From A Distance: Here's What You're Missing Out on in El Nido

Palawan, which is ranked as one of the best islands in the world, has so much to offer. If I were to choose an island to get stranded in, it would Palawan because I can't get enough of its beauty! Once you lay your eyes on it, you'll know you're in paradise.

Palawan is divided into three provinces which is then broken up into cities. The most popular province for tourists is Palawan del Norte. This is where Coron, Busuanga, Culion and El Nido are located. Palawan Oriental is slowly gaining attraction with opening up San Vicente. I haven't been there yet but they said it's the longest white beach in the Philippines.

I've been to Puerto Princesa, which is the capital of Palawan three times and Coron another three times but it was my first time in El Nido last September. I've always wanted to go but my plans never pushed through. This trip also almost got cancelled because my boyfriend last minute couldn't go due to work but my friend Chelsea was game to take his place. I'm so happy that I finally went because among all the cities in Palawan, El Nido is definitely my favorite.

El Nido is more expensive compared to the other cities. The flight alone was already PHP8000 round trip but there's only one airline so you don't have another choice. Only AirSwift flies directly to El Nido. To save on costs, you can opt to fly to the neighboring cities then just take another flight or van to El Nido but it would take another 4-7 hours of waiting and travel time. We'd rather spend a little more for the convenience.

The Hotel

There are a lot of hotels/ resorts to choose from depending on what you're looking for. If you're with friends, Corong- Corong and Maremegmeg is perfect because it's beachfront and it's near cafes/ restaurants. For families, Lio has bigger hotels at reasonable prices. If you're willing to spend, Miniloc and Lagen are extremely breathtaking but of course, it comes at a hefty price.

We stayed at Frangipani El Nido which is a beachfront boutique hotel located in Corong-Corong. From the airport, it's a 40 minute drive. What I love about it is that you don't have to go out of the hotel because everything you want is already there. It may be small but it's complete! They have a bar, a great Filipino restaurant and you're own private beach with a speedboat to take you there. Doesn't that sound amazing?

The Restaurant

Cala El Nido serves your favorite Filipino dishes. There's an ala carte menu or you can opt for their Fiesta platter where they serve you four dishes showcasing what Filipino cuisine is about. Starting from appetizer to dessert.

The Bar

Rubra El Nido is Frangipani's in-house bar that's open all day long. They have everything from your classy bellini to your gin tonic. Which you can customize to your liking because they have all kinds of bitters!

The Beach

Three Coconuts is your own private beach less than 15 minutes away from the hotel. The hotel itself is beachfront but there's an even more impressive beach that the guests have exclusive access to.

Frangipani has their own chartered boat which will take you to Three Coconuts. For the entire day, you can just lay on the beach without being interrupted by any guests. Plus you have your own private staff who will prepare you the most delicious boodle fight.

Other Activities

There are other fun activities that you can do in El Nido. You can go bar hopping, book island hopping tours to the other islands, take a yoga class at Birdhouse or go to town to eat. Everyone's so welcoming! You don't have to be a guest of the other hotels to visit. The weather forecast said it would be rainy so we didn't get to book any other island hopping tour. We just jumped from hotel to hotel. We went to Panorama Resort, Maremegmeg Beach Club, and Birdhouse.