Carpe Diem Villas & Resort

Carpe Diem Villas & Resort is built for a stay that keeps the practical bits close: a restaurant, a bar, a pool, a spa and an English-speaking team. You can use it as a base for exploring Palawan, or simply make the most of the garden, the water and a proper meal without turning every evening into another outing.

The resort works particularly well for couples who want more than a plain room, and for families who need two-bedroom accommodation. Villas and suites give the place a more spacious feel than a straightforward city hotel, while the range of standard, superior, deluxe and executive rooms gives you several ways to keep the stay sensible. English is spoken by the hotel team, so arrangements at reception, the restaurant and for excursions can be handled without theatrical hand signals.

The resort sits on F. Ponce de Leon Road in San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines. Puerto Princesa city centre is 4 km away, putting you close enough for urban errands and far enough to have a resort base rather than a room above a busy town street.

Puerto Princesa Airport is around 10 minutes away. The setting is useful for an itinerary built around Palawan’s excursions, with Underground River, Honda Bay, Port Barton, Nagtabon Beach and whale-shark snorkelling among the trips offered.

You have a broad choice of rooms, suites and villas, but the useful distinction is not the label on the door. It is how you want to use the space. A standard double room with a double bed suits a couple keeping things simple; the twin-bed options make more sense when two divers want separate sleeping arrangements. For a family or a small group, the two-bedroom rooms and villas give you a much more workable base than trying to live around one bed and a pile of bags.

Balconies and pool views are available in several categories. Choose the balcony if you value a private bit of outside space between outings; choose the pool view if watching the resort come back to life is more your idea of a morning than staring at a wall. The executive double suite adds a balcony, air conditioning, a mini-bar, Wi-Fi and a desk, making it the more comfortable choice when you want room to spread out or keep an evening indoors.

The useful post-dive details are there in the better-equipped categories: air conditioning, blackout blinds, a mini-bar, bottled water, tea-making facilities, a safe, towels, bathrobes and slippers. Standard rooms, executive rooms and villas cover different combinations of these features, so check the exact room card rather than assuming every category has the same kit. Private bathrooms are available throughout the room range, and televisions are provided for the rare evening when even choosing a restaurant feels like unnecessary exertion.

Carpe Diem French Restaurant handles breakfast, lunch and dinner in a tropical garden and outdoor setting. The kitchen combines French-inspired cooking with Filipino favourites, which gives you a little more choice than the usual resort menu built around one cuisine and a hopeful garnish. Cocktails, wine and refreshing drinks are part of the offer as well.

Breakfast comes as a buffet or à la carte. That covers both schools of thought: the diver who wants to eat decisively before getting moving, and the one who prefers coffee first and decisions later. There is one pool bar, focused on cocktails, so the sensible route from the pool to a cold drink is pleasingly short.

The stay does not have a named half-board or all-inclusive formula. Meal inclusion follows the details of the rate you select, so read that part before booking rather than treating every room as if it came with the same feeding plan. A restaurant, bar and room service are available, alongside in-room tea and coffee facilities.

The infinity pool is the obvious place to let the afternoon disappear, with a pool bar close by for cocktails rather than a long walk in damp flip-flops. A sun terrace and garden add quieter places to sit, while the spa offers massage when your shoulders have had enough of carrying bags, cameras and the consequences of your own buoyancy choices.

When you want to move without turning recovery into another training session, the resort has fitness equipment, a gym and a fitness centre. There are also boat excursions and snorkelling trips, giving non-diving companions something to do while you are occupied elsewhere. The excursion service can arrange outings to Underground River, Honda Bay, Port Barton, Nagtabon Beach and whale-shark snorkelling sites.

Families are welcome, and the choice of two-bedroom rooms and villas makes the property practical for travelling together without putting everyone into one sleeping space. For a quieter day, the garden, outdoor furniture, sun terrace and pool do the job. No timetable is required, which is often the most useful activity of all.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to midnight, with check-out by 12:00. Early check-in and late check-out are available on request. Express check-in and check-out, reception, luggage storage and a safe are all available, which helps when your flight and your room do not quite agree on the meaning of the word ‘ready’.

An airport transfer service is available and arranged with the hotel; the airport is around 10 minutes away. Free Wi-Fi and free parking are available. Payment can be made with cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal or bank transfer, giving you several ways to settle the practicalities after a day out.

The electrical supply is 220 volts at 60 Hz, with type A, B and C sockets. The resort has a smoking area, outdoor furniture, security staff and a reception desk. Excursion assistance is available for planning the days beyond the resort.