Atremaru Jungle Retreat

Atremaru Jungle Retreat is an eco-resort on Palawan Island in the Philippines. It is located in the middle of the rainforest, overlooking the South China Sea. During your stay you can enjoy the spa, rainwater pool and jungle walks, or perhaps take a trip to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, a UNESCO heritage site.

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Atremaru Jungle Retreat offers a truly relaxing environment and we chose to stay two nights here, right after our arrival by plane to Puerto Princesa City on Palawan.

Atremaru Jungle Retreat is located about five miles northeast of Puerto Princesa City, on the eastern side of the island of Palawan.

An eco-resort in the middle of the rainforest

"Atremaru Jungle Retreat was built up little by little and from the beginning it was not even meant to be a resort," said the owner's son. Rather, the aim was to build something beautiful and eco-friendly on the site, while providing jobs for the villagers.

As the project grew, why not turn it into a resort? It protects the rainforest, uses natural building materials and has a photovoltaic system for electricity. Rainwater is used for pools and showers, and spring water is used for drinking water.

However, the owner's son told us that the family is about to sell to move to the Netherlands, so exactly how the resort will be developed or run in the future is anyone's guess.

We stayed soooo cosy

To get from the reception to "our" house, which was a bit away from the other houses, we had to walk along a winding little footpath, straight into the rainforest.

There was the house, all alone, surrounded by tall trees. There used to be even denser jungle here, but a lot of the forest was destroyed during a typhoon a few years ago. And yes, we had whole this house (but well, you only live upstairs) for ourselves!

The best thing was the large terrace, where we had seats, a hammock and a great view of both the rainforest and the sea. Here was also served water in glass bottles, a thermos with hot water and tea and coffee.

Utsikt på Atremaru Jungle Retreat på Palawan i Filippinerna

The room was large and at the same time very cosy, with wooden and bamboo furniture. There were electric sockets and a fan, but no air conditioning as it is an eco-resort. Amazingly, the shady location and natural ventilation worked so well that we didn't even need the fan.

Restaurant and bar

There is a restaurant and a bar at Atremaru Jungle Retreat, which is cosily located in a round open building. The food here was not amazing by any means, but perfectly ok.

Pannkakor med honung — Pancakes for breakfast

restaurang på Atremaru Jungle Retreat på Palawan i Filippinerna

Right next to the restaurant there is also a cosy little bar.

Pool and spa

The pool at Atremaru Jungle Retreat is filled with rainwater and the water is therefore quite cool. It was really nice when you wanted to cool off. It gets hot, with high humidity, in the rainforest. Right next door is a spa where you can book massages and other treatments, which we did not do.

Jungle Walk and beach

If you want to get some exercise, you can go on the resort's "Jungle Walk". They have built a really nice walkway, so you can easily (well, it's steep and therefore a bit strenuous) through the rainforest.

Jungle walk på Atremaru Jungle Retreat på Palawan i Filippinerna

Do you see any wildlife? Sure, we saw insects, butterflies, lizards and a... long snake, which, however, coiled away quickly when it heard us coming ... We also heard the lots of birds, geckos and crickets. The owner's son also told us that there are wild boars in the woods, but we did not see them ...

Excursions from Atremaru Jungle Retreat

We booked Atremaru Jungle Retreat for two reasons, partly because it seemed like a special experience and partly because it is close to the Unesco heritage site Puerto Princesa Subterranean River.

READ MORE: Underground river in Puerto Princesa - a Unesco heritage site

If you have more time, there are also other excursions to book or do, starting from the eco-resort:

Paddling trip through mangrove swamps
Waterfall Sabang Waterfall
Ugong Rock Zipline
Hundred Caves cave exploration

By boat just off the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Of course, there's even more to see and do nearby. You can discover the town of Puerto Princesa City or head to Port Barton, said to be a bit of a hidden jewel with beautiful beaches. In addition, you can continue northwards to El Nido, where you can make excursions to lots of different islands and places like Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon and Secret Beach. You can find even more tips for the Philippines by clicking on the image below.

Facts about Atremaru Jungle Retreat

Address: Ntl Highway Buena Vista, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Location: About five miles north-east of Puerto Princesa City, on the eastern side of the island of Palawan.
Service: Restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner, bar, pool, spa, booking of transport and various excursions.
Booking: You can book through various booking sites. However, the best source of information on the different houses is the resort's own website.
Price: Prices vary depending on the house you choose, and perhaps also on the date. The easiest way is to check online. The house we stayed in cost about 1000 SEK/night for two people.
Getting here: Taxis from Puerto Princesa take approximately one hour. The hotel can also organise a ride if you contact them in advance.
Read more: You can find more information on the resort's website.

READ MORE: 10 different hotels we have stayed in

5 Comments

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Ulla says:

Interesting

19 April 2023 - 18:36

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  A nice and relaxed place! 🙂
  
  19 April 2023 - 23:45
  
BP says:

It was a different resort. I understand exactly why you chose it. Also understand the owner wanting to sell. The round buildings look like they need a "total makeover" and considering that the influx of tourists may be so large, it is probably not a bad idea to sell.
The place must be losing money this time of year. You were the only guests. A bit of a shame, I guess.

19 April 2023 - 19:29

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, definitely different! But no, we were not the only guests. (I will check if I expressed myself a bit cryptically, and may have to change some sentence, hehe.) There were guests in the other houses as well, and in the evenings it was quite full in the restaurant. We met two nice Australian girls here, who we then shared a taxi with to El Nido.
  
  19 April 2023 - 23:50
  
Lena - good for the soul says:

Wow, what a place! It looks absolutely magical. So delicious!

Hug Lena

20 April 2023 - 5:55

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Atremaru Jungle Retreat - eco-resort on Palawan in the Philippines