Amanpulo

The beaches on the remote Pamalican Island, in northern Palawan in the Philippines, look like a screen saver. Clear turquoise waters, wide swaths of white sand and not a soul in sight—this is Amanpulo. Days here usually entail plenty of swinging in the hammock on your deck, walking along the three-mile-long beach, snorkeling with sea turtles and manta rays above a vibrant coral reef and taking Zen-like spa treatments. After watching a spectacular sunset, there’s dinner at one of three eateries, including the seasonal Lagoon Club, which serves select dishes inspired by Nama, Aman's Japanese dining concept. For a special treat, a Filipino barbecue in a secluded location can be arranged. Many of the private villas and casitas, which designer Francisco Mañosa loosely modeled on traditional Filipino bahay kubo dwellings, are set directly on the beach and have their own pool—these are the ones to book.

The Standout: Sunset cocktails at the Beachclub, on the western side of the island Don’t Miss: When the tides are right, a sandbar appears on nearby Manamoc Island, an ideal picnic and snorkeling spot

• Seeing the baby green and hawksbill turtles take their first steps and travel to the sea, guided by the light of the moon
• The beach casitas, beach pool casitas and villas located steps from the sea
• Complimentary snorkeling trips to surrounding reefs

It’s no surprise that Pamalican Island—a postcard-perfect beach of unbelievably soft, white sand surrounded by gorgeous, calm sea—was scouted as the location for one of the first Aman properties.

Charmed by Pamalican’s beauty, the Soriano family bought the uninhibited island in the early 1970s, during which time it was only visited by nearby islanders foraging for turtle eggs. The family used the island privately until 1993, when they opened a resort and named it Amanpulo, meaning "peaceful island."

Twenty-five years later, its name still rings true. It’s possible to arrive and leave Amanpulo with barely seeing another soul, and this seclusion is the resort’s main draw for many repeat guests. Besides nearby Manamoc Island, from which most of the hotel employees hail, the surrounding islands are uninhabited. Amanpulo enjoys the rare quality of being far away from the rest of humanity, and is reminiscent of a castaway island, albeit an exceptionally luxurious one. Upon arrival, guests are given a tour of the property (which takes no more than 20 minutes) and are provided with their own golf cart. Driving around the island is easy since the terrain is mostly flat (but watch out for monitor lizards that cross the road).

The resort has 42 casitas and 16 villas. To fully enjoy the Amanpulo experience, guests should book the beachfront units. The appeal of traveling to an island paradise is to be able to walk straight onto the beach from your room, and it’s worth upgrading if it means not having to descend from your treetop casita to drive to the beach. Additionally, almost all accommodations are identical (perfectly nice but underwhelming and a bit dated in design) so the location makes all the difference. Villas are great for groups and families, as they are as large as four-bedrooms, have a pool, and are staffed full-time by a chef and butler.

On property, there are three restaurants, several tennis courts, a spa and fitness center, dive shop and daily complimentary activities, including snorkel trips to beautiful protected reefs (many of which are home to green and hawksbill turtles). While there’s enough to keep guests busy, most tend to stay in the privacy of their rooms, as the whole resort lives up to its original premise: a peaceful island.

Travelers searching for far-flung exclusivity

Guests must take a chartered flight from Amanpulo’s hangar in Manila. Depending on your connecting international flight, this may require an overnight in the capital.

—Janine Yu