Anang Balay Turista,
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El Nido Part 2: Where to Stay in El Nido
8:01 PM
El Nido, Palawan is a very small and simple town. With limestone walls everywhere, it was like a hidden paradise that only the most eager adventurers would find. Jeff and I went to El Nido last August 21. We booked our flights with Airphil Express (now PAL Express) last January 2013 which I think only costs about P4000 or so, two way, for the two of us. Great deal, yeah?
We stayed in Barangay Buena Suerte, which literally means 'good luck' in Spanish. El Nido, on the other hand, is a Spanish term which translates to 'the nest'. I am guessing it got it's name from the local bird, balinsasayaw, that builds its nests in the caves. The balinsasayaw nest is the main ingredient of the famous Nido Soup. We really had a 'good luck in the nest' because when we left Manila in August 21, the monsoon rains were still so bad that so many flights were cancelled. Our plane was the last flight out of Manila. It was also gloomy on the day that we arrived, but it cleared up on the next two days. It was so hot that we got sunburned!
We stayed in Barangay Buena Suerte, which literally means 'good luck' in Spanish. El Nido, on the other hand, is a Spanish term which translates to 'the nest'. I am guessing it got it's name from the local bird, balinsasayaw, that builds its nests in the caves. The balinsasayaw nest is the main ingredient of the famous Nido Soup. We really had a 'good luck in the nest' because when we left Manila in August 21, the monsoon rains were still so bad that so many flights were cancelled. Our plane was the last flight out of Manila. It was also gloomy on the day that we arrived, but it cleared up on the next two days. It was so hot that we got sunburned!
As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend Cheska, hooked me up with Ate Eva who helped us get a nice place to stay in El Nido. She reserved a room in Anang Balay Turista for only P1000 per night for us. It is located at the far end of Serena Street and very near the beach. It has an AC unit, a cabinet, and a veranda. No hot water but there's shower. There's also no bidet. ;)
If you are going to El Nido, you can contact Ate Eva at 09264044304 and she will be very glad to assist you. I am not sure if she will still remember me and Jeff, but you can try to mention me or Mrs. Peralta (Cheska's mother). Let's just hope she doesn't change her number anytime soon. If you can't contact her, just drop me a comment or email, and I'll help you reach her through Cheska.
There are a lot of inns and hotels along Serena Street. The is easy to find because Artcafe is there, so just ask where Artcafe is and you will definitely find it.
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| It's okay if you forgot your toothbrush or your deodorant, this convenience store is open 'til 2PM! It is located along Rizal Street, corner Serena Street. |
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| Serena Street on a normal day. Yep, everyone uses a motorbike here. You can actually rent one everywhere. |
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| If ever you run out of money, there's a pawnshop, Padala Center, and money changer in town. But there's no ATM machine. |
According to our new friends, Olia and Josephine who are from Spain, they first stayed in The Alternative Inn, also along Serena Street. The food was nice, so as the restaurant but they didn't like the room. Josephine said that the toilet won't flush and there's no pail, so they have to do the tabo system aka fill the small bucket with water and pour in the toilet until it flushes. This prompted them to move to another hotel along Calle Hama I believe, called Garnet Hotel. Both of them loved it! I think Josephine said that they paid P1000 a night as well. Click on the photo below to check out their website.
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| Screenshot from the hotel's website. |
While we were having breakfast during our second day, Jeff noticed some familiar faces in Artcafe. Turns out, he really knows them. Mark and Justine, who works for Alveo in Davao, were also there for the holidays together with a friend, Mike who is a doctor from Saudi Arabia. We learned that they are staying in Rico's Cottages. They said that they are paying P1300 per night for a room all three of them were sharing. No aircon though hehe. Our friend, Paula, actually suggested that we stay at Rico's because it's pretty neat. We just didn't because we already have a reservation with Ate Eva.
There are other hotels that you can check out. Marina Garden Beach Resort is the most famous in that area. There's also Lally and Abet Beach Resort which is near Rico's. The photos in their website are really nice. Another coworker of Jeff stayed in Lally and Abet, too bad we were not able to hang out with her because she was leaving El Nido when we arrived.
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| Photo from Lally and Abet's website. |
So there's my list. I mean, there are other hotels and inns in the area but these are the only places that my friends and I have first hand experience. I can't recommend places that I don't know. Relatively, all the hotels in El Nido are very cheap. Standard price is P1000 per night, but some are even as cheap as P300 during off peak!
Are you ready to go?
Are you ready to go?
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