Snapshots And A Cup of T

Staying overnight at the resort would only mean "Ang yaman mo teh!" (You're rich sister!). But if you don't have the money, you can choose the day tour in the Island Resort. 


Unfortunately there's no D-I-Y (Do it yourself) for this tour since the resort is owned privately. Therefore, if you want to stay at the island, either book for a day tour for P1800 (Filipino Citizen), P2500 (Foreigners), or P1,200 (child - 6-11 y/o) or an overnight stay (Check the Dos Palmas website for rates).


The Honda Bay Tour can offer a 30 minute stay at the island but it would cost P500 for that 30 minutes. It's more practical to choose the day tour because the day tour includes:
• Scheduled roundtrip land and boat transfers (city-resort-city)
• Buffet Lunch
• Use of the following facilities and equipment:
- Children’s playground
- Ocean kayaks
- Snorkeling equipment (mask, snorkel, fins)
- Courts and equipment (tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, beach badminton)
- Recreation center (darts, billiards, table tennis, videoke and mini-library)
- Resort bikes
• Speedboat transfers to nearby snorkeling and sites
• Complimentary coffee and/or hot tea throughout the day
• Welcome drink 
• Service charge and applicable government tax at time of booking


The table below was our itinerary:

Time	What?
5:30am	Breakfast at Puerto Pension + Prepare for Dos Palma Day Tour
6:30am	De Loro Inn Van Transfer to NCCC
7:00am	Pick-up at NCCC for Dos Palmas Tour
7:30am	Arrival at the Sta. Lourdes Wharf  (Honda Bay Boat Terminal)
8:00am	Boat Transfer to Arreceffi Island, Honda Bay
9:00am	Arrival at Areceffi Island + Welcome Drinks + Orientation
9:30am	Kayaking	This is a free time. You can make your own schedule. Reminders: 1. Speedboat goes back and forth to Snorkelling sites on an hourly basis 2. Lunch is only served from  11:00am to 2:00pm. Swimwear, and wet clothes are not allowed inside the restaurant. One must wear dry, decent clothes. 3. Day Tour in Dos Palmas is only up to 3:30pm or else you’ll have no choice but to book an overnight stay there.
11:00am	Snorkelling
12:00pm	Lunch
1:00pm	Biking around the island
1:30pm	Relaxing
4:00pm (supposedly 3:30pm but due to the heavy rain, we were able to depart at 4pm because we waited for the rain to stop)	Departure for Sta. Lourdes Wharf
5:00pm	Arrival at Sta. Lourdes Wharf
5:30pm	Bus Transfer to NCCC
6:00pm	Arrival at NCCC  -END OF DOS PALMAS DAY TOUR-
7:30pm	Dinner at Kalui Restaurant - 369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City. Telephone: 6348.4332580 (Tip: Make a reservation before dining) Website: http://www.kaluirestaurant.com/ Review: *To Follow*

"You guys will be picked up at 6:30 in the morning" - De Loro Front Desk Personnel
"Awww men, that early?" I said to myself
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you need to be up by that time if you want to proceed with the Dos Palmas Day Tour and not put into waste P1,800. But it's worth the effort since the island resort will offer you a nice experiences.
At 6:30am, we were fetched by a De Loro Van. Mr. De Loro Van Driver dropped us at NCCC mall where you'll find the Dos Palmas bus. Before heading to Sabang Wharf, the bus will stop by in other pick up places: The Legend Hotel and Hotel Asturias.
During our trip to Sabang wharf which took 30 minutes or so, the bus was not completely filled by the day tour guests which only means that there are going to be few guests in the island, yay! I have always imagined paradise islands to have very little population and during this day, there's a chance that I'll get to see one paradise!
When we arrived at Sabang Wharf, we transfered to a large motorized boat. According to the Dos Palmas "sailors", the boat travel takes an hour or so because Arreceffi island is second to the farthest island in Honda Bay from the wharf. But I tell you, the boat ride is far from boring: passing through different islands in Honda Bay, the warm breeze, some flying fishes, and the roof deck of the boat will keep you entertained!

View from Dos Palmas Boat Roof Deck

Nearly approaching the island to the point that the Bay cottages are clearly seen, we started hearing some indigenous music. When the boat parked at the entrance of Dos Palmas, there they were, the musicians playing Kulintang (set of gongs) and some indigenous drums. The music they made was a great mood starter. At the reception desk of the resort where another band of musicians played some music, welcome drinks were given. We were also asked to head to the restaurant for a short orientation. We were reminded of some things to take in mind (see reminders in the table above) and we were left on our own.

Dos Palmas Bay Cottage

Welcoming Music

Welcome Drink?

Our Activities in Dos Palmas:

Mangroves

one-seater kayak

2. Snorkeling - Try to bring your own snorkeling equipments with you. If you don't have one, you can borrow the Dos Palmas Snorkelling equipments for free in the sports center. I was able to try using flippers for the first time in Dos Palmas :) For this experience, bring your equipments to the Dos Palmas Entrance. The speed boat leaves on an hourly basis to snorkeling sites.  An hour would be enough for this activity.

Snorkeling The water is a bit cloudy during October. The best time to see clear waters is during the summer time (March-May)

Wearing body board and flippers at the floating cottage (snorkeling site)

Scrumptious meal

Dos Palmas Map