Flower Island Resort

We just came back from 6 nights on the beautiful Flower Island Resort off Palawan. It is not an island where staff remove rocks on the beach. It is Gilligans Island. Robinson Crusoe-with an option for massage thrown in. It is rustic, it is is wild and beautiful, and left so people can enjoy nature. It is perfect for nature lovers, who do not need a program every moment of the day. We stayed in the middle of May-and were the only guests for a a day or so and were treated with such care and consideration. When two other parties arrive on the island you still had privacy and space. Transfer was flawless. The resort organized the van pick up to and from the resort which took 40 minutes and the boat ride another 20-30 minutes-will depend on the conditions during your stay. Activities- We snorkeled just off the beach every day and that was great. We saw so many different colored fish. They also offer snorkeling trips out to the reef for those that want to see more. There are a lot of activities off island to choose from, Pearl Farm visit, snorkeling, island hopping-but just be aware if you are the only ones on the island the activities are minimum of 4 people. We were ok with staying on the island-exactly what we needed to recharge and we plan on coming back again anyway. There are a couple of island walks you can do, one up to the look out tower and one going around the whole island. If you do the island walk-there are some secluded beaches you can go to on other side. Food- Was amazing and portions very generous. They had dessert at lunch and dinner. There was always a meat and sea food option with every meal. For breakfast you can choose from western style pancakes/eggs and continental or Filipino breakfast dishes. Room- We had the bamboo suite with AC-would recommend getting the room with a fan if you go for a bamboo suite. Our AC unit seemed to have a cooling problem-so go for a fan. The bathrooms in the bamboo suite are a little dated. You also just are reminded to be sparing with water consumption on the island-as we seemed to run out of water in the bamboo room. Staff attended to this as best they could-which is how they handled our entire stay. We had two nights in a Deluxe Villa and there were no problems with water and the AC worked fine. The Bar- We loved hanging out at the bar. The infinity pool was gorgeous and drinks delicious! Good choice of drinks and the mango milkshakes a dream. Staff- Were so friendly and accommodating. As the only guests we were given a lot of attention-but not in an intrusive way. I recommend this island-even though it is a secret you almost want to keep for yourself as I would not want to go there when it is full. It is a perfect get-a-way, off the beaten path. We are already plan to go back next year!

All I can say is go in early September & you just may chance being the only guests @ the resort with a full complement of staff! I would only give Flower Island Resort a 4.8 rating & ONLY because the bed was too hard. But this was an AWESOME stay!!! True Gilligan’s Island style! Initial communication was a bit slow by email when I messaged them about transportation to the island, but everything went smoothly & as planned. It’s best to arrive @ El Nido Airport (ENI) - we were coming from Manila. They will have someone meet you there & the man was holding a sign that said ‘Flower Island’. We were then taken by van for about a 45min, scenic ride to the Sibaltan Pier. From there you will board a waiting speed boat. You’ll have to walk a few feet thru shallow water, so be prepared for that. The water was very warm!! The guys will carry your luggage to the boat & then to your room once you get on the island. I would highly just recommend a carry on bag & backpack as your only luggage because it’s a lot. The speedboat ride was about 45min - but I think that was because the water was so choppy & the driver had to keep slowing down. It was an amazing ride for us & we did not get wet. And the cost that you’re quoted for the transfers are shared between guests arriving & leaving at the same time as you are - assuming that there are other guests! So my husband & I paid the full price for the round trip transfers since it was only the 2 of us. On the way back, we needed to be dropped off @ Vanilla Beach in El Nido town & Flower Island was happy to arrange 1 van ride for us from the pier & into town. Took about an hour. Thanks!! Our room (11) was perfect besides the hard bed. The bugs were very minimal - just a mosquito or 3. There were peacocks, I think we saw 1 rooster. No cats, dogs or monkeys. There was no lock on our room door, but we felt safe. There was also no safe in our room. The water was warm enough to shower comfortably, but would occasionally go cool & then warm back up. There’s a mosquito net around the bed & the wall unit air conditioner worked well. Most of the staff was pretty reserved - maybe a handful was talkative. I don’t think they’ve really had African Americans @ this resort. Nonetheless, we had an EXCELLENT time!!! There was plenty of food, & drinks @ the bar! We could have GOURMET meals prepared @ any time that we liked! We skipped lunches because the breakfasts were plentiful. It was on day 2 when we began asking for specific meals. They were happy to cook what we asked for!!! Pancakes, scrambled eggs (our 1st breakfast was eggs over easy 😝 & bacon that wasn’t cooked well enough - they didn’t ask @ least how we wanted our eggs, but they were happy to cook the bacon more crispy 😁) Then we asked for lumpia, pancit & chicken adobo 1 night - delicious!!!! They were happy to make it! The fruit with breakfast was plentiful & so dang fresh!! There were no excursions because it was only the 2 of us &

We spent 5 nights at this resort which was supposed to be the finale of our Philippines vacation. We arrived via speedboat and received a charming welcome at the beach. The receptionist Vai (sorry if the spelling is wrong) was the perfect hostess during our stay. We booked the Designer Villa (Nr 11) which was very spacious with a fantastic openair bathroom and very clean. But as in all our stays in the Philippines the water heater was temperamental and hot water was very scarce. We went there because of the nice look of the island and its house reef as we are avid snorchelers-and we were not disappointed. The island is very pretty and can be discovered on a path that leads around the island. There is a lighhouse at the peak that is a lovely spot for some sunset viewing. The house reef is quite pretty though not as spectacular as we have seen on other islands but the hotel offers snorcheling tours (Elephant Island is great). We booked a tour to the adjacent pearl farm which I can heavily recommend although it is rather expensive. Our biggest issue with the resort and the reason for our three star rating was the food. The food was served buffet style and selection was very limited (one vegetable dish or salad and 3 meat/fish choices and plain rice) . They promote it as asian kitchen but it leaned heavily into european dishes. The food was not plain bad but taste and execution (no sauces, overcooked meat, lukewarm food) were very unsatisfactory for the steep price tag attached. We prefered the bar with its delicious cocktails and friendly staff. We also tested the SPA. The menue is rather small but the ladies there are very talended. We had two treatments there and the hot stone massage was plain heaven. Summarily we had a very nice vacation there but in our opinion the resort is a bit overpriced as long as they don't fix the food.