As many of you know, I spent October 2017 traveling around the Philippines, basically doing some island hopping and adventures.
I’m going to start a series of the Philippines stories by introducing our hotel in Sabang, which was the second hotel of our trip. The first one I will introduce later along with some other hotels. Later this year, I will also introduce fabulous Astoria hotels, but let’s not go there just yet.
Arriving at the island of Palawan
So, we arrived to the city of Puerto Princesa late on Tuesday night, 27th September.
We flew from Helsinki, Finland to Bangkok, and from Bangkok to Manila and in Manila it turned out that our flight will be delayed at least 1-2 hrs, which turned out to be the blessing in disguise as we hadn’t even booked our first hotel. We did that only 2 hrs before arriving on the island, i.e. while waiting for our final flight in Manila.
We stayed at Puerto Princesa city for 3 nights, after which we felt we had recovered enough after our 26 hr trip to Palawan island. On our third day, we rented a car for 7 days, Mitsubishi Montero Sport and I have to tell you, boy was I glad I insisted that we rent the biggest SUV available…. (Why? Well, you'll find out later!) and by the way, it was the biggest SUV I’ve ever seen! its roof was at the same height than the top of my head.
I literally had to climb in. That’s the life of someone who is only 161 cm… but hey, it’s no shame to be petite, right?
We found out that there is a Robinson Mal, about 30 min drive away from our first hotel and we decided to go there first. We bought lots of bottled water, sodas, some groceries, clothes, shoes, and even a tea boiler as I drink lots of tea and wanted to make sure that I don’t miss my tea… Finally, we realized that we really need to get going as it was already almost 4 pm and we knew that we’d only have about 2 hrs of daylight.
Living in the moment - carpe diem!
We made decisions on where to next while driving, didn't book anything upfront, decided to travel spontaneously. Our road trip's first destination was decided to be Sabang and from there on, we'd go day by day. We bought local SIM cards so we had wifi’s but not very liable ones, so if you go to the island of Palawan, take it from someone who knows; never count solely on your wifi, always have backpack plan!
On our way!
While moving ahead, I browsed for some hotels. But as you know I have certain standards in that respect and it seemed that there won’t be any hotels meeting my expectations anywhere along the way. We only had about 45 km so we figured, let’s just drive all the way to Sabang and figure it out once we get there.
Little did we know…. The road was so curvy, narrow and had lots of dogs, locals, motorbikes etc. going around that we literally drove 20 km /hr at times. Also, we stopped by at this amazing fishing village on our way, of which I will tell you more later.
Because we had to drive so slowly and carefully, we soon realized that we shall not make it before the sunset. Trust me, that road was challenging enough without that pitch-black darkness that the sunset brought along. I do have to tell you though, the sunset was spectacular, even though we only saw glimpses of it while driving, and it sort of increased our anticipation, if the village of Sabang is going to be anything this, we will love its views.
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| We stopped the car and I jumped out to take this quick shot of the sunset that was almost gone.... |
Finally, about 8.30 pm we arrived at a place that apparently was a village we were supposed to find, namely Sabang. We just then realized that it really is just a very tiny, small village, famous due to the world-renown underground river.
Luckily we finally got our wifi connection back as it was late, we were hungry, tired and eager to just get a place to sleep. When we stepped out of the car, very hot air literally hit our faces, it was extremely humid and about +32 degrees. Whoa, we really were in the tropics!
We only had wifi for the first, say 10 km and again now that we had reached our destination. Which meant, we had no accommodation, just very humid air and darkness surrounding us...
I was worried that we won’t find a hotel as there simply wasn’t many of them and I was basically mentally preparing myself for sleeping in a car, which luckily was big enough for that if necessary.
Oh, finally, Google Maps got updated and it indicated that we are right next to the hotel called Sheridan Beach Resort. According to their booking site, they even had rooms available, YAY!
We do not have to sleep in the car! Funny how any hotel began to feel luxurious at this point!
Our home for the weekend was found!
So we drove to the hotel and I went in to talk to the manager, in order to introduce myself. I never go to hotels like this, unannounced. I always negotiate our partnership well prior to my arrival but I thought, hey why not try, at that point I had nothing to lose.
This hotel certainly looked like a place I would love to introduce you, to my dear followers.
I met with Front Office Manager, Mico, who was surprisingly still working around 9 pm! I specifically remember his name since my son’s name is Miko, what a coincidence!
After a nice chat we got a deal, which meant we got the hotel for the weekend. What a relief it was! Mico told me that the reason he was still at work this late was a very important event that will take place at the Sheridan Beach Resort on Sunday, namely, ASEAN and European Union Free Trade Joint Working Group and workshop. This means that there will be lots of security personnel walking around. Mico wanted me to know this so that I wouldn't worry or wonder the reason for it. Much appreciated, as it turned out to be quite major event, never seen a place that well secured.
Luckily we finally got our wifi connection back as it was late, we were hungry, tired and eager to just get a place to sleep. When we stepped out of the car, very hot air literally hit our faces, it was extremely humid and about +32 degrees. Whoa, we really were in the tropics!
We only had wifi for the first, say 10 km and again now that we had reached our destination. Which meant, we had no accommodation, just very humid air and darkness surrounding us...
I was worried that we won’t find a hotel as there simply wasn’t many of them and I was basically mentally preparing myself for sleeping in a car, which luckily was big enough for that if necessary.
Oh, finally, Google Maps got updated and it indicated that we are right next to the hotel called Sheridan Beach Resort. According to their booking site, they even had rooms available, YAY!
We do not have to sleep in the car! Funny how any hotel began to feel luxurious at this point!
Our home for the weekend was found!
So we drove to the hotel and I went in to talk to the manager, in order to introduce myself. I never go to hotels like this, unannounced. I always negotiate our partnership well prior to my arrival but I thought, hey why not try, at that point I had nothing to lose.
This hotel certainly looked like a place I would love to introduce you, to my dear followers.
I met with Front Office Manager, Mico, who was surprisingly still working around 9 pm! I specifically remember his name since my son’s name is Miko, what a coincidence!
After a nice chat we got a deal, which meant we got the hotel for the weekend. What a relief it was! Mico told me that the reason he was still at work this late was a very important event that will take place at the Sheridan Beach Resort on Sunday, namely, ASEAN and European Union Free Trade Joint Working Group and workshop. This means that there will be lots of security personnel walking around. Mico wanted me to know this so that I wouldn't worry or wonder the reason for it. Much appreciated, as it turned out to be quite major event, never seen a place that well secured.
Check-in
Our check-in was very smooth and effortless. Staff members spoke good English so it was easy to get everything sorted. However, I do have to admit that term gluten-free was somewhat strange to them, but I appreciated the fact that Mico googled it so he knew then and was able to educate the staff.
I took care of our check-in while my partner tried to park our giant SUV to a tiny parking spot... well, finally, all good, managed to park it with a help of one of the staff members.
We got escorted to our room and just then we realized how lovely the hotel area actually was and after a day that felt longer than 3 days together, we felt like we hit the jackpot with it.
One of the staff members brought us our luggage with a trolley (and we had plenty, after all, we were going to travel around for 4 weeks and we weren’t sure if we had an opportunity to wash them etc. so we prepared to pretty much anything).
About the hotel
Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa is nestled between beautiful mountains and blue waters of the West Philippines Sea. This resort is the first green resort in the Philippines, known to champion environmental sustainability in one of the country’s most protected area, Sabang Beach.
The area is surrounded by natural wonders, such as mangrove forests, caves, jungle trails, beaches, coral reefs and of course the famous one of new 7 wonders of nature; the underground river, for which reason so many people come to the area in the first place.
You may find package deals for December here:
Sheridan Beach Resort - December promotions (open here)
Sunsets in this area are well known. Unfortunately, during our stay, it was monsoon season and it was mostly cloudy and even rainy so no sunsets here, but maybe I get back there one day to correct this unfortunate matter.
Our check-in was very smooth and effortless. Staff members spoke good English so it was easy to get everything sorted. However, I do have to admit that term gluten-free was somewhat strange to them, but I appreciated the fact that Mico googled it so he knew then and was able to educate the staff.
I took care of our check-in while my partner tried to park our giant SUV to a tiny parking spot... well, finally, all good, managed to park it with a help of one of the staff members.
We got escorted to our room and just then we realized how lovely the hotel area actually was and after a day that felt longer than 3 days together, we felt like we hit the jackpot with it.
One of the staff members brought us our luggage with a trolley (and we had plenty, after all, we were going to travel around for 4 weeks and we weren’t sure if we had an opportunity to wash them etc. so we prepared to pretty much anything).
About the hotel
Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa is nestled between beautiful mountains and blue waters of the West Philippines Sea. This resort is the first green resort in the Philippines, known to champion environmental sustainability in one of the country’s most protected area, Sabang Beach.
The area is surrounded by natural wonders, such as mangrove forests, caves, jungle trails, beaches, coral reefs and of course the famous one of new 7 wonders of nature; the underground river, for which reason so many people come to the area in the first place.
You may find package deals for December here:
Sheridan Beach Resort - December promotions (open here)
Sunsets in this area are well known. Unfortunately, during our stay, it was monsoon season and it was mostly cloudy and even rainy so no sunsets here, but maybe I get back there one day to correct this unfortunate matter.
We had a long day behind us but we still wanted to explore the area and wander around a bit so we went to check out the beach. We weren’t quite sure what to expect on daylight, but at night time it all looked so fascinating. We could hear the ocean, saw those tall palm trees, hammocks… It literally said: Relax!
ROOM and room types
Our Deluxe room was nice, classic and clean and had everything we needed. It was 30 m2 which was more than enough for us for two days, besides, we needed the room for sleeping, we planned on being outdoors as much as possible. Deluxe rooms are either on the ground floor or on the second floor and provide guests with either pool view or the mountain view.
Our room had all the standard amenities.
We had our own little outdoor patio, adjacent to the pools (well, there was actually one big pool and couple of jacuzzis).
There were A/C, LCD cable TV & DVD player, minibar along with coffee and tea making facilities (yes, I did use my own tea boiler as it was much bigger one). There were complimentary bottled waters for 2. Naturally they had safety deposit box and phone too. In the bathroom there was a shower nook, lovely products for guests’ use, bathrobes & slippers, hair dryer i.e. basically full bathroom amenities.
Superior rooms were pretty much the same, but they garden views on a ground floor and/or the second floor.
Third room type is Palawan and Sabang Suite rooms. The Palawan room is classic and yet contemporary design, with modern amenities, providing privacy to guests. These Palawan suites have views to the garden or to the mountains, whereas Sabang Suites have pool and beach views.
Palawan Suite and Sabang suite rooms have 46 m2, king beds, in bathrooms there are showers and bathtubs and they are located to ground floor and the second floor.
Naturally these rooms are fully-equipped with all modern amenities just like Superior and Deluxe rooms are.
The fourth room type is the Sheridan Suite, which is a grand room elegantly designed, with its own private extension room. This suite offers wonderful view of the beach, swimming pools and mountains of Sabang, this suite of 76 m2 is perfect for VIP guests or for example guests celebrating some special occasion. The suite is naturally equipped with all the same amenities as other rooms. On top of that it has separate sitting room and his and hers bathroom sinks. The suite is on the second floor, which opens a stunning view to South China Sea.
Naturally these rooms are fully-equipped with all modern amenities just like Superior and Deluxe rooms are.
The fourth room type is the Sheridan Suite, which is a grand room elegantly designed, with its own private extension room. This suite offers wonderful view of the beach, swimming pools and mountains of Sabang, this suite of 76 m2 is perfect for VIP guests or for example guests celebrating some special occasion. The suite is naturally equipped with all the same amenities as other rooms. On top of that it has separate sitting room and his and hers bathroom sinks. The suite is on the second floor, which opens a stunning view to South China Sea.
Health & Leisure
Sheridan Nature Spa provides you with an opportunity to pamper yourself based on the holistic concept of health and beauty traditions from Asia, naturally combined with some modern trends.
Spa Village’s architecture is intimate, inspired by local life, blending in with the natural beauty, providing harmony and exotic ambiance. Spa is designed to nurture relaxation and revitalize your soul. Tranquility and serenity are the inspiration behind every treatment.
The more we found out about the spa, the more we regretted not trying it. However, we truly were tired of all the traveling and we just wanted to enjoy good food and that beautiful surroundings. The Spa was open from 10 am until 11 pm.
You may read more about the spa and spa menu here:
Spa Info (click here)
Exploring the area in the daylight
Since we arrived late on Friday night, and checked out on Sunday, it only left us Saturday to enjoy the area.
After our tasteful breakfast we immediately wanted to change to our beach clothes and start exploring the pool area as well as the beach.
The pool area is really nice, well maintained and very peaceful.
Even though the hotel was almost fully booked, there was still more than enough space and sun lounges. Maybe due to weather, or simply because they had built the area with enough space for everyone. By the way, that incredible pool is 340 ft long and is the largest and only on of its kind in Palawan!
Sheridan Nature Spa provides you with an opportunity to pamper yourself based on the holistic concept of health and beauty traditions from Asia, naturally combined with some modern trends.
Spa Village’s architecture is intimate, inspired by local life, blending in with the natural beauty, providing harmony and exotic ambiance. Spa is designed to nurture relaxation and revitalize your soul. Tranquility and serenity are the inspiration behind every treatment.
The more we found out about the spa, the more we regretted not trying it. However, we truly were tired of all the traveling and we just wanted to enjoy good food and that beautiful surroundings. The Spa was open from 10 am until 11 pm.
You may read more about the spa and spa menu here:
Spa Info (click here)
Exploring the area in the daylight
Since we arrived late on Friday night, and checked out on Sunday, it only left us Saturday to enjoy the area.
After our tasteful breakfast we immediately wanted to change to our beach clothes and start exploring the pool area as well as the beach.
The pool area is really nice, well maintained and very peaceful.
Even though the hotel was almost fully booked, there was still more than enough space and sun lounges. Maybe due to weather, or simply because they had built the area with enough space for everyone. By the way, that incredible pool is 340 ft long and is the largest and only on of its kind in Palawan!
It was a cloudy morning, drops of rain coming down already, but we didn’t mind as we really wanted to see it all now that we got there after all that trouble. We even got soaked while walking on the beach as a heavy shower surprised us, but to be honest, it was just fun! I love these little surprises by mother nature, as long as they are harmless and who cares if you get little wet in the tropics, I certainly don't.
We did decide to skip the underground river as we heard that on that particular day boats going in may have to wait in the worst case scenario for hours to get in and to move in along the river. And since we only had that one day there and it was a bit rainy, we decided not to go. I truly hope I get another chance to experience it on day.
We did decide to skip the underground river as we heard that on that particular day boats going in may have to wait in the worst case scenario for hours to get in and to move in along the river. And since we only had that one day there and it was a bit rainy, we decided not to go. I truly hope I get another chance to experience it on day.
I was mesmerized by the beauty of the mountains surrounding the area. Surprisingly they looked most magical on a cloudy day when clouds were so low that they covered tops of the mountains. Lovely, reminded me of the movie Gorillas in the mist.
Sheridan Beach Resort had lots of leisure activities to offer.
Naturally the best of which were, in my opinion, pool area and the beach.
There is also an outdoor gym, which I find interesting. I personally prefer training in warm areas, don't like gyms with freezing A/Cs, so I was happy about that.
Sports and Recreation facilities are on your disposal from 8 am until 5 pm.
They also have Lobby Lounge, open from 8 am until 9 pm.
The beautiful South Sea Restaurant is open from 6 am since that is where the breakfast is served, until 10 pm as that is where you have your tasteful dinner. In connection to said restaurant there’s the Blue Bar open from 6 am until 2 am.
My favorite place was without a doubt the beach, so lovely. It was clean, not too many people around, loved the sunbeds and hammocks, very peaceful.
I could see those local boats transferring people to underground river, watching local children play by the shoreline, and when you turn around, 180 degrees, you can see those majestic mountains behind you. The place really looked unreal. I felt so happy after our long drive to experience it all.
We also celebrated my partner’s 50th birthday there and the pastry chef made the most amazing little cake. Unfortunately, due to our allergies we weren’t able to eat it, but I do have to say, it had been prepared with love and care.
Food was excellent and so was the ambiance during dinner. Our dinner was set by the pool so we had our own space there, which was so nice.
There was a fireball dancing show also nearby the South Sea Restaurant, which we went to watch after our dinner.
Organic farm
Sheridan Beach Resort also has its own organic farm. It's the biggest organic farm in the island of Palawan, and actually the only one that produces black rice. Big part of the resort's food ingredients come from the farm, which really makes meals organic and healthy, which strongly supports the idea of green resort.
Resort's guest can visit the farm, but we skipped it, simply because of the rainy weather and because we needed the rest and also, honestly, ocean is more important for me to see than a farm, if I have to choose and since we only had one whole day, I chose the ocean.
We realized when we were leaving the hotel that we could have visited the farm on our way to the next place, but hey, hopefully, there will a next time, then, farm visit, for sure!
There are also animals on the farm, for example ostriches, haws, turkeys, chickens, roosters, ducks and peacocks, wild bores, dogs and even a hedgehog!
All good things come to an end...
One more night and it was time for our last breakfast, quick walk on the beach, which, of course was sunny now that we were leaving!
...then only think left: packing up and the sad part; checking out.
It was, by the way, of all the hotels I’ve seen, probably the safest place at that moment. Due to that summit that was about to start and the hotel having many VIP guests there, it was easy to tell that security matters were well taken care of. I’ve never seen so many police and security personnel in one hotel, and on top of that they had medics and firefighters also on site. Wonderful arrangements. I’m confident that this beautiful, well maintained resort is also an excellent venue for meetings and conferences as well as a fantastic place for a short or a longer holiday.
I can certainly recommend the hotel, it was probably one of the best, if not the best hotel in the area. Comparing to others I saw, it was the most appealing one. This is not a 5 star luxury hotel, but it is well managed and well maintained 4 star hotel in a beautiful surroundings.
Thank you Mico and the staff for making our short stay so enjoyable! Hope to see you all again one day.
Readers, if you do go to Palawan and want to check out the underground river or just experience local resort with beautiful surroundings then this might just be The place for you!
You may read more about the resort here:
Sheridan Beach Resort - Website (click here to open)
I enjoyed my stay at this lovely resort, and I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post thereof.
Here are some photos of the areas surrounding the hotel. Love & Peace folks! ✌✌
NEXT BLOGS....
Next time I will introduce you to lovely Astoria hotels; Astoria Palawan, Astoria Current and Astoria Boracay.
Then the next blog will tell you more about my adventures around the Philippines….
Until then, smile, enjoy life, live every moment as you never get them back. Cherish life, it’s unique and so are you!
Thank you for reading!
Mia
P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN OUR #TRLT CHAT ON TWITTER ON TUESDAYS!
The beautiful South Sea Restaurant is open from 6 am since that is where the breakfast is served, until 10 pm as that is where you have your tasteful dinner. In connection to said restaurant there’s the Blue Bar open from 6 am until 2 am.
My favorite place was without a doubt the beach, so lovely. It was clean, not too many people around, loved the sunbeds and hammocks, very peaceful.
I could see those local boats transferring people to underground river, watching local children play by the shoreline, and when you turn around, 180 degrees, you can see those majestic mountains behind you. The place really looked unreal. I felt so happy after our long drive to experience it all.
 |
| BEACH ART BY LOCALS (i.e. crabs, check out those holes!) |
There was a fireball dancing show also nearby the South Sea Restaurant, which we went to watch after our dinner.
Organic farm
Sheridan Beach Resort also has its own organic farm. It's the biggest organic farm in the island of Palawan, and actually the only one that produces black rice. Big part of the resort's food ingredients come from the farm, which really makes meals organic and healthy, which strongly supports the idea of green resort.
Resort's guest can visit the farm, but we skipped it, simply because of the rainy weather and because we needed the rest and also, honestly, ocean is more important for me to see than a farm, if I have to choose and since we only had one whole day, I chose the ocean.
We realized when we were leaving the hotel that we could have visited the farm on our way to the next place, but hey, hopefully, there will a next time, then, farm visit, for sure!
There are also animals on the farm, for example ostriches, haws, turkeys, chickens, roosters, ducks and peacocks, wild bores, dogs and even a hedgehog!
All good things come to an end...
One more night and it was time for our last breakfast, quick walk on the beach, which, of course was sunny now that we were leaving!
...then only think left: packing up and the sad part; checking out.
It was, by the way, of all the hotels I’ve seen, probably the safest place at that moment. Due to that summit that was about to start and the hotel having many VIP guests there, it was easy to tell that security matters were well taken care of. I’ve never seen so many police and security personnel in one hotel, and on top of that they had medics and firefighters also on site. Wonderful arrangements. I’m confident that this beautiful, well maintained resort is also an excellent venue for meetings and conferences as well as a fantastic place for a short or a longer holiday.
I can certainly recommend the hotel, it was probably one of the best, if not the best hotel in the area. Comparing to others I saw, it was the most appealing one. This is not a 5 star luxury hotel, but it is well managed and well maintained 4 star hotel in a beautiful surroundings.
Thank you Mico and the staff for making our short stay so enjoyable! Hope to see you all again one day.
Readers, if you do go to Palawan and want to check out the underground river or just experience local resort with beautiful surroundings then this might just be The place for you!
You may read more about the resort here:
Sheridan Beach Resort - Website (click here to open)
I enjoyed my stay at this lovely resort, and I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post thereof.
Here are some photos of the areas surrounding the hotel. Love & Peace folks! ✌✌
💥 THE END 💥
NEXT BLOGS....
Next time I will introduce you to lovely Astoria hotels; Astoria Palawan, Astoria Current and Astoria Boracay.
Then the next blog will tell you more about my adventures around the Philippines….
Until then, smile, enjoy life, live every moment as you never get them back. Cherish life, it’s unique and so are you!
Thank you for reading!
Mia
P.S. DON'T FORGET TO JOIN OUR #TRLT CHAT ON TWITTER ON TUESDAYS!
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