Totally tropical … Bacuit Bay, El Nido, is the base for the Aurora. Photograph: Scott Sporleder

‘If you looked up “desert island” in an encyclopaedia,” said Eddie Brock, pointing to an island of sugary white sand fringed with palm trees as we sailed slowly past, “this is what you’d see.” I was sitting on the top deck of his boat, and before me lay nothing but turquoise sea, beautiful white sand islands, and more sea.
Eddie is a Filipino who moved to Britain aged 18, but rediscovered his birthplace on an extended trip home 10 years later. That’s when he fell in love with the remote islands of Palawan, the country’s westernmost province, often labelled its “last frontier”. Now he’s set up Tao Philippines, offering bespoke sailing trips to adventurous travellers, with his British best mate, Jack Foottit.






