Hello El Nido! (Part 2)

It was a bright, lovely morning when we had our island hopping adventure. This is life, been telling myself. Away from Manila’s hustle and bustle, and just being with nature, is incalculable. Simply priceless.

We had the boat all to ourselves the whole day, with two boatmen. Though the current was at times fierce, it didn’t stop us from prancing from one island to another.

First stop was Secret Beach. Beautiful! The island is meant for snorkeling. It was too deep beyond the rocks, some parts you couldn’t see anything anymore, just plain black abyss. There were some corals in this area, and superabundance of fishes.

We went behind those rocks. It was a long walk, and swim =)

 It rained a little when we stepped on the island.

 

Next stop was the Hidden Beach, where the boatmen cooked our lunch. Buffet lunch is inclusive of the tour. We had squid, fish, grilled pork, salad and fruits.

Hidden Beach. Paradise.

Squid all you can =)

 

Everything was yummy, everything was fresh. Again, this is life! =)

After lunch, we sunbathed, went snorkeling, and had photo ops...hahaha.

We love the sun!

Magnificent down there =)

Parang mermaid lang si Lala =)

Then we went to Matinloc Shrine. Sadly, the place was abandoned by the owners. The structures were unfinished. Nevertheless, it became a tourist spot. 

The view from the top was majestic.

Caption this...

We climbed those sharp rocks with the assistance of our boatmen. A crucifix can be found at the apex. Again, photo ops, lol…

The Overlord =)

The shrine would have been beautiful had it been finished.  Though looking rustic, it showed signs of grandeur. The dome, columns and marbled floor were at a premium.

The unfinished structures...

An angel made of marble.

A small cave can be found on the left side of the shrine. Inside the cave you can find a Sto. Nino on top of a boulder. They say, the statue is miraculous. It can cure the sick, hence a lot of people visit the site to touch the religious icon.

Farthest side of the shrine is a docking site. This was the area where we had fun mastering jump shots, lol.

We were laughing so hard, until my tummy ached. Jumping for the camera is strenuos! 

And so we moved on to the next island....

  
Left and right, we were surrounded with resplendence.  Islands, big or small, made the boat ride  delightful.

The waters were crystal clear...everywhere. It was like inviting us all the time to jump and swim. And we did! We had been swimming the whole day. It was an unwearying joy to be in the water.

 

Eni and the luscious greens.

  On our last stop, we just chilled and sunbathe more.

The last destination is meant for relaxation. You can play ball games, or read a book under a parasol.

I fell in love with El Nido. Sigh.   It is one exquisite destination, where words are scarce for description. I am definitely going back. We are all going back.

We love El Nido!!!

Next to be posted is the Package A tour, which is even more bongga ;)


 P.S.

Most pics were taken by our dedicated photographer, Tiger Lila. Thank you! This trip will be forever encapsulated through your superb photos.

  


 

Trip to El Nido (Part 1)

I went to El Nido with my Davao friends. Five of us took different plane flights and just met at the Puerto Princesa airport for our 6-hour van ride to El Nido. My first trip to El Nido, my second in Palawan, my first with this set of friends =)

The van we took was in good condition and without the annoying car perfume (I become biyahilo whenever I smell something odd). These vans are readily available just outside the airport.

The hotel can arrange your reservations for the van.

Some airlines are now offering direct flights to El Nido. Quite expensive though. It is still cheaper to book a flight to PP then take a van or bus going to El Nido. Rate is 700p per head.

We stayed at El Nido Viewdeck.

From the main road, we had to climb 100 steps to get to our villa. Great exercise =).

The place is new, and Mang Rudy (the owner), was very accommodating. Room rates are from 900-1300 for 2 persons, with its own bathroom.

This was our usual view from our room veranda. Breath taking.

Tranquil. Serene. Calm.

It is on this same veranda where we had our breakfasts and chitchats at night before going to bed.

Enjoying breakfast with Eni and Lala.

Since we arrived late afternoon, we just went around the town, bought some supplies and passed by the church.

Major transportation here is tricycle, just like in Boracay. Our inn is only a 5-min ride to poblacion.

The first restaurant we went to was Sea Slugs. Well recommended by the locals. And indeed, their food and drinks were great.

They had the best guyabano shake (i just wish they removed the seeds) and pizza!

Seafood pizza =)

All the restaurants we went to served good food. No complaints. Though I must say they were a little bit pricey. The servings are huge (American servings), so I guess that's value for money.

There were more foreign tourists than Filipinos that time. Mostly backpackers. We made few friends with them during our 4-day stay, like Maria.

Maria (in bikini) is Spanish. She's based in Singapore, working as a dentist. She traveled alone.

 

There are 4 packages (A, B, C and D) you can choose from to tour El Nido. We chose package A (900p/head) and package C (700p/head). The cost is inclusive of boat ride, island hopping and buffet lunch.

The duration of boat rides vary. But no ride lasts for more than 30 minutes from one island to another. 

The weather and wind are taken into consideration in visiting certain islands. There was one island we failed to visit due to strong winds, however, a different island was visited as a substitute.

Enjoying the boat ride =)

El Nido is all about clear seas and limestones. I have an album dedicated to limestones alone, hahaha. Seriously, the place is indeed a paradise. So clean, absent of riotous crowd, hence quiet and calm. Very tourist-friendly. Not commercialized.

El Nido got the clearest sea water I’ve ever seen! You can actually see all sorts of fishes swimming in myriad colors, the plethora of corals underneath, even urchins, pawikan, clams, and other diverse and peculiar sea creatures.

Clearest water ever! Parang swimming pool lang =)

On our second day, we took the Package C Tour, consisting of the following:

- Secret Beach

- Hidden Beach

- Star Beach

- Matinloc Shrine

We adhere to a strict schedule. We should be eating breakfast by 7am, and must be at the port by 8am, then sail off by 830am. Since only lunch is provided, we buy bread and donuts at a nearby bakery for our snacks. Cooler and ice are provided upon request, for free.

More details on the beautiful islands on my next post. Hold tight =)