Boracay has been labelled by many as one of the top beach destinations in Asia. I haven’t been there yet but from what I hear, it is a perfect spot to party, enjoy the sun and indulge in water sports. When my friend visited from Berlin last November, we had our mind set on the Philippines and Boracay came to mind first. However, after much research, we settled for Palawan…and the remote beaches of El Nido.
Nacpan beach
Travelling from Singapore to El Nido
There are no direct flights to El Nido from Singapore. The two options you have are to transit either through Cebu or Manila, take a domestic flight to Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan, and take a ‘coach’ to El Nido. Thankfully, Cebu Pacific provides a round trip including the transit so booking the trip online to Puerto Princesa was relatively easy. My friend travelled through Manila while I took the Cebu route because, as usual, I did my booking late. Apparently, travelling through Manila saves time as the transit is shorter. At Cebu, I had to wait 7 hours whereas my friend waited only 4 hours for her connecting flight in Manila. The airport at Cebu is literally a series of check-in counters, a gate, and a waiting area. There is minimal shopping around. There is a duty free shop right outside the international terminal on the left of the main exit which provides good deals on wines. You can bring an unlimited amount in. The domestic terminal is within walking distance from the international terminal and takes about five minutes on foot. Going through the domestic terminal was a breeze. The flight from Singapore to Cebu is about 3h40min long and the flight to Puerto Princesa slightly over an hour long.
We stayed a night at Puerto Princesa so that we wouldn’t have to rush to catch our ride to El Nido. It’s a rather small town with very few travellers. We stayed at a cosy hotel – more like a motel – Hibiscus Garden. They offer free transport from the airport, a trip which lasts at most 10 minutes. Should you want to take one of the many motorized tricycles, it costs 50 Philippine Pesos or USD 1.20 if you take one right outside of the airport. Or you could just walk to the main road which is a 2-minute walk away and spend 30 Pesos.
Hibiscus Garden at Puerto Princesa
We did not expect much of this hotel as Puerto Princesa was only a transit place en route to El Nido. However, we did have a good time there as it is a nice little enclave in an otherwise rather dull city. Our room when we reached was decent but the garden outside was really inviting. They have a nice restaurant with pretty good service.
On our way back to Singapore, we stayed over at Hibiscus Garden again and they gave us an amazing room with a fantastic garden in the backyard. You may probably request for it when you book a room or when you reach the hotel. It seems there is only one such unit available so I suppose you need luck on your side.
Puerto Princesa
There is really nothing much to do in Puerto Princesa. The food was bearable at best and nightlife is virtually non-existent. One restaurant which stood out was Kailui where I was able to order a blue marlin steak, so hard to find in Singapore. We did have some fun taking photos at the wet market where people were very friendly. It seems they do not see travellers very often and it piqued their curiosity. We travelled the city by their local taxi-vans which accommodate as many people as it can fit at the back. A 20-minute ride costs about 50 pesos. That’s how much our ride to the bus terminal cost us. We booked the ticket to El Nido a day prior and left the next morning at 7:30am. Our hotel van, which we arranged in advance, dropped us at the bus terminal. The trip to El Nido is 7 hour long. And it’s a rough ride too, in a 10-seater van with very little leg room.
El Nido
The ride to El Nido was rough, especially the last two hours. Rough terrain, treacherous winding roads and tight spaces in the van made it quite unpleasant. However, once the sea is in sight, you forget that painful experience. The van dropped us at the main terminal which is about 15 minutes to the main El Nido beach by the motorized tricycles. A ride costs between 30 to 50 Pesos depending on your bargaining skills.
Once we reached the main beach in El Nido town, we set off to visit a few hotels with a view on the beach. We were, sadly, pretty disappointed. It was either a terrible view from the available rooms, the condition of the rooms, or the steep prices which ranged from 1,800 to 2,500 Pesos. It may be advisable to book a room in advance and STRESS that you want the room with a view on the beach. Otherwise, you will probably be stuck on the second floor of a hotel with a view on the street. Not pleasant at all!
El Nido main stretch
Islandfront Cottages at Corong Corong
We were lucky to have found a great driver who suggested we explore hotels along Corong Corong beach which is 10 minutes away from El Nido town. We did just that and thankfully found a fantastic little abode in Islandfront Cottages. The room came at 2,100 Pesos per night but it was well worth it! It was the only room with a big balcony facing the sea. And considering, we were visiting during an off-peak season, we shared the whole place only with another Japanese gentleman. The food at the restaurant is nothing fantastic but they do provide San Miguel beer the whole night.
Please note that El Nido has a complete blackout from 6:00am to 2:00pm so schedule showers and charging of your electronic devices in advance.
Islandfront Cottages provide bike rental services too. We rented a 4-speed bike for 700 Pesos a day (which was further discounted when we checked out. We got a day free). The ride to El Nido town was barely 10 minutes by bike. Definitely faster than with a tricycle which can be hard to come by at Corong Corong.
Back to El Nido town. It has a one-stop shop for travellers: ArtCafe. At first, we were reticent to visit the place, thinking it would be a tourist trap. But that is definitely NOT the case. They provide the best service in town. Their food is pretty good too. And their owners, Judith and Tani, and staff are just lovely and so helpful! On top of all that, it is a great place to meet like-minded travellers who are more than willing to share tips on El Nido. That is how we got to know about Nacpan beach, which I’ll talk about later on. ArtCafe is known by everyone at El Nido. Just ask to be pointed in the right direction. You can visit their website by clicking HERE.
The main beach at El Nido town in nothing fantastic. The water is not the clearest and the sand definitely not the whitest. A must do at El Nido are the island tours. There are four island hoping tours available on El Nido – A, B, C, and D – regardless of where you book them. It can be at any of the many tour operators at El Nido town, at your hotel or at, where else, ArtCafe. There is a single meeting point for the tours, not far from ArtCafe. The meeting time is 8:00am. The two recommended tours are A and C, as any of the operators will tell you. Package A costs 700 Pesos and package B, 900. There is a compulsory environment fee of 200 Pesos. You will also need to rent your snorkeling gear at 200 Pesos. A kayak can be rented for 800 Pesos for a full day. The kayak is ferried on the boat and at certain lagoons, you can spend some time kayaking. We did that and it was great. A dry bag is highly recommended to protect your electronic devices and your camera. Camera cases can be rented at ArtCafe. You will also need protection for your feet as you will need to walk on corals and may step on sea urchins. The guides wear slippers but I would highly recommend sea shoes.
Island tours A and C
We had the chance to have a great guide who took us on both tours. The tour boats can accommodate 8 to 16 people. Tour A was all about visiting different islands and snorkeling. They have some amazing islands such as the secret island where you need to swim through a crack in a wall to reach an amazing beach. I didn’t have a camera case sadly so I couldn’t capture the wonderful islands we visited. Tour B was about visiting lagoons. We rented a kayak and it was well worth it. Kayaking at the ‘big lagoon’ and ‘small lagoon’ were fantastic. The water was ridiculously clear. Lunch is provided for on all the tours. It was probably the best food we had during our trip. The guides prepared everything. They brought all the food we needed and during lunch time, they stopped on one of the many islands and fired up the barby. We had seafood, some delicious pork and some great salad followed by fresh fruits.
Food in El Nido
I had my fare share of bad food at El Nido. The only places I actually enjoyed a meal were at Altrove, a nice little trattoria along the main stretch in El Nido town and ArtCafe. Squidos does serve decent grub too. The other restaurants we tried along the beach were very disappointing. San Miguel beers go for 50 to 60 Pesos at restaurants and 35 Pesos at small shops in El Nido town. A bottle of Hardy’s wine goes for 410 Pesos.
Nacpan beach
Nacpan beach was one of the highlights of our trip. We learned about it from some travellers at ArtCafe. It is not easily accessible but we managed to find it with some luck. It is about 2.5 hours from El Nido town by bike. Roads are terrible and it gets worse the closer you get to the beach. The weather was not kind to us in El Nido and we had to ride in the rain and on muddy roads, if you can call them that. Nacpan was completely deserted when we reached, which was great. If you want to have a picnic or have a few drinks, you should bring those with you. It’s hard to find a shop around there. They did have a little hut serving drinks about 5 minutes from Nacpan beach though.
Departure
We left El Nido very happy with our trip. The ride back took less time thankfully. We were back at Hibiscus Garden within 5 hours. We took a night ride which left at 6:00pm. The next day, we left Puerto Princesa. There is one ATM at the airport if you need cash. I took the flight to Cebu where I had seven hours to burn before my flight back to Singapore. I took the first taxi and told the driver to drop me at the nearest hotel to relax. I ended up at Whitesand hotel, about 30 minutes from the airport. For 700 Pesos, you get to relax at the hotel with access to the swimming pool, changing rooms, showers and the beach. You can also choose between a food buffet or 250 Pesos in drink vouchers. One beer cost 90 Pesos. I had a fantastic Blue Marlin steak for 430 Pesos.
The trip came with ups and downs but I spent a fantastic time with my friend Manu on a trip which was long overdue. El Nido is not your party destination but if you want to see amazing beaches and islands, I highly recommend it.
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