El Nido, Philippines

El Nido

If you are coming by boat from Port Barton or Sabang, you are in for a real treat. The Coastline leading up to El Nido is fantastic. The limestone islands rise out of the water all around. Very exotic and photo-worthy. The bangka will round the last limestone headland and there will be El Nido. The setting is fantastic – rugged limestone outcrops crowned with dense jungle foliage form the backdrop.

Approaching El Nido by sea

Big Lagoon

El Nido - bay at sunset

Gloria's cottages

Makinit hot spring.

Walk to the waterfall.

Makalit-Kalit waterfall.

Blue Karrot

Lally and Abet Cottages

El Nido to Coron

The beach, gently curving around the bay, provides the foreground. Monkeys call out from the forest and sometimes a sea eagle can be seen gliding overhead. We saw a large sea turtle coming up for air.

Also note that El Nido town and El Nido resort are NOT the same place. Most people make this mistake. There are two high-end resorts here called Miniloc and Lagen and they are what most people believe to be El Nido.

This is an established tourist hub. The owners, Judith (from Switzerland - been here 8 years) and her Filipino partner Tani, arrange all sorts of island hopping, snorkeling, windsurfing and walking tours. Have a look there to see what is being offered for the day or make your request. We always book our outings through them.

The breakfast at Art Cafe is good too – we usually have yoghurt and fresh fruit in the mornings and they make the best brewed coffee in town. Very nice. Lunch is also available.

They have a great range of T-shirts and Tani designs and prints them. This is a big part of their business.

Judith is also the only Seair representative in El Nido, so you can book or change your flight bookings with her.

Their Island hopping tours are very well organized and ridiculously cheap. These tours are "A MUST". Do them all!

Rates per person (as from Sept 2003). 9AM to 4PM, 4 persons per boat- BBQ lunch provided.
Tour A:- Lagoons, snorkeling, Miniloc, Simisu Island.- P400
Tour B:- Caves, Beaches, Snake Island - P450
Tour C:- Secret Beach, snorkeling, Mantinloc, Tapuitan Island - P450

1/2 day Tour:- Cadlao Island, snorkeling, (no lunch) P200.

Sunset Criuse:- 5PM until after sunset. 1 free beer (and ask them to bring extra) P150. On the right night the sunsets on this tour can be stunning (and romantic).

Other:- Once you have done all the tours above, you can organize your own to 7 Commando Beach, Helicopter Island, Pasadingan Cove, Ubugon Cove, Paradise Beach, Ipil Beach, and others.

My son Daniel and I (John) spent 4 days in El Nido in mid September 2003. As it was a bit cooler than the rest of the year, we decided to do the trek to Makinit hot spring followed by the hike to the Makalit-Kalit waterfall (also known as the small waterfall). There is a larger one, but, because of the heavy rains the previous days, it was considered unsafe to go there.

We organized the trek through Art Cafe (of course). You will need a guide for these treks and they will organize the tricycle to take you there. It is about an hour by trike to the hot spring and 15 minutes back to the waterfall. The walk to the hot spring takes about 20 minutes and its about a 45 minutes stroll to the waterfall.

The Makinit hot spring was rather disappointing, and, unless you are really interested in seeing a hot spring, don’t do it. It seems ridiculous to come to a tropical paradise and then go for a hot hike to a boring hot spring. As you get closer to the spring, the water can get quite hot so be careful not to lose your footing. It is easy to sink knee deep into the slimy black mud. Yuk!

The Makalit-Kalit waterfall was very enjoyable. Note that we did it in September when the sky was overcast and there had been lots of rain. Don’t expect it to be enjoyable in May. It was more of a stroll than a trek and we crossed the river many times, which was pleasantly refreshing. We were certainly not disappointed with the waterfall and enjoyed the refreshing swim. Also enjoyable was the lunch of fish, rice and salad that came with the package. The price for the hot spring and waterfall, including lunch and transport was about P500 each for two. I believe that it is cheaper if there are more people.

In September 2003 I ended up having nearly all my meals in a new restaurant called Marber. Marilou, the proprietor, used to partly run the previously well frequented Mac Macs. The new location is good and right on the beach front just north of the Blue Karrot. The best place to be around sunset is on the beach front. The Blue Karrot is another hub and a good place to have a few late afternoon drinks.

At night have a few drinks and a game of pool at the Shipwreck Bar, a favorite haunt for locals and tourists. It is only about 50 meters south of the Art Cafe.

There is lots of accommodation in El Nido. Take a look around and choose the one that appeals most. We highly recommend that you stay near the water – it’s cooler.

Gloria's – This is where we usually stay. It is situated right on the beach front. Large trees shelter the rooms from the afternoon sun and we find the private balcony a wonderful place to relax, read and chat. Take an upstairs room - the downstairs rooms are not as good because you will hear every step the people in the upstairs room take.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, with a good mosquito net and en suite bathroom. P450 per night. Hot water in a thermos is delivered daily so you can stock yourself up to make your own tea and coffee in your room. The rooms come with a fan.

When we come into El Nido by bangka, we always get the boatman to drop us off at the beach in front of Gloria’s.

Dara Fernandez – These cottages are right next door and north of Gloria's. I stayed there in Sept 2003 as Gloria's was being refurbished. The location is excellent but the cottages are getting a bit run down. I ended up getting locked in my room as the lock seized up. Luckily I had my cell phone and was able to call Tani from Art Cafe to break me out. Another thing I don't like is that the top of the duplex is open to the next room so that you can hear the slightest noises from the room next door.

The off-season rate is supposed to be P300 a night but I am glad that I talked them down to P200 (which I don't usually do) as I was not happy with my stay there.

Lally and Abet Beach Cottages – A few hundred meters north of Gloria's. We have not stayed there before but may give it a try next time.

The Location is not quite as good as Gloria's and Dara Fernandez, but they have a wide selection of 32 rooms and cottages. Some of these are air-conditioned, and I don't think that that is offered anywhere else in El Nido. They also run their own generator after hours as El Nido only has 12 hours power. You call them direct at El Nido on +63 919 357 6282

Their peak season rates per room per night are as follows. (There is about 10% for off-peak.)
Big aircon room with 2 double beds - P1650
Small aircon room - P1320
Beach front room with fan - P990
Duplex with fan - P880
Grand cottage with fan and share bathroom - P380.

NOTE:- This end of the beach can get very hot in the late afternoons with very little protection from the sun.

Bacuit Divers divers have just permanently closed so give Palawan Divers a go. Check out others too. Palawan divers will charge (as of May 2004) P1600 each for 2 dives, equipment hire, boat hire and lunch. If there is only one of you, the price will be P2400.

Normally we take 2 dives on each trip. With Bacuit Divers, the D M brought lunch for us which we usually ate on a beautiful beach between dives. Fresh mangos work well in this setting. P1300 per outing, for two – 2 dives plus lunch.

Janet and I have a preference for Filipino dive masters. They usually have good local knowledge and put a lot of effort into making sure you get the most out of your dive. We often find that the short term European diver masters, who are here to escape the winter months, are often doing their own dives. Sometimes almost forget that you are there. This was certain the case recently in El Nido.

Sea turtles are often seen on these dives. Fish life is abundant. Manta rays, small sharks, corals, thrive. The ocean sanctuary around El Nido seems to work. The water is clear (in May) and warm.

Island Transvoyager Inc (previously Soriano Aviation) has several flights a day from Manila to El Nido and back. Their only function in life is to transport guests to and from the exclusive El Nido resorts. They will however take other passengers. It costs me P8,800 return but they want a faxed copy of my drivers license to prove I am a Philippines' resident. For foreigners, the price is US$190 or about P10,400. Speak to Peachy on +63 2 851 5674 or +63 2 854 1417. The terminal for this airline is a bit hard to find so make sure you get good directions. They can fax you a map. Also, if you fly back with them to Manila, there is about a 10 minute walk to a taxi. Don't catch one directly outside because they are going to charge you five times the going rate.

SEAIR ( South East Asian Airlines) also flies to El Nido 2 times a week. This is on Tuesday and Saturday mornings with one short stop in Coron, Busuanga. The cost is P4400 for one way.

Leaving El Nido

El Nido to Busuanga, Coron, Manila – Busuanga is an Island on the Northern tip of Palawan with Coron as its capital. If you like wreck diving, Coron is the place for you. We have not done this – not our thing - but have been told that it is great if you like this kind of diving.

To book your flight out, go to the booking office run by Judith at the Art Cafe. Seair is it. Each flight to Manila stops over in Busuanga on its way, or of course, you can return to Puerto Princesa. SEAIR planes are small, so you get a real sense of flying. A tricycle will take you to the airport - P150 standard fare.

To Puerto Princesa by bus with Flower Island stopover – You can also get a bus back to Puerto Princesa. we have not done it but believe it takes about 9 hours. If you are going back this way, consider a stopover at Flower Island near Taytay. Although we have not been there, it comes highly recommended by all our friends that have. Accommodation is P1,500 a night per person. There may be some boat expenses as well. (Also note that Flower Island was recently sold and we do not know what the impact of that has been.)