El Nido, Palawan

by Sophie · 21st March 2014

Ahh, El Nido, Palawan. One of our final, and also one of our favorite destinations. We really didn’t want to leave this place…

El Nido is a small town with a nice selection of restaurants, a narrow beach, a bay full of little boats and a stunning view of the archipelago. It was a good time to be visiting – the town was in festival season and was buzzing with parades, performances and talent competitions going on every day. We stayed at a family-run B&B about twenty minutes walk along the sea front. We were able to watch the hazy sunsets from our balcony, and the owners, Bella and Richie made us feel right at home.

A short trike ride took us to one of the most splendid beaches we have seen – Las Cabanas, which hosted the best sunset view, white sands, turquoise waters and even a zipline to make an alternative entrance! We also found other, even more secluded beaches, by kayaking from El Nido bay to other islands and further along the coast. One day we had an entire beach to ourselves, we felt so lucky.

There was great snorkelling from most beaches, and we also took some island-hopping tours to see more. Olly found plenty more anemone fish, and the limestone island formations of caves and hidden beaches were well worth the boat trips. Day trips also included BBQ fish cooked on the beach, which was enough of a selling point on its own.

Olly made great use of the warmer waters, by taking a 4 day PADI diving course. The water clarity wan’t at it’s peak due to excess plankton, but nevertheless, it was great to learn in a sheltered sunny bay rather than a chilly swimming pool. In his dives he saw scorpion fish, lobster, lion fish, firmworms and stingrays. The others in his class were great company and we ended up spending most evenings together, checking out the different restaurants, and having ‘traveller chats’ about where we had all been and where we called home.

Overall, El Nido was the best sea/beach destination we have been to on this trip. We were so glad that we were able to visit, considering the dreadful typhoon which hit the Philippines last year, and the general difficulty in getting to this part of the world from Europe. The food was great (despite the reports we heard), the people were the happiest and could be heard singing wherever they went, and Palawan is gorgeous.

El Nido tips:

Take a trike to Las Cabanas beach and zipline your way down
Hire a kayak for a day and get exploring. Make sure you are confident if you want to go far, or ask where the waters are calmest.
Take a tour! Okay, it’s the “thing to do”, so it’s not original. But you will be taken to the best spots and might make some friends along the way.
Choose a spot and relax while soaking in the sunset
Try a mango, they really are the best!