"Our vacation in your island was one of the most memorable we had... we will definitely come back soon!"
Del, 03/04/2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Featured Testimonial of the Week
Del, 03/04/2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Media Features the Click to Save Facebook Contest
Arena Island's Click to Save Facebook Contest was recently featured by major newspapers and reputable blog sites last week. This is to promote the island's Facebook page and advocacy regarding the conservation and protection of the endangered pawikans. Participants will have to change their profile/display pictures into one of the bookmarks containing messages regarding the conservation of pawikans and register by filling out an online form. For more information, http://arenaisland.blogspot.com/2012/03/click-to-save-contest-mechanics.html.
In line with this, the contest winner who will be drawn on June 1, 2012 will get an all-expense paid trip to Arena Island for 2, inclusive of the airfare.
Some of the blog sites are:
http://orangemagazinetv.com/2012/arena-island-palawan-support-pawikan-conservation-campaign/#comment-7680
http://neilisawanderingsoul.blogspot.com/2012/04/saving-turtles-in-palawan.html
http://thewebmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/04/palawans-arena-island-launches-click-to.html
In line with this, the contest winner who will be drawn on June 1, 2012 will get an all-expense paid trip to Arena Island for 2, inclusive of the airfare.
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| Arena Island featured in Business Mirror, The Regions, p.B2-2, April 19,2012 |
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| Arena Island Featured in Philippine Star, Agriculture-Environment, p. B2, April 22, 2012 |
http://orangemagazinetv.com/2012/arena-island-palawan-support-pawikan-conservation-campaign/#comment-7680
http://neilisawanderingsoul.blogspot.com/2012/04/saving-turtles-in-palawan.html
http://thewebmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/04/palawans-arena-island-launches-click-to.html
Friday, April 20, 2012
Catch a Falling Star in Arena Island: Lyrids
When was the last time that you saw a shooting star? Or ever wished upon a falling star?
Here at Arena island, one of the activities that we have is stargazing. With our telescope ready for set-up, we let the guests take advantage of the star-filled sky and learn the basics of astronomy through our friendly staff.
In line with this, tomorrow, April 21-22, the sky will be filled with a lot of meteors or shooting stars as we know it, because of the Lyrids Meteor Shower. Guests tomorrow will be able to enjoy this astronomical event by the beach and if all goes well, according to www.earthsky.org:
Lyrids was named after the constellation Lyra, the Harp from which most likely, the meteors will occur.
In order for you to observe these meteor shower, all you have to do is find a dark spot (less light pollution, the better), lie on the ground and try to find Vega, the Alpha Star (brightest star) of the constellation Lyra. It would be better if you can download a star map which contains the sky for the night so that while waiting for the meteors, you can identify other visible constellations too in the sky!
Happy wishing!
For more information regarding the meteor shower, http://earthsky.org/tonight/close-up-on-constellation-lyra-the-harp
For other activities in Arena Island, http://arenaisland.blogspot.com/p/isla-experience-activities-amenities.html
Here at Arena island, one of the activities that we have is stargazing. With our telescope ready for set-up, we let the guests take advantage of the star-filled sky and learn the basics of astronomy through our friendly staff.
In line with this, tomorrow, April 21-22, the sky will be filled with a lot of meteors or shooting stars as we know it, because of the Lyrids Meteor Shower. Guests tomorrow will be able to enjoy this astronomical event by the beach and if all goes well, according to www.earthsky.org:
Tonight presents another good night for the 2012 Lyrid meteor shower, from late night Saturday (April 21) until dawn Sunday (April 22). Usually, the hour before dawn is best, regardless of time zone. The Lyrids are generally a modest shower, offering perhaps 10 to 20 meteors per hour. But with no moon to ruin the show, 2012 is the time to watch the Lyrids.
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| Lyra the Harp Constellation Photo credit: EarthSky.org |
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| Photo credit; beyondpluto.net |
Lyrids was named after the constellation Lyra, the Harp from which most likely, the meteors will occur.
In order for you to observe these meteor shower, all you have to do is find a dark spot (less light pollution, the better), lie on the ground and try to find Vega, the Alpha Star (brightest star) of the constellation Lyra. It would be better if you can download a star map which contains the sky for the night so that while waiting for the meteors, you can identify other visible constellations too in the sky!
Happy wishing!
For more information regarding the meteor shower, http://earthsky.org/tonight/close-up-on-constellation-lyra-the-harp
For other activities in Arena Island, http://arenaisland.blogspot.com/p/isla-experience-activities-amenities.html
Monday, April 16, 2012
Featured Testimonial of the Week
"This is how a vacation to the beach should be like. Really back to basics and back to nature. You don't even need to bother with the air-conditioning and the other room amenities since the beach air is perfect. My kids had the greatest time with the pawikans and other animals that they were able to survive a week without TV or computer games, which is very hard for them to live without. They were even teary eyed when we left. The staff was very accommodating and catered to our every needs. We will definitely come back but hopefully we could bring our friends as well."
-Mon, 01/31/2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Earth Hour at Arena Island
An hour sacrifice is not bad at all when the whole world started to put off its lights last March 31, 8:30-9:30 in the evening in line with the celebration of the Earth Hour.
Arena Island, an eco-tourism destination which greatly advocates for environmental awareness, protection and conservation, participated in this global event. Spearheaded by Mr. Fuji Rodriguez, owner of the island, along with the staff, they turned off the lights in the island and lighted candles instead.
The nice thing about it is that there were guests in the island who were enthusiastic to participate in this event too. This couple, Andy and Cynthia, joined the island in lighting candles. Arena Island prepared a candlelit dinner set-up in their casita, where they enjoyed a sumptuous dinner under the stars. According to Cynthia, "We all totally enjoyed our stay in your beautiful Arena Island.". This couple were with their family during their stay in the casitas, the premier accommodation in the island.
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| The friendly staff of Arena Island in participation of the Earth Hour |
Arena Island, an eco-tourism destination which greatly advocates for environmental awareness, protection and conservation, participated in this global event. Spearheaded by Mr. Fuji Rodriguez, owner of the island, along with the staff, they turned off the lights in the island and lighted candles instead.
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| Guests holding candles in their casita's veranda. |
The nice thing about it is that there were guests in the island who were enthusiastic to participate in this event too. This couple, Andy and Cynthia, joined the island in lighting candles. Arena Island prepared a candlelit dinner set-up in their casita, where they enjoyed a sumptuous dinner under the stars. According to Cynthia, "We all totally enjoyed our stay in your beautiful Arena Island.". This couple were with their family during their stay in the casitas, the premier accommodation in the island.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Why the Philippines is the fun capital of Asia (an excerpt) by Wilson Lee Flores (Philippine Star)
"Why is it more fun in the Philippines? I can think of over 1,001
reasons why the people and isles here are great fun, but due to limited
space of a newspaper column, here are just seven:
1. Unlike Malaysia, we are not only truly Asia in the Philippines, we’re very Asian as well as Latin! Our culture is a great tourist attraction. The Philippines is the only former Spanish colony in Asia for 333 years, thus we’re actually a unique “Latin-Asian” nation in the same way Argentina, or Venezuela are referred to as Latin-American nations.
By the way, Instituto Cervantes estimated that 25 percent of Tagalog words originated from the Spanish language. I hope government cleans up, re-develops and takes care of our unique former Spanish citadel Intramuros.
2. We’re the only former United States of America colony not only in Asia, but in the world, so that adds another totally unique and Hollywood twist to our culture and mores. English is our great asset in tourism, so I urge P-Noy to promote better English language education nationwide the way his nemesis GMA did during her term. We speak and still write the best English in Asia, that’s why we’re now ahead of India in call centers and BPOs, though India has over 10 times our population size! I sometimes bring foreign guests to the serene American military cemetery in the Fort Bonifacio area since it’s the largest of its kind in the world outside the US and has historic World War II naval battle map murals. Tourist spots Subic and Clark used to be the world’s biggest American naval and air force bases outside the US, too.
Patriots like the late historian Renato Constantino and Senator Claro
M. Recto rightly lamented that many of our politicos often slavishly
think and act like we’re the 51st state of the US, but I think our US
cultural link is definitely a good tourist attraction!
3. The Chinese cultural and other elements of Philippine life are important tourist attractions too and our Chinese community can hopefully help woo the world’s fastest-growing market of affluent China tourists to vacation here the way they now flock to Paris, London, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, Taipei, Macau and other places. Paging Mayor Alfredo Lim, please clean up Manila’s Chinatown as well as the Ermita, Malate, etc.
Although we have the smallest ethnic Chinese minority in Southeast Asia here in the Philippines in terms of our proportion to the national population — no more than two percent — we’ve been a vibrant part of the Filipino nation for over 1,000 years.
During the time of GMA, I suggested to civic leader Dante Go that he lobby for government to declare the annual Chinese lunar new year (this year it falls on Jan. 23, the auspicious “Year of the Dragon”) a holiday like the rest of Asia. Go got GMA to declare it a non-working holiday.
Thanks to Chinese mestizo P-Noy for being the first Philippine president to declare Chinese New Year a non-working holiday this year, this is a big morale boost to our ethnic Chinese minority that we’re accepted as part of the multi-cultural Filipino nation and hopefully it promotes more tourists, too.
4. The Philippines is the biggest and I believe also the most fervent Catholic nation in Asia, with Filipino Catholics actually more religious or pious than even our former colonizers in Spain! Just witness our colorful and amazing religious festivals called fiestas and traditions such as the awesome feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila’s Quiapo district.
5. Music is probably the best in the Philippines here in Asia. Everywhere I have travelled all over Asia, from the luxury hotels of Shanghai, Beijing to South Korea or Japan to their night places, I’ve seen and delightfully heard so many Filipino bands or singers performing.
I urge the government to invest more in the Cultural Center of the Philippines and other institutions to host bigger and grander musicals, concerts so that our Lea Salongas can perform here for the world instead of going to Broadway?
One place in Metro Manila tourists should see and hear is the historic and sublime Bamboo Organ Church of Las Piñas City near our airports.
6. Medical tourism is one field where the Philippines should be ahead, aside from the Dr. Vicki Belo-type cosmetic surgery tourism. Ex-First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos was right when she built and grandiosely named the Philippine Heart Center For Asia that way, because we have excellent doctors like my older cousin Dr. Dy Bun Yok who did a heart procedure on then-political prisoner Ninoy Aquino before the latter was allowed to fly to the US.
My older nephew’s Dr. Smile Clinic head Dr. Joseph Dy Lim, a former dental college dean of Lucio Tan’s University of the East and now Henry Sy’s National University dental college dean, said we have great dentists and dental education here in the Philippines. He showed me many Iranian and other foreign students studying dentistry here. But more than good doctors and dentists, the whole world recognizes and in fact employs our friendly and good-service nurses as well as caregivers!
7. More than our fantastic beaches, isles and huge festive malls, the Philippine sub-tropical climate is one competitive advantage that SM/BDO founder Henry Sy told me was a big plus for our tourism. Sy pointed out that summers in Thailand are too hot compared to ours here. Our climate here is fantastic, never too cold or too hot. Is that also one reason we are reputed to be among the happiest and sunny nations on earth?"
Taken from: Will Soon Flourish Column by Wilson Lee Flores, Philippine Star
To read the whole article http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=765967&publicationSubCategoryId=86
1. Unlike Malaysia, we are not only truly Asia in the Philippines, we’re very Asian as well as Latin! Our culture is a great tourist attraction. The Philippines is the only former Spanish colony in Asia for 333 years, thus we’re actually a unique “Latin-Asian” nation in the same way Argentina, or Venezuela are referred to as Latin-American nations.
By the way, Instituto Cervantes estimated that 25 percent of Tagalog words originated from the Spanish language. I hope government cleans up, re-develops and takes care of our unique former Spanish citadel Intramuros.
2. We’re the only former United States of America colony not only in Asia, but in the world, so that adds another totally unique and Hollywood twist to our culture and mores. English is our great asset in tourism, so I urge P-Noy to promote better English language education nationwide the way his nemesis GMA did during her term. We speak and still write the best English in Asia, that’s why we’re now ahead of India in call centers and BPOs, though India has over 10 times our population size! I sometimes bring foreign guests to the serene American military cemetery in the Fort Bonifacio area since it’s the largest of its kind in the world outside the US and has historic World War II naval battle map murals. Tourist spots Subic and Clark used to be the world’s biggest American naval and air force bases outside the US, too.
3. The Chinese cultural and other elements of Philippine life are important tourist attractions too and our Chinese community can hopefully help woo the world’s fastest-growing market of affluent China tourists to vacation here the way they now flock to Paris, London, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, Taipei, Macau and other places. Paging Mayor Alfredo Lim, please clean up Manila’s Chinatown as well as the Ermita, Malate, etc.
Although we have the smallest ethnic Chinese minority in Southeast Asia here in the Philippines in terms of our proportion to the national population — no more than two percent — we’ve been a vibrant part of the Filipino nation for over 1,000 years.
During the time of GMA, I suggested to civic leader Dante Go that he lobby for government to declare the annual Chinese lunar new year (this year it falls on Jan. 23, the auspicious “Year of the Dragon”) a holiday like the rest of Asia. Go got GMA to declare it a non-working holiday.
Thanks to Chinese mestizo P-Noy for being the first Philippine president to declare Chinese New Year a non-working holiday this year, this is a big morale boost to our ethnic Chinese minority that we’re accepted as part of the multi-cultural Filipino nation and hopefully it promotes more tourists, too.
4. The Philippines is the biggest and I believe also the most fervent Catholic nation in Asia, with Filipino Catholics actually more religious or pious than even our former colonizers in Spain! Just witness our colorful and amazing religious festivals called fiestas and traditions such as the awesome feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila’s Quiapo district.
5. Music is probably the best in the Philippines here in Asia. Everywhere I have travelled all over Asia, from the luxury hotels of Shanghai, Beijing to South Korea or Japan to their night places, I’ve seen and delightfully heard so many Filipino bands or singers performing.
I urge the government to invest more in the Cultural Center of the Philippines and other institutions to host bigger and grander musicals, concerts so that our Lea Salongas can perform here for the world instead of going to Broadway?
One place in Metro Manila tourists should see and hear is the historic and sublime Bamboo Organ Church of Las Piñas City near our airports.
6. Medical tourism is one field where the Philippines should be ahead, aside from the Dr. Vicki Belo-type cosmetic surgery tourism. Ex-First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos was right when she built and grandiosely named the Philippine Heart Center For Asia that way, because we have excellent doctors like my older cousin Dr. Dy Bun Yok who did a heart procedure on then-political prisoner Ninoy Aquino before the latter was allowed to fly to the US.
My older nephew’s Dr. Smile Clinic head Dr. Joseph Dy Lim, a former dental college dean of Lucio Tan’s University of the East and now Henry Sy’s National University dental college dean, said we have great dentists and dental education here in the Philippines. He showed me many Iranian and other foreign students studying dentistry here. But more than good doctors and dentists, the whole world recognizes and in fact employs our friendly and good-service nurses as well as caregivers!
7. More than our fantastic beaches, isles and huge festive malls, the Philippine sub-tropical climate is one competitive advantage that SM/BDO founder Henry Sy told me was a big plus for our tourism. Sy pointed out that summers in Thailand are too hot compared to ours here. Our climate here is fantastic, never too cold or too hot. Is that also one reason we are reputed to be among the happiest and sunny nations on earth?"
Taken from: Will Soon Flourish Column by Wilson Lee Flores, Philippine Star
To read the whole article http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=765967&publicationSubCategoryId=86
Featured Testimonial of the Week
Here is a featured testimonial from one of our dear guests, Larry and Susan Camarines. This couple celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary in Arena Island and they surely got what they're looking for: privacy, relaxation, and a unique experience from their private island.
"We celebrated our 7th Anniversary at Arena Island (Isla Arena) and stayed last 09 - 11 January 2012. The island is a wonderful and a blissful place for a getaway from our daily routine of the busy urban choirs! It's an isolated PRIVATE 3.5-hectares island surrounded by a white powdery (""harena"" - means flour) sand and one of the Philippines' Sanctuary of Sea Turtles (Pawikan). An island where you can swim anytime you want on its blue, clear and clean waters.
"We celebrated our 7th Anniversary at Arena Island (Isla Arena) and stayed last 09 - 11 January 2012. The island is a wonderful and a blissful place for a getaway from our daily routine of the busy urban choirs! It's an isolated PRIVATE 3.5-hectares island surrounded by a white powdery (""harena"" - means flour) sand and one of the Philippines' Sanctuary of Sea Turtles (Pawikan). An island where you can swim anytime you want on its blue, clear and clean waters.
The concept of two luxurious private Casitas in the island makes you feel that you own the entire place. Casitas were designed in such a way that you will hear both the sea and air breeze while at rest - a very peaceful and soothing place to one’s mind to unwind! The sunset views on the sand bar and sand dunes will remind you of the CREATOR of these great, great creations.
Service? It's excellent & terrific! The owner will personally meet you at the airport upon arrival, endorse you to the resort manager/consultant who will accompany you 'till you reach the island and will stay during the entire vacation. All transportation, land and sea, were well planned and coordinated. Upon arrival at the island, you will be welcomed by the resort staff and your personal butler will then assist you. He/She will orient you of the house rules of the island and your schedules during your period of stay. The whole staff will do their very best to make your stay comfortable and worth remembering (entice to comeback). Every meal was served on different themes and location. The food can be requested depending on its availability.
Various activities were prepared for one's enjoyment: Snorkeling and swimming with a personal guide, a REAL INTERACTION with the Sea Turtles from eggs to 200++ days of age, a tour of the entire island using your own private boat, a meal at the Floater, fishing and etc. All is according to your schedule and availability, the staff will just wait for your command!
From now on Arena Island will always be in our mind as one of the memoirs of our Private Island Experience (PIE) that made us thought that we were the KING and QUEEN of ISLA ARENA!!!
Our special thanks and appreciation for making our stay comfortable and memorable: Ms. Chit, Ms. Ailleen Freeman, Ms. Kaye, Mr. Jay-R, Mr. John-John, our Mr. Driver & our Mr. Chef (sorry we forgot their names) & the entire staff as well!!! -- Keep up the good work guys!!! -- you brought FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES!!
We did appreciate your anniversary gift to us - a beautiful Arena Island Bag & a Cap!
Thank you again and JESUS bless you all!!!”
- Larry & Susan Camarines 01/16/2012
Monday, April 02, 2012
Arena Island Welcomes You
Being in a tropical country, Arena Island welcomes its guests with a refreshing coconut (buco) drink.
Coconuts are abundant in many parts of the Philippines. According to http://countrystudies.us/philippines/63.htm, "The Philippines is the world's second largest producer of coconut products, after Indonesia... Historically, the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions of Luzon and the Eastern Visayas were the centers of coconut production. In the 1980s, Western Mindanao and Southern Mindanao also became important coconut-growing regions. " And as such, the coconut is highly regarded because these are used for raw materials, one of the renewable sources of energy, food, medicine, and wonderfully, the nutritious drink that one will get once it extracts the juice from the coconut.
Isn't that amazing? That's why it is rightfully called the "Tree of Life".