The Majestic Islands of El Nido

Saturday, October 06, 2018

El-Nido

As soon as we set foot on this place, we became besotted to its majestic beauty. No wonder it's one of the world's best travel destinations.

Join us as we explore the majestic islands of El Nido!

From Puerto Princesa Airport, you can either hop on one of the buses or commuter vans bound for El Nido. But if you prefer a faster option, there are chartered flights to El Nido. But, have your pockets ready as it will cost you more.

We took the cheaper route and endured the 6-hour tiring and bumpy ride. Yet, seeing the beautiful clear waters of El Nido for the first time will surely take all your wearies away.

El-Nido


WHAT TO DO IN EL NIDO?

Not much tourist spots can be found in downtown El Nido. The real beauty of El Nido rests on the surrounding 40+ islands and inlets where each has its own unique beauty to offer.

El-Nido

Planning your island hopping activities, may it be private or joining other groups, would never be a challenge in El Nido due to the brimming number of Travels & Tours offering them. Tours are usually grouped to Tours A-D where each tour costs around 1,000 php - 2,000 php per person. Each tour is comprised of 4 to 5 islands and is inclusive of a complimentary lunch. Diving and snorkeling gears are also available for rent to ensure that you can fully enjoy your island hopping experience.

Since we stayed in El Nido for just 3 days, we chose tours A-C.

El-Nido-tour-package

El-Nido

DAY 1 - Tour C

First day high! We were already on our toes by 6 am despite the call time set at 9 AM. After a short but sumptuous breakfast, it was game time for everyone.

First stop of the tour was Helicopter island, named after its shape. We were welcomed by its fine white sand and refreshing clear turquoise waters.   

El-Nido-Helicopter-Island

El-Nido-Helicopter-Island

El-Nido-Helicopter-Island

El-Nido-Helicopter-Island

Second stop was Secret beach.

Which as per our guide is no longer secret since we found it. LOL

El-Nido-Secret-Beach

Third stop was Hidden beach

Note: you would need to swim the shallow waters to reach the cove.

El-Nido-Hidden-Beach

El-Nido-Hidden-Beach

Our last stop was a snorkeling area where we stayed for an hour before heading back to the town. 

El-Nido

DAY 2 - Tour A

Seven Commando Beach

Along the powdery white sand beach and pristine clear waters are hundreds of coconut trees completing the vibe of a perfect getaway island.

El-Nido-Seven-Commando-Beach

El-Nido-Seven-Commando-Beach


Secret Lagoon

Here you can find spectacular rock formations enclosing a picturesque lagoon.

El-Nido-Secret-Lagoon

El-Nido-Secret-Lagoon

Small Lagoon

Personally, this is the best part of this tour. You can either rent a kayak or just swim all the way to the lagoon. Camille and I did the latter, and honestly we were exhausted due to the back and forth distance. Thus, this is not something we recommend. But, if you're in for an extra adventure, then this is the way to do it.

El-Nido-Small-Lagoon

Big Lagoon

Here you would need to kayak again to reach the lagoon area. Since we were already exhausted and sun-dried,  we decided to just stay at the boat and enjoy the beautiful and serene scenery. We did still manage to get a view of the lagoon though. Majestic ain't it?

El-Nido-Big-Lagoon

DAY 3 - Tour B

Pinagbuyutan Island

A private island where we enjoyed our sumptuous lunch perfectly prepared by our boat crew and guides.

El-Nido-Pinagbuyutan-Island

El-Nido-Pinagbuyutan-Island

El-Nido-Pinagbuyutan-Island

Snake Island

The name though is not because it's a haven for snakes. But, because of the sandbar's shape.

El-Nido-Snake-Island

WHAT TO EAT IN EL NIDO?

Knowing that El Nido is a rich melting pot of both local and foreign tourists, it offers a wide selection of cuisines from local Pinoy inihaw to Levantine dishes such as hummus and falafel to you favorite Italian gelato dessert.

We started our food hunt by trying El Nido's version of  the Falafel sandwich. A traditional middle-eastern food made of pita bread, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. The verdict - both size and flavor does not disappoint.

El-Nido-Falafel

El-Nido-Falafel

And if you're craving for more middle-eastern food, head to Happiness Beach Bar. Apart from  the good food, they also offer a cozy place to relax after all that tiring island hopping tours.

We tried their delicious hummus and melted over their malabi dessert (a concoction of cream and grated coconut meat).

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

El-Nido-Happiness-Bar

If your palate craves Italian then head on to Trattoria Altrovewhich offers a selection of  the best authentic Italian pizzas and pastas in town.  Don't forget to pair it with a sparkling glass of wine.

El-Nido-Trattoria-Altrove

El-Nido-Trattoria-Altrove

El-Nido-Trattoria-Altrove

We completed our lovely dinner with their best-selling dessert - homemade chocolate gelato.

El-Nido-Trattoria-Altrove

Nevertheless, if your heart is still with the local Filipino cuisines, lots of paihaw restaurants selections are located at the beach side of the town. We had ours at Angel Wish restaurant which we believe offers the cheapest price among its neighboring paihaw restaurants. The food was not great, but it wasn't bland as well. Dining by the shore though definitely made everything a whole lot better.

El Nido

El Nido is surely alive at night.

El-Nido

For desserts, you can never go wrong on the gelatos sold in El Nido.  Trattoria Altrove's version of gelato may have given us a little taste of heaven, but there are other local contenders.

One of which is L'Assiette's version of pistachio gelato.

El-Nido-Lassiettes

El-Nido-Lassiettes

Another one is Gusto's chocolate gelato.

El-Nido-Gustos

El-Nido-Gustos

El-Nido-Gustos

El-Nido-Gustos

El-Nido-Gustos

So, which one is better? Well, i'll leave it to you to find out.

They say no visit to El Nido  is complete without visiting the local Midtown bakery. This is the go to place for pastries such as pandesalputo, cheesecake and sundries.

On the way to the bakery one early morning, we had the chance to stroll around El Nido while the town sleeps.

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST FOOD IN EL NIDO?

If you are to ask us, we think the best dishes in El Nido are the ones prepared by the boat crew during the tours. Apart from the good food and boodle-fights with fellow travelers, nothing beats having lunch with the scenic views of the islands of El Nido. For us, nothing gets cozier than that.

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

And mind the plating and presentation!

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

El-Nido

We were told that a week is not enough to cover the full-course meal offered by the wonders of El Nido, and it's indeed true. But, at least it gave us the reason to come back, and definitely someday we'll be back.

El-Nido

If you want to see more of our adventures in El Nido, watch the video below!


watermark-baba-dada





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