Club Paradise Resort

Upon our arrival on the island, we were offered welcome drinks and  billeted in one of the resort’s rustic non-airconditioned, beachfront cottages.  Made of rattan, bamboo and nipa, it had double beds (plus an extra one for me), a marble bath and a veranda with a bamboo sala set and an enticing  hammock for relaxing.  Our luggage, though, didn’t arrive with our flight as it was bumped off to make way for the bulky dive equipment of some foreign tourists.  We thus had to take a late lunch with just the clothes on our back.  No swimming or snorkeling the rest of the day.  Our luggage arrived late in the afternoon.  My irritation was somewhat diminished by dinnertime.   Crispy lechon (roasted pig) was served at the clubhouse and we didn’t seem to have many rivals as the seemingly health-conscious foreign guests avoided it like the plague (they preferred the seafood). And to cap it all, dessert consisted of some of the sweetest mangoes I have ever tasted.

Our cottage

The exclusive, Class “AAA” Club Paradise Resort, opened in 1986, was expanded in 1990 and now has 26 non-airconditioned  cottages with bath (9 de luxe, 17 standard), 14 airconditioned family cottages and 20 airconditioned apartment-type rooms.  It has a shimmering 700-m. long, powdery white sand beach, a magnificent and colorful coral reef (including large colorful giant clams) and crystal-clear, turquoise water.  It also has a saltwater swimming pool and a spacious clubhouse with a 120-pax, al fresco restaurant (Kanog), 2 bars (Dugong and Jungle Bar), lounge with indoor sport area (pingpong, billiards, darts and board games), video/videoke room, cable TV room, boutique shop, beauty parlor, 24-hour clinic and mini-library.  

Tellie relaxing at our hammock

There is also a jacuzzi, children’s playground, tennis court and a well-equipped dive center.  The resort also offers dive and dive courses,  waterskis, sit-in kayaks, wakeboards, ringo tubes, windsurfing, Hobie Cat sailing, banana boats and snorkeling as well as island hopping, bottom and troll fishing trips, Coron town and island trips and Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary “Safari” tours.  It can accommodate about 150 guests at one time.