Apulit Island Resort – Arrival

Johnnie and I recently flew from South Korea to the Philippines for a week-long getaway.  After spending two nights in Manila, we went to a small airport for domestic flights to board a plane to Taytay on Palawan Island.  There were only four other passengers, besides us, on the flight.  We were all given the airplane safety presentation by an airline employee before we got on the plane.  After hearing how our seats would be our floatation devices in case we went down in the water, we boarded a very small turboprop plane and chose our own seats.  There was no flight attendant, only the pilots and us.

The flight was fairly smooth and the scenery below was amazingly beautiful!  The Philippines is a country comprised of 7,107 islands of all shapes and sizes surrounded by water and reefs of bright blues and greens.

Coming in for landing, we all noticed the lack of cement.  The plane touched down roughly on a dirt runway, spewing a cloud of dust and rocks behind us.  At the airport terminal hut with dirt floors, we were met by an Apulit Island Resort employee who was there to greet us and to escort us to the island.

We waited for the plane to leave before we were loaded into a surprisingly comfortable jeepney with our luggage and our guide.  The jeepney sped down the dirt runway and then veered off onto a dirt road.  We rode past many farms, banana trees, and cashew trees.  The jeepney stopped at the end of a long wooden pier where there were lifejackets waiting for us.

Our luggage was carried ahead for us and placed into waterproof bags for the trip. We rode a motor boat along a river to deeper water where there was a large motorized outrigger waiting for us.  Onboard the outrigger, we enjoyed cookies and hot ginger tea (called salabat) while oohing and aahing at the beauty of the blue water and passing scenery.

Apulit Island Resort is the only thing on Apulit Isand, making it the perfect place for a forget-about-the-world-for-a-while type of vacation.  There is a white sandy beach with the common buildings that is bordered on each side by a row of cottages on stilts over the water.

As we docked, we were welcomed by the resort staff singing and dancing accompanied by a guitar, drum, and tambourine.  We were given a refreshing drink and a necklace of a palm leaf braided into a fish.  We relaxed in the shade while some of the staff introduced themselves and gave us an overview of the resort.

We were given a tour of the common buildings on our way to our cottage and were greeted by every employee we passed with a smile and a “ma’am” and “sir”.  By the next day, most of the employees were calling us Ms Angela, Mr Johnnie, or Mr and Mrs Green.  The personalized attention we received at this resort was as impressive as the scenery 🙂

Related Posts:
Apulit Island Resort – Amenities
Apulit Island Resort – Activities
Apulit Island Resort – Food/Drinks
Apulit Island Resort – Departure