I read somewhere that whenever you’re in the dentist’s chair for a procedure it is best to think of your feel good picture. To make the whole experience as painless as possible, they say. Back then, I always think of the sunset at the beach of my hometown. But ever since I visited the town of El Nido in Palawan and caught a glimpse of the breathtaking Bacuit bay, every place has been upstaged. El Nido is the “one” for me.
When people hear of El Nido they immediately think that it’s expensive and getting there is too complicated. But for me it’s actually the ideal backpacking trip where you get to see experience Philippines countryside at its best. Yes, it can be daunting at first, but with enough travel gusto you can make it happen. Like what Aimee and I did three years ago on her birthday.
We took a morning flight to Puerto Princesa and spent one night at a hostel for 400php/night. The room was relatively okay except for our ghost experience. I wasn’t able to sleep because of what happened. And boy was I glad when it was finally 4am so we can finally leave. Earlier that afternoon, I made arrangements with the tricycle driver that we hired when we went to the Vietnamese Village to bring us to San Jose terminal the following morning. I read lots of reviews that you have to be there real early to ensure that you get seats on the bus hence the 4am pick up time. We figured that will be enough time for us to get good seats on the first trip at 5am. We did manage to get seats but that was the only bright spot for that 8 hour bus ride from hell. The non aircon bus was filled to the rafters and there were sacks of rice under the seats. The seats not firmly in place because of this and imagine what happens every time the bus swerves. Then factor in the very rough roads leading to El Nido and you are in for the ride of your life. But this is three years ago and I heard that the roads are much improved now. And for those who put comfort first, you can always take the van. Of course the van fare costs twice as much at 600php compared to 350php for the bus. There are two van companies plying the El Nido- Puerto Princesa route, Eulen Joy Shuttle and Fortwally travel and tours . For a big group, you can rent the van for 7000-8000php.
The bus that we took had two scheduled stops but it turned into four because we had to change tires twice. Yes, because of the very rough roads. Halfway thru the trip Aimee and I were ready to strangle Ivy, our college sis who convinced us that El Nido is a must visit place. She never mentioned anything about the road and bus condition. But all the stress faded away when we had our first glimpse of the emerald waters of Bacuit bay. It felt like I have found my own version of Shangri-La.
Of course our choice of accommodation was also a big factor for that almost perfect vacation. Ivy recommended that we stay at Island Front Cottages. It is 10 minutes away from the town centre so perfect for people who crave for quiet while on vacation. The owner, Kuya Onie is a very gracious and accommodating host. They also offer island hopping tours which you can share with other guests. In our case, we wanted to spend the day at our leisure so we opted for a private tour. It was 2500php for the lagoon tour. Check their website for updated information of tours and packages.
It was not easy leaving after spending a day in paradise. We loved the lagoon tour experience so much that we decided to extend our stay for one more day. So while having breakfast at 4:30am we called Philippine Airlines to rebook our flight to the following day then called Ivy to send us some money. (We didn’t bring a lot of cash expecting an ATM and for them to accept credit cards. I know not enough research. )
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| Big lagoon, El Nido, Palawan |
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| Secret Beach |
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| El Nido Sunset |
Here’s a sample itinerary:
Day 1
4:30am Go to San Jose terminal for El Nido bus
5am Leave Puerto Princesa
2pm Arrive in El Nido
2:30pm Check in @ Island Front Cottages/Late Lunch
4pm Check out El Nido town proper
Day 2
8am Lagoon Tour
12nn Lunch
1pm Beach tour
5pm Sunset alert
6pm Bonfire Dinner
Day 3
5am Leave El Nido
2pm Arrive in Puerto Princesa
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