the North. A once in a lifetime experience to celebrate a pretty big birthday… The expedition was luxurious in every way; experiencing life in its natural beauty, connecting with kindred souls and disconnecting completely from the every day that can distract us from being truly in the moment.
We slept in humble Nipa huts {pictured above right} with million dollar views, snorkeled three times a day, sailed languidly from island to island, ate delicious freshly caught and prepared seafood and watched each sunset to then gaze at the stars. Surprisingly, even more than the beauty of the Philippines, it was the people around us that made the trip so special; the fantastic 7 person crew led by our legendary Oh Captain, My Captain Gener and of course the 22 fellow travellers who shared our journey.
On arriving in Coron we swopped the magical sails of the Balatik {pictured below left} for the Disneyesque dream scape of Al Faro Cosmio Hotel {picture below right}. Designed and built by an artist on a hilltop overlooking the sea, this boutique artists’ retreat had an otherworldly feel. Paired with more amazing food and fabulous staff we were in the perfect setting for our final week.
More days lounging at the pool, whiling away the hours until happy hour, were interspersed with little adventures such as kayaking to an abandoned seaplane for sunrise.
We ended our trip with an action packed 24 hours in vibrant Manila. We stayed within the walled old town of Intramuros. Here the Spanish heritage of this colonial city resulted in stunning architectural details, which as photographers we obviously adored!
The colourful heritage of the old town and a glimpse into Manila was a great way to end this bucket list adventure. Philippines, we would love to land on your shores again!
