This Philippines 'Birdhouse' Makes Glamping Romantic
If scrolling through The Birdhouse's photos of white sand soaked in orange sunsets and cream-colored tents strewn with dream catchers doesn't convince you glamping can be romantic, just take a look at the couple who opened the boutique hideaway in El Nido, a remote jungle-meets-beach destination on the Filipino island of Palawan.
After tying the knot, Mark-Anthony and Camille Dimson Villaflor saved up $30,000 and honeymooned for almost a year and a half, covering everywhere from Cambodia to Costa Rica. Their end goal was to "nest" in the Philippines, according to their website, and nest they did, quite literally.
The couple bought a stretch of land in the limestone cliffs over El Nido's lush jungle and put their skills to work: hers in interior design and his in real-estate, respectively. Now they own The Birdhouse, an off-the-grid glamping site consisting of a main lodge and luxury tents (which they call nests) perched among the treetops overlooking the idyllic turquoise waters of Bacuit Bay.
Getting away from it all is part of the romance, but creating a livable space in such a remote area wasn't easy, Camille told CNN: "We had no electricity except fireflies in our room. We had no running water. It was rainy season and we were collecting rainwater and using it to shower and everything."
They even had to create their own path so visitors would be able to find them. But travelers today won't feel like they're roughing it — each artfully decorated tent has a queen-size bed along with two singles, a private bathroom, electricity, and a porch for sea and stargazing.
Most of March and April are already sold out, but a long weekend in May for two adults will cost you 5,500 Philippine pesos a night (about $110). The maximum occupancy per nest is four, and bookings can be made online. There is a two-night minimum stay.
To get there, you'll have to take a flight from Manila to El Nido, or fly into Puerto Pincesa and take a van or bus into the town of El Nido.
