Planning a Trip to El Nido, Palawan | Itinerary, Flights, Hotel, Tours

As our boat glided through the waves into the Big Lagoon of Miniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan, I couldn’t help but think about how much I needed this break. The limestone cliffs that surround the clear, turquoise water reflecting the sunny skies were more therapeutic than any massage or cigarette I had. It was the perfect moment. A classic corporate-slave-meets-paradise moment.

Bacuit Bay, El Nido at low tide

Every stress that work had brought me in the past few weeks was blown away by the wind, washed away by the waves of El Nido. Who would have thought that I would still find myself enjoying this trip stress-free given that there was no extensive planning whatsoever that happened.
Yep, no planning. Whatsoever. I’m a bad traveler.

 

Booking a Flight to El Nido

It all started when Airphil Express celebrated their first anniversary last March and cut the cost of many of their seats to only P100. After a brief consultation with friends, we decided to book flights to Puerto Princesa. My friends had not been to Puerto Princesa but I had been there several times before. So before they could be overly excited about touring Puerto Princesa, I quickly brought up the idea of traveling 6 hours by van/bus to El Nido.

Airphil Express A320 at the Puerto Princesa airport

Everyone loved the idea. It was my turn to get overly excited because I had never been to El Nido before and it was my ultimate dream to see what this North Palawan town has to offer.
By the way, we got our roundtrip tickets for only P200 (base fare, P100 one way) plus P153 taxes and other applicable fees. That’s P353, total. Spell CHEAP. I loved it!

Finding Cheap Hotel/Hostel in El Nido

This trip could not come at a better time. Work load had been horrible in the past few weeks that I wasn’t able to plan the trip — not even look for accommodations. Our flight was at 7am and at 1am, I was just starting to look for a cheap hotel or hostel to stay in. I browsed several websites and blogs and texted all the contact numbers I could find. Unfortunately for me, only a few replied and those who did said that they were fully booked.
It didn’t help that we were a group of 7 people. One hotel had a vacant room but could only accommodate up to 3 people.
We were already at the airport at around 5:30 am when I received a call from Cliffside Cottages, telling me that they had rooms for all 7 of us. Thank Heavens! We asked about the rate and we were surprised that it was really cheap — P500 per room per night. Each room could accommodate up to 2 people. That’s only P250 per person. We immediately had 3 rooms reserved and gave our word that we would stay for one night. (By the way, the rate is P600 per room per night if booked for only one night, which was completely fine with us.)
We decided that since we would have ample time to kill on our first night in El Nido, we’d look for other hotels in the area as soon as we got there. In the mean time, we would be spending our first night at Cliffside Cottages.
We would end up staying at the El Nido Waterfront Hotel and the Garnet Hotel on our second and third nights.

Cliffside Cottages (Left) and Garnet Hotel (Right)

The takeaway here is: Book in advance. We were lucky that we were still able to find vacant rooms for all seven of us. We have asked almost all beachfront hotels at Bacuit Bay and they were all fully-booked considering that it wasn’t peak season when we were there.

What to Consider Before Your Trip to El Nido

A number of things have to be considered when preparing an El Nido itinerary.

1. First, what is your gateway to El Nido? While some choose to fly directly to El Nido, others are thrown off by the expensive direct flight tickets. Spending much on airfare was not an option for me so I was left with two options: via Coron or via Puerto Princesa. I chose the latter.
2. Second thing to consider was the time of flight to Puerto Princesa. Ours was scheduled at 7:30am. Why is it important? Because it takes approximately 6 hours to get to El Nido from Puerto Princesa. That’s an entire morning and afternoon, if you ask me. We landed at 8:40am at Puerto Princesa airport, stopped at Fortwally Terminal/Office to book a shuttle trip to El Nido, and had a quick brunch in the city. We finished brunch minutes before 11am, just in time for the shuttle (van) to pick us up. If you plan on doing the same and everything goes right, then expect to be in El Nido by 5pm. (Yep, that’s almost an entire day lost on the road but you’ll find a way to enjoy the journey.) The guy from Fortwally Shuttle Services who entertained us said that their last trip to El Nido was at 1pm so make sure that the flight you take is scheduled to arrive by that time.
3. Third, the return flight. If your return flight is via Puerto Princesa, too, then make sure that you arrange the timing perfectly. Always remember that the travel time between El Nido and Puerto Princesa is five to six hours.

At least that we planned when we booked our flights. For everything else since then, we just went with the flow.

The El Nido Packaged Day Tours

We didn’t book any packaged tour before the trip. Hours before the trip, we just browsed through several websites and learned that there are usually four major boat tours that await tourists who visit El Nido. There are many establishments in the town proper and along Bacuit Bay that offer such tours and there isn’t much difference between their rates because the local government standardizes them (Yay!). You can also haggle and some of them can even pull the price lower.

• Tour A – Small Lagoon and Big Lagoon on Miniloc Island, Simizu Island, Entulala Island, Payong Payong Beach, and 7 Commando Beach, P700/person
• Tour B – Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Pinagbuyutan Island, Cathedral Cave, P800/person
• Tour C – Matinloc Shrine, Matinloc Island, Secret Beach, Hidden Beach, Tapuitan Island, Helicopter Island, P900/person
• Tour D – Nat Nat Beach, Pasandigan Cove, Paradise Beach, Ubugon Cave, Bukal Island, Cadlao Lagoon, P700/person

Note that a minimum of 4 people per tour is required. Lunch is also included but you might want to clear with the tour operator if water is included. Otherwise, bring water, lots of it! Lunch usually includes grilled fish, grilled pork/chicken, rice, vegetables, and fruits.
Snorkels, masks and aqua shoes are not included.

Helicopter Island, El Nido, Palawan

Again, you can still haggle and bring the cost down especially if you’re a big group. Our group of 7 was already considered a big group and we were able to get Tour A for only 550/person and Tour C for only P650! What is awesome?

Preparing an El Nido Itinerary (4D/3N)

So now, let me present to you our initial 4-day, 3-night El Nido itinerary:

Day 1: PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO
05:30 am – Check-in NAIA Terminal 3
07:30 am – ETD NAIA Terminal 3 – Manila (via Airphil Express)
08:40 am – ETA Puerto Princesa Airport
09:00 am – Fortwally Shuttle Services Office/Terminal Booking
09:30 am – Breakfast somewhere in Puerto Princesa
011:00 pm – ETD: Pick up by Fortwally Shuttle/Van
01:00 pm – Stopover at an Eatery in Roxas, Palawan
05:00 pm – ETA El Nido Terminal
05:10 pm – Check-in: Cliffside Cottages
06:00 pm – Walk along Bacuit Bay, Dinner

Day 2: TOUR A
06:00 am – Wake up call
07:00 am – Breakfast
09:00 am – TOUR A
05:00 pm – Change clothes, rest
06:00 pm – Dinner
08:00 pm – Drink at a bar (Yep, I said it)

Day 3: TOUR C
06:00 am – Wake up call
07:00 am – Breakfast
09:00 am – TOUR C
05:00 pm – Change clothes, rest
06:00 pm – Dinner
08:00 pm – Drink at a bar (Yep, I said it again)

Day 3: DEPARTURE
03:00 am – Wake up call
04:30 am – ETD Fortwally Shuttle to pick us up at the hotel
11:00 am – ETA Balinsasayaw Restaurant, Lunch
12:30 pm – Check in at Puerto Princesa Airport
02:00 pm – ETD Puerto Princesa Airport
03:10 am – ETA NAIA Terminal 3 – Manila

As you may have noticed, although it’s a 4-day/3-night itinerary, we would only be spending two whole days in El Nido. Two days were to be spent on the road. Bummer, yes, but that’s what makes El Nido all the more special. It’s playing hard-to-get. But it’s the kind of destination you’d want to marry.
Note that this is just the initial itinerary. What actually happened on this trip is a different story. Stay tuned for my next posts as I narrate what happened on this trip every step of the way.