A Luxury Adventure

Prepare for embarkation at Puerto Princessa International Airport on Palawan Island before setting off on your luxury yacht charter.

According to CNN, "Picking a favourite beach in the Philippines is like trying to pick a favourite child", but they still selected Palawan as the home of the country's finest stretches of sand. Palawan lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. More importantly, it’s orbited by 1,700 smaller islets that bob in crystal clear waters. Much of the island’s 2,000km coastline is uninhabited, so there’s always an untouched white sand beach to call your own. On land, thick emerald forests cloak steep mountain ranges. Hardcore adventurers can scale the 1,585m ‘Cleopatra’s Needle’ with an experienced guide and porters. Below ground, crew can lead a kayak trip through the awesome caverns of the St Paul Subterranean River, the world’s second longest underground watercourse.

Welcome to paradise. On the northern tip of Palawan, lies El Nido, a mini archipelago of 45 islets scattered around Bacuit Bay. It’s a place of dazzling white sand beaches, limestone cliffs and coral reefs. Divers can come face to face with over 800 species of fish. Manta ray and Whale Shark swim around the island, as do dugongs and Giant Leatherbacks. Guests can leave the wetsuits at home: the winter sea temperature averages 25c; in summer, it’s 28c. Daredevils may scale the limestone outcrops with a pair of climbing shoes. In-the-know captains of your Philippines yacht charter can GPS the location of El Nido’s ‘secret beach’. It can only be reached by holding one’s breath and swimming under the sea.

Coron Island is utterly Jurassic. The ancestral homeland of the Tagbanwa people is a volcanic tangle of limestone islands and emerald bays. No adjectives can do justice to the scenes below the surface. A geothermal current attracts an aquarium of colourful species, while below the surface volcanic rock foundations form an eerie stage. Indeed, Forbes magazine rates Coron as one the 10 best diving spots in the world. Coron is also world renowned for wreck diving. A dozen Japanese warships, including the mighty Akitsushima, lie broken and buckled in 20m of crystal-clear sea. Another awe-inspiring dive is Cathedral Cave, a grotto that’s illuminated by sunshine streaking through a gap in the arched ceiling.

The vital statistics of this UNESCO World Heritage Site beggar belief. Over 500 species of fish cavort atop 350 species of coral. Perpendicular 100m drop-off dives are scattered over 100,000 hectares of protected Marine Park. The best thing? The Tubbataha Reefs may form the centre of the Philippines’ famed ‘coral triangle’ but they are essentially only accessible by private yacht. Divers should expect psychedelic colours and huge numbers of fish, including lagoon rays, black-tipped reef sharks, guitar sharks, boxfish and scorpion fish. The higher reefs shelter scores of untouched white sand beaches. Guests up for a sea kayak safari followed by a freshly caught lobster barbecue have come to the right place.

The grandeur of the Philippines lies among its 7,000 islands. Over 6,000 of them are accessible only with your own vessel. For a vision of the archipelago, imagine uninhabited coral atolls, coconut groves and virgin white sand: then tell the captain of your charter yacht to set the GPS for Bohol. A unique microclimate has blessed the island with 1,300 perfectly conical hills. They are chocolate brown in the dry season – and emerald green in summer. If you don’t believe us, we’ll take you up in a microlight or helicopter from the tiny airstrip to survey the scene from the air. Other one-off experiences include a kayak expedition to uninhabited ‘Virgin Island’ with its icing sugar sand beach. Or try watching dolphins and migrating whales from the comfort of the bridge. Divers take note: undersea jungles of black coral surround the satellite islands around Bohol.

In 2012, Travel + Leisure magazine awarded Boracay the title of Best Island in the World. We’re inclined to agree. This 9km-long island boasts every key element of paradise: nodding palms, turquoise seas, and powdery white sands. North-easterly breezes mean that mojitos stay cooler longer than anywhere else in the Philippines – and these regular winds render Boracay a mecca for windsurfing and kiteboarding too. Staff can even organise a private tournament at the 18-hole Graham Marsh-designed golf course – Boracay simply has it all. According to Lonely Planet, the island is "an intoxicating mix of sun, sand and nonsobriety". But as island taxis are day-glow three-wheeler scooters, it’s best to limit San Miguel intake to two beers pre-ride.

Prepare for disembarkation of your charter yacht; all transportation and transfers will be organised for you in advance.