There aren’t many finer tributes you can give a hotel than saying, ‘I just spent two hours with the barman inventing a cocktail.’
But so it is here, in the exquisitely bijou, not-exactly-cheap, seriously all-inclusive idyll that is Nay Palad Hideaway, on the near-paradise island of Siargao, in the Philippines.
I’m afraid I can’t tell you the cocktail recipe; I’m keenly hoping to patent it. I can tell you the barman and I decided to name it the ‘Bobbini,’ in honour of the hotel’s owner and presiding genius: Bobby Dekeyser, a one-time pro footballer turned furniture mogul turned expert luxury hotelier (his hotel was recently named the 15th best in the world.)
The ethos of Nay Palad is ’boutique and bespoke.’ Perched on the edge of its own curve of shining blue bay, it consists of just ten swishy thatched bamboo-and-mahogany villas.
There are Enid-Blyton-in-a-daydream treehouses, and vast hardwood beds set in powdery sands beside the surf. Much of the furniture is unique – the hotel was originally conceived as a design showcase. But after a devastating typhoon in 2021, the Dekeyser squad decided: go upmarket.
And so they did. Folded into the pre-paid luxe is properly top-notch food and service. Nay Palad boasts a gifted Thai-German chef (the Mediterranean dishes are especially mmm).
There’s always someone on hand to take you boating, snorkelling, padel-playing, kayaking, sea-fishing, cocktail-inventing, or paddleboarding through serene blue-green mangrove lagoons, just a three-minute stroll from the hotel’s kitchen garden.
Of course, even the loveliest resort needs outside diversions, and it’s here that Nay Palad falters, just a touch.
Sean Thomas visists the seriously all-inclusive idyll that is Nay Palad Hideaway, on the near-paradise island of Siargao, in the Philippines. The bays around Nay Palad hide all manner of enticing islands, inlets and coves
Any season is a good time to visit this safe, quiet, fortunate corner of the glittering Philippine archipelago. The sun shines, reliably, with the odd refreshing tropical shower, like a plunge pool of weather
Anyone with a love of surfing is in for a treat: fifteen minutes down the road, near the friendly, hedonistic backpacker town of General Luna, is a famous surf break called Cloud 9
You can go scuba-diving, but there’s better diving elsewhere in the Philippines. The snorkelling is fine, but not exactly head-spinning.
On the other hand, the bays around Nay Palad hide all manner of enticing islands, inlets and coves. And if you fancy a naked sunset picnic – with that lush, all-included wine – on a private sandbar, that can be arranged. Whatever you prefer, Sir.
Meanwhile, anyone with a love of surfing is in for a treat: fifteen minutes down the road, near the friendly, hedonistic backpacker town of General Luna, is a famous surf break called Cloud 9. It’s so celebrated they hold international tournaments here. But be careful – it can be gnarly.
Nay Palad also works well as part of a wider Philippine tour. A short flight north brings you to the spectacular Samar Natural Park, with its caves, gorges, cataracts, jungles and plunging green rivers – home to the critically endangered Philippine crocodile.
What’s more, most of this is available year-round. Unless you’re unlucky enough to hit a typhoon, any season is a good time to visit this safe, quiet, fortunate corner of the glittering Philippine archipelago. The sun shines, reliably, with the odd refreshing tropical shower, like a plunge pool of weather.
On my last day, reluctant to leave my womb-like, palm-shaded sanctuary, I have a beachside breakfast with a new friend, Jenny.
She looks especially relaxed, even by Nay Palad standards. I ask her why. She says, ‘Oh, I just did yoga in the sea pagoda’ – a pretty, thatched wooden platform, out there in the waves. I ask her what it was like. She thinks for a bit, closes her eyes, then says, ‘Heaven. It was like being in heaven.’
