It all started when Airphil Express (PAL Express) celebrated their first anniversary last March and cut the cost of many of their seats to only P100. After a brief consultation with friends, we decided to book flights to Puerto Princesa. My friends had not been to Puerto Princesa but I had been there several times before. So before they could be overly excited about touring Puerto Princesa, I quickly brought up the idea of traveling 6 hours by van/bus to El Nido.
Airphil Express A320 at the Puerto Princesa airport
Everyone loved the idea. It was my turn to get overly excited because I had never been to El Nido before and it was my ultimate dream to see what this North Palawan town has to offer.
By the way, we got our roundtrip tickets for only P200 (base fare, P100 one way) plus P153 taxes and other applicable fees. That’s P353, total. Spell CHEAP. I loved it!
Finding Cheap Hotel/Hostel in El Nido
This trip could not come at a better time. Work load had been horrible in the past few weeks that I wasn’t able to plan the trip — not even look for accommodations. Our flight was at 7am and at 1am, I was just starting to look for a cheap hotel or hostel to stay in. I browsed several websites and blogs and texted all the contact numbers I could find. Unfortunately for me, only a few replied and those who did said that they were fully booked.
It didn’t help that we were a group of 7 people. One hotel had a vacant room but could only accommodate up to 3 people.
We were already at the airport at around 5:30 am when I received a call from Cliffside Cottages, telling me that they had rooms for all 7 of us. Thank Heavens! We asked about the rate and we were surprised that it was really cheap — P500 per room per night. Each room could accommodate up to 2 people. That’s only P250 per person. We immediately had 3 rooms reserved and gave our word that we would stay for one night. (By the way, the rate is P600 per room per night if booked for only one night, which was completely fine with us.)
We decided that since we would have ample time to kill on our first night in El Nido, we’d look for other hotels in the area as soon as we got there. In the mean time, we would be spending our first night at Cliffside Cottages.
We would end up staying at the El Nido Waterfront Hotel and the Garnet Hotel on our second and third nights.
Cliffside Cottages (Left) and Garnet Hotel (Right)
The takeaway here is: Book in advance. We were lucky that we were still able to find vacant rooms for all seven of us. We have asked almost all beachfront hotels at Bacuit Bay and they were all fully-booked considering that it wasn’t peak season when we were there.
Planning a Trip to El Nido
For more information on how to plan your El Nido trip including a more detailed itinerary and practical tips, visit this more detailed post.
Day 1: On the Road to El Nido
Once we arrived in Puerto Princesa, we immediately booked tickets to El Nido at the Fortwally Shuttle Services Office. A couple of hours later, the shuttle picked us up at a restaurant in the city proper. It was a full six-hour drive with one stop-over at an eatery in Roxas, Palawan. We left at 11am and hit the El Nido terminal at 5pm. We took a trike to our hostel, watched the sunset at Bacuit Bay, and grabbed dinner and some booze.
- How to Get to El Nido via Puerto Princesa City
- Cliffside Cottages
- Sunset Walk Along Bacuit Bay
- Dinner at Bacuit Grill Bar and Restaurant
Day 2: Tour C – The Beaches of Matinloc Island and Helicopter Island
We were supposed to take Tour A that day but our boatmen noticed that the weather was pleasant and suggested that we prioritize Tour C because it’s farther. After all, we can do Tour A even when the weather isn’t as favorable but not Tour C. Usually, it costs P900 per person but since we were a group of 7, they cut off a good chunk of the cost to only P650 inclusive of lunch. All seven of us had the entire boat for ourselves.
Helicopter Island
Tour C is all about beaches. Basically, we should have explored three islands — Matinloc Island, Shimizu Island, and Helicopter Island but we had to skip Shimizu because of time constraints. Here are the specific places we visited as part of this tour.
We moved to another hotel, El Nido Waterfront Hotel, after the tour for a change of scenery (and because some of us really wanted beachfront accommodations.) Once everything was settled and upon seeing recommendations online, we had dinner at El Nido Corner Restaurant that evening and went to a bar afterwards for a round of beer.
Day 3: Tour A – The Lagoons of Miniloc Island and the 7 Commando Beach
The gorgeous and rocky Miniloc Island took the spotlight on our third day in El Nido. Miniloc Island is home to several lagoons and some of them are difficult to access.
The beach near the Secret Lagoon of Miniloc Island
Tourists kayaking from Small Lagoon to Big Lagoon
It was a much easier tour than Tour C primarily because Miniloc is nearer than Matinloc and the waves at the lagoons are hardly there.
After the tour, we chose to spend the night at the lobby of Garnet Hotel, where half of our group were staying, and just watch TV. We were just so exhausted after two days of island-hopping. We also ditched the initial idea of drinking and getting wasted that night since Fortwally would be picking us up at 4:30 am in front of our hotel. That was too early. But we needed to catch the 2pm flight the next day.
Day 4: Back to Puerto Princesa to Manila
Our last day in El Nido started as early as 3am. We had a cup of coffee by the beach after packing and at 4am, we were along the road waiting for Fortwally to pick us up. They arrived on time and in the next 6 hours I was asleep in the van. I woke up past 10:30 and we were already in Puerto Princesa. After a quick brunch at Balinsasayaw Restaurant, we headed over to the airport and checked in early to catch our flight back to Manila.
Budget and Expenses
As mentioned before, this has been one of my cheapest 4-day/3-night getaways. Here’s the breakdown of the expenses.
- P1,200 – Fortwally Shuttle roundtrip fare
- P300 – Cliffside Cottages (P600 per room/2 pax)
- P1,000 – El Nido Waterfront Hotel (2 nights at P2000 per night/4 pax; air-conditioned)
- P600 - Total food expenses
- P200 – Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF)
- P550 – Tour A (El Nido Corner, with group discount)
- P650 – Tour C (El Nido Corner, with group discount)
- P240 – Terminal fees (Manila and PPS)
- P100 - Incidentals (water, trike rides, snacks)
P 4,840 – TOTAL EXPENSES
I brought P7000 in this trip for pocket money (with the airfare being paid way before the trip) and I was pleasantly shocked that I still had so much left. I guess it pays to bring snacks with me, too. And for breakfast, just buy a pack of pandesal from any of the bakeries there and divide the cost among the group.
El Nido, Palawan Trip Summary: Planning, Itinerary, Budget,
I was there last week to celebrate my birthday alone and I had a blast. Your itinerary was the same like mine. SInce it was my birthday, I did not play poor hehehe but I had a blast. I can’t wait to blog this soon.
Can I ask when you guys went?
I’m thinking about going there with my friend (only the two of us) in March, 2012 after our classes end.
I ask because you said airfare went down in March for their anniversary. Do you think it’s possible to buy AND fly in March? Or was it a “buy in March, fly a few months later” thing? It’s ~P2,500 round trip right now.
Thanks.
PS, any input on the coron vs el nido debate? I’m a foreigner (haven’t been to any white beaches…ever and I really want to), but I don’t dive. Snorkeling and kayaking seems fun though.
Great blog you have here! Been to El Nido twice and I often find myself daydreaming about being there again.
Thanks for this post! We’ve been to Puerto Princesa but would love to see El Nido too. I’m bookmarking this for future trip.
Thanks for the post & a lot of useable info.
I though El Nido is expensive… it has been more than a decade since our last trip to Palawan.
Hoping to get to El Nido up north on our future trip!
hi there!
were you here in month of december?
how are the waves.
i’m planning to have my honeymoon here this december.
thanks! cheers!
nice blog. Im planning to celebrate my bday next month alone.
hi! im planning a trip to palawan on march. i was wondering, is it still mandatory to have prophylaxis shots for malaria before i go there? i havent been there. hope ul help me, thanks..
We have just recently booked tickets to Puerto Princesa for January 2013. Your blog is very helpful. I have a problem, though, so i hope u can help. The tickets we bought to Puerto Princesa is scheduled for arrival at 5:15pm!
I know, i should’ve researched before booking a flight. Knowing this, where do you think can we stay in Puerto Princesa since there are no trips to El Nido in the afternoon?
Hi Aika! Thanks for dropping by my blog!
Hmm There are many cheap hotels in Puerto Princesa — Marian Home Inn, Casa Linda, Pads. You can also maximize your stay in Puerto Princesa by taking the FIREFLY WATCHING Tour in Iwahig River in the evening!
Good day,
We are going to Puerto Princesa via Cebu on June 24-28 with El Nido and the undergoroud river in mind as must. We get to PPS at noontime and leave also noontime on June 28. We get suggestion that we g directly to El Nido that day, One friend said we go on our way as travel packages seem expensive. Can u advise? thanks a lot.
Hi poor traveller. We will be going to El Nido via P. Princesa this August (4d/3n). Your blog is very helpful.
My question is among the tour packages, why did you come up of choosing Package Tours A & C? Because I don’t know which tours to choose
Please help. Thanks!
Hi Grace, we based it on online reviews.
Most testimonials said that Tours C and A were the best so that’s what we went for! 
how much tour for 4days and 3 night all packages?thanks
Hey. Unfortunately, I’m not a travel agent. Just a travel blogger.
My wife and I are from NYC and will spend a vacation in the Philippines starting Feb. 23 to April 2, 2013. One the places we want to tour is Coron and El Nido in Palawan. You mentioned in your write up about El Nido that you opted to fly to Puerto Princesa instead of Coron. Why?
Also, I noted you said there is a flight direct to El Nido from Manila. How much is the plane fare if it is direct? What is your advice for us? Two sisters of my wife are joining us so we will be a group of 4.
In addition to Palawan, we plan to go to Batanes, Banaue rice terraces and Bicol (Legazpi and CamSur). Can you also advise us on how to book tours in these places?
Hi Ed! There are several ways to reach El Nido and here are three of them.
Direct Flights. El Nido has its own airport but its short runway prevents most airlines using relatively big planes to land here. There are direct flights to El Nido but tickets are expensive (compared to other destinations in the country) most of the time. There are also other companies offering chartered flights but the rate might be a little too much for many travelers
Via Coron. You may also consider flying to Coron. From there, big outrigger boats that travel to El Nido. The catch is that travel time is around 8 hours. And it also proves more expensive as you will have to fly to Coron first and then shell out a couple of thousand pesos to boat to El Nido.
Via Puerto Princesa. For me, the wisest choice have to be the Puerto Princesa route. From Manila, there are several cheap flights to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan’s capital. From there, there are buses and vans that can take you on a road trip to El Nido. Travel time is five to six hours.
Hi! Do you happen to still have the contact details of your boatman/tour guide? We will be in Palawan for a five-day trip next month (group of six) and the offer is Php600 and Php800 for Tour A and C, respectively. That’s already a Php1200 savings already, but would be great to bring it down to Php650 for the Tour C =) Thanks!
Hi Ava! No, I lost it. But we booked via El Nido Corner, at the far corner of the beach. Haha. I’m sure you’ll find others that are as cheap!