I was organising a holiday to the Philippines to visit my dad in Manila but also wanted to do some island hopping around Palawan, Bohol and Boracay. My first island stop was Palawan. I wasn’t keen on the hotels the travel agent found for me, so I did my own research and came across the Blue Palawan. I am so glad I did because I was thrilled when my friend and I arrived for our 4 night stay. We were picked up at the airport by the hotel shuttle and given cool towels and ice cold water whilst we were transferred to the Blue Palawan. On arriving we were greeted by the wonderfully, friendly staff and given a complimentary cocktail. I have no idea what the cocktail was, but it was delicious. Check in was quick and we were shown to our villa which was fabulous. Our villa was in a great location with a gorgeous view. It was a lovely size with two double bed, double sinks, double showers and very good air con (which we needed). My only quibble is that a mini fridge would have been ideal to leave bottles of water and snacks inside.

Breakfast was a buffet which I enjoyed each morning and more than filled me up for the day. The pool was a great size for the number of villas there, and on the one day that my friend and I decided to have a lazy day we had the pool to ourselves which was great. The bar staff bring you ice water constantly so there is no reason for you to get dehydrated. Unfortunately I didn’t use any of the water sports equipment which was a shame (hopefully next time). My friend and I also had dinner there most nights and I can highly recommend the lechon kawali!

We had organised a lot of excursions and the reception staff were fantastic at updating us on pick up times and anything else that we needed to be aware of.
We spent our evenings relaxing by the poolside bar listening to the chilled out music and checking out the amazing sunsets.

There are lots of tricycles outside the Blue Palawan to take you into town or the mall at the end of the road. At the end of the 4 nights, reception organised the shuttle to take us back to the airport so we could continue onto our next island - Bohol.

If you do visit Palawan, then I recommend the Honda Bay Island Hopping excursion. That was definitely my favourite trip on that island.

I highly, highly recommend the Blue Palawan. Everyone we met there was fantastic – friendly, welcoming, helpful and so cheerful….and I loved the vibe and the music they played in the bar/restaurant/pool. I need to get that playlist :-)

a great hotel with great helpful staff, Ask for Arvee, she will hook you up with EVERYTHING, the rooms are spacious and big, the view is on a quite beach and i don't think it is good for swimming, but very lovely to just sit and enjoy a cocktail and stare at it, location is not very far from Robinson market, about 7 min ride by tricycle, the restaurant at the hotel is very delicious, i would definitely stay there next time i visit.
and again i would like to thank Arvee for all the help and our trip planning.

I have been to Blue on 4 occasions now and would highly recommend staying there for any trips to Puerta Princesa. It starts with excellent shuttle bus collection service from the airport with cool towels and cold water. 20 minutes later, you are at Reception and given a warm welcome and a refreshing "blue" fruit cocktail. Then the luggage is taken to your room and the team introduce the activities available. The rooms themselves are facing the sea and are well appointed, with nice walk in shower / toilet, double wash basins outside and cable TV, with comfy double bed and good cold aircon! It is worth getting up to see the spectacular sunrises over the bay and perhaps start with a quick dip in the pool or a kayak ride to the Mangrove "tunnel of love" if at high tide. Breakfast is either buffet in high season or a la carte in low season but is delicious in either case. Mango smoothies and fancy coffee are extra but definitely worth it. Depending on your schedule, lunch and dinner are both tasty, healthy portions and good value. The music vibe around the pool area is "chilled" and adds to the holiday feel.

Getting to the Mall (the other end of the road) or into town is easy by trike and Honda Bay (hire a boat for the day and go to either Pandan island for peace or some of the other toured islands for more activity).

The key difference that sets Blue apart from other places though are the staff. Special mention to Diane on reception and Arvee for guest entertainment. The waiting staff are also excellent. Arvee manages the water sports side of things and special requests (such as fantastic beach side or floating on water, candle lit private dining with menu of your choice subject to notice and availability), but Arvee is also just great to chat to and share stories of the wonderful island of Palawan. The island overall has now become my favourite place on earth (even without a golf course!!) - previous location was Dalit Bay, Borneo.

I look forward to making regular trips back to Blue (starting in September!) :)