Hotels near El Nido Airport - ENI, El Nido

We only palnned for 2 full days in El Nido (discounting the day of arroval and departure as teavel time between the Puerto Princesca aoirport and El Nido is about 5 hours). We did Tour A one day and Tour B the next. For such long travel time, we should have stayed a couple more days and do Tour C and Tour D as well.

El Nido for me is outdated and highly commercialized to those who can afford a mid range scenario and you will stay in Rizal street it’s full of dog shit and many vendor just sale there table in streeet it makes the street small i used 3 toilet around el nido and you can’t even find one clean, the smell is awful. And still not automated flush. I went to blessed massage parlor someone is showering in there bathroom I think there staff and cockroache is just crawling in there reception wall. The beaches and water is nice, but if you dive to see the corals it’s mostly dead. El nido needs to get some work done and protect its nature, around el nido you can see it’s not clean garbage dead trees not fix. It’s crowded and it disturb the habitat of the fish .

El Nido is truly an amazing place to visit. I suggest to do an island hopping as it takes you to different scenery and beaches (my favorite was the Big Lagoon). Also, if you want to get around the island there are several mode of transportation.

I’m in 2 minds about El Nido.. I loved the location & the fact that island hopping was so accessible there as well as other beaches (Vanilla & Lio). Unfortunately it has become a bit of a tourist trap with very little local Filipino culture. 95% of the restaurants were catered to Westeners (think pizza, burgers, pasta etc) and were overpriced. It was very hard to find Filipino food which I think is pretty sad. There was none of the charm of Port Barton or even Bohol which has still retained a feeling of the Phillipines despite being tourist locations. Lots of the restaurants we looked up had multiple reporting of food poisoning which made it difficult to find something suitable for our family of 5. We did however really enjoy Vanilla beach & Lio beach which had some affordable food & drink options along with their stunning views & swimmable waters. Overall a beautiful place, but I preferred Port Barton & wish we had spent more time there in comparison to El Nido. Island tours were similarly priced & more low key.

The nature is incredibly beautiful, just be careful with what you eat or drink. Better to buy only mineral water. And try to avoid to eat the food which is included in the island hopping for your safety.

El Nido has so many fun things to do, and we liked that while there were a plentitude of tourist options, we were not separated from local culture and activities that sometimes happens in other places. We were only there for four days, and we could have stayed another week. The beaches are beyond stunning, both the ones you can walk to and the ones that need a boat. The snorkeling was fantastic, the food options endless, and the vibe was chill and fun.