El Nido - Summer 2014

Summer would always mean sun-kissed skin, relaxing getaways, and gorgeous beaches. In short, it's simply the best time para maglakwatsa! So right after my Coron getaway, it's time to revisit El Nido.

SUMMER:

Hair gets lighter. Skin gets darker. Life gets better. 

El Nido - The Second Time Around
For some reasons, I wasn't really stunned with El Nido when I saw it the first time. It could be the water, the weather, or my mood that time. The experience was great, but I knew my expectation was more than that. #TaasStandards So my friends and I went back to El Nido. This time around, it left us breathless.

now I believe this is one of the best beaches in the Philippines

Island Hopping in El Nido
Rumors are true. The standard rates have increased. Here are the current rates (for peak season at least):
Tour A 1,200/pax - Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Simizu Island, Secret Lagoon, and 7 Commandos Beach
Tour B 1,200/pax - Entalula, Pinagbuyutan Island, Pangulasian Island, Snake Island, and Cathedral Cave
Tour C 1,400/pax - Hidden Beach, Helicopter Island, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine, and Star Beach
Tour D 1,200/pax -  Bukal Island, Ipil Beach, Nat-Nat Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, and Paradise Beach
Underwater Camera rental - P700/day
Kayak rental - P800/day

Combination trips are not widely offered anymore BUT special trips can be easily availed by renting out a private boat for your group. Once again, Northern Hope Tours took care of our island hopping activity. Depends on the number of person on your group and how many tours will you avail, ate Neriza (owner of Northern Hope) is easy to deal with if you ask for discounted rates.

Northern Hope Tours, El Nido

website:  http://www.northernhopetours.com/

facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/northernhopetours

email: northernhopetours@gmail.com

mobile: 0939.902.22.16

What we visited: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Simizu Island, Snake Island, Helicopter Island, and Papaya Beach. Much better than the Combination Tour A and C, because we also went to Snake Island which is included for Tour B. We could have visited Matinloc Shrine but the weather's gone crazy, we skipped it.

Big Lagoon

 

the perks of renting a private boat

you have all the time on this spot

Small Lagoon

floating my worries away

Northern Hope's big and private boat

Snake Island

goofing under the summer heat

artistic lunch c/o our boatmen at Snake Island

yes, we do love El Nido!

 live music on board

snorkeling at Helicopter Island

healthier-looking corals

kayaking at Papaya Beach

the finest and whitest sand in El Nido

 easy kayak for the guys

unobstructed sunset view

As always, I felt blessed for having the privilege to travel and see these awesome places in our country. A big dose of Vitamin Sea just filled our wanderlusts.


Overcomer Lodge
For affordable yet decent and spacious accommodation in El Nido, we chose the newly built Overcomer Lodge. Location is at Corong-Corong. Our spacious room includes our own bathroom, big beds, tv, fan, and aircon. Rates normally start at P500 per person and this already includes breakfast at the rooftop. And yes, there's free WiFi.

Overcomer Lodge

facade, 1st floor, and roof deck as breakfast area

Overcomer Lodge's room for 2

Btw, rates are negotiable. If you avail the tours from Northern Hope, then you most probably have a discounted rate for the rooms at Overcomer Lodge. Just ask ate Neriza.


Nacpan Beach - Now I'm a Believer
Parang Justin Bieber lang ah. Anyway, this is really the spot I wanted to see again. Most friends I knew hailed this beach as the most stunning - but when I see it the first time, it looked uhm ordinary. I know I just have to see it again. Luckily this time around, Nacpan Beach proved me I was wrong.

  the white stretch of flawless and uncrowded shore at Nacpan Beach

Nacpan Beach - even better upclose

view from top

Twin Beach

trekking under the sun at 35°C was rewarding

Nacpan and Calitang Beaches

We were truly amazed. Im so happy too that I revisited this place. Immediately I thought of rearranging my Best Beaches List. Definitely, El Nido is not #10.


Cadlao Resort - Splurging a little for my birthday
Since it's my birthday, we decided to splurge a little. We made a good choice for picking Cadlao Resort which is along the town proper. The resort is extremely beautiful. Rate is around P8,000 per night which comes with breakfast for 2 people. A little expensive yes, but it's just right. FYI, there are only 4 resorts in El Nido town which has a pool. For me, it is worth every peso spent specially when the resort is well maintained, the staff are friendly, and the view is breathtaking!

lush green Cadlao Resort 

room with a view (thanks to the full-sized sliding glass door)

we love the room, but the pool and view are so much better!

well maintained resort

the world is our playground

Cadlao Resort

drool.. i wont judge you. ^_^

one lazy afternoon by the pool

camwhoring at its finest

happy birthday to me!

We wished we could have stayed longer (and of course if we could afford it. hehe). Relaxation in this place is very achievable. The Cadlao Lagoon which is just across the resort is a good addition to the view of the infinity pool. Initially we planned of going to Altenative Inn again, but it's so hard to leave the pool. I think we had a good decision to just stay. The food here is good as well, though a bit expensive. Still, I recommend this resort for special occasions.


Thank you Palawan for that another awesome experience. Thank you ate Neriza for the fun tour! Thank God for the privilege to travel, a good weather, nice company, and another unforgettable summer.

related articles:

El Nido | Marimegmeg and Nacpan Beach

El Nido Island Hopping | Combination Tour A and C

El Nido | Combination Tour A and C

part 1:  El Nido | Marimegmeg and Nacpan Beach

It was already our last full day in El Nido and we still haven't experienced the most famous island hopping activity. I whispered a prayer that the weather will still be sunny and the waves will be cooperative. Luckily, everything went well. Thank you Lord!

time for some island hopping in El Nido

There are 4 island hopping tours in El Nido namely tour A, B, C, and D. The most famous tours are A and C. These include the lagoons, great beaches, best snorkeling spots, and breathtaking viewing deck of El Nido. Since it would be hard to choose between the two tours, we decided to do both on the same day. There are many spots to see but we just chose the ones that interest us and drop those spots that may be similar with the others. Now we had a plan!

el nido island hopping tour map - A, B, C and D

Small shops that offer island and inland tours are scattered in every corner of the street. The rate of island hopping tours in El Nido is standard. Tour A costs P700/pax and tour C costs P900/pax. Yes, the rates are per person. No need for minimum number of guests since the tour operators will be the one to look for joiners to fill in the boat. Combination tours are also available so no need to worry. Sounds good but we wanted to maximize our time on the islands that we prioritized to visit. We do not want to see every island that's included in the tour - umay factor naman yun. So to end this dillema, we rented our own boat. Feeling mayaman. ^_^

Combination Tour A and C
We got Northern Hope Ticketing and Island Tours boat rental and service. Ate Neriza - 0939.902.2216, the tour operator, accompanied us. The boat is really spacious, we could have invited her children too to join us. Anyway, we started the combination tour at 8:30am. A fee of P200 is collected to every tourist.

Our first destination was the Hidden Beach. It's a beach located behind these awesome limestone cliffs. A little effort is needed to go here, specially the waves are strong and sharp corals are everywhere. And it's really a must to wear aqua shoes.

entrance to the Hidden Beach

sensha na, lampa lang ^_^

The path is slippery and it has lots of big and sharp corals. It's your call if you wanted to bring your precious gadgets.

hello Hidden Beach

now it's not hidden anymore

There's not much people when we arrived. Good thing we visited this in the morning.

it's also a snorkeling spot

but no need to use some equipment, the water is just knee-deep

The corals are not in their healthiest form, but at least there are some. Aqua shoes are highly needed in this spot. Aside from the fish and corals, there are sea urchins too so be careful.

colorful corals

im a fan of sea anemone

yay, im excited to use my Canon D20 underwater camera for the first time!

Next destination of our choice was the Matinloc Shrine. This area is famous for its great top view. Make sure to visit this spot on 12noon onwards for better viewing. Against the light pag umaga. ^_^

way to Matinloc Shrine

posing for a shot before everyone gets here!

ang crowded ng islands sa el nido ^_^

This place has a sacred monument which was build to honor the blessed Virgin Mary. It used to be a retreat house as well. Unfortunately, the owners wasn't able to maintain this place anymore. Anyway, the spectacular view is not the shrine, but the view from top.

spectacular view from top

copied from Gladys, thanks girl!

Moving on, we headed to Secret Beach right away. This is the most memorable and exciting part of our island hopping.  Going through that small opening to enter the Secret Beach was such an adventure. Haha Simpleng buwis buhay.

the Secret Beach

We we're surprised to see a lot of "stranded" tourists inside. Well they are not really stranded, but they looked like it.

stranded in El Nido?

As you know, the opening is too small that only 1 person can pass there at a time. Take turns it is for those who will enter and those who will exit. 

 the place is not very spectacular

 but how you enter this beach is already a spectacular experience

At lunchtime, we settled at Talisay Beach. While our guide was leading us to the best snorkeling sites, the boatmen started to cook our lunch. Sarap ng buhay!

 to Talisay Beach

the combination of these limestone cliffs and blueish water kept me breathless

Honestly, the underwater world never amazed me. The corals are dead. The best part of this snorkeling is the view everytime I took my head out of the water. Grabe, ang ganda ng view on land. That's where Im more amazed.

daddy found nemo

garden of not so healthy corals

a brain coral

 i sacrificed my skin while hoping there'll be a great sighting of superior corals, but really there was none

the seabed looked gloomy by just having a few species

oh well, at least there are vibrant colored corals around

Again, the view under water may not be something amazing, but the limestone on the surface never failed to impress me.

im more impressed with the limestone formations

It's finally time for our lunch. Freshly cooked fish and pork are served. Lunch are usually included in the island hopping tour. For exclusive tours like ours, it's best to request your food choices. Additional rates apply opcors pag bet mo ang lobster and prawns.

a feast for 3

yey, may buko juice!

both of us were not fans of softdrinks

siesta time at Talisay Beach

We're so umay na to do some snorkeling but luckily we did. Our next destination - Shimizu Island showcased a lot of fish. No need to throw some bread, the fishies were very excited to welcome their guests.

canon delights me, always! 

school of fish at Shimizu Island

Along our way to the Big and Small Lagoon, we spotted this place with an orange tree. Lakas maka-autumn! We didn't think twice and docked the boat in this island to have our photo taken.

autumn in El Nido

anu ba yan, pumunta pa ko ng South Korea para maexperience ang ganitong foliage, meron din pala sa El Nido


The last destinations on our list was Miniloc Island, were the Big and Small Lagoon are located. For some obvious reasons, tinamad na kami bumaba ng bangka. Kakaumay naman kasi pare-pareho lang ang view. Peace. =P

Small Lagoon

Ate Neriza still offered us to go to some nearby beaches but we declined. We called it a day, solb na kami. I therefore conclude, combination tour A and C can really be done in 1 whole day. I cant see myself doing these island hopping tours on different days.

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Northern Hope Ticketing and Island Tours

0939.902.2216

Island Hopping Rates:

tour A - P700/pax    |    tour B - P800/pax    |    tour C - P900/pax       

combination tour A & C - P1300/pax    |    discounted rate for group of 4 - P800/pax

boat rental for 4 - P3,000/boat (lunch not included)

they also have a boat which sails from El Nido to Coron. schedule varies.

Thank you ate Neriza for the tour and discounted rates. I hope that the local government of El Nido may give an ordinance / protection to local operators like you. It's just fair that those natives of El Nido must be given priority compared to tour operators from Puerto Princesa and from Manila.

El Nido 4days 3nights expenses

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Overall, I was fulfilled and delighted to finally see and experience El Nido. Surely, it belongs to the top spots to see here in the Philippines. The clear blue water, breathtaking limestone formations, the laid back lifestyle, and the good vibe of the enthusiastic tourists are the obvious reasons why everyone hails El Nido. Im just a proud Pinay. ♥

next post: Bellarocca Resort