January has surely become a free-trial month for me after all the conflicts that arose. Firstly, I became part of the Omicron community which brought me at my lowest over my 2wk quarantine. The flu was worst and it’s a misery to be isolated for such a long time. But blessings in disguise, I felt that it’s better that I got it here at home than in London or else that would absolutely top up the worse of the worst. Then, came some personal problems that makes me not want to return in Londres anymore. Oh, you can never really get away from adulting once started, isn’t it? 🥲 I guess this unexpected long vacation took me to a toll to reflect and unwind. Hence, my last week in my hometown brought me to an Island trip with my family at El Nido Resorts, Palawan! At some point, I missed embarking on sea adventures especially when you always live in the city (cold, gloomy and urbanized to name a slit of my world ;p). And also, I’m excited to tour another part of PH! 🥰
Here’s to share my tour to one of the pristine islands of the Philippines. Take note that this trip was carried on through a travel bubble in which limited visitors were allowed to join and COVID restrictions were strictly observed.
How to Get There
Airswift is the chartered aircraft that flies from Manila to Lio Airport, El Nido. From there, it takes a coaster ride going to the pier then a 15-30minutes boat ride towards the island. Overall, it was a span of about 2hrs from journeying through air, land and water.
Palawan is known for its beautiful island resorts and one of them is in the town of El Nido. Also called “The Nest”, the island has 3 main private resorts surrounded by stunning aquatic resources. Though during our travel time, there was only one resort that was available for booking as the others had ongoing repairs due to the recent typhoon “Odette”.
Miraculously, we got to stay at the most luxurious among the 3, Pangulasian Island Resort. Please visit ElNidoResorts.com for the latest tour update.
Accommodation
I really admire how organized their service went in this islet from transport to lodging. They are truly top-rated to the point that you cannot decline their very good offers. Haha!
The way we ride these golf tractors to head back and forth the main reception screams for my BinJin golf feels. I love it 😆
Known as the “Island of the Sun”, Pangulasian is an eco-luxury resort that boasts its elegant beachfront villas.
We had the beach villa and look how gorgeous it is. Mind you, this is so perfect for honeymooners---but for now, I’m stuck sharing this place with my brother. Lol. The amenities are so grand and there’s a lot of complimentary goods! Hats, slippers, tumbler, etc and not to mention, all of them are made up of bamboo. Being in the villa itself will already take you away from reality.
Never miss a refreshing drink at the island ❤️ This is watermelon mixed with ginger and lime.
Meal times are served thrice a day and it goes along with the sched of the island hopping. I love how they set up a unique menu for 4 days! Even our last dinner night was spent at the infinity pool area which was awesome (It did rained a little but they are well-prepared in providing sheds per table) . And yes, the food was top-notched as those who are serving it. The place made me eat all the seafood that I can devour along with fresh fruits of the house.
The Water Activities
As part of the travel bubble, the itinerary was already set beginning from Day 1 in the afternoon. Travelers will dock in by small groups and spend at least 30-40mins per islet. To be honest, I’m usually a seasick person but this whole excursion changed me. I was so stunned with all these breathtaking aquatic reserves that brought another tick on my bucket list! The pictures we have were all taken by our guide.
Small Lagoon vs Big Lagoon
They only differ in size but both places are surrounded by dramatic limestone rock formations. Likewise, it’s the perfect area to kayak and swim! I enjoyed my paddling moments here as I felt like I was in “The Amazing Race”, haha! The key was to really row in sync with your partner ;p
Of course, the kayak trail in Big Lagoon is longer (45 minutes) compared from the former and has wider space for swimming too. I have never seen such a crystal clear sea as before!!
If you’re good enough to row, head inside this short tunnel to see more limestone structures and tiny sea creatures. ;)
Be careful not to step on these yummy delicacy as well! They sting as hard as the jellyfish.
Secret Lagoon (my fav!)—I never thought that one of the most instagrammable island sites lies in the Philippines! You even have to kayak through small lagoon and cross a mini rocky passageway to enter this one of a kind gem. The hardest part for me was to swim because the water was so deep that you really have to float with your life jacket on.
Miniloc- This one is the other eco-friendly neighbor of Pangulasian which boasts its native interior and coral reefs. As of March 2022, the resort is back for reservations!
We did fed a bunch of jackfish in here then we spent a couple of minutes to snorkel around the area. I thought I was gonna end up claustrophobic with the equipment but rather, I had another awesome experience! It was hard to take underwater pictures yet I got to say, it felt like watching a live aquatic documentary in NatGeo or the Discovery Channel. Seeing corals, starfishes while swimming with the unbothered fishes are amazing.
It's a series of crawls and climbs in the cave. Kudos to our guides for keeping us safe!
Cudugnon Cave/Entalula Beach
It’s a small cave but still a must-go for its stunning rock structures. Make sure to wear aqua shoes as it can be slippery and rock-pointy through the path.
Whilst near the cave is the picturesque white sand Entalula Beach. They said that it used to be a party area but currently, the place is calm and quiet, a fine zone to relax.
Snake Island- It is just named like that because of its snake-shaped sandbar that connect to two islets, one that is filled with mangroves whereas the other has a 10-minute hike to see the whole of El Nido from above. Everyone favors this place for its huge swimming space.
At the end, it was certainly true that it will make you hard enough to part ways from this island. Neither have I become a beach person nor craved to be sun-kissed but I definitely want to visit this paradise again soon! Or perhaps, I really should tour more locally ^^
So that’s about my very delayed entry. And no promises on when will my next update since I currently have a lot on my plate. I might go on hiatus due to work renewals which I have to finish before my next trip (I have 2 on queue!!) ^^ However, I will be active on my socmed accounts to launch my Chibiart merch shop and my live review of Son Yejin’s new drama, “Thirty,Nine”! Plus, the much-awaited BinJin wedding!! Omg. Well, I hope to squeeze some time to blurb about it ;D
‘til then!
