Nay Palad

THE PHILIPPINES

PERSONALITIES

Island dreamers. Slow travelers. Families seeking barefoot luxury. Lovers of ritual and rhythm. Ocean explorers. Those who find joy in simplicity.

MOMENTS

Sunrise yoga on a quiet stretch of sand. The perfect wave. Children paddling in turquoise lagoons. Family-style meals under palm roofs. Hammocks swaying in the shade. Drums and laughter around a bonfire. Barefoot walks along empty shores. Stars mirrored in the sea at night.

BEST VISITING MONTHS

December to May offers bright skies, calm seas, and the best conditions for island-hopping, snorkeling, and paddleboarding. June to November brings the wet season, when rains fall in bursts and the island turns lush and wild—a quieter time for those seeking solitude and intimacy.

COST

WHY STAY

Nay Palad Hideaway is a sanctuary of barefoot luxury on the island of Siargao, where time slows to the pace of the tides. This intimate resort unfolds like a village, with villas built from wood, palm, and stone, blending seamlessly into the shoreline. Every detail invites guests to let go of schedules and rediscover the rhythm of nature.

Stays here are deeply personal. Villas open to sea breezes and tropical gardens, with private pools and wide decks that blur the line between indoors and out. Days are unscripted, flowing between hammocks, turquoise waters, and shared meals that feel more like family gatherings than formal dining. The design is soulful and unpretentious—woven textures, natural tones, and open spaces that invite togetherness.

Children thrive in this setting: building sandcastles, swimming in warm shallows, and joining cultural activities that connect them to the spirit of the Philippines. For adults, the spa offers restorative treatments, while nights end with storytelling under the stars. Nay Palad is less about luxury as spectacle, more about luxury as belonging.

WHY WANDER

To wander here is to enter a dialogue with land and sea. Paddle across glassy lagoons, snorkel among vibrant reefs, or drift by outrigger to hidden beaches where the only footprints are your own. The island of Siargao is famed for its waves, but beyond surfing lies a gentler magic of mangroves, caves, and tidal pools waiting to be explored.

A day might mean island-hopping to nearby islets like Guyam, Daku, or Naked Island, where picnics unfold under palm trees and children run barefoot across wide-open sands. Kayak through the mangrove forests of Del Carmen, spotting birds and learning the importance of these ecosystems. Or take bicycles along quiet roads, passing villages where life moves in rhythm with the sea.

Each excursion reveals a deeper layer of the Philippines—its warmth, its generosity, its resilience. This is a place where wandering is not just about discovery but about connection: to people, to water, to the island itself.

INDULGE IN

Meals at Nay Palad are a ritual of togetherness. Breakfast is served beneath the palms, with fresh tropical fruits, warm breads, and Filipino specialties cooked to order. Lunch might be grilled fish caught that morning, eaten with toes in the sand, while dinner often transforms into a feast under lanterns, where laughter flows as easily as the wine.

Local ingredients shape every dish—coconut, rice, calamansi, and seafood drawn from nearby waters. The chefs weave tradition with creativity, ensuring every meal carries the taste of the islands. Families gather around long tables, while private dinners by the sea are arranged for those seeking intimacy.

GETTING THERE

Guests arrive via Siargao’s Sayak Airport (IAO), with flights from Manila or Cebu. From the airport, it’s a 30-minute drive to Nay Palad Hideaway, where the journey melts into the island’s easy pace.

WILD INITIATIVES

Nay Palad is deeply rooted in sustainability and community. The resort partners with local villages, supporting education, cultural preservation, and environmental protection. Plastic is avoided, waste is minimized, and much of the food comes from local farms and fisheries.

Through mangrove conservation, reef protection, and community-led programs, Nay Palad nurtures both the environment and the people who call Siargao home. Guests are invited to engage with these initiatives—whether through cultural exchanges, guided nature walks, or simply by embracing a way of travel that gives back as much as it takes.

*Images property of Nay Palad

 The Farm at San Benito

THE PHILIPPINES

THE PERSONALITIES

Wellness seekers. Nature healers. Intentional travelers.

MOMENTS

Morning mist lifting from the gardens. Barefoot walks through dew-soaked grass. Silence between bamboo and birdsong. Warm herbal compresses on tired skin. Peacocks as your neighbours. Sitting under the old, colossal mango trees. Evenings lit by fireflies and candlelight. Coconut shell as your Do Not Disturb Sign. Feeling alive and recharged.  

BEST VISITING MONTHS

The Farm at San Benito sits in the tropical lowlands of Batangas, where warmth and greenery define the year. The most comfortable months are from November to April, when days are dry, bright, and slightly cooler, ideal for outdoor movement, detox programs, and time in nature. May to October brings lush growth and afternoon rains, deepening the landscape’s vitality and offering a quieter, more introspective atmosphere well suited to longer wellness stays and restorative retreat.

COST

WHY STAY

Set at the foothills of Mount Malarayat, just south of Manila, The Farm at San Benito is a premier holistic wellness destination that unfolds across coconut groves, medicinal gardens, and dense tropical foliage. Despite its proximity to the city, the estate feels cocooned by nature, with birds, insects, and layered greenery creating a constant sense of immersion. The land itself is part of the therapy, humid air, living soil, and abundant plant life shaping a slower, more attentive rhythm of being.

Accommodations range from elegant spa villas and garden suites to private pool villas designed for extended stays and deep retreat. Architecture is low and organic, using natural materials, open-air corridors, and generous shade to encourage airflow and calm. Interiors are understated and serene, allowing the surrounding landscape to remain the visual and sensory focus, while privacy and quiet support both solitude and healing.

Wellness is the core language here. Programs blend Eastern and Western practices, medical diagnostics, holistic therapies, and mindful movement, supported by a team of integrative doctors and healers. Treatments draw on plant-based medicine, energy work, hydrotherapy, and therapeutic touch, offering not indulgence but restoration. Founded by Dr. Vicki Belo, the vision was to create a place where preventive care, nature, and consciousness meet, redefining luxury as long-term wellbeing.

WHY WANDER

Within the estate, days can unfold without agenda. Guests move between yoga pavilions, meditation spaces, thermal pools, and shaded garden paths, with time carved out for breathwork, reflection, and rest. The surrounding landscape invites slow walking, forest-like bathing, and moments of stillness that allow the nervous system to recalibrate naturally.

Beyond the property, Batangas offers gentle exploration rather than spectacle. Nearby coffee farms, rural villages, and quiet countryside roads reveal a slower, agricultural Philippines, shaped by volcanic soil and seasonal rhythms. Short excursions can be arranged to Lake Taal viewpoints, where water, crater, and sky create a powerful sense of scale and geological presence.

For those seeking cultural connection, the region’s churches, markets, and local communities offer insight into daily Filipino life. Encounters are unhurried and grounded, complementing the retreat’s philosophy of simplicity, humility, and presence.

INDULGE IN

Cuisine at The Farm at San Benito is plant-based, seasonal, and deeply nourishing. Ingredients are harvested from the estate’s own gardens and nearby farms, prepared to support detox, healing, and sustained energy. Meals are intentional rather than restrictive, vibrant in colour, texture, and flavour, reflecting the belief that food is both medicine and pleasure.

GETTING THERE

The Farm at San Benito is approximately 90 minutes south of Manila. Guests typically fly into Ninoy Aquino International Airport, then transfer by private car through Batangas’ rural landscapes to the estate’s gated entrance.

Wild Initiatives

Sustainability at The Farm is woven into daily operations. Organic farming, waste reduction, water conservation, and plant-based living form the backbone of the estate’s environmental approach. Medicinal gardens preserve traditional knowledge while supporting biodiversity, and wellness education encourages guests to carry regenerative practices beyond their stay.

Through its holistic model, The Farm at San Benito demonstrates how personal healing and ecological responsibility are deeply interconnected, each reinforcing the other in quiet, lasting ways.

*Images property of The Farm at San Benito

Apulit Island Resort

THE PHILIPPINES

PERSONALITIES

Adventurous honeymooners. Snorkeling enthusiasts. Travellers who do not want to be found.

MOMENTS

Limestone cliffs. Turquoise water. Underwater adventure. Remote paradise.

BEST VISITING MONTHS

The dry season is between November and April.

COST

WHY STAY

Apulit Island Resort (part of the El Nido Resort Goup) is an eco-island resort in north-eastern Palawan, known as “The Last Ecological Frontier of the Philippines”. Hidden in the azure Taytay Bay, the resort is surrounded by ancient limestone cliffs, coconut trees and white sand beaches.

There are 50 water villas, combining traditional Filipino architectural with modern design and unobstructed view of Taytay Bay, as well as the surrounding islands.

Watch the seal life below from your private terrace. Get a massage to the sound of the waves. Enjoy the luxury of a private island stay.

WHY WANDER

Palawan is an archipelago of 1,780 islands with the highest bio-diversity in the Philippines. Go diving or snorkeling to discover rich marine sanctuaries or find sunken treasures of Apulit. See the whole island atop the 60-meter limestone cliff. Take a day to explore the surrounding islands. Go kayaking or paddle boarding through Apulit’s caves.

INDULGE IN

Private candle lit beach dinner under the stars. Surf and turf. Mango panna cotta.

GETTING THERE

Fly from Manila to El Nido, Palawan. Upon arrival at Lio airport in El Nido, followed by a 90-minute van transfer to Taytay Wharf, followed by 45-60 minutes boat transfer to the island. The journey will be worth it.

*Images property of El Nido Resorts