…your own tropical island in the heart of the Far East www

Ariara
…your own tropical island
in the heart of the Far East
www.ariaraisland.com
Ariara
Contents
The Island
1
The Environment
17
Location3
Flora & Fauna
19
Island Map
Marine Life
20
Fresh Produce
22
Our Responsibilities
23
Contact Us
25
4
The Accommodation
5
Beach Cottages
6
Jungle Villas
7
The Lodge
8
Infinity Pool & Pier
10
The Lifestyle
11
Action & Adventure
13
Peace & Relaxation
14
Exploring
15
Scuba diving
16
160 miles
SW of Manila
Ariara
Ariara
600 metres of
soft white sand
125 acre
private paradise
Ariara
Ariara
∞ infinity pool
4 hours from
Hong Kong
Ariara
The Island
100s of
unexplored
coral reefs
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Ariara
Be seduced by the wild beauty
of Ariara…
Escape to your own tropical island
secretly hidden in an untouched corner
of the Far East.
Ariara is the ultimate ‘off the beaten
track’ destination. This private property
is available to let including the exclusive
use of the whole island, managed and
serviced by the owner’s personal staff.
This private paradise can be yours to
share with whom you choose and
no-one else!
Ariara
Where in the world?
Ariara is one of over 7,000 islands which
make up the Philippines. It lies 160 miles
SW of Manila in a wonderful, remote, and
unspoiled part of the country. One of the
Calamian Islands, Ariara lies in the north
of the principality of Palawan, in an area
called Linapacan.
To Manila:
2 hours from Hong Kong;
3-4 hours from Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai,
Seoul, Singapore, and Bangkok;
4-5 hours from Tokyo and Beijing;
Middle East 9+ hours;
India 10+ hours;
Sydney 12+ hours;
London 14+ hours;
Paris 15+ hours;
LA and San Francisco 16 hours.
Ariara
From Manila to Ariara:
Either a short hop by helicopter;
Or a domestic flight and transfer by boat.
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Ariara
A tropical
treasure island
Ariara is a 125 acre
tropical island with
a 600m long white
sand beach and
protected private
reef. The land
rises to a peak at
its centre and is
covered at lower
levels by tropical
forest, fringed by
beaches of varying
character and
surrounded by
coral reefs.
The Accommodation
The island is a
sanctuary for
wildlife including:
Palawan sea
eagles, butterflies
and lizards. Several
species of turtle,
endangered
dugongs (seacows),
indigenous blue
starfish, an amazing
variety of fish and
coral, unexplored
reefs and wrecks
provide exceptional
scuba diving.
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Ariara
Ariara
Stay in paradise
Jungle Villas
Designed by a renowned Filipino
architect Jorge Yulo, the buildings are
contemporary in style and have been
designed and built with sensitivity to
the environment. The property provides
luxurious and spacious accommodation
(25,000 square feet) for up to 18 guests.
Built on ‘stilts’, these substantial villas
enjoy commanding views and consist of a
suite of rooms. Each has a large master
bedroom with a raised four poster style
bed, a dressing room (or child’s bedroom),
and a marble bathroom with walk-in
shower, and a marble bath which is open
to the jungle.
All rooms are situated along the main
beach and have fabulous uninterrupted
views out to sea … over the reef, the
neighbouring islands, and at the end of
each day the sunset in the West.
Beach Cottages
One villa has an additional single
bedroom (or study), with its own ensuite
shower room. The other has a 1st floor
terrace with a breakfast table. Both villas
have extensive shaded terrace areas
underneath with hanging chairs and
hammocks to relax in.
There are four beach cottages each
consisting of a large bedroom with a
vaulted ceiling, a four poster style bed,
and a walk-in wardrobe. There is an
enormous marble bathroom with either
a wooden bath or a marble bath hand
carved from a single block of Romblon
marble, and an open-air shower.
The cottages are surrounded on two sides
by wide verandas with cooling ceiling fans
which provide ample room to relax and
enjoy the view with comfortable seating,
hammocks and a breakfast table. To the
rear of each cottage is a private terrace
with a secluded pocket garden.
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Ariara
Ariara
The Lodge
The Lodge is a substantial building
positioned centrally at the end of the pier,
designed for dining and entertaining. The
dining hall and lounge are surrounded by
wall-to-wall full height glass doors which
open to catch the breeze and to enjoy
the view.
The North wing comprises an impressive
marble floored dining hall with a 12m
high vaulted ceiling, and a viewing gallery
above, together with a 1st floor shaded
terrace and games area.
The South wing comprises a spacious
lounge with oversized comfortable sofas to
relax and unwind, equipped with a cinema
style projector and a huge screen. The
lounge leads onto the infinity pool and
deck area and from there onto the beach.
Above the lounge, reached by a bridge
from the gallery, is a master bedroom suite
with fabulous views.
…/continued
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Ariara
Infinity Pool and Pier
In front of the Lodge and looking over the
beach is an infinity pool surrounded by
sundecks. Located at the end of the pier,
the pool together with the Lodge form the
focal point of day-to-day life on the island.
Perfect for lazing away the afternoon in
awe of the view, or a quick dip to cool
off, the pool is also excellent for young
swimmers, water polo and basic dive
instruction.
The pier extends 120m out across the
reef giving access to the island at low
tide. Along the pier is a grass roofed sun
shelter over the reef - a favourite place
(just one of many), to find peace, a cooling
breeze, and some shade from the sun.
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The Lifestyle
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Ariara
Ariara
Living the Island Lifestyle
Exploring the adventure …
Take life at your own pace … whether you
prefer action and adventure or peace and
relaxation … it’s your choice.
With the occasional exception of a local
fisherman who maybe bringing us his
catch for lunch, you can have the whole
sea to yourself and there are a multitude
of water based activities according to
your preference.
You can eat and sleep exactly when you
choose, and the time in between can be
spent in a myriad of different ways.
Our staff are there to cater for your needs
and no one else’s. So make yourself
completely at home in this wonderful
unique environment.
Enjoy all that nature has to offer with the
complete privacy and freedom of having a
whole island exclusively yours to explore.
There’s the raw exhilaration of windsurfing
and two very powerful jetskiis. You can
snorkel on our protected private coral reef
or choose to explore the waters off one
of the uninhabited islands nearby.
We are not expert fishermen ourselves but
there’s a sea full of fish out there for those
are, for which high quality fishing tackle
is provided.
Also we have a new 33ft speedboat
which is perfect for waterskiing and
wakeboarding, for island hopping,
or as a diveboat.
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Ariara
Ariara
Sit back and relax
Discover the undiscovered
Ariara is a very special place. The feeling
of total peace and tranquillity which exists
here is rare to find in this busy world in our
hectic lives.
Venture further afield to explore the
beautiful islands of this archipelago in
the comfort of the KJ - a 100ft trimaran
we have refitted and equipped with air
conditioned cabins for live-on-board dive
trips and exploring. See the striking rock
formations, hidden lakes and hot springs
of Coron, or the towering limestone cliffs
and turquoise lagoons of Bacuit Bay.
You can …
• Enjoy the cooling breeze in the shade of
the sun shelter at the end of the pier;
• Laze in a hammock rocking gently
under one of the ancient trees which
kindly casts it’s shadow over the beach;
• Sip a glass of champagne by the pool
whilst getting lost in a good book;
• Relax and unwind in the privacy and
comfort of your own terrace;
Closer to home, take an early morning
hike to the peak for the amazing view, the
peace and tranquillity. Canoe around the
island with colourful fish darting below you
in the translucent waters.
• Or even take the dog for a walk!
Discover uninhabited islands and snorkel,
look for shells, or have a picnic. Yours will
be the only footprints in the sand (except
maybe those of a shy monitor lizard or a
turtle having laid its eggs in the night).
A yoga instructor can be booked for your
stay to enhance your spiritual wellbeing, or
a masseuse to ensure complete relaxation
… ask and most wishes can be granted.
Nearby visit a recently discovered 17th
Century Spanish fort which lies forgotten
- its history and secrets being gradually
hidden by the encroaching jungle.
• Gaze out over the infinity pool at the
breathtaking sunset;
The local Filipino people in these remote
villages are shy but welcoming, meet them
and experience their culture first hand.
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Ariara
Unexplored wrecks and reefs
With our own experienced PADI dive
master, the needs of beginners and more
advanced divers can be met (including
PADI courses). There is no better way to
learn to dive: in clear warm waters, with
your own personal dive master, on your
own private beach, with virgin reefs to
explore. All at your own pace.
The diving is spectacular with hundreds of
coral reefs and an incredible diversity of
marine life.
Incredible wreck diving is found around
Busuanga and Coron Bay where US
forces sunk 13 Japanese naval ships in
1944. We have even recently discovered
the intact wreck of a US supply boat from
WWII just 4km away.
The Environment
Some of the world’s finest dive sites:
Tubbataha (a UNESCO World Heritage
Site), and Apo Reef are also accessible on
longer trips.
(For Marine Life see page 20).
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Ariara
The last frontier …
A sanctuary for wildlife
By virtue of its remote location this part
of Palawan is untouched by the negative
influences of pollution, development or
tourism.
The majority of Ariara remains wild
and unexplored providing a protected
sanctuary for wildlife.
Thankfully the local people are slowly
beginning to realise how rich their region
is. Recognised by National Geographic
as “One of the most biodiverse (terrestrial
and marine) islands in the Philippines”,
Palawan is the home of two UNESCO
World Heritage Sites one being the
Tubbataha Reef Marine Park.
Within Palawan, the Calamian Islands
are considered to be the last frontier
of the Philippines to remain untouched
and unspoiled. Hence Ariara and its
surrounding waters are a sanctuary for an
enormous diversity of wildlife both on land,
and at sea.
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Ariara
Philippine sea eagles nest high in the
rocks and according to the season owls,
kingfishers, woodpeckers, egrets and
flower peckers are a few of the many
species of birds which can be seen.
There are various species of lizard
including the magnificent harmless water
monitor lizard - adults average 1.5m in
length but they can grow even larger.
Beautiful butterflies, bats and fascinating
insects abound. Wild orchids and
carnivorous pitcher plants flourish in the
forests.
Every day nature seems to reveal
something previously unseen.
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Ariara
Ariara
Dive with gentle Dugongs
A huge diversity of marine species thrives
in the clear warm waters of the Calamian
Islands.
There are four endangered species of
turtle including Hawksbill, Leatherback,
Olive Ridley, and Green turtles. Some
turtles return annually to lay their eggs
along Ariara’s main beach.
…/continued
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If you are lucky you can snorkel with
docile dugongs in the coastal waters
around these isles. They are however
extremely shy. These endangered
intelligent herbivorous sea mammals grow
up to 2.7m in length are a species of the
order of Sirenians which have mythical
connections with mermaids.
100s of coral reefs lie unexplored with
many species of fish, coral and marine
mammals for you to discover.
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Ariara
Only the juiciest fruit
and the freshest fish
Guests have their own private chef who
creates personalised menus for their stay.
With expert guidance a personal wine
cellar is selected for our guests’ to enjoy.
Delicious food is prepared from fresh
local organic produce. Our own bananas,
mangos, pineapples, papaya, coconuts
and cashew nuts, herbs, salad leaves
and vegetables, are supplemented by the
huge selection of unusual local fruits and
vegetables such as delandan (a type of
orange) and kalamansi (Filipino limes).
Local fisherman bring us their catch –
lobster, crab, Spanish mackerel, tangigi
(tuna), maya-maya (snapper), lapu-lapu
(grouper), to name a few. The finest quality
imported meat is also available.
Ariara’s Euro-Asian style of cooking draws
on inspiration from these local ingredients
and traditional Filipino delicacies.
Dining is sophisticated or ‘barefoot’
and relaxed to suit your mood - in the
impressive dining hall, under the stars on
a moonlit beach, or a beach party BBQ
feast of succulent ‘Lechon’ (spit roast pig).
Evening cocktails are served lounging
cozily in beanbags in the pier cabana over
the reef, or a romantic candlelit spot under
a palm tree on the beach.
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Ariara
A responsible approach …
We support the local community providing
employment and training, educating
locals in sustainable fishing methods, and
increasing awareness about how special
their environment is and the importance
of preserving it. Taking care of the
environment is high on our agenda:
• We support government environmental
programmes and are planting
hardwood trees as part of one of these
initiatives;
• Our water lease enables us to protect
our reefs creating a thriving marine
sanctuary;
• We strive to preserve and enhance
the natural habitat on Ariara to support
wildlife;
• We are experimenting with renewable
energy sources to harness wind and
solar power to meet some of our needs;
• We are exploring the use of carbon
neutral coconut oil to run our
generators rather than fossil fuels.
We endeavour to uphold these values and
set an example in the community.
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Ariara
Contact Us
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Ariara
Contact us
• For availability, to confirm prices and with
any queries, please email:
[email protected]
• Telephone Enquiries:
please email us your international
telephone number and time zone and we
will happily give you a call.
Escape to your own tropical island secretly hidden in an untouched corner of the Far East.
Ariara is the ultimate ‘off the beaten track’ destination.
This fully staffed private property is only available to let as a whole and includes the exclusive use
of the entire island and its facilities, accommodating up to 18 people in 8 luxury villas and suites.
… Ask and most wishes
can be granted!
This private paradise can be yours to share with whom you choose and no one else!
For our rates please refer to the website, or email us at: [email protected]
some of our staff
Acknowledgments
Main photography by Al Linsangan www.al3photography.blogspot.com
Design - www.mercerdesign.co.uk
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www.ariaraisland.com
www.ariaraisland.com