Philippines

Amanpulo

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There’s only one way to get to Amanpulo – by private plane. The remote resort (hotel.qantas.com.au/amanpulo) is the sole property on Pamalican Island in the atoll-studded Sulu Sea, a 70-minute flight south of Manila.

With an enduring design by acclaimed Filipino architect Francisco Mañosa, the property has been the epitome of tropical island paradise for almost 30 years. While its 42 luxury beachfront, treetop and hillside casitas are inspired by traditional Filipino bahay kubo (huts), its 18 secluded private villas are you-only-liveonce lavish. With up to four bedrooms, each comes with a personal butler and chef, plus golf buggies (one per bedroom) to whizz around the 85-hectare island.

“The jungle is home to gentle monitor lizards and endemic birds like the tabon,” says general manager Audeline Witjaksono. “And the soft-sand beaches are nesting sites for the hawksbill, olive ridley and green sea turtles.” A resident marine biologist leads sea turtle conservation and coral rehabilitation programs and guests are encouraged to join in.

You can spot baby sharks in the shallows at high tide on Pamalican’s south side or cruise the island’s turquoise waters in a traditional bangka (dugout canoe). Study the stars with Amanpulo’s powerful refractor telescope or from December to March, when conditions are ideal, kitesurf the almost blindingly turquoise lagoon.

On a hilltop in the isle’s north, the spa fuses Asian and Western therapies – a traditional Hilot massage starts with a herbal steam made from local plants before a hot banana leaf is used to locate energy blockages in your body. But it doesn’t take a treatment (or much effort at all) to slow down at Amanpulo. “In its isolation,” says Witjaksono, “it feels as if the island is suspended in time.”