Isla Polillo Beach Resort was the only fully operational resort that we found online while looking for a place to stay in Polillo Island in Quezon Province. Another exclusive resort called Balesin Resort (located on Balesin Island off the coast of Polillo) was currently under renovation. It turned out to be a good thing that we booked our first night’s accommodation with the resort in advance.
BEACH FRONT
We hadn’t expected the journey from Manila to this remote island in Quezon to be so long and tiring, and finding a place to stay in an unfamiliar area with heavy backpacks in tow would have made everything more stressful. The serenity of this beach resort, however, with its lush surroundings and the melodic calls of the many birds that frequent the area was a great breather for us after the uncomfortable and chaotic journey.
Upon arrival at the Polillo Town Pier, it was only a 20-minute tricycle ride to the resort. Although we had planned the resort to be just a jump off point for our four-day island exploration, it turned out to be a good destination in its own right. We were welcomed warmly by the very friendly caretaker (Tita Pines) who is also the aunt of the resort’s owner. Our lunch was already set in the dining hall when we arrived and we were so ravenous that we didn’t even bother to check-in our things before devouring the cocidong yellow fin tuna while chatting with the vivacious Tita Pines. It wasn’t long before my requested fried tuna was served as well as the resort’s specialty – ginataang alimango (crabs cooked in cocomilk).
AIR-CONDITIONED CABANAS
MAN-MADE POND
Full and recharged, we set about exploring the resort and were surprised by its extensive and modern grounds. It was unexpected given its location in a remote, sleepy town that doesn’t even have paved roads and a 24-hour supply of electricity (power supply starts at 2p.m.). The resort has recreational facilities that include lawn tennis and basketball courts and a hall that houses a ping pong and pool table. This hall however is a bit smelly because the birds could freely fly inside and leave their droppings as well.
OUR FAN ROOM CABANA
Fan Room Cabana – (good for 5pax-Php 1500)
There is also a nice pool opposite a tower which affords you a great view of the beach and the surrounding area. It has a mini bar at its base and it also serves as a cottage. There is a separate dining hall and restaurant with a bar inside. The resort’s property is laden with coconut trees, lush plants and a man-made pond with a wooden bridge in the middle.
Beach Tower
Dining Hall
Basketball Court
Aside from its spacious rooms and good food, the best feature of this resort is the opportunity to see many species of birds that seemed to make the place their home. The presence of various species of birds and other endemic fauna that has become extinct in many parts of the world is one of the reasons why we chose to visit the less trodden path of Polillo Island. Seeing some of them in the resort without hiking through the thick rainforest was indeed a pleasant treat. I had seen more birds here than in the Minasawa Bird Sanctuary in Patnanungan which we also visited on our third day in the island.
RESORT’S SPECIALTY
Ginataang alimango with squash and malunggay.
Tinumok, a sinful indulgence 
The downside on the other hand, is that the beach in front of the resort isn’t really a good place for swimming. It turns into a mud flat at low tide and the seabed is rocky. Luckily there is a pool and many other activities if the guests don’t want to explore the nearby beaches. As a whole, our stay here was pleasant and comfortable. The food is reasonably priced and very tasty as well. I also like our spacious native hut bungalow. It was the cheapest fan room available (Php1500) and it would have been cheaper if shared with others (the room is good for 5 persons).
BEACH FRONT ON LOW TIDE
(About 4 in the afternoon, we left the resort to swim at the nearby beach in Barangay Kalubakis)
Isla Polillo Beach Resort
Barangay Bocao, Polillo, Polillo Island, Quezon
Tel: (02)920-2903 Mobile: 0928-3827833
Email: NerAzaulaDDS@yahoo.com
Website: www.islapolilloresort.com
(This is part of our 3 nights adventure at Pollilo Group of Islands in 2010)
Day 1: We checked-in at Isla Polillo Beach Resort on the first day and visited Agta Beach in the afternoon.
Day 2: We rented a van together with the other guests of the resort and went to the quaint town of Burdeos. We went Island-hopping at Anilon Island and had a short walk to Anilon Cave at the end of the beach. We then had lunch and went swimming at Anawan Island before heading to Buguitay Island. Unfortunately the waves were too big so we weren’t able to dock near the shore so we asked the boatman to drop us at Ikulong Island where we camped for the night ala survivor.
Day 3: Our boatman fetched us the next day from Ikulong Island and took us to Puting Bato Island where we explored two of its caves. After that, we headed to the beautiful Island of Malaguinoan, which was my favorite among the beaches we had visited. We finally braved the big waves from the Pacific Ocean to get to the Minasawa Bird Sanctuary. On our way back to Burdeos Pier, we had a short stop at Binombonan Island and the Bakaw-Bakaw Island where hundreds of mangroves abound.
Fortunately, Mayor Gil allowed us to stay in his place for the night when we did a courtesy call. We then took the first and only trip of jeepney in the morning back to the pier and had a few hours of boat ride back to Real, Quezon Pier.
fancy looking resort
i used to have polillo in my travel bucket list. ‘used to’ cause i find the transportation a bit too cumbersome for a place i haven’t really heard of much. perhaps your posts will convince me to include it again on my list!
claire si aiza to arbor ko ung pic namen na ngbabasketball ah hehe
Hi Aiza, haahha nice to see you here, watch out for the Anilon Blog, bidang-bida si Cholo
It’s all worth it especially after seeing the beaches in Burdeos, coming face to face with the Pacific Ocean was such an adventure. You should spend many days here though since you will already lose one day traveling back and forth to the island.
wowwww, this is a very nice place… sa picture pah lang mah feel moh nah ang serenity ng place…
Nice! Open na pala sila. Galing din ako dito way back 2006 of April. Tiya kasi ng brother-in-law ko si Tita Pines kaya nakapunta kami dun dati. Dito nga first na nagamit yung tent na gamit ko ngayon, kasi sa brother-in-law ko yung tent na yun. Hehe.
medyo mahaba lang ang byahe, nag explore ka ba ng mga islands dati?
very informative site. First time I saw the beauty of Pagbilao, padre burgos. Didnt know there’s such great place that exist. We will explore Quezon definitely. Instead of going too far and expensive tour, eto lang pala, malapit sa Metro Manila. I love your post…
your blog is really fantastic & very informative, plus the fact that almost all of the photos & text are originals from you.
I am really looking forward to visit the beaches of Quezon Province because of your blog.
Keep it up, our economy specially the tourism really needs good people like you
after browsing your blog for about 2 hours, i can declare that your blog is the best one i ever read since ever
im now a fan of yours, hehe
Wow, thank you Ferdinand, i appreciate it
Hi,
I’d like to ask, around how much should be the budget for a weekend trip to Polilio? I am a bit of a traveler myself. i just want to be prepared for the possible expenses because most of the time I travel alone.
thanks,
Homer
Hi Homer, if you’re alone and you’re planning to do island-hopping, try to allot P2000 for boat rental, if you’re coming from Manila, maybe P1000 for bus fare and boat ride to Polillo Island. You may bring your own tent and camp on one of the islands and bring your own food to lessen the expenses.
yung 1K na budget for the fare (from Manila to and boat ride to Polilo)…one way lang ba yon or balikan na?
very amazing place ^^
for a stopover hotel accomodation in candelaria quezon or lucena, drop by our hotel at http://www.quezonpremierhotel.com
Hello there! I was really amazed by your blog, it’s very informative plus the photos says it all. Pero parang wala ako makitang photos ng mismong beach.. my organization will have kasi a team building activity. We’re more than 40pax and we prefer white sand beach and clear blue waters. Will this beach resort satisfy our requirements? Thank you so much Claire!
Facility wise this resort is a good place for team-building but if you’re looking for a white sand beach then you have to go to Burdeos or some other islands that require boat rental. They do have swimming pool though to compensate for the lack of a nice sandy beach.
Thank you so much Claire! =)
I was 6 years old when i first visit this island. It was the last visit too. I admire your courage to explore this place.
You Rock
I’ve been to a few places where I always consider a safe and economical budget environment Other than a ‘tourist’ type of accommodation, is there any karinderia/fast food eateries, rooms for rent by residents, a regular type/ cost of transportation(not a ‘tourist/out-of-town traveler),etc., in Polilio which we could avail of as a regular travelers to stay for several days?. My relatives/friends and I intend to take a swing down to see the town of Polilio and explore. We may meet new acquaintances/friends, explore the culture, the life style and activities of the residents ; cruise to other towns/municipalities, etc., which will require us to stay about a week of so. We’re planning to retire back home and checking a better/best place to consider…. thank you for your time.
Hi Erik, so far this was the only resort we found when we were there. There might be one at Balesin Island but I don’t have information about it.
naku nung nag punta kami jan sa isla polillo beach resort hindi ko nagustohan kung paano sya makipag usap, nataas ang boses at malabo kausap, nakipag kontrata kami sknya arkila namin ang shuttle bus nla tapos nagulat na lang kami na may 4 na tao guest nya na sinama smen, kinontrata namin shuttle bus ng 1500 tapos nag sama ng guest nya na wla sa usapan namin, hnd sya maganda makipag usap at hnd marunong tumupad ng usapan.. ang laki p siningil sa resort samantala ksma pla ang lunch at free videoke free kubo ung mga free pinabayaran, grabe hnd na mauulit sa resort na yan maganda pa nmn ..