Shifting To Warmer Climates

With half the world’s population having experienced some form of lockdown, there has been endless opportunity to re-evaluate daily life.  One upshot is a surge of interest in overseas property, as people develop a ‘seize the day’ outlook and look to make an isolation-vacation-friendly investment.  El Nido Beach Spa & Resort in the Philippines fits the bill perfectly.

Rick Lee, CEO of El Nido Beach Spa & Resort in Palawan, explains:  “Humanity has been on quite the journey.  While enquiries evaporated during the peak of the pandemic, as lockdowns lift, we’re speaking to more customers who crave a connection with nature, reliable warm weather and, most importantly, open space.  A five-star resort on a far-flung Philippines archipelago province, purpose built to suit a post-pandemic era, feels like the perfect antidote to urban coronavirus house arrest.”

Ready to welcome its first guests in 2022, El Nido Beach Spa & Resort is being constructed to allay any ‘new normal’ investment fears.  Upon arrival, sanitising stations will eliminate 99.9% of germs, and touch points such as key cards, TV remotes and food menus, will be kept to a minimum.  The detached luxury villas and over-water bungalows are well distanced from one another and include full private kitchens to enjoy in-room dining.  All staff will be following strict hygiene protocols.

Mercifully, Palawan was hardly touched by COVID-19 and the locals barely knew of its existence.  One of the most sparsely populated regions in the Philippines, Palawan comprises one main island surrounded by a cluster of 1,700 smaller ones and was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1990.    Affectionately known as the Philippines last ecological frontier, it offers diverse flora and fauna, coral reefs, mangrove, tropical rainforest, powder-white beaches, and turquoise seas peppered with vegetation-clad limestone rock formations.

In fact, Palawan has become something of a media darling.  Scenes from American action-thriller The Bourne Legacy were filmed in Palawan, as were several editions of reality TV show Survivor, including Russia’s current 2020 series.  Famous faces such as Bill Gates, Tom Cruise, Mariah Carey, Naomi Campbell and Robert De Niro are all said to have visited Palawan.  Yet, authorities have been keen to preserve the region’s pristine natural beauty and the floodgates have not been opened to Thailand-style tourist hordes.

On the topic of tourism, 2019 was a year of celebration for the Philippines as it received 8.26 million international visitors - up 15.24% on 2018.  These guests contributed 9.31 billion USD to the economy - up 20.81% on 2018.  The Department of Tourism calls for each visiting individual to be a responsible tourist and help preserve the country’s natural and manmade wonders.  Prior to the pandemic, the Philippines economy had shown similar stratospheric growth, ranking the sixth richest in Southeast Asia by GDP per capita values after Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

El Nido Beach Spa & Resort lies to the north of Palawan and is well-connected geographically thanks to direct 1h 20min AirSWIFT flights from Manila International Airport to the newly-upgraded Lio - El Nido Airport, followed by a short 25min drive on the recently-expanded six-lane highway that is already complete in numerous townships.  The ten-hectare beachfront estate enjoys panoramic tropical ocean views and features, among others, a clubhouse and Spa, swimming pools, two restaurants, three bars, a cable car, helipad and a boat pier.  Phase one comprises 46 one-bedroom and nine two-bedroom luxury villas, and 20 over-water suites - each with their own private plunge pool.  Phase two brings an additional 20 luxury villas.  El Nido Beach Spa & Resort will be built with minimal environment impact and sustainability in mind, and is on schedule to be fully operational by 2022.  As a fully-managed resort, this is a passive investment, with buyers expecting guaranteed rental returns alongside up to four weeks’ free usage each year.

Prices start from 239,000 USD for a one-bedroom villa with staged payments throughout the build.

For further sales information, please contact Marketing Director, Nick Stuart, on nick@elnidobeach.com or telephone 00 63 977 829 1489.