I've always dreamed of going to El Nido ever since I saw Puerto Princesa back in 2007. I often see photos in travel magazines and/or blogs and found the place breathtaking.
In 2008, my mom and I booked tickets to Puerto Princesa and decided that we will just rent a van to reach El Nido. Unfortunately, since it was during rainy season in the Philippines, news reached us that roads (which were not cemented yet during that time) were slippery and it would be difficult for us to travel to El Nido from Puerto Princesa.
In February of 2012, I was able to book promo flights going to Puerto Princesa via Air Asia, hoping that Marv and I will be able to reach El Nido this time. However, our flight got cancelled because Air Asia's flights to Palawan were stopped.
READ: Paguran sa Palawan
I almost gave up planning to go to El Nido since I could not get cheap fares to Puerto Princesa. But in November last year, I stumbled upon Zest Airways website and saw that they were offering flights to Puerto Princesa for 2013 Holy Week for only PhP399! And guess who was able to get tickets? Me, of course, and also my two best friends, B-an and Ian. We were all ecstatic to go there and hence, decided to start our planning period early.
Unfortunately, we all became preoccupied with our jobs. I only got the chance to fix the itinerary as well as book our hotels, one month before our trip AND THAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO DO, especially if it's during peak season or Holy Week.
All front beach inns and lodges in El Nido told me that they were already fully-booked for the Holy Week until I discovered Lally and Abet Resort online. I called the resort and was able to speak directly to Abet, one of the owners. I got a room that was good for 3 people (max) but Abet let us add another person for a small amount (details later). We may not have the cheapest resort in El Nido but staff there were surely accommodating and made sure that we were comfortable all throughout our stay.
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| We made sure that we were early to avoid Holy Week traffic & madness at the airport. |
Below is our itinerary for a 4D3N (since we are scheduled to arrive there at 8PM) trip to El Nido. Feel free to adjust this according to the length of your trip.
Day 0
Mar 27, Wed
Travel time to El Nido from Puerto Princesa is roughly 5-6 hours and you have the option to take a bus or a van to go there. But if you're cheap like us & do not want to waste precious time in the morning for travel, you may take the RORO Bus' last trip to El Nido at 10:00 PM. You no longer need to pay for accommodation and you can start your 1st whole day tour since you reach El Nido in the morning.
These sites helped me plan our trip to El Nido from Puerto Princesa (includes bus/van schedules, fares):
Journeying James' Puerto Princesa City to El Nido Travel Guide
Ironwulf's Transit RORO Bus to El Nido from Puerto Princesa
Day 1
Mar 28, Thur
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| Still excited in spite of the less than 2 hours sleep and aching bodies |
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| Having fun in Helicopter Island |
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| Hidden Beach |
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| Helicopter Island |
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| With my "kakambal" at Hidden Beach |
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| Group shot at Hidden Beach |
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| Our Tour C companions, also staying at Lally & Abet's Resort |
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| Shimizu Island: rich marine life so if you know how to swim, don't be afraid to go under! |
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| While waiting for the tour guides to prepare our lunch, one can take photos... |
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| ...or soak up the sun |
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| The big fish our group ate for lunch aside from grilled chicken, fruits, vegetables |
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| The tour ended in Helicopter Island where we were given time to relax or sleep under the sun |
For dinner, initially, we wanted to eat in Sea Slugs since we read from other blogs that it was one of the most affordable front beach restaurants there. Since this was during the Holy Week, Sea Slugs, unfortunately, was already fully-booked by the time we got there.
We settled for Og's Resto Bar which we found too expensive for the type of food they offered. Plus, they no longer had seafoods when we went there. We ordered a set meal for PHP 250 (which I forgot to take a picture of but is composed of halabos /shrimp, chicken adobo, rice, and some vegetables -- not much though) and Sizzling Crocodile and of course, fruit shakes!
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| Sizzling Crocodile for PHP 400 |
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| Sleep-deprived, tired, and still hungry but very happy with Day 1 happenings |
Day 2
Mar 29, Fri
As you can see, I did not add budget for our breakfast meals as these are included in hotel package/accommodation. Breakfast in Lally & Abet Resort costs PHP150 but there are eateries/carinderias for those who are following a strict budget.
Tour A is composed of enchanting lagoons and is perfect for those who aren't into beaches that much. Swimming is prohibited in the Big Lagoon since they said the water was too deep and was full of sea urchins. Boats would just enter the lagoon slowly while tourists can take photos. Hence, tour guides encourage tourists to rent kayaks so they can just paddle their way around the Big Lagoon. But it was already out of our budget (900/kayak/day, I think).
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| This is what you usually see in El Nido postcards! Breathtaking, isn't it? |
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| Our lunch in Entalula Island |
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| Seven Commando Beach |
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| It was hard to swim in the Small Lagoon so we held on to life jackets in case we get tired |
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Small Lagoon
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When we got back to the resort, we immediately took a bath & proceeded to Sea Slugs to get some seats and yey, we were able to get some! Unfortunately, the restaurant was already out of shrimps and crabs so we decided to transfer to Ricson's, which was just beside Sea Slugs. It was more peaceful than Sea Slugs and they offer live music right on the beach. Their service, however, is quite slow perhaps because it was such a busy night -- took us almost an hour to get our food. Other customers were complaining because they were already starving.
Since we were well-rested the night before, we decided to have some drinks after our dinner in Ricson's. We decided that Pukka Bar, with its reggae music, was the perfect spot for tonight's socials.
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| Dinner over reggae music at Ricson's Bar
Day 3
Mar 30, Sat  On our 3rd day in El Nido, most tourists were already starting to go back to Puerto Princesa, possibly those who have early flights on Easter Sunday. And because of this, there were no other tourists with us for the tour. It was like we had a private boat for the same price! Yey, Lally & Abet Resort!
Our tour guide for this trip was Ramil and he was our favorite tour guide since he was very accommodating, looked after us, shared a lot of trivias about the tourist spots, and would always make sure we were enjoying our time. I highly recommend that you arrange a tour with Ramil when you go to El Nido -- just look for him in Lally & Abet Resort.
   
Pangalusian Beach used to be the highlight in El Nido before the Big Lagoon and other beaches became popular
  And it was indeed fresh!   
There are hammocks, swings, cottages (for PHP100 rental fee), and a decent comfort room in Pinagbuyutan Island. Those who wish to stay here overnight can camp or rent beach rooms and enjoy a peaceful night at the beach.
After our scrumptious lunch prepared by Ramil and our boat captain, Ramil led us to Cudugnon Cave which is also in Pinagbuyutan Island. One has to squeeze himself/herself to be able to enter a small hole which leads to the cave. This cave was where some Japanese soldiers hid during the war and there was even a hole where they found a treasure that was left behind by the Jap.
 
Our next stop was Snake Island, B-an and Ian's favorite beach. The water was very clear and the island has a long sandbar that appears during low tide. Tourists can hike up its viewdeck to see the whole snake-shaped island but because of the heat, the four of us just opted to swim and play in the sand.
 
We ended our tour in Ipil Beach where we watched the sunset.
For dinner, we chose an eatery to save money and instead of going out for drinks, we spent our last night inside our room packing for an early trip to Puerto Princesa.
Day 4
Mar 31, Sun 
We requested Malou of Lally & Abet Resort to arrange our van from El Nido to Puerto Princesa but we had to ride a tricycle to go to their terminal. This was the van's 2nd trip to Puerto Princesa. We spent half the day travelling, well, sleeping inside the van.
This day and the day after were spent in Puerto Princesa just because we wanted to tour Ian who's a first-timer in Puerto Princesa.
For a sample Puerto Princesa itinerary: READ: Paguran sa Palawan
Travelling to El Nido was indeed a dream come true for me. After so many attempts, I was finally able to see the place during a long weekend with Marv and two of my best friends. This is a place which I'll definitely visit again and will never get tired off. After all, I'm a beach baby!!!
And I hope you'll enjoy El Nido too! Good luck & have fun!
Expenses Excludes airfare  We figured out that this isn't a budget trip. Not bad for a 4D3N stay in El Nido during the Holy Week. You can alter your budget according to what you like to do in El Nido. It will be a lot less if you won't be touring for 3 days or splurging too much on food. Contacts Lally and Abet Beach Cottages
Abet Dangan, Reservations Officer
Telephone: +632 9281299
Fax: +632 4555656
Mobile: +63917 8502948 / +63917 8910809
YM: lally_abet
AIM: lallyandabet
Windows Messenger: lallyandabet
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RORO Bus
San Jose Terminal, Puerto Princesa (for reservations & inquiries)
09997879469 - UPDATED NUMBER as of April 1, 2013
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so happy to visit a great place. it would be that fun with your loved ones. love this blog.
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Thank you Bernardette! I wish I could go back here with my parents one of these days :) glad that you enjoyed reading it :)
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Just love seaside views, especially at the time of sunset.
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