Dos Palmas

From Wikipedia:
The Dos Palmas kidnappings was a hostage crisis which initially took place on Dos Palmas, an upscale island resort at Palawan organized by Abu Sayyaf guerrilla leader Abu Sabaya. Twenty hostages were initially captured without incident among them were three Americans, Guillermo Sobero and missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham. The hostages were transported to Basilan where eventually one of the three American hostages was beheaded as an "independence-day gift" to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, another was killed in a botched rescue attempt while the lone woman among the three was rescued. The search for the hostages eventually lead to a six month deployment of 1,000 American troops which provided training and high-tech support to the less equipped and experienced Filipino troops.

Another incident was when a TV Celebrity died here.
It is evident that a youth cult has formed around Rico Yan, the dimpled young man who died on Good Friday in his rented cottage at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan. The dimples graced the soft lines of a very handsome face. The police ruled out foul play and the autopsy did not support speculations that he had taken an overdose of the drug, Ecstasy. The medics said that he died of pancreatitis or, to put it in more popular term, "bangungot."
By Senator Blas F. Ople


And this is where I had my birthday weekend getaway! A brave weekend warrior I am!!!


People told me that salt water, fresh air and relaxation is what I need to get rid of this terrible cough and cold and out of all the beaches in this country, I chose the one where 20 people were kidnapped, 1 beheaded and 1 famous TV celebrity died. Perfect.

I have always been intrigued by Dos Palmas. In my head, it is a 6 star resort with great amenities and first class service. Sort of like a mini Amanpulo. Ten years ago, I could only dream of going to this place mainly because of how pricy is it for a simple gal like me. I was only in my mid 20's and still working my way up the financial ladder.

Now that I am 35, I can say that I have been to quite a number of resorts here and abroad.

Dos Palmas, hmmmm, a dream that recently came true. Question is, did I expect too much?


The weather was perfect. The sun was not beating down on us too hard and the wind was gentle and refreshing. I was shocked to see the newspapers always with flood and too much rain on the front pages. I was so thankful that Mother Nature was kind for this trip.


It was perfect for snorkeling, kayaking and just laying around and doing what I do best, be lazy.


The place is nice. Clean and orderly and landscape is beautiful. The people are friendly and very accommodating. They took care of all our needs and served us always with a smile.


What I loved about it is that we almost always had the entire island to ourselves. The pool was empty and the beach was ours as if it were our own island.



It was romantic indeed. A great place for AG and I to spend quality time together.




The food was....hmmm....you know that I am a food lover and well, I have to say that the food was not good. It was plenty and well presented but it is something that I will not rave about. The coffee was icky and it was difficult to finish one cup but it was bottomless 24 hours.




The rooms were very clean and romantic. We had a bay cottage which was situated on top of the water and the sea life around the house was amazingly colorful.



AG enjoyed jumping from the balcony and swim to shore and it was fun watching him.





My low season package included full board meals, airport transfers, welcome drink, free use of all amenities (pool, billiard, table tennis, kayaks, snorkeling gear, a 1.30 hour massage or intro to scuba dive, free wifi and entertainment. All this for P15,500/person for 3 days and 2 nights. Airfare was P9,500 per person round trip, Cebu Pacific. But I have to tell you about Cebu Pacific in another blog dedicated just for the freaking airline. In general, I have done Dos Palmas and although I had a great time, I won't be revisiting any time soon unless they improve the food, hire better singers for the entertainment and upgrade their facilities. The pool table is in bad condition, the table tennis needs to be chopped up and made into chopsticks. The back part of the resort needs proper and regular maintenance.


But basically, the package is not that bad. But what made it great and super special is that it was all a birthday gift to me by AG. A Happy Birthday indeed it was. Thank you to AG for an unforgettable gift.



http://www.dospalmas.com.ph/