Feb. 5 - 9, 2011
[disclaimer:i'm no backpacker when it comes to traveling.hence, the label "vain traveler". anything i rant and rave in this trip is based on my own preference when it comes to traveling]
here comes my ramblings...
GETTING TO/FROM/AROUND
Manila to Puerto Princesa via PAL - 1900 php/pax (promo fare roundtrip)
* we were delayed! super duper badtrip! they told us that the plane has a problem and we have to wait for the other plane from davao. our original time for departure was 8:00 am but moved to 10:00 am. they gave us free meal for compensation. stress!!
Puerto Princesa to El nido via van shuttle - 700 php/pax
*normally van shuttle fare is at 600 php but if you'll be fetched at the airport, it will be 700 php. anyway, best decision ever!! since PAL was delayed, we arrived PP around 12:30 pm and the van was there waiting for us. super relieved!
*TIP: reserve in advance and insist to have your seats at the back of the driver for wider leg space. also, don't wait for sms replies. it's better to call!
ate evelyn - 09172762875
ate evelyn's office at Rizal Avenue
*travel time from puerto princesa to el nido is 6 hours with 1 stopover at roxas. it was a very bumpy and dizzy ride. take bonamine prior to roadtrip or you could also try to sleep all the way just like what i did.
Around El Nido Town - walk!
*the town is so small you could walk from one end to another. if you opt to take a trike, i think it costs around 7php - 8php/pax/ride
El Nido to Puerto Princesa via van shuttle - 600 php/pax
*go to fort wally terminal in el nido to reserve seats. look for kuya edz. he will give you a white slip as a confirmation of your reservation. you may pay upon reservation or the day of your departure
kuya edz -09284099149
*shuttle vans have 5am, 7am and 9am schedule. we took the 7am trip with 1 stop over at roxas for early lunch. ride going back is only up to san jose terminal in puerto princesa. this time, the trip only took us 5 1/2 hours.
san jose terminal, puerto princesa
Around Puerto Princesa
* trike from san jose terminal in puerto princesa to downtown costs 100 pesos/ride. we called kuya rolly, our puerto princesa city tour guide, if he can pick us up. he went to the terminal and referred his cousin, kuya jun as he has some errands that day.
kuya rolly - 09078047887
kuya jun -09159640777
ACCOMMODATION
note: we originally planned to stay at marina garden resort but sadly it was fully booked on our travel dates. next choice was og's pension. BIG MISTAKE!!
Og's Pension
1 month prior our trip i called and reserve an aircoon room on our trip. i told them i will call again 1 week prior our trip to confirm our reservations. 1 week before our trip i called to confirm and they said everything's in order. we can just pay upon arrival as they don't accept credit card payments. i told them i will call again the day of our trip. since i was too rattled at the airport because of the delay, i called them as soon as we settled on the van on our way to el nido. we got the worst news ever! our room was GIVEN AWAY! what the fuck is that! i learned that every inn in el nido was fully booked and we have nowhere to stay so i literally argued and fought with the receptionist until she figure out a way for us to have an accommodation. they transferred us in another inn just at the center of town, near Og's. we never bothered checking Og's Pension as we were too royally pissed off about the entire situation.
IBR Restaurant and Inn
we stayed for one night(room 2). room costs 800php/night (no breakfast included). our room has 1 double bed, aircon, electric fan, private bathroom and small table for our things.
Pros
- nice location. situated at the center of the town
- cheap price for an aircon room
- wide room space
- bed sheets smells really clean
kuya rolly - 09078047887
kuya jun -09159640777
ACCOMMODATION
note: we originally planned to stay at marina garden resort but sadly it was fully booked on our travel dates. next choice was og's pension. BIG MISTAKE!!
Og's Pension
1 month prior our trip i called and reserve an aircoon room on our trip. i told them i will call again 1 week prior our trip to confirm our reservations. 1 week before our trip i called to confirm and they said everything's in order. we can just pay upon arrival as they don't accept credit card payments. i told them i will call again the day of our trip. since i was too rattled at the airport because of the delay, i called them as soon as we settled on the van on our way to el nido. we got the worst news ever! our room was GIVEN AWAY! what the fuck is that! i learned that every inn in el nido was fully booked and we have nowhere to stay so i literally argued and fought with the receptionist until she figure out a way for us to have an accommodation. they transferred us in another inn just at the center of town, near Og's. we never bothered checking Og's Pension as we were too royally pissed off about the entire situation.
IBR Restaurant and Inn
we stayed for one night(room 2). room costs 800php/night (no breakfast included). our room has 1 double bed, aircon, electric fan, private bathroom and small table for our things.
Pros
- nice location. situated at the center of the town
- cheap price for an aircon room
- wide room space
- bed sheets smells really clean
Cons
- bathroom was a complete disappointment
- not beach front
- no other furnitures (cabinet)
actually,we were satisfied with the room. it was just the bathroom that made us decide to look for another place.
Tandikan Beach Cottage
after spending our first night looking for accommodation for the next 3 nights, we saw this beach cottage and asked if they have occupancy. thank God they have!
we stayed on the room 3 of the left side cottages. it costs 900 php/night if fan room. if you opt to use the aircon, the rate will be 1800 php/night. no breakfast included.
besides the electricity schedule of el nido, we experienced black out for 2 consecutive nights! the resort has its own generator but on the 2nd night of black out, it didn't worked and it was soooo freaking hot! worst night ever!
Pros
- room was near at the beach. you could actually hear the waves from the room
- big bed
- bathroom was wide, clean and nice (this was our deciding factor to stay. toilet was the modern type.hehe)
- own veranda
- nice staff
Cons
- generator didn't work all throughout
- small room space
TRAVEL ITINERARY
here's our condensed itinerary...
day 1
- Manila - puerto princesa - El nido
- dinner at Squidos
day 2
- breakfast at Cafe Taiyo
- Tour A
- dinner at Art Cafe
day 3
- breakfast at Kapepukka
- Tour C
- dinner at Habibi Restaurant
day 4
- breakfast at Art Cafe
- Tour B
- snacks at Blue Azul Restaurant
- dinner at Balaytubay
day 5
- El nido - Puerto Princesa
- lunch at Bilao't Palayok
- pasalubong shopping at Tiangge Tiangge and NCC mall
- cakes at Heavenly Desserts
- back to Manila
TOURS
we booked all our tours at El nido boutique and art cafe because they are the only agency (i think) that accepts credit card payment. since they are class A agency of tours, their rates are very much higher than the other agency offering the same tours. however, we were very satisfied and happy with their service. by the way, all throughout our tours we were the only "pinoy" in our group and everyone else was foreigner, which we found very good as not only did the boatmen were very chika to us cause we're the only one that can understand tagalog and also we got to meet new friends.hehe.
tours are inclusive of lunch. however, rental of snorkeling gears and flippers are at 100 each and not inclusive to the tour rate. duration of each tour is at 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
environmental fee of 200 php/pax is compulsory.
Tour A
rate: 700 php/pax
other expenses: snorkeling gear - 100 php/pax
destinations: small lagoon, big lagoon, secret lagoon, simizu island, entulula island, 7 commando beach
my favorite stop: lunch at entulula island
Tour B
rate: 800 php/pax
other expenses: snorkeling gear and flippers - 200 php/pax
destinations: cathedral cove, codugnon cove, snake island, pinagbuyutan island, pangalusian island
my favorite stop: lunch and siesta at pinagbuyutan island
- bathroom was a complete disappointment
- not beach front
- no other furnitures (cabinet)
actually,we were satisfied with the room. it was just the bathroom that made us decide to look for another place.
door and aircon (you'll see the bed upon entering)
bed
small table and chair at the other end of the room
bathroom :/
Tandikan Beach Cottage
after spending our first night looking for accommodation for the next 3 nights, we saw this beach cottage and asked if they have occupancy. thank God they have!
we stayed on the room 3 of the left side cottages. it costs 900 php/night if fan room. if you opt to use the aircon, the rate will be 1800 php/night. no breakfast included.
besides the electricity schedule of el nido, we experienced black out for 2 consecutive nights! the resort has its own generator but on the 2nd night of black out, it didn't worked and it was soooo freaking hot! worst night ever!
facade of the beach cottage
zoom in
Pros
- room was near at the beach. you could actually hear the waves from the room
- big bed
- bathroom was wide, clean and nice (this was our deciding factor to stay. toilet was the modern type.hehe)
- own veranda
- nice staff
Cons
- generator didn't work all throughout
- small room space
bed
window with curtain
ceiling fan above the bed
bathroom door at your right. aircon below the mirror (i forgot to take picture of the bathroom)
beachfront view
TRAVEL ITINERARY
here's our condensed itinerary...
day 1
- Manila - puerto princesa - El nido
- dinner at Squidos
day 2
- breakfast at Cafe Taiyo
- Tour A
- dinner at Art Cafe
day 3
- breakfast at Kapepukka
- Tour C
- dinner at Habibi Restaurant
day 4
- breakfast at Art Cafe
- Tour B
- snacks at Blue Azul Restaurant
- dinner at Balaytubay
day 5
- El nido - Puerto Princesa
- lunch at Bilao't Palayok
- pasalubong shopping at Tiangge Tiangge and NCC mall
- cakes at Heavenly Desserts
- back to Manila
TOURS
we booked all our tours at El nido boutique and art cafe because they are the only agency (i think) that accepts credit card payment. since they are class A agency of tours, their rates are very much higher than the other agency offering the same tours. however, we were very satisfied and happy with their service. by the way, all throughout our tours we were the only "pinoy" in our group and everyone else was foreigner, which we found very good as not only did the boatmen were very chika to us cause we're the only one that can understand tagalog and also we got to meet new friends.hehe.
tours are inclusive of lunch. however, rental of snorkeling gears and flippers are at 100 each and not inclusive to the tour rate. duration of each tour is at 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
environmental fee of 200 php/pax is compulsory.
Tour A
rate: 700 php/pax
other expenses: snorkeling gear - 100 php/pax
destinations: small lagoon, big lagoon, secret lagoon, simizu island, entulula island, 7 commando beach
my favorite stop: lunch at entulula island
small lagoon
big lagoon
view of miniloc resort
entulula island
7 commando beach
secret lagoon
Tour B
rate: 800 php/pax
other expenses: snorkeling gear and flippers - 200 php/pax
destinations: cathedral cove, codugnon cove, snake island, pinagbuyutan island, pangalusian island
my favorite stop: lunch and siesta at pinagbuyutan island
pinagbuyutan island
Lagen Resort
Cathedral Cove
codugnon cove
*can i just say that this is the smallest hole i've ever entered in my life.hahaha!
snake island
Tour C
rate: 900 php/pax
other expenses: snorkeling gear and flippers - 200 php/pax
destinations: hidden beach, secret beach, star beach, helicopter island, Tapiutan Island
my favorite stops: helicopter island and secret beach
Tapiutan Island
Helicopter Island
Random Underwater Photos
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
these were the things i brought for our trip:
- neck pillow - for that 6 hour ride, this prevented me from having neck pains
- ipod and headset - helped me sleep and kept me distracted from getting dizzy
- sunscreen lotion - it was a mistake to put only a light layer. i should've put large layers every hour or so. boyfie and i had sunburns.aack.
- beach hat - not only a good accessory but also kept my face and neck from the sun
- sarong - perfect for lounging and lunch stops
- big plastic pouch - kept our essentials from getting wet
- light towel - for drying our faces after snorkeling
- dicapac - for my underwater camera
this excludes plane fares and food expenses
FASHION TIP/S
since this is a beach trip, it is imperative to bring light, casual and summer-y clothes. of course, bikinis are in order. my swimwear motto: the skimpier, the better. hahaha!!
all of my bikinis were from Soak Swimwear. i'm very much happy with the fit and designs.
Tip: don't forget your cover ups especially when walking around the town from your tours.
happy triangle
charlotte bandeau
triple triangle
FOOD
a gastronomical review will be posted on my next entry :)
Final thoughts about El Nido...
el nido is a hit and miss for me. i find it very exhausting just to reach el nido. the town itself is not really what i expected. also, it still baffles me why electricity only has a fixed schedule daily and there's still black out when it was supposed to have electricity already. the sad part is, not everyone has generator and if they do have one, we experienced it not working always.
anyway, despite my rants i find most el nido locals very nice and polite. also, el nido's marine life is by far the best snorkeling experience EVER! balicasag island in bohol used to hold the no.1 spot personally but i'm all hands down to el nido :)
if you'll ask me if i'll go back to el nido. maybe not anytime soon. my final thought about el nido: you're cute but not that cute. chos! haha!
4 comments
8th year! woot! ♥
best beaches and best swimsuits!
yan din gusto ko, after PP, trip to El Nido agad para walang sayang na time. will take your advice, pasundo sa airport ^_^
chyng: thank you :)
oo nga, mas convenient magpasundo sa airport. hehe :)
Makes me want to go to El Nido! Haha maybe after PP. Thanks for posting, especially the cost :D
mav: thanks for dropping by :)
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