PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES — Approaching the island of Naglayan, a 45-minute boat ride from Coron Palawan, one of our attendants, Mikoy, pointed to the interspersed villas of Sirakan, erected atop stilts over waters that were seemingly lined with crushed aventurine at the bottom.
At a glance, Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resort is a living and breathing postcard both in sight and sound. The island was fringed by sand the color of white daisies and swept by the sea whose shades of green shift throughout the day as its surface is kissed by the sunlight. Who could take their eyes off the iridescent waters? We’ve set foot on paradise’s doorstep.
There were six of us in the bunch that were set for this stay. Since the start of the year, Sunlight has been highlighting its new Salepan villas through media trips and adobo Magazine along with five other media outlets were invited to indulge our senses.
We did not arrive on a sunny day. In fact, it was during the onslaught of Typhoon Enteng when we went to these shores; cruised through bumpy seas with overcast skies and wet from more than a little drizzle. That little trepidation might have dampened our skin but not our spirits. If anything, it added to the effect of the thin haze light that permeated our welcome. The boat docked a stone’s throw away from the pavilion where performers enlivened the afternoon and we went to meet our hosts.
As Mikoy and another attendant drove us to our villa, he took the opportunity to sketch out the resort for us: an 18-hectare sprawl of fertile flora with villas designed to be on the outskirts and closest as possible to the sea. Each villa has an oceanfront balcony where the sky can be observed dawn-to-dark. We passed by the Poolside Patio, Sunlight Fitness, Luna Bar, and they kept light chatter while mentioning the available activities dependent on the guest: biking, snorkeling, diving, kayak, island hop tours and yacht charter.
The tourist trap of Maldives-inspired destinations has become such a cliché it borderlines on gimmickry, but Sunlight puts a premium on hospitality and the surrounding waters that is its thrust. Sequestered places are promising of undisturbed resources and the life-teeming sea surrounding the private island can easily bring you to your knees; Mikoy briefly noted on the speedboat ride how the caduceus was etched on the hills of Cullion. Unspoiled in its beauty — the visible marine life, the thick of the foliage, and the relatively small manmade intervention to make way for the accommodations therefore indicated a resort that is serene in its quiet pleasure.
Come night time, a tablescape with overhead string lights was set by the beach only to be drenched by the rain. We took cover inside Ric’s Place where we feasted on our four-course menu (composed of prawn bisque soup, watermelon salad, dripping coffee tiramisu, and king fish cartoccio for the main) and intimated new acquaintances. Another writer quipped how the private dining concept in the film The Menu could be replicated in the island, sans the murder. We laughed it off and toasted to the warm welcome dinner before meeting the Food & Beverage team of the entire resort juggling 10 food concepts for variety. Later on, we would partake in the menus of Xiang Hotpot and KBBQ, Hikari’s Teppanyaki, and Mangrove’s Filipino food.
A full day was dedicated to the Sunlight’s newest villas. For a resort where luxury is a way of life, a bespoke stay at the Salepan Villas is its allure. These villas, quickly becoming a signature choice for Sunlight’s upscale clientele, are furnished with hard wood interiors and glass bottom floors as the focal point of the sun deck, making it an effective viewing platform not just of the horizon but of the open waters below.
This resort is not for those with modest means. One for the influence mavens and business executives, Salepan peaks its extravagance with the personal butler service, dishes from a private chef, and round-the-clock buggy car transfers. To top that, the villa has a plunge pool and direct access to the sea, a roof deck for day lounging or night sky gazing. No time is wasted unless, of course, you choose to sleep off your vacation. Still, you do not have to go out of your way to enjoy everything.
To while the time, meandering on the esplanade where the Sun Café and Sanctuary Spa are situated is also an option. The sanctuary spa has a menu of treatments and wellness options for unwinding before any more leisurely activities. Not all sunsets are romantic but it’s worth watching from the resort’s many spots for dramatic flair. As it is quite the picture for a destination wedding, perhaps a future visit is on the books.
The perfect vacation may not need to open your balcony to the oceanfront, underwater interactions, and different restaurants, but luckily, Sunlight has all of these and more. While it is the escapist rendezvous from everything that’s everywhere else, Sunlight warrants more than a sneak away. At the resort, life’s pace is slow yet it’s the stay that you’d want to prolong.
On the final day, the sun shone bright to send us home. Much like the star it was named after, Sunlight is incandescent in getting its vision right. The stay was gratifying not just because of the island’s unapologetic and enchanting beauty, but because of the service and the attachment-inducing quality in the air.
What is exceptional is that which is unfamiliar. For most travelers, the flimsy and the rugged are the thrill for any journey and this is clearly not the case for Sunlight. Yet I’ve heard more than once that there’s something about that place akin to a siren song; I know from our encounter that it was the consortium and the sum of all parts that make it so.
Not long after leaving, we found ourselves wistful from the separation from the resort and its indelible impression — a hospitality Cockaigne that has the zest and bite for those who chase a dose of Sunlight.
Bookings at Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resort are inclusive of land and boat transfers from Coron. Click here to book your stay.
