Amanpulo

Amanpulo^[1] is an exclusive island-resort in the Pamalican Island in Palawan, Philippines. It is owned by 7 Seas Resort, Inc.,^[2] a joint venture between the Aboitiz, Soriano and the Aman Resorts group. The resort is majority-owned by the Soriano group and minority-owned by the Aboitiz group and Aman Resorts (the Philippine Constitution does not allow 100% ownership of foreigners on businesses in the Philippines). The name Amanpulo came from Aman which is Sanskrit for peace and pulo means island in Tagalog. The twinning of the two words result in the coining of "Amanpulo" or "peace island" in reference to the tranquil island of Pamalican.

Facilities

• Airstrip

Access to the resort from Manila is through Ninoy Aquino International Airport where private charter airlines operate. The resort however is serviced by Island Aviation of the Soriano group. Private charter airline may however provide flight to the island through its private airstrip.

• Villas and Casitas

The resort has luxurious villas and casitas for visitors, each with its own buggy for hopping on the island.

Popularity

The resort is popularly perceived as an upscale holiday destination exclusively for celebrities, businessmen, and politicians who want total privacy on their vacations. Stars like Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Robert De Niro have reportedly been guests of the resort. Resort management, however, never confirm such reports, though air transport officials would only say that international celebrities and well-known businessmen fly to the private resort without confirming their names.

The resort grabbed media attention when a construction worker died on the barracks of the resort and was flown to Manila without clearance and coordination from authorities.^[3] The resort refused to issue an official statement on the incident. The media frenzy died without a clear picture of what had happened to the victim.

In November 2006, pursuant to Proclamation no. 1179, the resort was declared a Special Tourism Economic Zone by the then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.^[4]

External links

• http://www.amanresorts.com/amanpulo/resort.aspx

References