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HOTEL STYLE
Lagoon View
Ocean View
Languages Spoken
English, Filipino
Property amenities
Free internet
Pool
Free breakfast
Beach
Bicycle rental
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Free airport transportation
Business Center with Internet Access
Public wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Canoeing
Diving
Tennis court
Table tennis
Airport transportation
Shuttle bus service
Meeting rooms
Spa
Massage
Concierge
Non-smoking hotel
Shops
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Air conditioning
Private beach
Desk
Private balcony
Minibar
Refrigerator
Bath / shower
Complimentary toiletries
Room service
Safe
Telephone
Bottled water
Hair dryer
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Location
Arreceffi Island Resort Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island 5300 Philippines
I would say that it’s a must to spend some nights here when visiting Palawan. It’s a lovely place and you can really relax while being here. After a 1h 20 min boat ride you arrive to the island greeted by the staff playing a welcome song for you. The service was excellent all the time as everyone was friendly and helpful. There are lots of things to do for free such as snorkeling, basketball, tennis, pool and table tennis. There are sunbeds both by the pool and on the beach. The water temperature in the sea is soooo nice and there’s a rich maritime life which you can explore by just walking around in the water. They are also arranging free snorkeling tours by a reef just outside the island. The rooms feels pretty old but they are quite clean which is the most important thing for me. There are four rooms in each building, two on the ground floor and two on the upper floor, and we weren’t disturbed at all by any neighbors. The food in the restaurant was good, they served a la carte for lunch and buffet or a la carte for dinner. The prices were OK when considering that you are on a island, they could have charged more as you don’t have much of a choice. One suggestion is to bring some snacks to the island if you like to have something in between the meals. The only negative thing I can think of is that the wifi is very slow so don’t expect to stream anything from here, for example a movie in the evening or anything like that. On the other hand, who needs wifi when being in this paradise? I would warmly recommend a stay and the only regret we have is that we only stayed for 2 nights. We would have wanted to stay 4 nights instead.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hats off to the staff for making our family vacation memorable. This island's a paradise. From the welcome drinks to the free snorkeling activity and the extraordinary firedance, everything was a bliss. I just hope they pay more attention to the towels which are in dire need of changing and the small repairs that need to be done in the bathrooms. The restaurant staff could be more attentive and prompt to the needs of the customers. Overall, this is a good place for families. When booking, please ask for the boat departure time to the island itself. We waited for at least an hour and a half. If your flight back to Manila is still at 4p, you still need to leave the island in the morning. Their boat departures have limited schedules.
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here with 7 friends and we all loved it. It’s a beautiful small island miles from anywhere. (It’s about an hour to the mainland so don’t stay here If you want to visit lots of places on Palawan.) The beaches and views are glorious. Snorkelling first thing on the morning was brilliant. The staff were all friendly, whether they were running the snorkelling, reception, beach or bar and restaurants. And if you’ve come from the UK it was not expensive. Rooms were a bit basic but since we only slept there it didn’t bother us.
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wonderful staff members and GM! Thank you for all your help! Beautiful island! We got here on a day the travel ban in Palawan and Manila got announced. Staff members were extremely helpful with assisting us in figuring out what to do next. Despite being very slow due to new travel restrictions they did their best to run business as usual. Complimentary snorkelling trips available multiple times a day, Kayaking, swimming pool. Food was also very good and reasonably priced. Highly recommend!
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is one of the first times I have traveled without very careful research, much like you my readers are doing now. Ceasing the moment in the last 2 days of a business trip in Manila, we just flew into Puerto Princessa and had to take it from there.
When (*eventually arriving.. I will review the journey at the end so not to take away from this fabulous location) approaching at the wharf at Dos Palmas we could hear the local staff playing some lovely island style drums, making it feel like dreamy island location, that it would soon turn out to be. We were taken to an arrivals area with only our hand luggage and served a welcome drink and shortly shown to our accommodation.
We asked if our room (not knowing what to expect) was on the beach, and were told it was not. We were given directions and wandered along the resort paths looking for the room. To our delight the room turned out to be the most delightful bungalow ..and some pleasant staff were already there waiting with our luggage that have very quickly found its way from the boat.
They are two level bungalows and both had benefits. We were upstairs and that provided us superior water views. Downstairs looked nice to as they could step straight out onto the beach. Both levels seemed equally private. We opened the place up and it was wonderful.. like a dream, a movie. No T.V...you don’t want it. You beaut. If you don’t read books this vacation would be the time to start.
With only two nights here it is clear why you would want to savior even single moment of it. The restaurant was great, and made there own creative cocktails that were so much fun to sample. The food was good, the service typically Filipino....fantastic.
We spend the day relaxing on the open deck huts at the beachfront. We rode bikes around the island and walked some of it. We enjoyed the beautiful pools. You could do snorkeling and activities alike....but we had only a short time and decided to just relax.
*Back to the journey in.. On arrival on the Palawan mainland flying from Manila, it was soon revealed there is really not much to do in Puerto Princessa, and the preference is to spend the time transferring to an island resort; such as Dos Palmas. We had awoken early for a Cebu Pacific flight that had been delayed 90 minutes without warning (or apology!)
We soon learned that the two transfers to the island were 10:00am and 2:00pm ...so that flight delay caused us to miss the morning transfer. We were to miss the whole first day waiting for the afternoon transfer. The boat ride seemed to take forever...although it was under 1.5 hours; it was later revealed we went the long way around because of the sea or wind conditions. Every moment felt like a lifetime as we felt the whole first one of our only two days slipping away. So the sound and sight of those welcome drums were so soothing to a grumpy sore head and ears.
I will come back here, and make sure I have more time. Do try Dos Palmas Palawan, but don’t try to do it on just a weekend, not even a long weekend.. you will need 5 days to a week here to really relax and wind down. Don’t forget to take a look at the terrific photos we took that are attached.
And if this review has been helpful in any way please click my Helpful button so I know that my review is being enjoyed and is useful, as I only take the time to do it to help other travelers, so this is the only way I can know if I really have..
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Date of stay: May 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was a bit nervous upon staying at this resort, but there was nothing for me to worry about whatsoever in the 5 days I that we stayed at Dos Palmas. We stayed at one of their bay cottages and it was quite romantic, and it was fun to see all types of sealife below our cottage both early in the morning and at night. The Guest Counselors we very attentive, and are always making suggestions in making sure that each day is filled with activities. the service was superb! Looking forward to staying again after their renovatoins late in 2004.
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Date of stay: May 2004
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Although the staff at Dos Palmes has all the charm of sorority greeters on pledge night, the owners of this place might want to consider lowering their prices. Filipinos have a bad habit of overcharging for lodging. I would not stay at this place until the $ come down.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On Dec. 4, 2015 I have booked Dos Palmas Island Resort and Spa thru Agoda. I remember booking 2 rooms with 2 extra beds for 2 nights (Dec. 5-7). Since I’ve been a user of Agoda for more than 5 years now I trusted that there won’t be any problems on this booking. I got the booking confirmation which had an error in it as the email only shows random numbers and letters, however due to my confidence with Agoda I did not try to contact and inform them about it. The plan is to stay in Dos Palmas for the first 2 days and leave for Underground River on our last day and just find another hotel in the city so we can maximise the 3 days we have since there is no direct route from Dos Palmas going there.
We’ve reached Palawan in the afternoon due to some delay with Cebu Pacific flight. It states in the booking that there will be a free shuttle from the Airport going to the Wharf (30-40 mins drive) were you have to take a 1.5hrs boat ride to get to Dos Palmas. And since we were late it is understandable that the shuttle already left so we asked the assistance of the people there to help us contact the driver. When we finally got a hold of him, I had the shock of my life when he said that we do not have any booking at all. So we immediately contacted Dos Palmas and clarified that we had booked for Dec.5-7. The lady talking to us over the phone said that our booking is for Dec. 6. I said clearly there has been a mistake it could have been a system error on Agoda’s part. So I asked them to just make a new booking for us so we can settle and rest first then later I’ll contact Agoda. Then Dos Palmas said that they are fully booked. I asked them to pls help us coz we are stranded in Puerto Prinsesa Airport with nowhere to go and that we have children and an infant with us. Maybe help us find another accommodation. They said THEY CAN”T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I then asked if they could help contact Agoda since they’re their partner and since we could not reach them and they told me that it’s their Manila Office who liaises with Agoda. So I asked them if they could contact their Manila Office to help us and this is how they answered me “SORRY THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU.” I asked, “you mean you can’t call your Manila Office?”. They replied, “Yes. Sorry Ma’am WE CAN”T HELP YOU.” then they dropped the call. What kind of hotel doesn’t have means to contact their main office?! And so, we were left in the airport with no idea where to go. Wow! I have always been very meticulous in choosing accommodation whenever I’m travelling with my family. I’ve checked the reviews and blogs etc and most feedbacks regarding Dos Palmas were amazing, but this?.. This is over and beyond an epic fail to provide even the most basics of Customer Service. Luckily, we managed to make a last minute booking in another Hotel at 8pm. So there goes our first day in Puerto Prinsesa, wasted.
We were told previously that Dos Palmas Shuttle will fetch us in the hotel where we are staying so we were waiting for them the following morning. But to our surprise, once again, Microtel informed us that we had to walk out a few kilometres coz Dos Palmas shuttle refuses to go in and fetch us directly. Worried that we will miss the shuttle we got stressed and panicky, good thing Microtel offered to send us to the waiting point so we didn’t had to walk.
When we reached Dos Palmas a guy named K welcomed all the guest and checked our names. He said that I did not have to put the names of the kids and the infant. He then informed us that Dos palmas have POWER AND WATER SUPPLY INTERRUPTION BETWEEN 10-11AM and 4-5PM DAILY.Asked him why it was not stated during the booking and why was it not communicated to us earlier. I told him that it is a big concern for us because we have kids and an infant with us. Just imagine the inconvenience. He just shrugged his head. We asked if we can go to the rooms now, he said that the rooms are not yet ready. So I told him if he could inform us right away so we can have a proper rest, told him that we booked for 2 nights and were supposed to arrive yesterday and gave him the details of what happened, reminding him to help us to settle with their office so we would know what needs to be done. He then said he is sorry and that he will update us right away. The whole day has passed and nobody has contacted us regarding the incident. I thought anyway we’ll just have to adjust and cancel our Dec. 7 accommodation in the city. At around 8-9pm K knocked into our rooms asking for the names and age of the children. I told him why would you disturb us at such a time, when he was the one who told us earlier that we didn’t have to write it down. Since he’s already there I decided to inform him that we are going to the Underground River first thing in the morning and asked to help us reserve seats in the boat. He asked if we took a tour package with them. I said no we did a free and easy. He said there will be CHARGES FOR THE BOAT GOING OUT AND IN of Dos Palmas if that’s the case. I told him why would you charge us when your hotel is in the middle of the ocean, it should be a basic service for all your guest since there is no direct route going to Underground River from the island. And again, why was it not stated in the booking information. He said he will tell the management and waive it for us. I also, asked him for any update and he said he will get back to me, again. Following day we are bound to Underground River yet up to that point nobody has tried to reach us and clarify the incident. So we went off and came back in the afternoon. At around 6pm the Asst. Manager told us that the booking captured by Agoda was only for Dec. 6. So WE HAVE TO CHECK IN AGAIN AND PAY THE WALK IN RATE. At this point I almost had a heart attack. I asked why did they not tell us earlier at least we could have made an alternative plan. Now that there are no more boats going out of the island we won’t have any options but to pay the walk in rate which, mind you, is “Very Expensive!” I told them if they can do anything to help, or if I could talk to the Manager. It should be Agoda and Dos Palmas settling this for us. They said that THE “RESIDENT MANAGER” (Ms. Emee Corro) DOESN”T STAY THERE AND IS NOT AVAILABLE TO TALK TO ME. I said there must be something?! We came to Dos Palmas anticipating a great Holiday but ever since we arrived it has been hell for me and my family due to lack of assistance and coordination from them. They could atleast give us some peace of mind on our last day there. Again, Dos Palmas said “THEY COULDN”T HELP US.”! I asked the Asst. Manager to try to help us, she said she will try and get back to me asap. At 8pm I called them again to ask for any update, the Asst. Manager said they are still waiting for response. 10pm still no news. Oh and btw, they also charge you for Ice, needed it as my son had a nose bleed, they said that their machine is spoiled so they had to buy outside and had to charge customers per bucket. They surely know how to best disappoint you and make you outrageously frustrated. I even asked if they are going to charge me for dipping in the pool hahaaa..
Check out day. I called to check on the status of our case, the Asst. Manager said they can only give a discount on the boat ride. I’m like what? you are charging us for the boat ride? How come this was not communicated to us?! K said that it will be waived, why didn’t he tell us about it? She said they only offer the free boat ride once during check in and check out. That being said, I told her “ didn’t we checked in again yesterday? So by right there should be another free boat ride. And she didn’t answer me back. My Mother in Law who’s been witnessing the stress I had gone through decided to go to the front desk and settle everything without question. She said never mind it’s just money, don’t let it spoil your last day in Palawan.
Indeed up to the last minute of our stay, Dos Palmas have managed to keep me exasperated and the staff together with the management had generously fail to provide solution and extend even a tiny bit of help.
It was never about the money, but the once in a red moon holiday with your whole family suddenly turning to a disaster and realising that the long awaited break from your stressful fast paced life is a nightmare in the making. It is unfortunate that the beauty of this place were overshadowed by their people and their management’s lousy, poor and unacceptable kind of Customer Service.
Surely this is “ NOT” an enchanting retreat from urban living for some fun and relaxation, and certainly “NOT” the quintessential Dos Palmas experience I am looking forward to. I could only wish that this is “NOT” the Company Mission you uphold were you aim to provide a unique blend of warm, island-style hospitality, and quality service from your friendly resort staff. It is beyond doubt that you are committed to make our stay as memorable as possible!!! You are the worst!!! Will never come back again!
Dear Mr. Ivan Lim,
Back in 2002 you said YOU WILL NOT ALLOW TERRORISTS TO RUIN YOUR DREAMS when you re-opened Dos Palmas after the Abduction of some 20 guests by the Abu Sayyaf. How was it that after a few years you have housed them in your own home? I’m sure you and Mr. Henry Lim are very very proud. Thank you very much to your sweet sweet staffs.
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Date of stay: December 2015
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed there for 3 days, . My wife and and I were coming to the end of a wonderful holiday in and around the Philippines ,we were travelling with other friends and familly two of which live and work in Manila,and they recommended this hotel as being "very nice, it will be a treat" ,we just wanted to finish off with a few days in luxury on the beach.
First off all we were asked to arrive at Honda bay dock for 12.00 noon for transfer to the island ,then to be told to wait until 2.00pm,go visit the town in 35 degrees. At the price we were paying to stay,I would expect to be ferried across straight away ,this was not forth coming so we had no choice but to make our own way hiring an alternative boat at £35.00 for the pleasure.It then turned out that there was no way my account would be credited for the ferry .
I expected a lot more for £300.00 incl Tax per night , In the philippines this is very expensive. how do they warrant that price,? I must add first of all the food was very good and the staff charming.which was the saving grace of this place . This hotel is mascarading as something it is not . 1. The hotel was in the middle of re furbishing, not mentioned on booking, It turns out that the rooms on stilts in the water have been taken out of use since 2009!! 2.The eating hall was dark the tables rusting no linen ,very large noisy portable fans all around,mainly to blow all the birds away 3.green tarpauling covering the walk way from the reception . 4.The bar was very tired with a large TV on all day mostly for the staff to watch 5.In the public areas also were two very prominant dart boards a football table and other games ,not the sort of things I would expect to see in this priced hotel 6.I was also very disapointed at the only choice to eat was from a buffet no a la carte restaurant 7.no bar /beverage service around the beach/pool area 8.Sun beds very uncomfortable no sign of mattresses 9.The walk ways around the hotels public areas in desperate need of replacing as most of it was breaking up 10.The advertised lap pool was untiled and deviod of water and on and on I could go . All I wanted to do was treat ourselves . This hotel was shockingly, vastly overpriced for what it actually delivered.My business is in hospitality and in my opinion this hotel should warrant only 3 star at best and half the cost until it can be re-furbished properly and brought back to the standard it would like to portray itself as being.
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Date of stay: February 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Married couple stayed for 5 nights with a friend in another room so we were there for long enought to get to know this place deeply. Im just gonna focus on the bad part as there was good things but bad experiences were too bad and could not give a higher rating that 1/5. 75% of the times when we went to the restaurant the service was so bad i could not just believe it. I cant remember slowest or worst service that i would have experienced those 75% times ever in my life and we are world travellers. Dont wanna waste my time to explain it more as its not my job to make them more efficient and more profitable. Just it was so bad im motivated to post a small review.
Biggest downside was toxic waste in nature all over the forest after you go outside the grounds tourists cant go but we did in very early hours of the morning and noone stopped us so we walked everywhere we could and we saw so much waste and even toxic waste with chemicals still inside that are just thrown into woods that is just......
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Date of stay: November 2017
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Whitestone, United States8 contributions6 helpful votes
I would suggest arriving at Puerto Princessa Airport and going straight to the underground river and staying a night before heading to Dos Palmas. Once you are at Dos Palmas, you will be totally isolated since it's on a private island.
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