FRIENDS IN PARADISE
Imagine having a beautiful island all to yourself and your besties? Pangulasian in El Nido is the ultimate getaway for your squad
FINDING A GROUP of girls that you can call your best friends is a very special thing. I grew up in an international school where my core group of friends have since moved away, to different places around the world. I was the first to move back to Manila after college. I have heard that the group of friends that you make later in life—after college that is, are the ones you will most likely stick with. I have found this to be true for myself.
It’s funny that I met my group of girls, whom I now consider my best friends, while I was living away from Manila, studying in London. I first met Nicole Jacinto at a restaurant in Makati to get to know her before she came to London. I was expecting a young girl whose father was worried about her living alone. The girl who met me turned out to be slightly older than me and already through with college! Nicole and I would meet up regularly when she moved to London. It was nice for me to connect
with Filipinos again after a couple of years being without any Filipino friends. Through Nicole, I met Erin Campos, who similarly moved to London for a post-graduate course. Erin was looking for a place to stay, and as I was living alone in a good-sized Central London apartment, I offered her to let her stay with me while she looked. We ended up getting along so well, Erin never left, and we became roommates and moved to a bigger apartment.
Erin and Nicole often spoke about their other friends, Rosanna Ocampo, who was in Milan working in fashion, and Tanya Moreno, who was working in New York. They always told me that I would get along well with them—Rosanna because of fashion, and Tanya, because we were apparently so similar in the way we talked and gesticulated. Erin, Nicole, and I went on to have many adventures together in London, until I was the first one who eventually came back. This is when I finally met Rosanna at a shoot for the magazine I was working for then. We saw each other at a party and sat together and our friendship has grown to what it is today. I finally met
Tanya at another party when she moved back from New York, and as expected, we completely hit it off.
I have been friends with these girls for close to 10 years now, and although that may not seem long in comparison to others, they have been solid years, the years when we all went through so much. Getting married, having children, and changing careers. We don’t get to see each other as often as we would like, but when we do, every minute is cherished. We were finally able to get a couple of days together to get away to Pangulasian in El Nido, to do nothing else but hang out together.
SkyJet flies to El Nido on a 49-seater plane. Guests to El Nido have access to an exclusive lounge. While appearing a little retro, it places you away from the maddening crowd in Terminal 4. To prepare for the trip, we discussed what alcohol would be brought on the trip. We also purchased extra weight allowance before the trip, at only P400 for 10 kilos, to make way for our rosé, gin, and my Fiji water. This gave each person 20 kilos each! The cost of alcohol on any luxury resort is four times
as expensive, so it’s really best to bring your own. In 50 minutes, we were in El Nido. After a short jeep ride to the jetty and a 30-minute boat ride, we finally arrived on Pangulasian.
We booked the Kalaw villas in Pangulasian— a group of four villas that center around a pool, outdoor lounge area, and the Kalaw sala, which is a dining room with a small kitchen that services it. Since we were five couples in the group, one couple had to take the pool villa next door, with the agreement that all the hanging out would be done at the Kalaw villa. The staff of Pangulasian arranged all the food and drinks that we brought in our dining room, complete with red and white wine glasses and highball glasses.
We arranged for a private boat to take us around El Nido’s beaches and lagoons—this is a must while staying there. We also had a picnic lunch on Entalula island. Pangulasian has no shortage of things to do, and is by far the most private of all the El Nido resorts. While guests at Pangulasian can visit the other resorts and experience them—Miniloc is great for snorkeling, and Lagen boasts dramatic limestone cliffs behind it. No other guests can come to Pangulasian Island, preserving its serenity. The transfer is also the most seamless, as Pangalasian has its own motor boat to take you to the island. Pangulusian has a lot to offer in terms of activities on the island as well. There are free non-motorized sports such as paddle boarding and taking a hobycat. The sea life around the island is amazing as well. The resort offers guided snorkeling and even a chance to see reef sharks.
The food and cocktails have greatly improved in Pangulasian since it first opened. Of course, as with any getaway with your best friends, bringing your own food and pica pica is a must. We each used our 20-kilo allowance to fill our suitcases not only with wine, but with everything from foie gras to Ruffles potato chips. At the end of the trip, there was not a single potato chip to be found.
This was the first of many trips we plan to take together. On this trip, we learned even more about each other than we already knew. Long talks on the beach, bangka, and lounging by the pool are sure to bring out everyone’s true selves. It was the first time in a long time that we all were able to have heart to heart talks, some with tears, a touch of drama, but mostly laughter. Trips like these are hard to come by, but we’ve all promised to take them more often. As we move into another phase of our lives, there is security in knowing that we still all have each other to lean on.