Club Paradise, Coron, Palawan

Have you heard of the term “Boracay of the North”? It is almost a cliché because a lot of resorts or beaches claim that they are the Boracay in the Northern part of the Philippines. So when I heard that Club Paradise is claiming that they have Boracay sand beaches in the island, I disregarded it as another marketing gimmick.

I was wrong!

Club Paradise is a high-end resort on Dimakya Island, Municipality of Coron. The island is part of the Calamian Group of Islands situated at the Northern tip of Palawan. Its biggest asset is its 700m Boracay-like sand beaches and the trapped-in-an-island kind of ambiance. In 2 hours you can already be in Club Paradise — only 60 minutes via Sea Air / Asian Spirit and another 60 minutes land drive plus a boat ride to the island.

It is centrally located near the dive spot areas which includes:
1. the housereef (reef surrounding the island) with its abundant fish life
2. the nearby feeding ground for green turtles and dugong (sea cow) — (yes not only in Donsol and it is more of a cute sea pig for me)
3. the Japanese freighter Kyokuzan Maru, (30 minutes away)
4. and, Apo Reef Natural Park, a world-class diving destination in the western side of Busuanga (about 3 hours)

Also, you can go on a 1 day Coron Tour and Caluit Safari tour. Both would be 2 hours away from Club Paradise. I would also recommend the island hopping tour of:
— Isla Walang Lang-Aw (Island without Trees) — a small sand bar with rocky cliffs on its left side;
— Isla Walang Tao (Island without People) — boasts of many tall, splendid corals; and,
— Diatoy Island — with its bountiful trees and wild flowers.

It has its own wine cellar with 24×7 air-conditioning which you can reserve for a private party with your friends.

Club Paradise is a nature-oriented resort where they are committed to preserve the natural habitat of endemic species. I spotted the Monitor Lizard and the Fruit Bats hanging over our heads.

MONITOR LIZARD (Varanus salvator). Monitors are among the oldest living lizards. Unlike many lizards, the monitor lizard cannot grow its tail back if it is lost. Monitors have forked tongue and they tend to swallow their prey whole, like snakes. They don’t flick out their tongue to threaten instead they use it to locate their food. When they are provoked, they use their powerful tails to whip or lash out their enemies. A unique characteristic of Monitor Lizard is its mobile head attached to its long neck. Its habitat may be aquatic (water) or terrestrial (land). Monitors are good swimmers, they can climb trees and they are scavengers of the land. They eat carrion (decaying food or prey), eggs, crabs, fish, insects, snakes, nestling birds and squirrels. Monitors are carnivorous and will devour anything. (see Club Paradise Fauna)

FRUIT BATS. Bats are the only flying mammals in the world. They roost in trees during daytime hanging upside down because they have feet that are not strong enough to be able to stand. They may hang with their wings wrapped around to protect their bodies, or if it is hot, may use their wings to fan themselves. Fruit Bats are good at flying but they cannot land gracefully. They must crash into bushes or trees to come to a stop, or try to latch onto a branch as they pass by. They are nocturnal, they fly at dusk to search for food and they feed on fruit juices and flower nectars. Fruit Bats are very important because they help in pollination and seed dispersal. They pollinate the plants they visit such as bananas, cashews, avocados, mangoes and almost every tropical night-blooming plant. And then, they disperse the plants’ seeds by chewing the fruit to extract its juice and spitting out the seeds. (see Club Paradise Fauna)

I would recommend that you get the beach front cottages which would costs Php 12,000++ per night (full board, lodging and transfers). There is only a P1,000 peso difference between the beach front ones and the cottages at the back.

The resort has a nice cool bar called Dugong Bar which is known for its signature drink called 7 Shots in 7 seconds. If you finish 7 shots in 7 seconds the drinks are for free. Otherwise, you pay P1,500 for the drinks. I know the secret on how to beat this and let me know if you are interested.

The Negatives about Club Paradise

The pool is a diving pool so it is not really nice for swimming or hanging around with friends. It is ironic that the swimming pool have fresh water while salt water is used in your bathrooms.

There are plenty of tourist specially Koreans. This is not your ideal place if you want to escape to a peaceful and quiet resort.

Club Paradise is worth it specially if you want to travel to Busuanga/ Coron in style.

Club Paradise
Euro-Pacific Resorts Inc.
Regent Building, Malunggay Rd. FTI Complex.
Taguig City, Manila, Philippines.

Mobile: +63 928 9350265
Telephone: +632 838 4956 to 60
www.clubparadisepalawan.com