Amanpulo

Amanpulo is the deserted-island fantasy in supreme comfort — an Aman resort on its own island, Pamalican, in the Cuyo Archipelago of northern Palawan, with around 5.5 kilometres of white sand, a seven-kilometre reef and nothing else on it. You arrive by a roughly 70-minute private charter flight from Manila to the resort's own airstrip, and that journey is part of the appeal. Accommodation takes the form of Filipino bahay-kubo dwellings — thatched roofs, pebble-washed walls — as Beach, Treetop and Hillside Casitas, some with private plunge pools and each with its own golf cart, rising to one-to-four-bedroom Villas with private pools, a chef and a butler. Dining moves around the island, from the Clubhouse to barefoot beach barbecues and private salas, much of it island-grown and freshly caught. There is diving and snorkelling on a reef where hawksbill and green turtles nest, a seasonal kite-and-surf centre, sailing and kayaking, and an Aman Spa above the treetops. This is a private-island escape, not a sightseeing base — the most secluded and exclusive address in the Philippines, and a natural pairing with a Manila city night.