Ariara Island
One hundred and twenty-five acres of Palawan, let to one party at a time and to no one else.
Ariara sits in the Calamian group of northern Palawan, between Coron and El Nido, in a stretch of the Philippines that has almost no hotel development at all. The island runs to 125 acres of forest and hill behind 600 metres of beach, with a fringing reef offshore. Nobody lives on it but the guests and the staff — there is no village, no second property, no boat calling in for lunch. Arrival is by light aircraft or helicopter from Manila to Busuanga, then by the island's own motor yacht.
The island belongs to Charles and Carrie McCulloch, who built it as a family retreat and let it when they are not using it. Accommodation is split between beach cottages, jungle villas on stilts and a lodge, designed by the Filipino architect Jorge Yulo in timber and thatch rather than concrete. It is let whole and only whole. A resident island manager, a chef, a PADI instructor and a staff of around thirty come with the island, as does a fleet of boats — a motor yacht, a speedboat, RIBs and a sailing schooner.
The boats are the point. Most private islands give you one island. Ariara gives you a crewed fleet and eighteen hundred uninhabited islands within reach, which turns a stay into a week of expeditions rather than a week on a beach.
Built by owners, not by a brand. The furniture, the reef, the staff and the cooking answer to a family rather than to a standard, and the island reads that way — closer to a very good private house than to a resort with a logo.
Who it is not for
Ariara is wrong for anyone who wants the safety net of a brand: there is no group standard behind it, no loyalty scheme, no second restaurant if the kitchen has an off night. It is wrong for a couple travelling alone, because the whole island is charged whether two people or eighteen occupy it. And it is wrong for guests who need a spa, a gym and a scheduled activities desk — the day here is improvised with the island manager each morning. Those travellers are better served in the Island Resorts.
Sources
- ariaraisland.com — whole-island rental, short and long lets, 125 acres
- privateislandsonline.com — 6–18 guests, 600 m of beach, Calamian Islands
- CONFLICT — theluxeguide.com states 25 guests and 10 bedrooms against 18 guests elsewhere. Inventory unverified; do not publish a guest maximum until the owners confirm.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
Request a proposal