El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

White sands, clear blue water and spectacular green mountains; these are the words that best describes El Nido, Palawan. I was born and raised in the Philippines but I only got the chance to visit El Nido this January at the age of 25. My friends describe El Nido as the most beautiful beach in the world but for me it is a paradise. Spanish for the nest, El Nido is the heaven on earth, located in Bacuit Archipelago. It does not offer you just any ordinary beach experience but it gives you an astounding scenery that you will forever cherish.  

Unlike Boracay, El Nido is a more provincial laid back place. Island hopping and diving are two of the most popular recreations on the island. The government recognizes El Nido as the Philippines’ top ecological and biological region due to its unique ecosystem. Know as the marine reserve park, divers from different continents travel to El Nido to explore the famous dive sites. 

Getting to El Nido Palawan 

From Manila we took a 1-hour flight to Puerto Princesa via Cebu Pacific. At Puerto Princesa we hired a van to El Nido, travel time was approximately 5 to 6 hours. It costs P500 to P600 per person which I think is a fair priced deal. 

Accommodation 

Most of the accommodation in this place consists of hostels or inns, as private resorts tend to be costly. We booked a room in an inn located in front of the boat docking station. We stayed at Jhanna's Inn. It has five bedrooms which accommodates six people per room. Three queen sized beds with air conditioner and toilet/bath is available in each room. This inn is suitable for families or a group of friends as it is budget friendly.

Our view in the morning. El Nido gives you a very provincial laid back feel that you will appreciate as this can't be found in the city 

Because there are a lot of boats in the docking station, the boatmen need to manually maneuver the boat towards the sea by pushing it. Since the waves are a bit strong my relatives helped them, this reminds me of the Filipino term Bayanihan which means that everyone in town/baranggay help each other to finish the job quickly with no financial incentive 

Tour

The Department of Tourism in El Nido has standard tours which are offered to tourists, namely Tour A, B, C, D and E. Each tour has different island destination depending on your choice, the weather or wave current. Some islands are not accessible due to strong currents so it is advisable for you to take two tours, this would maximize your day.

We booked the tour A and C via our travel agency in Puerto Princesa.

Tour A: Lagoons and Beaches

In Tour A you will see the beautiful and majestic rock formations and lagoons in Bacuit Bay. It is a place where you could relax and appreciate what mother nature has sculpted as a gift to humans.
The tour will take you to the following lagoons and beaches:

1. Secret Lagoon
    Located in a small island, limestone cliffs surrounds this lagoon. When you enter, a massive caldera will catch your eyes. This Caldera was once a cave that has collapsed due to erosion.

2. Shimizu Island
    It is a stunning island which has limestone cliffs where pilgrims visit, they believe that the swiflet nest has healing powers. Most people stay longer in this island. It is a place where you could eat fresh seafood provided by your boatman. Snorkeling can also be done here as there is a nearby coral reef.

3. Small Lagoon 
     Have you ever seen a kaleidoscope? Small Lagoon shows green colored water full of marine life.

4. Big Lagoon 
    Snorkeling is a must to do in Big Lagoon, the water is so clear and full of marine life. According to our boat man it is a place where fishes and crustaceans are bred because of its ecosystem.

5. Seven Commandos Beach 
    It was named after the remaining seven Japanese commandos who lived on the island after World War II. The island gives you so much serenity as you can relax on its long white sandy beach while sleeping under the palm trees.

Tour C: Hidden Beaches and Rock Formations 

Some scenes from the "Bourne Legacy" movie were shot in Dilumacad and Matinloc, the two islands which are part of the tour C category. Most of the beaches that we visited were truly untouched and serene. If given a chance to stay in El Nido for two weeks, I would spend one day in each island snorkeling, reading a book or just spending time with my other half.

1. Dilumacas and Helicopter Island 
    This island is ideal for picnic lunches. It has beautiful long white beach sand where a lot of people rest during their island hopping. It is called Helicopter Island because of the limestone cliff that resembles a helicopter when viewed from a distance.

2. Tapiutan Island      
    This island is rich in marine life that is popular for scuba divers as this is already near the South China Sea. Unlike Helicopter Island, Tapiutan Island only has a short white sand beach where some people can have their picnic.

There are some other islands included in the tour C which we have not visited due to strong currents. Nevertheless, the islands and lagoons that we visited are majestic and beautiful.

My Tito adores the beach so much as he consider El Nido to be the best beach destination in the world 

7th Commando Island: the first stop during the island hopping 

Fresh Buko for only P20! My Mom and Lola love it a lot 

Mom and Dad on a date :-) 

Tapiutan Island 

Dilumacas Island: Most of the boatmen suggest to the tourists to eat their lunch here. Most boats have grilling equipment onboard where the boatmen cook fresh fish and pork for their guests. Fruits and vegetables as well as rice are all part of the menu prepared by the boatmen. Good food, amazing scenery and glorious sun. What more can you ask for. I quickly fell asleep in a hammock on the island straight after eating. That is the life! 

Tapiutan Island

View from the top of Tapiutan Island. 

Big Lagoon: A place where snorkeling is at its finest

Out of the big lagoon

Address and Contact Information: 

    All of our accommodation and tour was arranged by the travel agency in Puerto Princesa 

    

Travel Cost: 

   P4,500 each person includes: 

   - 2 nights accommodation in Jhanna's Inn

   - breakfast  

   - van transfer to and from Puerto Princesa- El Nido 

   - 2 tours of your choice (1 whole day)- island hopping including lunch 

  

Dos Palmas Resort & Spa, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

Dos Palmas Resort & Spa is an island in Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The resort is very well known for sea grass beds and beautiful coral reefs that guests can freely enjoy. Other than being a resort Dos Palmas has set up its very own Marine Research Center to study, monitor and safeguard the marine and terrestrial ecosystem in Honda Bay. It is not only open to tourists but also to marine biology students and practitioners.

Getting to Dos Palmas

From the Puerto Princesa Airport, a van provided by the resort will take you to the Sta. Lucia Wharf, the journey takes around 20 minutes. Dos Palmas has its own office in the wharf that caters to their guests by providing comfortable seats and beverages to beat the heat. You can find the schedule of the land and boat transfers posted in the office. From the wharf the resort’s boat will take you on a 50 minute journey to Honda Bay Island. 

Dos Palmas office in Sta. Lucia Wharf. They have an aircon in their office as well as drinks that will help you relax while waiting for the departure of the boat

Land and sea transfer to and from Dos Palmas Resort

From the Sta. Lucia Wharf it will take 50 minutes to reach Honda Bay Island. The resort representative will then check the resort’s guests to ensure that all guests have arrived 

The Resort 

Upon arriving, the resort personnel will give you a very warm welcome, drink and necklace while live tribal music is playing in the background. All guests are entitled to convene in the assembly area where the resort manager will give each and every family/guest their itinerary for their stay on the island. But of course this could be changed depending on your availability and wants. This itinerary is just a guide for your stay at the resort.

They have 10 Bay Cottages (each good for two adults and one child) and 38 Garden Cottages (5 adults). The villa that we booked is situated in the beach front. It has 1 king and 1 queen sized beds, living room, a big veranda and spacious bathroom. Comfort and experience is what Dos Palmas' key selling point is. I must say that they practice what they preach.

The entrance to the resort 

The staff will make sure that you will be able to do most of the activities in the island

Our villa

A very spacious bathroom. The shower has its very own room while a bath tub can be found in the main bathroom

Sun loungers are also found in the veranda if you don’t want to use the ones in the beach 

Activities: 

What differentiates Dos Palmas to other resorts is they offer free activities inclusive in your payment. It is not only the normal free usage of pool but you also get to enjoy bicycle rides around the island, kayaking and etc.

1. Swimming Pool

•  there are 2 swimming pools and one jacuzzi that is open from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. 

     2.  Indoor games and sports

• Beach volleyball 
• Tennis 
• Beach Badminton 
• Table Tennis 
• Basketball 

     3. Bicycles

• Guests are allowed to use the bicycles for free. They have a rule about sharing. Once you leave your bike outside your villa, in the pool area, restaurant or etc. a person could use it without asking permission from you. Bicycles are meant to be shared for they are not rented. 

     4.  Marine Sports Center 

• Kayaking - you can either use the one person or two person kayaks on the beach. 
• Scuba Diving- a fee of P2,700 should be paid. This includes all the equipment as well as the boat transfer to the Dive Site.
• Snorkelling - Dos Palmas has the best snorkelling site out of all the resorts I’ve ever visited. A speed boat is available to take you to the snorkeling site. 
• Wind Surfing 
• Fishing

    5. Island Hopping 

• A booking for the island hopping needs to be arranged a day before to ensure the availability of the boat. I did not manage to join the island tour as I was suffering from sickness. My siblings told me that they went to three islands: Pandan, Cowrie and Starfish Island which has white sand and beautiful scenery. 

2 swimming pools: 1 for adults and 1 for children

Colorful playground where children or children at heart (like me) can play 

Snorkeling site: since the corals are shallow you are not allowed to swim or float in a standing position as you may disrupt the corals and hurt your toes or feet

My sister having fun feeding the fishes 

During low tide you can actually walk in the sand bar 

Kayaking is free

Address and Contact Information: 

Dos Palmas Resort and Spa 

Arreceffi Island Resort Honda Bay 

Puerto Princesa Palawan 

5300 Philippines 

Website: http://web.dospalmas-palawan.com

Tel num: +63 2 637 4226

Accommodation Cost: 

Beach Villa (5 people) 

- Inclusive of van and boat transfer, breakfast and all the island activities except scuba diving and massage. 

- Inclusive of VAT and taxes

- PHP 10,556 / USD 238 per night

Mt. Pinatubo, Tarlac, Philippines

Mt. Pinatubo is a well-known active volcano in North Luzon where tourists go to trek to see the picture perfect view of Lake Pinatubo. The lake was formed in 1991 after a volcanic eruption, subsequent monsoons transformed the empty crater into a lake at an increasing rate of 1 meter depth per month. 

This hotspot has become a popular destination not only for foreigners but also for local Filipinos. Getting there from Manila is quite easy as there’s a growing number of bus companies routing to Tarlac situated mostly in Quezon City. In addition to this there are private and public tour groups which is slowly becoming popular. 

Getting to Mt. Pinatubo from Metro Manila

Going to Mt. Pinatubo is quite easy nowadays for Tarlac is en route to other popular tourist spots in the North. It takes 2½ hours by public transportation and 2 hours by van (tour groups) and private vehicle from Quezon City to Capas Tarlac.

1. Since we are from the south of Metro Manila, we hailed a taxi to take us to the Victory Liner bus station in Cubao at 4am to catch the 5am bus going to Capas Junction, Tarlac (tell the driver to drop you off at McDonald’s). 
2. From McDonald’s Capas Junction you can either take a Jeepney or Tricycle going to Sta. Juliana. As we were running late we opted to take the tricycle which cost P200, the jeepney ride is cheaper but it takes longer as you need to wait for other passengers.  
3. From Sta. Juliana a 4x4 vehicle will take you to the drop-off point as the journey is only accessible with a off road vehicle. 

Our 4x4 ride where five people can split the fee for the journey. As there were only two of us, we paid P1,500 each for the ride. 

The Trek

We started the trek at 10am, the DOT (Department of Tourism) recommends this to be the last allowable time to start the trek. A guide was assigned to us to help us through our way to the crater which is a 5.5km (2 hours) journey - one way. Rock Formations like Toblerone Hills are seen on the way to the drop-off point, it is likely the driver will stop to allow you to take photographs and admire the view.

After an hour of walking through sands, rocks and streams a small hut is situated in the middle of the trek where trekkers could sit down and rest for a few minutes. The trek as mentioned earlier could be quite tiring. From the resting point (Hut) it takes 45 minutes to reach the second resting point (Hut). The second hut has a vendor where you could buy food and refreshments, also there is a toilet in this place with running water if you would like to take a shower. A sign, in the hut, states the time you will spend to reach the crater depending on your age. The path for this trail is a bit slippery so it is advisable for you to change your rubber shoes to slippers since you will be climbing and walking on wet rocks through the streams.

The final ascent requires you to climb the big rock formations, and from here we know that we are already near our destination. When we saw the view from the top we were blown away by its beauty. The two hour sweat-producing-leg-aching trek was really worth it for the view will make you say “Wow, now that is beautiful”.  We went down to the lake hoping to ride a boat to go across the lake but our guide said that the one and only boat got damaged during the typhoon season. Nonetheless you can enjoy the beauty of the scenery from the shade of the nipa hut by the shore.

The trek back was easy as we already rested for an hour or so. As we were walking back to the jump-off point, we met a 70 year old guy who was also trekking. Despite his age he was able to complete the trek so if that guy could do it I am sure anybody could do it as well. We reached the jump-off point at 3pm and back to Sta. Juliana by 5pm. The guy who arranged the 4x4 ride helped us to take the same tricycle we used to go to Sta. Juliana, as hailing one in Sta. Juliana is quite difficult. A lot of buses passes by Capas so it is very easy to go back to Metro Manila. 

Mt. Pinatubo was granted to the Aetes. Some of the guides are Aetes as well for they are the ones who knows the mountain very well. 

Rock formations 

Start of the Trek: I used a stick to help me with my balance for I don’t really have a very good balance and tend to fall down easily. 

A small hut was built as a resting place and an indication that you are already near the crater already.

View from the top

Since we were not allowed to go swimming, we just enjoyed the view and dipped our feet into the cold water. 

Address and Contact Information: 
We did not book any tour groups but if you are only 2 people travelling, joining a tour group is highly suggested as it would be cheaper.

Mt. Pinatubo, Botolan
Luzon, Philippines

Trekking time: 
5:00 am to 10:00 am (last trip to the drop-off trail)

If you want to stay over night in the Mt. Pinatubo lake, you must have a permit from the DENR as well as the Military. They will provide you with one soldier which will be the one to accompany you and your group in the lake for your safety.

Trekking Cost: 
- for 2 person

Bus to Capas, Tarlac                                PHP   330
Tricycle to Sta. Juliana                            PHP   200
4x4 Vehicle                                              PHP 4,000
  - w/ guide & Env. Fee
Tricycle to Capas                                     PHP    200
Bus to Quezon, City                                PHP    330 
                                                                           5060
Total cost per person:   PHP  2530
                                      USD     57

*Lunch could be bought in Mt. Pinatubo but it is expensive but we chose to have packed lunch.