Kalinaw Resort

In Cebuano, linaw means calm, and it also means a pool; put ka- in front and it becomes kalinaw, peace. A resort of six villas, each with an infinity pool of its own and the lagoon or the sea in front, could hardly have picked a more literal name. Two Frenchmen who left Paris founded it on Siargao's east coast, and say they draw on street culture and skateboarding as well as architecture. The skateboarding is harder to spot. The architecture is everywhere: dark frames and wide glass doors under roofs lined with thatch, and rattan lanterns hung high in the gables. Both two-bedroom villas sleep six, so the choice between them comes down to the pool or the bath. The Pavilion Pool Villa raises its infinity pool above the lawn to face the lagoon; the Pool Suite Villa puts a bath beside the bed in one bedroom, with a private garden outside the door.

Recommended for couples who want a pool nobody else swims in, and for families with small children who would rather have a villa than a kids' club, since under-twos stay free. Breakfast is chosen from a menu and carried out to the terrace. After it, the kayak and paddle board are free to take out on the lagoon from the resort's own beach, and Cloud 9 is 800 metres on foot, with private surf lessons the resort arranges, children included. In the evening Cappa lays its tables by the pool or on the sand and cooks Filipino and southern European food with a French accent, down to bread baked on site. The founders left Paris. The beef bourguignon and the tarte Tatin on the menu suggest they did not leave all of it.