Standing at a level of its own, Pangulasian Island Resort brings you as close as possible to the Maldivian luxury experience, for only a fraction of the cost. Set on its own incredibly beautiful island, this 5-star property is bordered by 750 meters of fine white sands on one side and a lush tropical jungle on the other. This paradise is just perfect for lovers. The romantic ambiance all throughout the resort exudes seclusion and privacy like no other.
Also called “the island of the sun”, guests of Pangulasian can enjoy not only spectacular views of the sunsets but also that most coveted wonderful sunrise. Designed with a perfect balance between contemporary Filipino architecture and green interiors, the resort takes inspiration from its natural beauty with clear focus on function, comfort and sustainability. Pangulasian Island Resort currently hosts 42 deluxe villas, each with a balcony to take advantage of the expansive views of both the forest and the turquoise blue waters of the bay.
In terms of luxury, Pangulasian is the pearl of El Nido Resorts. It offers the kind of exclusive experience like no other private island resort in Palawan. Its villas have their own private pools and instead of villas on stilts over the water, pangulasian has villas on stilts perched on a cliff. Not even Lagen or Miniloc can compare to the quality of amenities found in here. So, if your budget is flexible and you are after the finer things in life – Pangalusian is the best choice out there.
Guests of Pangulasian can expect to be pampered like royalty. It is as natural as it gets for the price you pay here. You will be addressed in your own name and before you sleep at night, you will see personal notes written manually to bid you goodnight accompanied with subtle reminders of the activities set out for you the next day. If that is not a VIP service then we don’t know how to call it. Staff are very well-mannered, polite and professional. They are attentive but not obtrusive. Service can sometimes be slow but no one is rushing in an idyllic place such as this.
One thing that sets all the El Nido Resorts apart from the rest is their conservation efforts and you can expect that Pangulasian adheres to their own principles as much as the other resorts. The surroundings are always kept clean and tidy and the waters along with the beach area are always maintained. Overall they do an amazing job at creating and maintaining that tropical island vibe.
The rooms of Pangulasian embody luxury at its finest. It is beyond excellent. The rooms are massively spacious, even bigger than a posh European apartment. The toilet and bath are as big as some hotel rooms and the luxury doesn’t end there. The room amenities are complete with western comforts. The beds are all King-sized. Some rooms even have their own swimming pool and these private pools are much bigger than some of the pools in a Maldivian resort. The high ceiling and the full-height sliding glass doors open to the spacious veranda with incredible views.
The waters around Pangulasian Island are part of a marine sanctuary which means all the corals and the fish found in those waters are all protected. The beach area is clean. Sand quality is perfect and the infinity pool fronting the beach is a beautiful bonus. As an eco-resort, there is no chlorine in the swimming pool. There are also sufficient sun loungers and beach chairs provided for the guests.
Pangulasian enjoys a much better location than Lagen Island Resort. This means that it is closer to the hot spots like the Big and Small Lagoons, Entalula Island, Miniloc Island, and Snake Island. Guests of Pangulasian can easily visit all these islands with no restrictions at all but no visitors from these islands can visit Pangulasian.
Staying in Pangulasian is significantly cheaper (almost 4 or 5 times cheaper) than staying in the Maldives. However, if you compare it to other resorts in the country with similar star-ratings, Pangulasian is too expensive. not only that, but the food and drinks are not included in the room price. This place is a good choice for people who really want nothing but the best and willing to pay for it.
The waters around the island are part of a protected site which means you are not only staying in one of the most luxurious eco-friendly resort, you also get to explore a marine sanctuary right at your doorstep. It is a diver’s paradise. Just a few meters off the shoreline, divers can feast their eyes on a group of black-tip sharks and sting rays. The corals are very healthy and various fish species can easily be spotted. There are more than 20 dive sites close to the island where divers can have access to. There are also some reefs dedicated to snorkeling.
Just like the other El Nido Resorts, Pangulasian offers complimentary island hopping excursions and fun activities. Guests are ushered to private boats and they visit El Nido’s hotspots like the Big and Small Lagoon, Snake Island, Matinloc Island and even the other sister resorts. Guests of Pangulasian can visit Miniloc and Lagen Islands as well as have access to the beach clubhouse in Entalula Island. However, Miniloc and Lagen Island guests cannot visit Pangulasian. That is how exclusive the resort really is.
Other activities that are included in the room rate are: kayaking, trekking into the jungle, paddle boarding, use of other non-motorized equipment and breakfast. Diving, spa, motorized water equipment rental are all charged separately.
Food and drinks are also not included in the room rate. Guests can choose to pay separately for the full-board meals (excluding alcoholic drinks) or pay for a la carte meals. You can either pay directly to the resort upon arrival or arrange it with us. There are 3 restaurants on site, 1 bar, a fitness center, business center with library, game room, souvenir shop, dive and water equipment center and an infinity pool.
As exclusive as it is, Pangulasian still gets a lot of guests who wouldn’t mind sampling the luxury experience provided by the resort. There’s a big number of local tourists staying in Pangulasian and they are from the elite families or Filipinos working abroad on vacation. Online travel platforms give it a very high rating - much higher than Lagen or Miniloc. In TripAdvisor the score is 4.5 with 702 reviews of which 81% rated it excellent. Booking.com has a total score of 9.4 with 82 reviews. Agoda has the least number of reviews but the score is exceptional at 9.5 with only 10 reviews. Additionally, Expedia has at least 63 verified reviewers and the score is 4.9 out of 5. Positive comments mention all important factors like service, rooms, beach and pool, amenities, activities and location. Guests cannot seem to get enough of the beauty of the island and a lot of exclamations on how difficult it was to leave the place. The rooms definitely won over everyone with no single complaint about them. Guests loved how spacious it is, and how luxurious the room amenities were. The diving and the healthy marine species also added to the overall positive experience. The fact that there are lizards and monkeys in the vicinity at various times of the day also adds to the appeal and overall adventure. Unfortunately, it is impossible to please everybody. There are negative comments but nothing that can’t be improved. Most complaints were on the food. The fact that guests have to pay for their food may have something to do with their complaints. Since they have to pay a lot for it, guests expected to be served lavishly and of course they deserve it considering that the price and the quality of the resort is immense. Some liked the food and others were really disappointed. There were some suggestions to upgrade the whole kitchen crew and place a gourmet chef and crew instead. Some expected a lot of seafood options as they are surrounded with water however, it is important to note that fishing is not allowed in the marine sanctuary.
What are the best things about Pangulasian Island Resort?
Some things you should be aware of are:
If you stay in Pangulasian, you will not run out of options because not only do they have numerous water activity choices, the forest is also your neighbor. Moreover, you also get the Maldivian luxury for a fraction of the price that you pay for it there. If that is not enough to convince you, let the pictures and guest reviews do the talking.
Otherwise known as the treetop villas, these luxurious rooms have the grandest views of Pangulasian Island and the surrounding islands of the Bacuit Bay. These villas are perched 15-18 meters from the ground and are accessible by buggy or stairs that lead to the wooden boardwalk winding through the forest. This is the only place in Pangulasian that has a bath tub. The room size is 89sqm with an ocean view and it is equipped with 1 king bed plus a day bed.
This villa offers a magnificent view of the bay and is situated a few steps from the beautiful beach. The room size is 89sqm and is equipped with a king bed and a day bed that can accommodate a maximum of 3 persons.
This is especially made for couples and honeymooners. The villa exudes intimacy and romance. It has a 22 sqm private pool right outside the spacious veranda which offers stunning views of the Bacuit Bay. Each pool villa can accommodate a maximum of 3 persons and is equipped with a King bed and a day bed. The room size is 89m2.
