The Breathtaking Beauty of Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa, Palawan

Photo taken by Charmie Joy Pagulog of Philippine Star at Sabang Beach

From the time I said "OK Lord," during my bleakest moments, life has become a constant balancing act with many facets.  I have learned not to inhabit in these moments anymore, so I gathered myself together and decided to live my life basking in God's blessings.

I have learned to enjoy more of me, togetherness with my family and appreciate even the smallest of things about my friends. Yes!  I'm so "mababaw" (shallow-thinker) and can be easily pleased, but above all, I have learned to live life to its fullest, though it's  riddled with challenges.  In that way, I was able to see clearly and marvel in the beauty that surrounds me.

I do admit though that there are times that I cheat myself out of today, when tomorrow seems to rob away my moments, and today trickles away like water down a drain. Then realizing, waking up the next morning and that today I have wasted is gone forever.  It's now yesterday.  Some of those moments may have had spectacular things in store for me, though now, I'll never know.

Photo taken by Charmie Joy Pagulong of Philippine Star

The good thing is, I have started living in the "now" and have ceased every minute of it, making my yesterday (yesterdays, if that's grammatically acceptable) a great adventure and quite a story to tell.

So now, as I am typing every words in this article, I'm in awe of what have occurred during these past days.  Allow me to share my yesterday and I hope this doesn't only invite you to enjoy summer more but to live it in its majesty, as what I have let myself into.

Sheridan...

Like my fellow tourists, I also wondered what that word or name means, but hearing it gives out an angelic ring to it (you know, Sheridan-cherubim, gets?).  But you see, there is more to it than one can ever imagine.  Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa is the perfect escape from the stress brought upon by urban living.  Located at the pristine Sabang Beach in Puerto Princesa, and just a couple of walks to the gateway wharf going to the Underground River. 

My family and I have fallen deeply in love with Puerto Princesa after having experienced a three-day planned tour.  In that tour, what I missed to do was to walk along the seemingly endless shore of Sabang.  It has been in my super looong bucket list until last March 24 when I came back to Palawan and stayed at Sheridan.  You can read my blog on our Palawan tour on the link below:

The Family's Great Palawan Escape: Puerto Princesa (Part One)

The three days I spent there weren't enough to really conquer the island adventure, whether you want it extreme or just have it the tranquil way, either ways you still will have a blast.

I didn't mind getting off the bed earlier than 4 in the morning, knowing that I will be flown off to a paradise.  The flight took 1 hour and 10 minutes from Manila to Puerto Princesa City airport and an hour and a half drive to Sabang is just another challenge to ponder but I know I will soon be reunited to Sabang beach.

The winding road was tricky, I would suggest you take a meclizine pill to prevent nausea.  You'll know that you are near when you see the AMAZING RACE PHILIPPINES sign at the Karst Mountain Elephant Cave at Bgy. Cabayugan, Sabang.   Along the way are unspoilt mountains with limestone formations and rice paddies which were said to be grown organically, and deep within me a voice said "this is what Manila doesn't have!"



I also spotted along the way a road going to Sheridan's Organic Farm, then across a lake (or an irrigation system) is the main gate of the said premier hotel, on the left side of the property lined windmills, as part and partial of their renewable energy system.

Upon entering the guest lobby a delightful surprise awaited us, the stunning view of the 340 ft. long infinity pool stretching towards the beach.  The beach, laden with fine white sand and the sea with a beautiful shade of azure, was what I have always been dreaming of.

From this vantage point, on a ledge viewing the sea, the roaring waves was so audible but in perfect harmony with the surrounding, when I turned around, this view in an instant charmed me and I was in total submission. 

I never really realized that the mountain ranges of St. Paul resembles a contoured face, that of St. Paul himself, well, that's according to the locals.  Can you see it up on my photo? It's on the upper left side.

After breathing all the beauty in, it was time to settle in our assigned rooms.  With my room mate Charmie Joy of Philippine Star, we shared  a Deluxe room facing the pool,  oh, with a good view of the mountains too.

The 4.5 hectare property of Sheridan has 95 well-appointed rooms covered in the two buildings sandwiching the swimming pool. 

What I love more about the hotel is how they stand to be a one-of-a-kind "Green Hotel."  as they maintain environmentally sustainable hotel management, conscious of the needs and expectations of every eco-friendly guests.


SHERIDAN HOTEL'S ROOMS

Deluxe Room



Inspired by the simplicity of nature, the rooms make as an example of uncluttered elegance.  The beds are comfy enough to make you stay in bed the whole day.  The monochromatic design of the rooms and the hotel in whole create an atmosphere of serenity.

Although simple, our room is far from stark. The restrained decorating style emphasizes more on the functionality and less of the artistic elements but however complements with the other furnishings.   If the furnishing in this interior are less important, they have given rather a priority on the spaces in between them.

These too are evident in the bathroom  streamlined, clean and homey.  They have hot and cold telephone shower, bidet on the toilet, bathrobe, hair dryer, slippers and of course full bath  amenities.

Every room has its own private balcony where you can just enjoy the scenery.

On the balcony, this is my view on the left.

Here is the view form my right.

Sabang Room

I were also blessed to have seen two other room types, the Palawan and Sabang Rooms, which are considered the biggest and are located at the end of the buildings.

Compared  to  the Deluxe rooms, this room has carpeted floors, paper floor lamps, and a sofa area with a veranda leading to the pool.

Palawan Room

The door way to Palawan Room.

This side of the building doesn't have a pool or beach view though but the luxurious amenities you get from Sabang Room is the same.

 I love how the lighting under the bed seemed to make it afloat.

Something I missed which our bathroom doesn't have, a tub.

 Bathrooms for both room types are more spacious and feature a his and her sink and an overhead  rain shower attached to the ceiling.

Other Room Amenities:

All guest rooms are fully equipped with modern amenities including: 

• Individually controlled air-conditioning
• LCD Cable TV with built in DVD player
• Mini-bar
• Coffee and Tea making facilities
• Bottled Mineral water
• Safety deposit box
• Telephone

They do have  WIFI but a bit weak in the rooms, though the signal is good at The South Sea Restaurant and the lobby.

Sheridan as the First Eco-Friendly and Green Hotel

As a strong advocate of conservation efforts and sustainable resort eco management,  JECO Development – Sheridan’s mother company decided to embark on a “Green and Eco friendly Design.”   With the use of design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and its occupants, they came up with projects which gave them significant awards.  These areas are: Sustainable Site Planning, Water and Air Pollution Control Projects, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Resources Conservation Projects.

Let me list out Sheridan's Awards:

1. 2014 Award of Excellence from Booking.com for achieving an overall guest review score of 8.5/10. 

2. Sustainable Energy Finance Award (SEF) of the International Finance Corporation through BPI for our energy efficiency projects at the resort,awarded on Sept. 30, 20143. 

3. 1st place under the Beaches Category of the Puerto Princesa City Government's Clean and Green Award through the Oplan Linis Program on Mar. 3, 2014.

With all the efforts put in the renewable energy and sustainability, what I'm most impressed of is the installation of wind turbines and  solar panels which gives out 30 units of 2500W 96V Wind Turbine and 144 units of 250W 48V Solar PV.  These provide the peak load of the power system when fully completed.

Perhaps this would explain the intermittent power at times, when the gauge switches of to a different power source, which most unknowing guests does not know about the hotel,

Sabang Beach is a place I will never get tired of, teeming with adventure and just the perfect venue for a complete family urban escape, this is a place I would always go back to.

Again, may this inspiring words from Jerry Spinelli (author of Love, Stargirl) let you breathe in every blissful moments of your life...

“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out to tomorrow."

For Palawan Tour Packages and accommodation, do visit Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa's website here.




Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa

Address: Sabang Beach, Puerto Princesa City,
               Palawan, Philippines
Contact details:  (+63) 908 880 8509
                           (+63) 917 631 3479
Email:   reservations@sheridanbeachresort.com
Website:  www.sheridanbeachresort.com



MANILA SALES OFFICE

Unit 203 – 204 Centro Buendia Building,
           401 – 427 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Pasay City
(63 2) 939 8888
(63 2) 517 9954
(63) 917 726 5224
(63 2) 255 4223


PALAWAN SALES OFFICE:

Jeco Building, Rizal Ave. Extension, Puerto Princesa City,
            Palawan, 5300 Philippines
(63) 917 308 3245
(63 48) 434 1448
(63 48) 723 7278
(63 48) 434 1449