A few days after typhoon Odette got us holed up in our hotel in Coron, we finally saw blue skies and the green light from the Philippine Coast Guard to set out on a sea voyage to Culion Island. Returning to the island formerly known as the “Leper Colony” had me revisiting memories of dread when I first found out about its history from a prior visit almost a decade ago.
Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resort: Escapist Sanctuary in Culion | Palawan
Despite its harrowing past, my second visit to Culion gave me another chance at exploring its other side, where a storied heritage remained and bounteous beautiful nature existed. One such place that spread slightly off-the-beaten-path was a luxury getaway called Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resort — situated on an eighteen-hectare Naglayan Island, which was half an hour away by boat from Culion town.
SETIR for Short
Abbreviated as “SETIR”, Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resort covered the tadpole-shaped island with dotted villas stretching out to the azure-colored waters of Busuanga Bay, edged by powdery white sands under a camouflage of its verdant foliage.
SETIR was made up of ninety-nine overwater villas and nine Sikaran villas (otherwise known as the "honeymoon villas") and a sundry set of amenities highlighted by three beaches and a private port.
Other amenities included a fitness gym facing a wonderful view of the ocean, a wellness space called The Sanctuary Spa, Luna Bar, a dive shop, a couple of cafes—Adlaw and the Sun—outdoor themed gardens, a KTV bar, and a few on-island restaurants such as the Mangrove Grill & Bar.
Supernova Villas
I stayed in one of the overwater villas—the duplex type that connected to another villa—which, just like the rest, came with a spacious veranda that opened to spectacular scenery of the sea. Furnished with a wooden theme and a high ceiling, the villa blended ideally just the same as any elevated beach hut would on any random island in the Philippines.
As superb as the overwater villa’s interior was, I might say my favorite spot was sitting on a chair on the balcony, especially during sunrise when the sun rose slightly slant across my line of sight. Fellow travel writer Ferdz Decena, who was an avid bird watcher, even saw a Common Green Shank near his villa.
Bike and Swim
We were supposed to stay at SETIR for a couple of nights. However, since we had to ride out typhoon Odette for a couple of days, our trip to Culion was slashed to a single night, thereby giving us only a full day to explore and enjoy the amenities of Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resort.
I wasted no time—after a power nap—and immediately rented a Japanese bike at the resort’s Dive Shop to explore the other hidden crooks and crannies of the island. Based on my Strava app, circling the whole of Naglayan Island was only a hairline less of five kilometers, perfect for a chill and stop-to-marvel-at-the-scenery kind of ride.
After my brief bike exploration, I hurriedly took a dip into the waters of the main beach and afterward, went to the infinity pool as I waited for sunset.
In between my biking and swimming activities, I also enjoyed a freshly brewed coffee and tiramisu at Adlaw Café.
Beachfront Dinner
Another great thing about SETIR was they were willing to cater to a guest’s mood or preference for banqueting. One could opt to have their dinner at one of the restaurants or have a group beachfront dinner set up over the fine white sands of the island.
A four-course meal to remember filled me up satisfyingly until I retired for the night and woke up to another splendid morning on the island—which unfortunately, was the last for our Coron trip.
Who knows, I might get another chance of coming back to SETIR with a really good reason to stay at one of the resort’s honeymoon (Sikaran) villas.
Travel tip: You could double-book your stay at Sunlight Ecotourism Island Resorts with a chartered flight from their subsidiary Sunlight Air for a complete luxury getaway feel.
