Take Me Back to El Nido

“I’m moving, I’m coming. Can you hear what I hear? It’s calling you, my dear, out of reach. Take me to my beach. I can hear it calling you. I’m coming, not drowning swimming closer to you.” – All Saints, Pure Shores

Yes, the beaches of El Nido had been calling me for years. I have always been keen on going, but I was just waiting for the right time – in other words, a seat sale. You see, direct flights between Manila and El Nido are usually expensive, and as far as I know there is only 1 airline (AirSwift) that flies direct. A cheaper alternative is flying to Puerto Princesa in Palawan, which is 230 kilometers away from El Nido. From Puerto Princesa, it would be another 5 to 9 hours’ land travel to El Nido.  So when earlier this year AirSwift announced a limited offer seat sale, I immediately booked tickets.

Sunblock, shades, and swimsuits in my backpack, I excitedly went to NAIA Terminal 4 for our weekend getaway. The flight to El Nido was smooth and took less than an hour. El Nido airport was a charm on its own. It was simple, clean and had a modern Asian architecture.

Day 1: Getting around by motorbike

Public transportation in El Nido can be quite expensive, especially if one wants to roam the different beaches. For us to get to our Corong Corong beachfront bungalow from the airport, we paid 300 pesos (US$6) for a 30 minute ride. When I was doing my research, I read that daily rental of tricycles to be able to get around El Nido can cost up to P1,500 (US$30).

It’s good that my husband is an adventurer, and whenever we go to beaches in the Philippines the first item on his list is to rent a motorbike. We have done this in Batanes and Baler and he is comfortable getting lost and finding our way (so as long as we have enough gas left in the tank!). We rented a motorbike for 500 pesos for a day, and headed off to our 3 main beach destinations.

Nacpan Beach

Nacpan is 20 kilometers north of El Nido town proper. It is a beautiful 4 km long white sand beach that has a “twin” called Calitang Beach. Prior to our trip, I have read several raves from tourists citing Nacpan as the most beautiful beach in the world for them.

The beach was almost empty that afternoon. There are several restaurants next to the parking space. We had lunch at the Mad Monkey hostel and bar, where we had a nice view of the beach and the coconut trees. Everyone in the restaurant was friendly and relaxed. At the bar, there was a ‘Pacquiao Punch (Do It For Your Country) contest’ that looked like fun – they had a running tally of which guests from what country had the most number of shots. I wish we could drop by at night and join in on the party, if only Nacpan just wasn’t so far away. At that time, the country leading the ‘contest’ was Canada….

Duli Beach

Next stop was Duli Beach, considered to be a surfer’s destination in El Nido because of the huge waves. This is by far, the most beautiful and secluded beach for me in El Nido, and we had the long stretch of white sand lined with coconut trees all to ourselves.

It is northeast of Nacpan, 14 kilometers away. It was not easy to access. We stopped several times to ask for directions, and the dirt road was narrow. Because we drove through rough roads, it took us 30 minutes by motorbike.  Driving to this paradise alone was an adventure, and I’m happy we braved through almost crashing through the mud because this beach was just awesome!

We hung out inside a ‘kubo’ (Filipino word for ‘hut) and drank juice from a freshly picked coconut.  We got to chat with a regular surfer and he said that the best months to surf are from November to April.  I hope that Duli Beach will not be commercialized – its raw beauty is astounding as it is.

Marimegmeg Beach

After heading back to our B&B in Corong Corong and resting for an hour, we headed out again for late afternoon drinks and dinner. The locals referred us to go to Las Cabanas for a perfect view of the sunset. We learned that Las Cabanas is also called Marimegmeg Beach, just a few hundred meters away from where we were staying. It was a downhill hike from where we were parked. There were many bars and restaurants in the area, and the Sun Bar caught our interest because of the lively vibe and good music. Everyone secured a spot facing the sea while enjoying their drinks. The sunset, I must say, was spectacular. Vibrant colors of pink, violet, orange, and yellow filled the sky – it’s the picture perfect sunset, like the ones I try hard to paint (but have never succeeded in completing yet).

Sunset at the Las Cabanas beach

Day 2: Island Tour – Tour C

Island tours are popular in El Nido. Below are the most popular tours, along with the price per person at the time I was there:

Tour A (P1,200 or US$22) – a 7-hour tour with the following destinations: Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island , and 7 Commando Beach

Tour B: (P1,300 or US$24) – a 7-hour tour with the following destinations: Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Entalula Beach, Cudugnon Cave and a snorkeling activity

Tour C: (P1,400 or US$26) – a 7-hour tour with the following destinations: Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Star Beach, and Hidden Beach

The tours include buffet lunch, snorkeling equipment and bottled water for drinking. I asked the locals what tour they recommend, and most of them answered Tour C. So, yep, that’s what I signed up for.

On Day 2, my husband and I were picked up from our B&B and we headed to Bacuit Bay at the El Nido town. This is where our tour commenced from. There were several boats filled with tourists like us, and most of them were headed out for Tours A and B. Our boat for Tour C only had 4 pairs of guests – which was good because we were not crowded. For safety, were all required to wear our life vests at all times.

Helicopter Island got its name because the island was shaped like a helicopter. Its real name is Dilumacad Island. We spent about 20 minutes snorkeling here. The water was clear and I saw a lot of fish. After snorkeling, I had fresh coconut juice. It was so refreshing!

All 8 of us in the boat opted to skip Matinloc shrine as it required a bit of a hike and additional payment. So we hung out on the Star Beach, and snorkeled some more while our tour guide and captain cooked lunch. We had a sumptuous meal on the boat (and I had another fresh coconut juice, because I just couldn’t get enough of it).

For the Secret Beach and Hidden Beach, we swam in deep water about a hundred meters to get to the beach. The beach could have been beautiful if not for the big crowd – turned out they’re not so secret after all. It pained me to see some of the tourists step on the corals of the Hidden Beach. I wish this part of the tour could be skipped altogether to preserve the corals.

Boodle Fight Restaurant (and B&B)

After the 7 hour trip, we headed to our new B&B at the Boodle Fight Resto & Bar. They offered a simple room with private bath and WIFI, and their food options from the restaurant were yummy. The owners of this B&B were very helpful and friendly. They are located along the main road of Corong Corong and was close to other restaurants and establishments. I found my kombucha drink at an organic store close to the B&B. What I liked about the store is they promoted recycling, and asked for me to return my bottle after I finished my drink.

Day 3: Lio Beach

On our last day, we rented a tricycle to get to the El Nido airport. Our driver was kind enough to let us stop over at the Lio Beach which was close to the airport, while he waited at the parking lot. Lio was more commercialized, but was empty at that time. There were several restaurants in the resort, and this is so far only place I have been to in El Nido that accepted credit card payments for our quick lunch.

Everything I’ve written so far are the good things about El Nido, right? If I’m asked what are the cons of going to El Nido, I can only think of 2: sand flies and the looming commercialization. First, the sand flies, which I realized only on Day 3 (via the signs at Lio Beach). I noticed bug bites at the end of Days 1 and 2 and thought all along they were mosquito bites and they were soooo itchy. As for the looming commercialization, I say this because I saw some ongoing construction on the island. In Nacpan and Duli Beach, we were asked for parking fee and ‘entrance’ fee by locals. The price was not the issue, it was just fishy for me because they did not issue any receipts at all. I don’t know what those ‘fees’ were for, really.

As for the majority of our El Nido trip, I can say, hand on my heart, that it truly is more fun in the Philippines. I can’t wait to go back to this beautiful place, and I wish that its beauty and simplicity will be preserved. It would break my heart if it becomes another Boracay. I hope not.

To book with AirSwift, check out their website at https://air-swift.com/. To book a room with Boodle Fight Resto & Bar, check out their Facebook page here. And lastly, for more information on Duli Beach, check out their Facebook page here.