Mangenguey Island, Palawan

Last Saturday, we flew from Manila to Busuanga via CebuPac. At the airport, we were picked up by a van driver (arranged by the resort), who took us to SeaDive restaurant, where we met up with Mangenguey's boatman.

It was a 2.5-hour private boat ride to Mangenguey Island. The trip is usually an hour and forty minutes under perfect weather conditions.

This is Mangenguey Island.

Upon setting foot, I could already imagine what I was going to do that afternoon: NOTHING! :P

This was our cottage, located beach-front. It's simple yet thoughtful. The resort is owned by Richard and Helena, and the design and furniture reflect their love for the arts.

The bathroom: roomy and very airy.

We headed to the outdoor dining area for our first meal of the trip.

Here we have: gazpacho, grilled mediterranean veggie sandwich with homemade fries & sea salt, and some mango granita.

PJ had the same sandwich, except his was filled with cheesesteak. I requested for all vegan meals in advance.

They make their own ice cream. Above are the buko pandan and pineapple-mango ice cream that PJ had. Helena cooks everything herself.

At the main house, there's a pool table, some boardgames, an indoor dining area, and lots of couches for socializing before or after mealtime.

On our second day, this was my lunch: penne with portobello mushrooms and greens. PJ had some octopus, which he claims was his best meal during our entire stay.

What to do all day? Eat, Sleep, Swim and Play!

We dug holes/cradles in the sand and lay in them during sunset.

These three photos below were taken during sunrise, sunset, and moonrise.

We took a tour of the second floor of the main house to check out the rooms.

And then headed back down for dinner.

This was my dinner: cabbage & tomato salad, a spanish vegetable dish with chickpeas, squash and eggplant, and for dessert, poached pear with coconut ice cream. The others had seafood pasta paella.

There were only 6 guests at the resort that time, us included.

That's Richard in the middle.

On our second dinner, I had a red beet & carrot salad and a vegan meatloaf dish with pineapple salsa. Dessert was a secret vegan chocolate cake topped with whipped coconut cream!

At breakfast, we are all served some buko...

... right before they bring out the Continental Breakfast spread. Their bread is sooo delicious! I added some fruit and jam on top of mine. They also serve a basket of chocolate croissants and bagels!