Flower Island Resort

All I can say is go in early September & you just may chance being the only guests @ the resort with a full complement of staff! I would only give Flower Island Resort a 4.8 rating & ONLY because the bed was too hard. But this was an AWESOME stay!!! True Gilligan’s Island style! Initial communication was a bit slow by email when I messaged them about transportation to the island, but everything went smoothly & as planned. It’s best to arrive @ El Nido Airport (ENI) - we were coming from Manila. They will have someone meet you there & the man was holding a sign that said ‘Flower Island’. We were then taken by van for about a 45min, scenic ride to the Sibaltan Pier. From there you will board a waiting speed boat. You’ll have to walk a few feet thru shallow water, so be prepared for that. The water was very warm!! The guys will carry your luggage to the boat & then to your room once you get on the island. I would highly just recommend a carry on bag & backpack as your only luggage because it’s a lot. The speedboat ride was about 45min - but I think that was because the water was so choppy & the driver had to keep slowing down. It was an amazing ride for us & we did not get wet. And the cost that you’re quoted for the transfers are shared between guests arriving & leaving at the same time as you are - assuming that there are other guests! So my husband & I paid the full price for the round trip transfers since it was only the 2 of us. On the way back, we needed to be dropped off @ Vanilla Beach in El Nido town & Flower Island was happy to arrange 1 van ride for us from the pier & into town. Took about an hour. Thanks!! Our room (11) was perfect besides the hard bed. The bugs were very minimal - just a mosquito or 3. There were peacocks, I think we saw 1 rooster. No cats, dogs or monkeys. There was no lock on our room door, but we felt safe. There was also no safe in our room. The water was warm enough to shower comfortably, but would occasionally go cool & then warm back up. There’s a mosquito net around the bed & the wall unit air conditioner worked well. Most of the staff was pretty reserved - maybe a handful was talkative. I don’t think they’ve really had African Americans @ this resort. Nonetheless, we had an EXCELLENT time!!! There was plenty of food, & drinks @ the bar! We could have GOURMET meals prepared @ any time that we liked! We skipped lunches because the breakfasts were plentiful. It was on day 2 when we began asking for specific meals. They were happy to cook what we asked for!!! Pancakes, scrambled eggs (our 1st breakfast was eggs over easy 😝 & bacon that wasn’t cooked well enough - they didn’t ask @ least how we wanted our eggs, but they were happy to cook the bacon more crispy 😁) Then we asked for lumpia, pancit & chicken adobo 1 night - delicious!!!! They were happy to make it! The fruit with breakfast was plentiful & so dang fresh!! There were no excursions because it was only the 2 of us &

We are just wrapping up a wonderful week at Flower Island Resort and couldn’t be happier. We wanted a peaceful location with a white sand beach, good snorkeling and no crowds - and that’s exactly what Flower Island delivered. The water is so clear and such a beautiful blue that we always spent part of or day just drinking in the sights. There is also a well-stocked bar with an infinity pool and lots of shady spots on the beach to hangout and relax. My wife and I love snorkeling so we were thrilled to have sea turtles and clown fish just steps away from our room. Pro tip: there is a rock jetty on your left as you face the water, it has amazing corals, sea fans, and anemones encrusting it. (If you don’t have your own snorkeling gear, they are happy to lend it to you). But if you want an over-the-top coral reef experience, book an island hopping trip to Malotamban Island (the reef you access off the beach is okay, but after lunch they take you to a mind-blowing reef on the backside of the island). We are huge snorkeling enthusiasts and have been to lots of great reefs, and the one n Malotamban is right up there with Komodo NP and Corron. I would also recommend a trip to Elephant island. It also has a great reef, but a big draw is the sea caves and rock formations that are very similar to those in Corron, but without all the people. I can’t emphasize enough how great it is to have a gorgeous white sand beach all to yourself! Also, the lunch they serve you on the island hopping trips is out of this world! Everything is so delicious and fresh and you’re eating it in the shade of a tree on a deserted beach. There are also several kayaks you can use. We paddle around the island one day, and over to a neighboring island the next day. You should also be sure to walk up to the tower at the top of the island for a 360 degree view of the surrounding islands and stunningly blue water. We booked the stay here because we loved the idea of spending a week on a small island with our adult children, but were a little worried because some people had posted negative comments on TripAdvisor regarding the food. I have no idea what they are talking about - every meal this week has been delicious and varied. Finally, a word on the weather. We are here in mid-March and the weather has been absolutely perfect. Sunny skies, gentle breezes, and no bugs. We would gladly (and probably wii) come back!

We spent 5 nights at this resort which was supposed to be the finale of our Philippines vacation. We arrived via speedboat and received a charming welcome at the beach. The receptionist Vai (sorry if the spelling is wrong) was the perfect hostess during our stay. We booked the Designer Villa (Nr 11) which was very spacious with a fantastic openair bathroom and very clean. But as in all our stays in the Philippines the water heater was temperamental and hot water was very scarce. We went there because of the nice look of the island and its house reef as we are avid snorchelers-and we were not disappointed. The island is very pretty and can be discovered on a path that leads around the island. There is a lighhouse at the peak that is a lovely spot for some sunset viewing. The house reef is quite pretty though not as spectacular as we have seen on other islands but the hotel offers snorcheling tours (Elephant Island is great). We booked a tour to the adjacent pearl farm which I can heavily recommend although it is rather expensive. Our biggest issue with the resort and the reason for our three star rating was the food. The food was served buffet style and selection was very limited (one vegetable dish or salad and 3 meat/fish choices and plain rice) . They promote it as asian kitchen but it leaned heavily into european dishes. The food was not plain bad but taste and execution (no sauces, overcooked meat, lukewarm food) were very unsatisfactory for the steep price tag attached. We prefered the bar with its delicious cocktails and friendly staff. We also tested the SPA. The menue is rather small but the ladies there are very talended. We had two treatments there and the hot stone massage was plain heaven. Summarily we had a very nice vacation there but in our opinion the resort is a bit overpriced as long as they don't fix the food.