Dos Palmas Island Resort: day use or an overnight?
Dos Palmas is a private-island resort on Arreceffi Island in Honda Bay, 30 to 45 minutes by boat from the Sta. Lourdes wharf, and it is sold two completely different ways: as a day-use add-on to an island-hopping trip, and as a full-board overnight. It was operating through 2025–26 and holds 8.8/10 from 259 reviews, with an infinity pool, a spa, a seafood restaurant, kayaks, snorkelling and rustic sea-view villas. Day packages run roughly ₱2,500–3,500 and overnights roughly ₱8,000–12,000 full board — both unverified, because the resort does not publish rates and quotes on inquiry.
A rustic private island, sold two ways
Dos Palmas is not a Honda Bay island-hopping stop and not a city hotel. It is its own product, and which version you buy changes the price by a factor of three.
The resort occupies Arreceffi Island in Honda Bay, about 30 to 45 minutes by boat from the Sta. Lourdes wharf — which is itself 12 km and 20–30 minutes north of the city, or ₱500 by chartered tricycle from the airport. On the island you get an infinity pool, a spa, a seafood restaurant, kayaks, snorkelling and videoke, in sea-view villas that reviewers consistently describe as rustic rather than luxurious. It holds 8.8/10 from 259 reviews and was operating normally through 2025–26.
Day use is the version most people encounter: a package bolted onto an island-hopping day, roughly ₱2,500–3,500, buying you the boat, the island, lunch and the pool for a few hours. Overnights are sold full board at roughly ₱8,000–12,000. We are flagging both as unverified and we mean it — the resort does not publish a rate card and quotes on inquiry, so treat any number you see online, including ours, as an estimate to check by email.
Where it sits against the alternatives: it is more remote and more expensive than Astoria, cheaper and closer than an El Nido island resort, and completely different in character from the city's four-stars. The honest pitch is a private-island night without El Nido prices, and the honest caveat is that Palawan's genuinely spectacular island resorts are five and a half hours north.
Dos Palmas against a standard Honda Bay day
Honda Bay's standard product is a three-island joiner at ₱1,500–2,000 per person. Everything on this table is measured against that, because that is the trip you are choosing between.
| What you book | Price | What you get | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Honda Bay joiner Starfish, Luli and Cowrie, with Pambato Reef on some routes | ₱1,500–2,000 ~$26–34 · Klook about $32 | A full day, three islands, buffet lunch and fees. The default and the best value on the bay | WORTH IT |
| Dos Palmas day use Arreceffi Island, as an add-on | ~₱2,500–3,500 unverified — quote on inquiry | One island instead of three, but with a pool, a proper restaurant and far fewer people around you | DEPENDS |
| Dos Palmas overnight full board, sea-view villa | ~₱8,000–12,000 unverified — quote on inquiry | The island after the boats leave, an infinity pool, a spa and all meals. Rustic hardware at resort prices | DEPENDS |
| Private Honda Bay tour your own boat and route | ~$112 per person ~₱6,500 | The three islands on your own clock. Sensible for a group, poor value for two | DEPENDS |
| A city four-star plus a joiner day the comparison nobody runs | ₱3,500–5,000 room +₱1,500–2,000 tour | A pool, a real dinner, the same bay, and you are still in position for the Underground River the next morning | WORTH IT |
Honda Bay is a three-island product now — Starfish, Luli and Cowrie, with Pambato Reef swapped in on some routes. Snake Island and Pandan are out of the standard rotation, whatever older guides promise. Dos Palmas sits outside that rotation entirely: it is a resort you book, not a stop you land at. See the islands page.
What the water and the villas are actually like
Two things worth knowing before you spend ₱10,000 on a night you cannot easily leave.
The snorkelling in Honda Bay is the weakest part of it. The bay rates 4.0/5 across 2,040 TripAdvisor reviews — the lowest-scoring headline attraction in the city — and the recurring complaints are thin coral and poor visibility. If Coron, El Nido or Port Barton are also on your itinerary, this will be the worst snorkelling of the trip. If they are not, it is pleasant, shallow and kid-proof.
The villas are rustic and the reviews say so cheerfully. An 8.8 from 259 reviews is a good score, not a five-star one, and what it usually reflects is an excellent setting with simple rooms. Come for the island, the pool and the quiet after the day boats leave; do not come expecting the finish of a $150 city hotel, because you will not get it and the location is why.
One practical note that catches people: you are on a boat schedule. Once the transfer has gone you are on the island until the next one, which is fine for a planned overnight and awkward if someone gets seasick, bored or ill. Bring what you need, including cash — the wharf side of this trip is a cash economy and island resorts are not where you want to discover a card problem.
Should you book Dos Palmas?
Dos Palmas, practically
The island, or the bay without it
Because Dos Palmas quotes on inquiry, the useful move is to price the alternative first: a three-island Honda Bay joiner is ₱1,500–2,000 locally and about $32 on the platforms, fees and buffet included.
Dos Palmas questions, answered
How much does Dos Palmas cost?
Day packages run roughly ₱2,500–3,500 and full-board overnights roughly ₱8,000–12,000, but both figures are unverified — the resort does not publish rates and quotes on inquiry. Email for a quote and treat every online number, including ours, as an estimate.
Where exactly is Dos Palmas?
On Arreceffi Island in Honda Bay, 30 to 45 minutes by boat from the Sta. Lourdes wharf. The wharf is 12 km and 20–30 minutes north of the city, and a chartered tricycle there costs ₱300–500, or about ₱500 from the airport.
Is Dos Palmas one of the Honda Bay islands you visit on a tour?
No. The standard ₱1,500–2,000 joiner covers 3 islands — Starfish, Luli and Cowrie, with Pambato Reef on some routes. Dos Palmas is a separate resort you book directly, either as a day-use package or an overnight. Snake Island and Pandan are out of the rotation entirely.
Is Dos Palmas worth it if I am also going to El Nido?
Probably not. El Nido is 5 h 30 north, its island resorts and water are materially better, and you will be there anyway. Dos Palmas earns its place for people whose Palawan trip is Puerto Princesa-only and who want 1 private-island night at around ₱8,000–12,000 rather than El Nido's $480-plus.
Is the snorkelling good at Dos Palmas?
Modest. Honda Bay overall rates 4.0/5 across 2,040 TripAdvisor reviews, the lowest of the city's headline attractions, and the recurring complaints are thin coral and visibility. It is shallow, calm and fine for children.
Can you visit Dos Palmas for the day without staying overnight?
Yes — day use is how most visitors experience it, sold as an add-on at roughly ₱2,500–3,500 including the boat and lunch. Compare that against a ₱1,500–2,000 three-island joiner before you decide which day you would rather have.
Is Dos Palmas still open in 2026?
Yes. It was operating through 2025–26 with an active official site and 259 reviews averaging 8.8/10. What it does not do is publish a rate card, which is the only real friction in booking it.
or three islands
in a day.
Dos Palmas quotes on inquiry. The Honda Bay joiner is ₱1,500–2,000 with fees and lunch included. Price the second one first and you will know what the first is worth to you.
Compare Honda Bay tours