The day was about to end and I was at the far edge of Malaroyroy Island in Palawan. My companions, riding kayaks, wave to me from afar, surprised that I was so far from the main beach of Two Seasons Resort. I was setting up my tripod, changing lens filters and preparing for the coming sunset. I’ve dreamed of photographing the golden hour from this part of Coron during my first visit, and finally, after four years, I was finally given the chance to do so.

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Some hours before found us whooping and hollering as our swanky speedboat romped through the serene blue waters of Coron Bay. We’ve just had our fill of baby back ribs at Santino’s Grill, and it was a miracle no one threw up at all as we raced and bounced our way to Two Seasons Resort Coron.

Not surprisingly, it only took us about half an hour to reach Two Seasons. On my first visit, when the resort was still a skeleton of scaffoldings and what-nots, our boat took more than an hour to land at the nearby Malcapuya Island.

Blue skies, wispy clouds, and burning sunshine—the weather cannot be more perfect as we stepped down the island resort’s wharf.

Hawaiian hulas and plateful of churros welcomed us. While I’m no lover of sweets, this is one treat I don’t shy off. Together with a glass of cold lemonade, it was one of the best churros I’ve ever had. Well okay, not that I’ve tried a lot, but these were really, really good.

And it didn’t end there. After the friendly staff handed everyone a patch of cold face towels to cool us off, our group was herded to Two Season’s Sulu Restaurant. We’re having snacks before work (work?!).

Honestly, I was still full from lunch, but my tummy quickly changed its mind as platefuls of pizzas started to rain upon our tables. We were served, not one, but three kinds of pizzas; Four Cheese (₱650.00), Shrimp (₱650.00) and Mushroom (₱500.00). While everything was excellent, their Shrimp Pizza was clearly the winner for me.

And then it was time to work; work being touring and inspecting the resort.

We started with Two Season’s amazing swimming pool.

The photo speaks for itself, but it is much more awesome in real life. A group of scantily-clad girls, drinks in hand, were wading at the far end where the pool connects to the Bahura Bar. Right in the middle of the pool, a towering hut stands, another bar for the thirsty swimmers.

Like splashing cold water on our warming bodies, we were then herded to the resort’s own chapel.

What’s a chapel doing on an island resort? Similar to Bicol’s Misibis Bay and Batangas’ Pico De Loro which has their own chapels too, Two Seasons is fast becoming one of the most popular wedding places in Palawan. Wedding packages are readily available from their website.

And as is expected with a resort of this class, it has its own gym—one overlooking the sea at that—and a spa. Narra Spa as they call it, it has the complete set of treatments for guests wanting a bit more from the usual island life—Jacuzzi, sauna, massages, facials, body treatments, wraps, scrubs, and baths. You name it and they probably have it.

After checking and deciding we can’t afford their spa prices, we forged ahead with our island tour.

Two Seasons has a total of forty two guest rooms divided into six categories. From the cheapest to the most expensive are their Mountain, Seaview, Hilltop, Beach, Island Tip and Sandbar Bungalows. Rates range from ₱25,000.00 (lean rate) to ₱40,000.00 (peak rate) inclusive of breakfast, round-trip transfers, welcome drinks, and golf cart services.

Ahem, did I just mention the word cheap? A stay at this five-star resort is definitely not cheap.

The Sandbar Bungalow is the best of its class. The suite is located on the tip of Malaroyroy Island, it connects to Bulog Dos Island via sandbar during low tide. It has a king-size bed on its elevated bedroom, a big-ass flat panel TV superimposed over a natural rock wall, a BOSE entertainment system (apologies to Hi-Fi nerds out there), a wooden veranda with its own Jacuzzi overlooking the sea, and its own private cove.

Its toilet and bath is also something else. The room terminates on a floor to ceiling window blocked by a natural rock formation. Its rain showerhead, a 400mm jumbo size, is one of the biggest I’ve seen.

Can you say wow?

Let’s have it in chorus. Wow.

And can you believe we were staying at this room for the night?

Alright, of course that would be unbelievable.

Landing back on earth, we were soon riding on golf carts en route to our relatively more modest rooms, the Mountain Bungalows. While they’re really quite nice on their own; king-sized bed, veranda, sunken bedroom, flatscreen panel TV, en suite toilet and bath—the usual works. But we were all still pining for the Island Tip and Sandbar Bungalows with their own Jacuzzis.

To wash off our envy, we decided to head for a swim. Two Seasons has its own dive center where you can borrow snorkels, fins, and Baywatch buoys, which made me scratch my head as I brought my own—it’s a pain bringing all those with me all the way from Manila.

Malaroyroy Island has a pretty good underwater life, lots of fishes, corals and starfishes. Water clarity was a bit off since it was almost sundown when we went snorkeling.

Two Seasons has a nice stretch of fine white sand beach, perfect for the usual sun-worshipper, but a bane for photographers looking for rocky foregrounds to anchor their photographs. A walk down the western tip of the island reveals a rockier landscape, a good location for a sunset shoot.

Another good place to take photos is at the eastern front of Malaroyroy Island overlooking the Bay of Coron. From here one can see the massive Coron Island on the horizon. It’s a perfect place for a sunrise shoot with its mangroves and rocky shoreline.

Before retiring for the night, our group was treated to a buffet dinner at Two Season’s beach front. We dined on huge crabs, baked mussels, and lobsters while our bare feet played with the sand below.

It was the perfect Coron getaway. The only thing missing really were bottles of Red Horse beer.

Two Seasons Island Resort & Spa ►ROOM RATES
Address: Malaroyroy, Bulalacao Island, Coron, Palawan
Contact Number: (02) 3410-2075 to 80 | (0917) 566-5820
Email: bliss@twoseasonsresorts.com
GPS Coordinates: 11.777765, 120.136167