Astoria Palawan is a luxury resort set on a five hectare mango orchard along the coast of Honda Bay in San Rafael, Puerto Princesa City. Built in 2014, the resort has 13 villas housing a total of 40 luxurious private rooms and suites. Located some 50 km (90 minutes drive) north of Puerto Princesa International Airport, Astoria Palawan Resort offers a tranquil refuge away from the busy urban scene of the city center.
We arrived at the resort at exactly noontime. It's summertime so you can just imagine how hot and humid it was. Upon entering the resort's front office, a hotel staff offered us cold towels and welcome drinks of chilled mango juice. Welcoming us was the resort's Assistant Front Office Manager, Mr. Rafael Legaspi. Check-in procedure was quick, efficient and the front office staff was very friendly.
Since we arrived two hours ahead of the official check-in time, we decided to have lunch first at The Reserve, the resort's alfresco dining restaurant which serves a wide selection of local and international dishes. The restaurant is located next to the resort's infinity pool where we enjoyed munching on our ordered pizza and pasta while admiring the expansive view of the Sulu Sea at the background. Not to be missed at The Reserve is their best-selling Pork Binagoongan which goes perfectly with steamed rice.
As soon as we're done with lunch, a staff from the guest services approached us at the restaurant telling us that our room is ready. He assisted us right away to our room located in a villa next to the restaurant. While walking, he shared to us an interesting trivia that the 13 villas of the resort are named after endangered animals. This is to help raise an awareness of such animals which are likely to become extinct.
We stayed in a One Bedroom Suite which features a spacious bedroom furnished with two queen size beds. It has a rustic modern design with polished concrete floor matched with white walls brought to life by colorful wall stickers depicting the marine biodiversity of Palawan. Wooden walls, on the other hand, add warmth to the space, and make the guests feel connected to the verdant orchard that surrounds the room.
The rustic modern design of the bedroom is also expressed in the living and dining areas of the suite. State of the art technology brings modern conveniences at reach. Cable-ready LCD TV, wireless speaker system, and free Wi-Fi Internet access are just some of the amenities that guests can enjoy inside the accommodation. The suite also has a kitchenette where guests can cook their own meals. Everything combined adds to the home-away-from home experience at Astoria Palawan.
Equally spacious is the ensuite bathroom which features double sink, and separate walk-in shower and toilet. The rainshower runs hot and cold water while the toilet is equipped with a modern toilet-seat bidet. Instead of using tiles as flooring, the designers of the resort added more natural feel inside the bathroom by using raw concrete combined with stones from the seashore. This contours of the stones also have a therapeutic effect that somewhat relieves stresses from the feet. Highlight of the bathroom is the free-standing bathtub crowned by wall art of fishes swimming in circles.
Astoria has three room categories. The Deluxe Room is basically the bedroom area of a One Bedroom Suite sans the living & dining areas and the kitchenette. The bathroom is also smaller in a Deluxe Room. The third room category is the Two Bedroom Suite which is a One Bedroom Suite with a connecting Deluxe Room. See more photos below and key features of each room category.
One Bedroom Suite
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Deluxe Room
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For your tour requirements, Astoria Palawan can arrange various tours for its guests including the Underground River tour and the the Honda Bay island hopping. Keep in mind that you should book your Underground River tour not later than one (1) month before your scheduled visit. For details on rates, you can contact the resort's front office at (+63) 0988-961-3422.
If you prefer to just stay at the resort and relax, you can do what we did. We enjoyed the afternoon cooling down at the infinity pool. Alternatively, you can bike along the beach or kayak along the coast of the resort. These activities are free of charge. Don't forget to apply sunblock. If you are sensitive to insect bites, make sure you apply repellents on exposed skin.
Come dinnertime, families and friends converge at The Reserve to curate an intimate dining experience. Depending on the occupancy rate of the resort, the restaurant occasionally serves buffet dinner, which we chanced upon during our stay. There's salad and fruit sections, bread and pastries, soup, four main dishes and two choices of starch. Just the right number of choices to cater for about 80 guests.
The following morning, we woke up at 5:00am to catch the sunrise and to go for an early morning swim at the infinity pool, which we had for ourselves since most guests were busy having their breakfast.
After a quick shower, we went back to the restaurant for breakfast. I had rolls, cheese and cold cuts while Edgar had garlic rice, bacon, ham and longganisa. There's also an omelet station where you can have an omelet customized to your taste. It was a quick breakfast since we needed to pack our stuff and catch an 11:00am flight.
We checked-out from the resort at 8:00am to make it to the airport at 9:30am. Check-out was hassle free. After the quick room check, the front office had our shuttle prepared. Mr. Legaspi walked us to the driveway and bade us farewell as our shuttle drove away.
It was a short but very memorable stay at Astoria Palawan. We loved the fresh air and the wide open spaces of the resort. We enjoyed the food at The Reserve. We felt well taken care of by the resort's staff. Highlight of our experience was our room with its modern and eco-friendly design, the colorful themes that relaxes the eyes, the bed that gave us a very comfortable sleep, and the ensuite amenities that made us feel at home. If there is only one regret that we have, that is staying for only one night at Astoria Palawan. We will surely be back to experience more of it!
Astoria Palawan Resort
Km 62 North National Highway Brgy San Rafael, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, PhilippinesContact Manila Sales Office: (+632) 687.1111 loc 8024 / 8302 / 8110, (+632) 335.1111
Astoria Palawan Front Office: (+63) 0988-961-3422
► Book Discounted Astoria Palawan Room Rates via Traveloka
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