Where have you been all these years Conde Nast Traveler? But thank you for finally taking notice of Palawan’s beaches.
The reputable travel magazine voted Palawan, yes Palawan, this year’s best beach, beating some of Asia’s most pristine sands including the Laem Tong Bay in Thailand which was made famous by the Holywood film The Beach starring Leonardo di Caprio (it ranked only 4th).
Cynthia Rosenfeld did the scouring for Conde Nast Traveler, visiting a total of 12 countries so I read (what an assignment!), and apparently getting pampered by Bertie Lim and his staff in his famous Miniloc Coves at Ten Knots in El Nido. She also noted Amanpulo’s Pamalican Islands which is arguably still Palawan (but of course, even if I haven’t been there and will probably never afford to be). I couldn’t be more swayed by the ratings had the critic took note of Palawan’s beaches that are not necessarily promoted by high end resorts e.g. Coron Island’s Kayangan Lake, San Vicente’s Long Beach or the coralline islets of Busuanga. But no I’m not complaining.
A casualty on the side was, guess what? - Boracay - which until recently has been ranked among the world’s best but was dumped by the author with a dismissing comment: “I saw more trash than seashells.”
Nowhere in Palawan is a similar catastrophe threatening to happen. Palawan is wanting of more visitors and tourism receipt to convince policy makers to do away with destructive industries such as mining and live fish export (which is correlated to coral reef destruction). But the harsh lessons of Boracay is for every island in the Philippines, which wants to develop as a mass tourism destination, to bear in mind.
Here’s Kayangan Lake, Coron Island by Jan Erik Johnsen
