TL:DR Unspoilt paradise with white sand beaches, crystal clear water that's great for diving and snorkeling, and not crawling with tourists. Don't expect modern luxuries. Just enjoy its natural beauty. We've done some island hopping/exploring in Occidental Mindoro, mostly off of San Jose, like Grace Island and White Island, but have yet to venture beyond San Jose. We decided to venture out this trip and hired a van (₽7000 for the day) to go to Sablayan and take a boat from there to Pandan Island. Our first stop was the Ecotourism Office located next to the plaza. This is where you can get information and book your boat and stay if you're heading to Pandan Island and Apo Reef Natural Park. You'll need to pay an environmental fee per person here. They'll also assign you a boat once you decide what kind of boat you want to take. We went with a Glass Bottom boat (Queen Ella). Our boat stopped at various places close to Pandan Island to look at Sea Turtles, Corals and different kinds of fish. Really amazing! Some places were really deep and some we were only a couple of feet from the corals. The water is so clear, you could see the sea turtles if you look to your side on the water. Once we got to the island, we chose the table next to the hammock and paid for our picnicking fee at the bar. There is a day use fee per person. I forgot how much but you can look at pandan.com/prices/ for all the fees you need to pay. The water temperature was 82°F or 28°C. It was perfect. Not warm and not cold. We stayed in the water for a few hours playing and swimming! We got there around 9 am and although there were overnight guests staying in the cottages and day trippers like us, this part of the island was not crowded. Most of the tourists here are Filipinos, Europeans and Australians. This is not Boracay thank God. I hope it never gets transformed into a Boracay and I don't think it will be because it is a protected marine sanctuary. We saw a lot of divers going out to the open sea to dive. You can get your PADI certification here if you want. This island has no electricity, so it's definitely off the grid. I would totally love to stay here a couple of nights. The cottages are only a few steps from the water! It'd be the ultimate relaxation. My husband and I have camped and backpacked in remote places in the high Sierras so a stay at Pandan is luxurious compared to that! The island has a restaurant and a bar! You're also close enough to Sablayan that you'll be able to get Globe LTE here. My brother in law had Smart LTE and they couldn't very good cell reception here. The food on the island is not that great (even the Filipino food), so I suggest you bring your own food. We brought a big jug of water, empanadas, halaya, snacks and other stuff. We bought 2 young coconuts from the bar (50 pesos each) and that kept us hydrated. We tried the boneless Bangus and it was just okay. My sister did not like the Tosino. Bring your own food! Apo Reef (the second largest contiguous reef in the world and the largest one in the Philippines) is another 3 hr boat ride from Pandan, so you would really have to stay there overnight if you want to see it. Stop by Pandan for a few hours to cool off or stay overnight and then head to Apo Reef. I'd love to be able to do that on another visit when I have more time here. read more

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