The tide is falling

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LinawPlan your stay
Linaw
  1. 01High water
  2. 02The island
  3. 03Villas
  4. 04Dining
  5. 05Experiences
  6. 06Night
  7. 07Getting there
  8. 08Plan your stay
Plan your stay
A museum model of a limestone island cut like a core sample: glass-clear lagoon water seen from the side above sand and rock strata, palms and thatched villas on top, on a basalt plinth.

The island keeps the tide's time.

Linaw (n.): clearness, said of water. Fourteen villas on a raised-limestone island in the Sulu Sea, run to the rhythm of the tide.

Plan your stay
The cut face of the model seen side-on: clear water over live reef, white sand, coral rubble and raised limestone.

02 · The island

Cut from the reef, kept by a family.

The Ocampo family fished this reef for three generations before they built a single roof. In 2019 they opened Linaw with Dr. Ines Halili, a marine biologist who still runs the reef nursery from the old drying shed. Everything here answers to the water: the villas sit above the highest tide, the sandbar sets the dinner hour, and nothing goes into the lagoon that the lagoon can't take.

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92 %
solar, with a battery for the night
2,400
coral fragments in the nursery
71 %
of our team from the two neighbouring islands
0
single-use plastic
40,000 L
a day from our own desalination
The lagoon beach with its pavilions under the forested hillside.

03 · Villas

Fourteen roofs, all above the high-water line.

Lagoon Pavilions on the beach, thatched roofs among the palms.

Lagoon Pavilion × 6

Steps from the water on the lagoon beach, under a deep cogon roof. Plunge pool, outdoor shower, narra daybed.

Size
95 m²
Sleeps
2
From
US$ 890
Cliff Houses on the forested limestone plateau above the cliff.

Cliff House × 4

On the plateau rim, twelve metres above the reef, with the sunrise straight in. Plunge pool cut into the stone.

Size
120 m²
Sleeps
2 + 1 child
From
US$ 1,120
The cay at the end of the sandbar with its villas over the lagoon.

Sandbar Villa × 3

On the cay at the end of the sandbar. Walk home at low tide, take the bangka at high. The quietest beds on the island.

Size
110 m²
Sleeps
2
From
US$ 1,480
A cluster of thatched pavilions behind the beach.

The Tide House × 1

Four pavilions around a sand courtyard, with its own cook and boat. For families and friends who want the island to themselves for a while.

Size
420 m²
Sleeps
8
From
US$ 3,900
The lagoon and its reef flat seen from above the beach.

04 · Dining

Dinner is served when the sea steps back.

Ebb

Twice a month, at the lowest evening tides, we set one long table on the dry reef flat for sixteen guests. Lanterns, bare feet, and a menu of what the reef gave that morning. Seated 90 minutes after low water; you're back on the sand before the tide is.

Tonight's menu US$ 145 per guest

  1. Kinilaw of today's catch, coconut vinegar, green mango
  2. Grilled lobster tail, aligue butter, calamansi
  3. Sea grapes, tomato, salted egg
  4. Smoked eggplant, pili nuts, fermented chilli
  5. Turmeric rice cooked in banana leaf
  6. Ripe mango, toasted rice, coconut cream

Ebb supper runs only on spring-tide evenings. The calendar marks them. See the calendar

The beach where the boats come in.

Bangka

The kitchen of the day's catch, on the beach where the boats come in. Lunch and dinner daily, 12:00–15:00 and 18:30–22:00.

Palm-thatch roofs at the edge of the forest.

Kubo Bar

Calamansi, tuba and cold beer under a palm-thatch roof. 16:00 until the last guest.

The water column at the cut face: reef heads in section under clear water.

05 · Experiences

When the tide comes back, go under.

Coral heads on the seaward rim of the reef.

Reef nursery

Spend a morning with Ines's team planting fragments on the frames. Free for guests, Tuesdays and Fridays.

The reef wall seen through the water column.

House reef wall

Off the reef flat, the wall drops to 30 m. Guided dives twice daily, 08:30 and 14:00. From US$ 95; PADI courses on request.

Open water at the edge of the shoal.

Saranay Shoal

A manta cleaning station forty minutes by boat. December to May, at the morning slack tide. US$ 180 per guest.

The foot of the limestone cliff where the tide pools fill.

Tide-pool spa

Three pools carved into the limestone at the foot of the cliff, filled by every high tide. Coconut and calamansi rituals, 60 or 90 minutes, from US$ 120.

2429491419
24 Nov – 23 Dec 2026 · glow window = the week around the new moon

06 · Night

The moon moves the water. At night, the water answers.

On moonless nights the lagoon carries noctiluca, a plankton that glows when it's disturbed. Our night snorkel goes out with the rising tide, lights off, an hour after dark.

2429491419
24 Nov – 23 Dec 2026 · glow window = the week around the new moon

Night snorkel

75 min · US$ 85

Best in the week around the new moon.

1842230480110016403761012708906421Puerto PrincesaLinawamphibian · 40 minlaunch Dalisay · 3 h 40 minN50 kmSulu Sea · schematic, not for navigation

07 · Getting there

Arrive on the high water.

1842230480110016403761012708906421Puerto PrincesaLinawamphibian · 40 minlaunch Dalisay · 3 h 40 minN50 kmSulu Sea · schematic, not for navigation
By amphibian
55 minutes door to door from Puerto Princesa airport: a 15-minute drive to our seaplane ramp, then 40 minutes in the air. Landings are timed to high water between 07:00 and 16:30. US$ 640 per guest return; 15 kg soft bags.
By launch
3 h 40 min on our launch Dalisay, leaving the Puerto Princesa pier daily at 08:00. Lunch on board. Included in every stay of four nights or more.
Before you fly
Check entry rules for your passport. We send arrival forms and the transfer time with your confirmation.

08 · Plan your stay

Book by the tide.

Pick your arrival day by its tide. Spring lows bring Ebb supper and the long sandbar walks; neap days are calm for diving.

Rates in US$ per villa per night
VillaGreen1 Jun–15 DecDry16 Dec–31 MayFestive20 Dec–5 Jan
Lagoon Pavilion8901,1501,450
Cliff House1,1201,4801,850
Sandbar Villa1,4801,9502,450
The Tide House3,9005,2006,800

Per villa per night, full board, house-reef snorkelling and launch transfers included, + 12 % VAT and 10 % service. Sample rates.

Tide calendar

Pick a day by its tide

  • Ebb Ebb supper: a spring low ≤ 0.20 m, 16:30–20:00
  • Sandbar walk: a daylight low ≤ 0.6 m
  • Moon phase · times are island time (UTC+8)
Tides for the next 30 days (island time)
DayLowHighTideGood for
Sat 24 Oct16:30 · 0.40 m09:56 · 1.68 mSandbar walk
Sun 25 Oct17:17 · 0.24 m10:34 · 1.81 mSandbar walk
Mon 26 Oct18:01 · 0.12 m11:11 · 1.92 mEbb supper
Tue 27 Oct18:44 · 0.05 m11:47 · 1.99 mEbb supper
Wed 28 Oct19:25 · 0.04 m12:23 · 2.02 mEbb supper
Thu 29 Oct20:07 · 0.08 m12:58 · 2.01 m
Fri 30 Oct20:50 · 0.16 m13:34 · 1.95 m
Sat 31 Oct21:34 · 0.28 m14:11 · 1.86 m
Sun 1 Nov22:23 · 0.41 m14:51 · 1.72 m
Mon 2 Nov23:19 · 0.55 m15:37 · 1.57 m
Tue 3 Nov10:21 · 1.04 m16:42 · 1.40 mCalm diving
Wed 4 Nov00:26 · 0.66 m18:28 · 1.27 mCalm diving
Thu 5 Nov01:36 · 0.75 m08:27 · 1.27 mCalm diving
Fri 6 Nov15:38 · 0.72 m09:01 · 1.37 mCalm diving
Sat 7 Nov16:22 · 0.55 m09:30 · 1.49 mSandbar walk
Sun 8 Nov16:59 · 0.40 m09:58 · 1.61 mSandbar walk
Mon 9 Nov17:33 · 0.28 m10:27 · 1.74 mSandbar walk
Tue 10 Nov18:06 · 0.19 m10:57 · 1.85 mEbb supper
Wed 11 Nov18:39 · 0.13 m11:29 · 1.94 mEbb supper
Thu 12 Nov19:12 · 0.11 m12:03 · 2.00 mEbb supper
Fri 13 Nov19:48 · 0.14 m12:39 · 2.01 mEbb supper
Sat 14 Nov20:25 · 0.20 m13:17 · 1.97 m
Sun 15 Nov21:05 · 0.29 m13:59 · 1.89 m
Mon 16 Nov21:50 · 0.41 m14:46 · 1.75 m
Tue 17 Nov22:42 · 0.53 m15:44 · 1.59 m
Wed 18 Nov23:45 · 0.65 m17:01 · 1.42 mCalm diving
Thu 19 Nov12:38 · 0.77 m06:21 · 1.38 mCalm diving
Fri 20 Nov14:14 · 0.63 m07:30 · 1.47 mCalm diving
Sat 21 Nov15:24 · 0.45 m08:29 · 1.60 mSandbar walk
Sun 22 Nov16:18 · 0.27 m09:19 · 1.72 mSandbar walk

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Calendar

No booking is made. We reply within a day.

Contact

stay@linaw-island.example
+63 2 8000 0909 (sample)
Linaw Island, Sulu Sea, Palawan, Philippines (fictional)

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