Palawan's Private Islands, Compared: Amanpulo, Banwa and El Nido
The Philippines has more than seven thousand islands, and a handful of them are among the most private places to stay anywhere in Asia. Most of the serious ones are in Palawan province, split between the Cuyo islands in the east, where Amanpulo has its own runway, and Bacuit Bay off El Nido in the north, where the limestone karsts are.
These are the properties our Dubai desk compares most often for clients, starting with the question we are asked most: Amanpulo or Banwa?
At a glance: Palawan's private-island resorts
| Resort | Coast | Best for | The feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amanpulo | Pamalican Island · Cuyo | Couples and families who want Aman discretion | Aman calm, own airstrip, white sand all round |
| Banwa Private Island | Banwa · Sulu Sea | Principals who want the whole island | Total buyout, staff brigade, own reef |
| Pangulasian Island — El Nido Resorts | Bacuit Bay · El Nido | Couples who want karsts and sunsets | Polished, west-facing, the bay's front row |
| Lagen Island — El Nido Resorts | Bacuit Bay · El Nido | Families and nature lovers | Forest cove, calm water, wildlife |
| Miniloc Island — El Nido Resorts | Bacuit Bay · El Nido | Snorkellers and character over polish | The original, water cottages, house reef |
Amanpulo Banwa Private Island Pangulasian Island — El Nido Resorts Lagen Island — El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island — El Nido Resorts The verdict Questions
Amanpulo
Amanpulo occupies all of Pamalican, a small coral island in the Cuyo group with its own airstrip. Guests fly in on the resort's aircraft from Manila and land a short buggy ride from their casita.
Choose a beach casita over a treetop one, and the island becomes a private beach with Aman service behind it. The house reef is excellent, and families are looked after properly.
Choose it if: you want a proven, polished resort on an island no one else can reach. Skip it if: you want the whole island to yourself. That's Banwa.
Banwa Private Island
Banwa is not a resort you book a room in. It is an island you take entirely: a handful of beachfront villas, its own reef, a fleet of water toys and a full staff, all for one party.
That makes it the right answer for family offices, milestone celebrations and anyone for whom other guests are the problem. It is one of the most expensive stays in Asia, and it is priced and booked as a whole.
Choose it if: you want exclusive use, a private chef and no one else on the island. Skip it if: you are a couple who would enjoy a little resort life around you.
Pangulasian Island — El Nido Resorts
Pangulasian is the most refined of the El Nido Resorts islands and the only one with a true sunset, on a west-facing island in Bacuit Bay. Canopy and beachfront villas, pool villas, and the group's most polished dining.
The trade against Amanpulo is scenery for seclusion. Here you get the dramatic limestone karsts and private lagoon days by boat, with other islands on the horizon.
Choose it if: the karst landscape and lagoon days are the reason you're going. Skip it if: you want an island entirely on its own.
Amanpulo or Banwa, Cuyo or El Nido: it comes down to the party size and the month. Tell us both.
Ask which resort suits your datesLagen Island — El Nido Resorts
Lagen sits in a forested cove with calm, sheltered water, and the jungle comes right down to the villas. It is the El Nido island we suggest for families and for guests who want hornbills and monitor lizards as much as beach time.
It's quieter and more nature-led than Pangulasian, and pairs well with it on a longer stay.
Choose it if: you want wildlife, sheltered swimming and a slower pace. Skip it if: sunsets over the water matter. Lagen faces the cove.
Miniloc Island — El Nido Resorts
Miniloc is the original El Nido address, set in a karst cove with water cottages and a house reef where fish school under the jetty. It has more character than polish.
The snorkelling straight off the jetty is among the best in the bay, and the Big and Small Lagoons are close by kayak.
Choose it if: you'd trade some polish for the best house reef in El Nido. Skip it if: you want the most luxurious room in the bay. That's Pangulasian.
The verdict, by traveller
Couple wanting complete calm: Amanpulo.
Couple wanting scenery: Pangulasian, with lagoon days in Bacuit Bay.
Family: Amanpulo for polish, or Lagen for nature and calm water.
Whole-island buyout or a milestone: Banwa Private Island.
On ten nights or more we often split Cuyo and El Nido by private aircraft: four nights in each, two very different Palawans.
Questions we get asked
Amanpulo or Banwa Private Island?
Amanpulo is a resort on its own island, with Aman service and other guests. Banwa is an island you take exclusively, for one party with its own staff. Couples and families usually choose Amanpulo. Groups, family offices and milestone events choose Banwa.
What is the best private island resort in the Philippines?
For most couples and families it is Amanpulo, on Pamalican Island in Palawan's Cuyo group. For a complete buyout it is Banwa Private Island. For the karst scenery of El Nido it is Pangulasian Island.
How do you get to Amanpulo from Dubai?
Fly to Manila, about nine hours, then take Amanpulo's own flight to the airstrip on Pamalican Island, a little over an hour. We time the connection so you don't overnight in Manila unless you want to.
When is the best time to visit Palawan's private islands?
December to May is the dry season, with calm seas and the best visibility. June to October brings the south-west monsoon, with more rain and rougher crossings, especially in El Nido.
El Nido or the Cuyo islands?
El Nido has the limestone karsts, lagoons and island-hopping. The Cuyo islands, where Amanpulo is, have flat coral islands, white sand and total seclusion. They suit different trips, and combine well.
For the island beyond the resorts, read our Palawan little black book. For priced itineraries, see our packages from Dubai.