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Random research pieces about the Amanpulo Resort in the Philippines as well as other top retreats around the world.

Amanpulo Resort is a 5 star, set on a tropical island all its own named Pamalican. The lush and green island, which is one of the 1,800 islands in the Palawan group, is 5½ kilometers long and only a half kilometer across, and surrounded by seven square kilometers of coral reefs.

This child-friendly resort offers a great array of watersports, indulgent dining, impeccable service and gorgeous surroundings. There is a large children`s playground and baby sitting is available. The resort`s two villas are perfect for families with children

http://www.amanresorts.com/pulo/rates.htm

From US$550 to US$3000 - not including the additional flight

17 March 1993
But Mr. Zecha, who is chairman and a major shareholder of Amanresorts' parent company, Silverlink Holdings Ltd., wondered if the resorts would thrive as part of a large hotel group. So he turned to longtime friend Clement Vaturi, an Italian hotel investor based in Paris. Mr. Vaturi's NV Credit Commercial International SA of Antwerp, Belgium, made a competing bid for a stake in Amanresorts. Last December, Mandarin Oriental bowed out.

Earlier this week, Credicom, as Mr. Vaturi's company is known, finalized the deal with Silverlink, a British Virgin Island-registered, Hong Kong-based company. The result is $65 million in fresh equity for Silverlink, raising total shareholder equity to around $100 million. Another large Silverlink shareholder and creditor, Hong Kong-based Arral & Partners (Asia) Ltd., and two investment trusts it manages, approved the recapitalization, according to Louis Bowen, Arral's managing director.

Mr. Zecha and Credicom have pooled their Silverlink shares into a new company, Argent Holdings Ltd., which now controls about 57% of Silverlink. Mr. Zecha said he remains chairman and chief executive of Silverlink and Amanresorts. Mr. Vaturi said he becomes president of Argent Holdings and of newly formed Credicom Asia Ltd.

Mr. Zecha said the next property, a 22-room tented luxury camp, will open in June on Moyo Island east of Bali in Indonesia. It will be called Amanwano. And in October, Amanpulo, a 40-room resort, will open on the Philippine island of Pamalican. The company also is negotiating to buy Milton Park, a country hotel near Sydney, and Mr. Zecha said he plans to build Amanresorts in Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Pagan, Burma; Sukothai, Thailand; and other ancient cultural sites in Southeast Asia. The Cambodian project already is under way, he said.
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6 July 1995
For example, the Andres Soriano family, which controls beer giant San Miguel, has teamed up with Amanresorts of Indonesia for the development of the high-end tourist resort island of Amanpulo in Palawan. Premier property firm Ayala is developing a resort on Boracay, and is the first big business to enter what is rated as one of the best beach resorts in the world, which has until now been dominated by small, mostly foreign, operators.

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This is the model's second visit to the Philippines. She first came here last year when she vacationed at the exclusive Amanpulo resort in Palawan with boyfriend, illusionist David Copperfield.

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10 great places with views to vie for

Why do kids get all the breaks? Winter-weary adults, fed up with gray, uninspired landscapes, need spring vacations, too. This year, consider a getaway to a room with an inspiring view. "Nothing else quite beats the combination of a dramatic setting, a great hotel room and a large window," says Nancy Novogrod, editor in chief of Travel + Leisure magazine. "The enchantment is everywhere you look." Here, Novogrod shares with USA TODAY's Shawn Sell favorite rooms with a view.

Four Seasons Bali at Sayan

Bali, Indonesia

"The teakwood and stucco villas here are your entree to a tropical paradise. Try No. 11, set above the banks of the Ayung River. It's just birds, the occasional villager bathing in the distance and you, on the terrace in your own private plunge pool. Pure bliss." 800-819-5053; fourseasons.com.

Amanpulo

Philippines

Set on a secluded island, "Amanpulo is the quintessential swept- away beach resort. The 40 casitas are inspired by native houses, and my favorite is the last one, a stilted hillside perch overlooking lush vegetation, gleaming white sand beaches and the Sulu Sea. Watch sunrises from your terrace and you'll think you're alone on the island." 800-477-9180; www.amanresorts.com.

The Peninsula Bangkok

Bangkok

"For panoramic views of the city and the Chao Phraya River, nothing beats the Terrace Suite (No. 3703). Where to look and where to go is the challenge: rich silk fabrics, Chinese ceramics, original Asian art and an outdoor landscaped terrace with a private Jacuzzi vie for attention. Or, just stand by the window." 011-66-2- 861-2888; peninsula.com.

Park Hyatt Chicago

Chicago

"The new hotel, ideally located atop a skyscraper overlooking Michigan Avenue, features Nomi, an excellent French fusion restaurant. Outside, as seen from the window seat in Room 1807, is the Magnificent Mile, the Water Tower and vast Lake Michigan." 312- 355-1234; parkhyattchicago.hyatt.com.

Mandarin Oriental

Miami

"Asian minimalism meets Florida fun in this towering hotel and begets a great spa, bayside pool and two restaurants, including chef Michelle Bernstein's Azul. Forget the stylish bamboo floors, luxurious bed linens and spacious marble bathroom, the views are what get me: Biscayne Bay, Fisher Island and the Miami skyline, as seen from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Biscayne Suite." 305- 913-8288; mandarinoriental.com.

The Taj Lake Palace Hotel

Udaipur, India

"Looking like a mirage as you approach it by launch, this 250- year-old expanse of domed and faceted white marble floats on Udaipur's Lake Pichola. Once the maharajah's main hall, Chandra Prakash (Moonlight Terrace Suite, No. 251) is a penthouse with intricate ceiling frescoes, bohemian crystal chandeliers and an unobstructed view of the lake, Aravalli Hills and the Monsoon Palace." 011-91-294-252-8800; tajhotels.com.

Boulders Inn

New Preston, Conn.

"The newly restored inn reopened last year. The 1890 Dutch colonial mansion, by architect Ehrick Rossiter, is a cozy hybrid of Adirondacks and Telluride elements. The Northwest Junior Suite in the main building offers sweeping views of lovely Lake Waramaug." 800-455-1565; bouldersinn.com.

Lodge at Koele

Lanai, Hawaii

"Waking up in the Fireplace Garden Suite (No. 101) is a delicious experience. A New England shingle-style country house, the lodge somehow fits in brilliantly with the pine trees and rich red earth of this former pineapple-plantation island. From the porch, watch the mist rise over the gardens." 800-321-4666; lodgeatkoele.com.

The Lodge at Torrey Pines

La Jolla, Calif.

"With a pine forest on one side and the crashing Pacific on the other, the Lodge is a tribute to California Craftsman lodges of the early 20th century. The Thorsen Suite opens up onto the golf course's 18th hole and, beyond that, the seemingly endless ocean." 858-453-4420; lodgetorreypines.com.

Explora en Atacama

Atacama, Chile

"At an elevation of 18,000 feet, this hotel sits within an oasis in the Northwest Chilean desert. Room No. 40 offers the best view: sitting on the bed or soaking in the oversized tub, watch horses graze on green alfalfa pastures under a bright blue sky with the snow-capped Andes and Licancabur volcano in the distance." 011-56-2- 395-2533; www.explora.com.

Destinations & Diversions; Travel

PHOTO, B/W, Four Seasons Resort; PHOTO, B/W, Mandarin Oriental; Caption: At the Four Seasons Bali at Sayan: Check out Villa No. 11, above the Ayung River. It has its own splash pool. Just sit and stare: The view from the Biscayne Suite of the Mandarin Oriental in Miami includes Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline.

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Prince Albert (of Monaco) reminisced enthusiastically with Fortune about his previous visit to the Philippines-especially the brief sojourn he managed in the secluded resort of Amanpulo!

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FIVE BEST ISLAND RETREATS
Rhiannon Batten
18 February 2006

Escape the everyday with a few nights on a far-flung archipelago. By Rhiannon Batten

Fregate Island Private Seychelles

A string of 16 luxury villas on a quiet Indian Ocean island, Frégate boasts tropical forests, dazzling white sand and oodles of wildlife. Named after a native bird, the resort should please nature-lovers with giant tortoise, turtles and a beetle found nowhere else in the world, as well as native trees and palms. Cashews, coconuts, vanilla, mangoes, bananas and cinnamon are grown here, all of which are put to use in the resort's kitchens.

Fregate Island Private, Fregate Island, Seychelles (00 49 6102 501321' www.fregate.com ). Villas start at EUR2,185 (£1,501), full board' three-night minimum stay.

Capofaro Malvasia & Resort Italy

Set on Salina, a pretty volcanic island in the Sicilian archipelago, Capofaro's 18 rooms and suites opened in summer 2004 on a former Malvasia-producing estate. The accommodation, which looks out onto an old lighthouse, makes the most of the historic location. Seven century-old cottages have been turned into chic, whitewashed villas complete with traditional porticoes and sea views. There is also a pool and tennis courts to keep guests occupied and, with the estate's vines now producing over 25,000 bottles a year, more than enough to drink. The hotel is also known for its food, which has an emphasis on local dishes. Capofaro Malvasia & Resort, via Faro 3, Salina, Sicily, Italy (00 39 090 984 4330' www.capofaro.it ). Double rooms start at EUR190 (£130), including breakfast.

Grinda Wardshus Sweden

A one-hour ferry ride from Stockholm brings you to Grinda, one of the quietest islands in the pine-dotted archipelago that spools out from the Swedish capital. The main activities are walking, reading and eating, especially at Wardshus, an art nouveau inn built by the first director of the Nobel Committee as a summer retreat. Sanded floorboards, wood panelling, period fireplaces and hearty local food make its restaurant well worth the trek. As do the cosy hotel bedrooms, set in four adjacent houses. Although Grinda now gets busy year-round with day-trippers, in the evening you'll have much of it to yourself. Grinda Wardshus, Sodra Bryggan, Waxholm, Sweden (00 46 8 542 49 491' www.grindawardshus . se). Doubles start at SK1,200 (£87), including breakfast.

Amanpulo The Philippines

Amanpulo ("peaceful island") may be one of the oldest of the exclusive Amanresorts (it opened over 10 years ago) but it remains one of the best. Occupying the entire Philippine island of Pamalican, the private outpost includes poolside day beds, an open-air massage pavilion, gourmet food and access to seven square kilometres of surrounding reef.

Guests stay in one of 40 traditionally built, but deceptively sophisticated, casitas, each furnished with swish marble bathrooms and some very non-rustic king-size beds. Sliding-glass doors open on to decking and all rooms come with satellite TV and CD players. Appealingly, Amanpulo also boasts its own turtle protection programme.

Amanpulo, Pamalican Island, Philippines (00 800 2255 2626' www.amanresorts.com ). Casitas start at $650 (£376), room only.

Marlin Lodge Mozam

On Benguerua Island in the Bazaruto archipelago, this is one of a handful of luxury lodges scattered through the five-island group, which is now a national park. Guests come here mainly to pad along pristine sand and swim over unspoilt reefs. Don't expect barefoot accommodation, though. Marlin's 19 luxury chalets (some have been more extensively refurbished than others) are reached by an elegant raised walkway and come with linen sheets, private patios and access to a cocktail bar. There is also a freshwater pool. Marlin Lodge, Benguerua Island, Mozambique (0131-661 6000' www.marlin lodge.co.za). Doubles start at $562 (£312), full board, including some watersports.

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