Dos Palmas Island Resort & Spa

Sure living outside NYC is great, but sometimes a change is in need. Should I play it safe and go to Maui or take a chance on the exotic Philippines? I wanted to immerse myself in a different culture and life style, Dos Palmas it was. It's not a 5 star Disney resort but it's spacious and clean, no TV so I was able to forget about the world's troubles for a while. I didn't have a computer or cell phone and I didn't miss them either! Outside my window was the horizon where the sea meets the sky. It was September and my family had a meandering pool almost to ourselves. A 5 minute boat ride took us to our own private island for two hours. A picky eater with a sensitive stomach I had no problems with the drinking water or food. The staff was respectful, Filipinos just might be the kindest people alive. A relaxing peace of mind adventure.

Me and my friends just came back from our trip to the Philippines, we stayed in Dos Palmas for 3 nights and 4 days. First of all i want to thank all the personnel in Dos Palmas starting from Lara the sales executive in the Manila office up to the boatman that took us out of the resort to the wharf。 At first I was skeptical to go specially with the news on how dangerous it is to go, Being the sole Filipino who went there its just but natural to fear for the safety of my guests, But the resort personnel gave us the assurance that i needed. The place was very nice and a tranquil place to be at, seeing the clear water and clear sky was indeed relaxing , rooms were clean and comfortable to be in , though some updating is still needed. Unlike other reviews, the food was good. Me and my friends loved the SPA, The night entertainment specially the cultural dance and fire dance for me was the best, it showed the foreign guests a part of my Filipino culture. I will definitely come back and recommend friends to this resort. Once again thank you for your hospitality which we Filipinos are well known for. Great job guys and thank you

First of all I 'd like to thank the staff of Dos Palmas for a very good accommodation. They were all very patient and are very friendly. I was hesitant to go there for some "security" issues at Palawan. But I never once felt any form of threat as I saw how tightly they monitor who goes into the island and "other" things I don't think I can disclose here. I understand the rigidity of the boat rides it's only a minor inconvenience. It's up to you to plan your day in advance. Regarding their office at NCCC it's was fairly alright. If you get bored waiting you can always go to the mall. Palawan surprisingly has a Korean grocery store! They did offer other locations for pick up but to prevent any delays they do encourage us to stay at NCCC. I would like to suggest though more activities in the area aside from island hop, diving and snorkeling. Also, is it possible to add another schedule for the island hopping since you only have one and we actually missed it since it rained that day and we were leaving the following day. :( With regards to the brownouts outs, it didn't really bother us that much since we were out at the pool "warming off" hahahaha... I mean what's the point of going to a vacation if you spend most of it inside your room????? I'd like to commend the staff for always keeping us entertained at night... I saw alot of foreigners enjoying our native dances like the tinikling. My husband learned that the staff learned the moves from youtube hahahaha Amazing! good job guys! My kids love your fire dance! Food was alright though I would like to see more variants and more Filipino dishes. But pricing was reasonable. So again thank you for your hospitality. Hope we can go back there at a very near future! :)

My partner and I had an excellent time at Dos Palmas. The island itself is beautiful plus the staff were brilliant. This review might sound crazy as there would be negatives, but believe me.. once you set foot on the island, everything will be as positive as it can get. (Unless you're a sourpuss and/or a highly demanding person) We booked for a 4-nights stay and were to catch the last boat ride to the Island which was at 4pm sharp. All seemed to be fine as our flight was scheduled to land at Puerto Princesa Airport at 3pm and it's only a 30-45 minutes drive from the airport to the wharf where you catch the boat. Unfortunately our flight was delayed an hour and made us miss our boat. Left with no choice, Dos Palmas organised a room for us to spend the night and to go the the island first thing in the morning instead. We stayed at Aziza Hotel which was in the heart of Puerto Princesa city and just a few minutes away from the airport. Despite of being upset, we both just enjoyed our time there and even went out to Robinson's mall for a little shopping. The next morning, as promised we were picked up from Aziza to go the wharf then the island. It's about an hour boat ride to get to the island. Then finally we were at Dos Palmas! The white sand beach, the coconut trees, the fresh breeze and walking on the jetty to be welcomed by the staff. What an amazing feeling! They give you a refreshing juice punch upon arrival then straight to orientation you go. After the orientation, you will be asked to pick your luggage up from their luggage area which is near the beach villas. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you have quite a few to pick up, the staff will be more than happy to give you a hand. We were at X02 which is one of their Executive Villas. They only have a few Executive Villas which CAN NOT be reserved online. You have to call or email them directly to book one and it's an extra PHP 2,000 per night to be upgraded to these rooms. An Executive Villa is double the size of a Beach Villa and additionally comes with a TV, DVD player, a lounge room, a big walk-in closet and a nice tub which was lovely as it gives a homey feel to your room. It is true that the furniture and the decor are a little dated, but hey, you're in an island, maybe it is their way to suit their island theme. The air-conditioners really have to be replaced though as they are very noisy and very old. A little bit of renovation towards the bathroom and a few more decorations in the room would not hurt. Management should really look into these things as it would definitely help the resort build/sustain their reputation. IMPORTANT: the whole island shuts down (no electricity) twice daily. One at 10am-11am and the other at 4pm-5pm. Which is fair enough as the island runs on generators. And yes generators need to rest unless you want them to overheat, explode and kill possibly everyone on the island. So.. on shut down hours.. You can go for a nice swim, ride the bicycles around the island, play basketball, play pool, get your nails done or just relax and sunbathe. Restaurant was ok, food was ok. Service was incredible. Could be better with the decorations and with the buffet. They have dinner shows during weekends, where staff perform with fascinating dance numbers (fire dance and native dance) to entertain you whilst you eat. Hands down to Bernz, the bartender. Awesome fruit shakes and cocktails. He was very friendly, polite, well-mannered and professional. He made our stay extra-ordinary. Spa was excellent, thank you Abby. I enjoyed your company, our conversation and mostly the spa experience. Truly relaxing and uplifting. The island resort also offers complimentary boat transfers to this beautiful sand bar where you can really enjoy a nice swim in the open waters and it's perfect for photo shoots. Try scuba driving too! Thanks heaps to Victor who accompanied us. It was a lot of fun. Overall, our stay in Dos Palmas was exceptional and was just what we needed. Would be more than happy to come back.

Dos palmas has been a great name for decades and I was excited that finally I get to see this place. First off... to get here from Manila is a 1hr - 1.5hr plane ride. Once you get there, you have to take a 30 minute land trip to the Honda Bay Wharf and take a 1 hr 15 minute boat ride. I was kinda not impressed when i saw it. Here are my comments: - Their boat schedule to and fro are limited. They do not sync with plane schedule. Since we booked the 645 which landed in Puerto Princesa at 8am, they had to make us wait in their office until 10am. It was a plain office that was not fit to accommodate guest. No coffee was served, nor wet towels nor water. Their staff were also not trained to take care of guests. - The room was spacious but already pretty old. The toilets don't even have bidet. - Hot water took while in the bathroom. - No internet in rooms. - There is a power out 2x a day where they turn off their generators at 10-11am and 4-5pm. During this time, there is no cellphone signal, no electricity and no water (including flushing of toilets). - Going home, our flight was at 330pm. We had no choice but to leave 9am because the next boat was 130 which was too late for the 330pm. Knowing there is an event, they should have added more boat trips. I think it is inconsiderate of them to make us wait again in their office or in the airport for 4 hours instead of maximizing our time in their resort. - Beaches are not well maintained. It is no cleaned of natural trashes so I can't say its 100% safe for kids. - With all these, teach your staff to respond to guest complaints. They do not flex at all, like the boat trip. As if 9am was not early enough, they now want us to board at 845 and began to pester us at 840am. Plus: - Since we were too early for the airport, their driver offered to take us to the souvenir shop. - Food was great! We enjoyed it. - Price was reasonable...

Just returned from Dos Palmas. The staff are wonderful! Couldn't do enough for we two old people. The island is picture perfect! The breakfasts were wonderful! The rest of the food needs to be chosen with care! Avoid the pizzas and the curries at all costs. The lovely big rooms need serious refurbishment. The curtains were hanging off the rods, the French Doors needed Hercules to open them and I tripped over a piece of skirting board that stuck up about 6 cms in front of the verandah doors. The wash basin had no plug See picture 2 I used a hairspray can to seal the drain pipe, and the toilet paper holder fell down from the wall whenever it was used see picture 1. The showers were lovely and hot! The actual organisation was fantastic - such efficient handling of passengers on and off the boat and all done with commendable courtesy. Our last night's entertainment was fantastic - Philippino Dancing and a breath taking fire dance. We loved our time at Dos Palmos but two or three nights is enough as there isn't a lot to do.

My best friend and I stayed at Dos Palmas for 2 nights, and we had an excellent time! The staff was very helpful and went above and beyond for our needs. Buffet breakfast was the best! So many options and a great way to start the day. Dinner buffet was great too especially with the live entertainment. The island itself is surrounded by beautiful water and landscapes. Splurge on the private tour boat for island hopping. It's nice to see the islands on your own time instead of going in a large group. Also, the private island 10 minutes away from Dos Palmas is worth seeing. The Spa was great too--body scrubs were worth it! Just be aware of the travel time to and from the wharf. There are only a few trips a day so time accordingly with your flight. Internet isn't very good. Invest in a SIM card with unlimited internet. Lastly, people who complain here are really ridiculous. For the money you're paying, this place is worth it and then some. Don't expect the Four seasons when you're only paying $125-$150/night.

Spent two nights on this island resort with mon amore. It's a perfectly secluded island roughly two hours away from the mainland. We had a bumpy boat ride as the waves were really strong that day. But it was all worth it once we set foot on the fine sands of the beach. Everything was so perfect! It's like being cast away. We had our very own villa which consisted of a bed and table and chairs. No TV, no wifi. Just the basics. The idea is to enjoy the island which we did so perfectly. We spent our mornings walking around, watching the sunrise, feeling the ocean breeze on our faces, holding hands, kissing. This place is so wonderful that romance comes naturally.

The island is beautiful, the sea is clear, the staff are brilliant, (especially Jimbo and Manni in the scuba centre), there's evening entertainment and table tennis and pool.. But...don't expect a high standard in the rooms- they are clean but not well maintained-request a room in A01-8 or X01-8, they have the best views and the floors have been tiled.