The welcome committee at Inaladelan Island
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Aloha Palawan: Discovering More Hidden Gems in Palawan

Aloha Palawan: Discovering More Hidden Gems in Palawan

AirAsia Flight Z2 951 bound for Puerto Princesa from Clark Airport.
AirAsia Flight Z2 951 bound for Puerto Princesa from Clark Airport.

Summer has just begun as Air Asia and TPL Digital team up to bring invited media and influencers in one of the best islands in the world, and experience a different kind of Adventure and hidden gems in the island– the Aloha Palawan.

Again, I was fortunate enough to do the 4-day coverage, all thanks to Mr. Melo of Out Of Town Blog.

Inside Matam-Ih restaurant.
Inside Matam-Ih restaurant.

Looking for hotels in Puerto Princesa City? Visit Agoda for list of accommodation options.

Me and the rest of the bloggers met up at Shangri-La Mall for our van service going to Clark Airport. We first had our lunch as Matam-Ih, which is widely famous for serving authentic Kapampangan dishes. Matam-Ih is an Aeta word meaning “delicious”. There servers are all aetas and goes by the name of Rihanna, Regine Velasquez, and Brad Pitt. A trio entertained us while eating and even impressed us with their vocal range­­. The restaurant is located at Roxas Highway, Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles.

What Went Down at the 4-Day Aloha Palawan Event

Discovering more hidden gems in Palawan.
Discovering more hidden gems in Palawan.

We have arrived at Puerto Princesa International Airport, around 8 in the evening, and were fetched by vans care of Hue Hotel, where we stayed for 3 days and 2 nights. The Tiotangcos invited us over dinner at Matiz Tapas Bar and Restaurant, where splendid food were served, and selected dishes were not even on the menu, and made specially for that night.

The day after, we got the chance to visit the newest and biggest inflatable playground in the Philippines, located at Kamia Bay Resort. There are life vests and shoes available for rent at the side part of the resort.

Ms. Mich get to share a history of how Kamia Bay started and how they have acquired the island after 28 years. Mich also shared that they were lucky to have this property and the only protected area in Puerto Princesa. We also get to enjoy a lunch buffet as well.

Inside Golden Elephant Restaurant and its bestsellers
Inside Golden Elephant Restaurant and its bestsellers

During our second night in Puerto Princesa, we visited a restaurant located at the Princesa Garden Island – the Golden Elephant. It serves Thai dishes and all of us were lucky to try their bestsellers that night including their authentic thai spicy prawn soup – the Tom Yang Goong (Php 450). There’s also the Deep Fried Lapu-Lapu in 5 kinds of Herbs (Php 350), Mixed Vegetables (Php 320) and my personal favorite, the Grilled Pork Ribs with Honey (Php 450). In case you are interested to try more of their Thai dishes, you can visit Princesa Garden Island Resort at Canigiran Street, Brgy. Bancao -Bancao, in Puerto Princesa.

On our 3rd day, we ate our heavy breakfast before we head over onto our next destination – in Inaladelan Island. A King Boat was waiting for us in Port Barton, and took us around 30 minutes to arrive in the scenic island.

Inaladelan Island, the 12-hectare private island.
Inaladelan Island, the 12-hectare private island.

The 12-hectare private island is irresistibly drawing us in every corner, with another island on the side, some coconut trees bending over the sea, and plenty of hammocks on each corner where guests can rest while on the island. We also ate our lunch, then enjoyed our free time in the afternoon. There were Inaladelan merch such as T-Shirts from LAAG, and some tumblers where we get to fill it up with our sangrias an bring it anywhere in the island.

Inaladelan provided us some camping tents with foam beds and pillows too.

On the evening, we get to enjoy some impressive fire dance show, a bonfire, and a dinner buffet.

Firedance performance at our last night in the island.
Firedance performance at our last night in the island.
Boodle fight at Inaladelan Island
Boodle fight at Inaladelan Island

We got back at the resort by lunch time and bought some pasalubongs before we head back to Clark.

But the gastronomic adventure didn’t stopped there. We had our stopover for dinner at 25 Seeds, owned by famed Chef Sau Del Rosario. A modern yet homey interior is said to be designed by Chef himself. The theme that night was nose to table where we got to try Lengua “Pastel”,  Callos Ala Madrillena,  Sisig Matua, and more. I also had the Binghe, which is a rice with chicken and turmeric with coconut. I also went for the Pritung Itik which taste was excellent by the way.

 

More About the Brainchild of Calla Lily Resorts and Hotels

The Tiotangco Sister, Angela and Michelle.
The Tiotangco Sister, Angela and Michelle.

Name someone you know, whom at the age of 20 have already established a name in the hotel industry, or maybe, owned an island on her mid 20’s? Well, I didn’t know anyone, until we met the Tiotangco sister – Michelle and Angela.

Included brands under Calla Lily Resorts and Hotels: Sophia’s Garden, Amika Travel and Tours, Mrs. T Café, Viewdeck Grille Bar and the Kamia Bar Resort.

In college, Mich wanted to continue a career in music but her mom advised her to take business course instead. When she was in college, one of the requirements was to put up an actual business and operate it, and so she chose to run a travel agency. She went back to Palawan and registered everything, and this is where Amika Travel and Tours was born.

Through Amika, she brought guests to the family-built city hotel, learned how to handle corporate accounts and talk through clients on phone, whom where surprised on how young she was. Her father, who was a contractor, thought of testing her management skills through Sophia’s Garden Resorts, an 8-room, bed and breakfast concept otel and resort with its own restaurant that her father opened in 2012, and a year after they opened, Sophia’s was awarded number 1 by Trip Advisor. Now, Sophia’s Garden has 22 rooms, and a function room.

They also reopened Kamia Bay Resort, wherein she took up Masters in Entrepreneurship and prepare for future growth.

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Written by Denise Alyssa G. Villamar

Dog whisperer, literature organizer at Thought Catalog, and a sucker for music photography.

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