Palawan SandCastles

Beautiful remote setting. Very comfortable and clean accommodation. Great staff. Great meals & portions. Good communication through email.

Unfortunately the meals were a bit expensive. The property had warned us in advance that this may be the case (remote island, inflation etc). We were glad we had the heads up or may not have brought enough cash.

The rooms are small and basic but nice, bed comfy, and the bath has a nice view.

The prices of food. Prepare yourself. There are no other restaurants around and they charge a fixed 500 php per person for breakfast, 600 php for lunch and 700 php for dinner from a very limited menu (3-4 options with lunch being regurgitated dinner options). What you get is a pretty basic plate of food you'd pay less than half the price for elsewhere. By the time you add this up over a 24 hours period, you may as well have paid for a nicer room at a more expensive hotel where they don't trap you with such an overpriced fixed menu. This is what we'd have done if we had our time again.

Really nice location right on the beach. The bungalows were really cool with their own bathtub with a seaview. There is a possibility to rent kayaks and bikes. Plus, the beer is cheap!

Expensive transfer.

Russ, who was on site, was super helpful but constrained by the overall state of the property which is suffering from a lack of repair. His cooked breakfasts were great as were his specials (note that the property offered expensive set meals but the cooks decided not to come in during the days I was at the property). The (fresh water spring supplied) pool in the room was an unexpected surprise. Pretty much had the whole beach to myself This is on the non-touristy side of the island, pretty remote from anything Links with Dugong Diving Center, though if their boat cannot approach the bay (high swells in December) you have to make your own way to their centre (20 minutes by van or scooter). See further comments below.

Property prices are at a premium however the finishings and furnishings were not! Water pressure in the room was low and sometimes there was NO water. (2 mornings). To empty the spring water tub, the internal plug didnt work (had to use the general tap on the outside of the building). The internet is on a mobile phone network but the incorrect one for the area (SMART does not have great coverage) - Frequent dropouts of internet therefore. I know this as I spent time deciphering the internet connectivity one morning! I came with the idea of doing mountainbiking but all the bikes were rusty (suspension blocked through rust). No available maps as to where any mountainbiking (or walking) could be done in the area. Highly expensive pickup/dropoff rates to the airport (2500 pesos - over 50USD). Expect more if you wish to go to Coron. Tribal Adventures (who also run this property) do offer tours, but this is in Coron, not at this hostel. Dugong Dive Centre (who can do boat pickups from this property) suggested I go to the hotel just down the beach as their scooters were cheaper than here. (they couldnt pick up on the days I was there due to the swell) This hostel is isolated from anywhere else on the island. If you do not have your own means of transport (motorcycle) this may be an issue.

ilove the views, the room and also the badroom a lot !