Exotic islands have always been a favorite travel destination for me, particularly those far off from the US ( think Maldives, Fiji and Philippine isles). My ideal journey is anything that is remote and difficult to get to! Whenever an opportunity to get to Asia presents itself I take full advantage. Enter a work trip to Manila which included a couple of free weekend days, the perfect time to explore the nearby islands that I’d been dying to go to.
Of the Philippine islands, Palawan is one of the most popular with the small town of El Nido to the North being a top destination. El Nido provides the perfect launching pad to visit a number of islands off the coast of Palawan. Think spectacular sunsets, turquoise waters, stunning rock formations, white sandy beaches and total island life bliss! Check here for your visa requirements.
Getting to Palawan
First you’ve got to get to Manila. For me that took me from Miami to Atlanta, then to Seoul, Korea and finally onto Manila from there. I used Delta Skymiles to upgrade to First Class which made things a lot more comfortable and easy to manage the 15 hour flight time. I am also pretty tall so the extra leg room was greatly needed!
Even better was getting on Delta’s new route from Atlanta to Seoul and experiencing Delta’s One Suites for the first time – these are their little first class cubes with the closing doors for a little more privacy. Needless to say I was well fed and rested arriving in Manila.
Flights to Palawan start early in the morning and run throughout the day. There about 5 to 6 flights going to and from El Nido, my flight was at 5:55am on AirSwift which got me into El Nido at 7:00am. Flights from Manila will cost around US$200 round trip if you book last minute like I did. Booking on AirSwift can be troublesome as the website doesn’t always work, but keep trying, eventually you will get through.
The airport in El Nido is tiny and there’s no immigration! You can immediately head out and catch a Taxi, if you want to call it that. I was a little shocked when I got to the ‘Taxi stand’. I thought I had seen it all, riding in Tuk Tuks all over the world but the ones here in El Nido were quite unique. They were motorcycles with a shell that could only hold one passenger and a small piece of luggage. Quite the experience! The ride will cost you less than US$5 (250 Philippines Piso) for a 30 minute ride.
Best time to visit the Philippine islands
I took the risk and visited in June during monsoon (rainy) season, great to beat the crowds, not so great for the unpredictable weather. Once you get off the main island (Palawan) early you can usually beat the rain and enjoy a picture perfect day, but this is not guaranteed.
Dry season in this region is from November to April with a bit of cooler temperatures from December to February. While you’ll get away from the rain in the drier season, visiting during these months can get very crowded with tourist and change your overall experience completely.
Traveling around Palawan
As a small city, most people get around on the same makeshift Tuk Tuks you’ll see coming out of the airport. These things are so much fun to ride around on and really give you that off the beaten path feel for a low fare.
Currency
100 PHP (Philippines Piso) = US$1.88
You can easily calculate almost anything by dividing by two, won’t be an exact conversion but will definitely give you an idea of how much anything costs (ex. 100PHP = US$2). Things here are pretty inexpensive like anywhere else in the Philippines and Asia. A great low cost destination to add to any avid travelers list!
Where to stay
For the first leg of my trip I stayed at the Shangri-La hotel in Manila. A beautiful hotel in the middle of the city with great five star service and delicious food available for 24 hours! Highly recommended if you need to spend any time in Manila, this is definitely my go to spot any time I have a work visit. 
In El Nido I stayed at the Last Frontier resort about 30 minutes away from the airport. This 3 star beach side hotel was one of the more expensive options on the island at just over US$120 a night but includes breakfast and Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi service wasn’t very strong and only really available in the lobby area. Get a SIM card for your phone when arriving in Manila, this will be your best option for staying connected. Ensure your phone is unlocked from your US carrier before traveling or this SIM card will not work.
Each room was an individual bungalow and offers an amazing in room massage for only US$10! You can also have pedicures and manicures done within this price range. Highly recommended to add to your relaxing time here. Be sure to bring plenty bug spray, you will need it, the mosquitoes are definitely swarming!
Where to eat
The restaurant within the Last Frontier resort had really great variety and yummy tasting food so I didn’t really venture out much. There are two other hotels along the strip that you can try but I stuck to my hotel since I was only there for a limited time.
Things to Do in El Nido
Island Hopping
There are a variety of island hopping tours available on the island that will take you out for an entire day classified as A, B, C or D. Be sure to look at each option to decide what works best for you. Wear water shoes for hiking and climbing up rocks, you will also need plenty of sun screen, a hat and a change of clothing. I always recommend adding a few snacks and water to your backpack, these all day trips can get very tiring and you never know what food/drinks will be available on the tour.
I booked the C tour with Ivan Hanz travel and tours off a recommendation from the front desk agents. This small tour was a full day affair visiting over five islands with a short lunch stop where you’ll get to eat a freshly cooked lunch! As a solo traveler the tour guides really made me feel welcome, ensured that I was always okay and really made this trip an unforgettable experience. The crew even let me jump into the cooking action!
Matinloc Island was one of the places we stopped for a short hike for some great views of other islands and surrounding beaches. This spiritual island holds a Jesus sculpture and is said to be haunted!
Hidden Beach
Here’s where you will need those water shoes! You’ll have to trek through the water and through a small alley to get to this beach, but once you are inside you’ll see an amazing white beach.
Secret Beach
Getting to this lagoon can be a bit of an adventure swimming through a small hole where the guides will time your entry and let you know when to go in. Probably best if you are a strong swimmer to get through here, though they do have life vests available on board and the guides will push you through if needed. Quite an adventure!
Two other islands your will visit on the C tour are Helicopter Island and Star beach. Shaped like a helicopter, Helicopter Island and Star beach are known for its clear water and snorkeling.
Nac Pan
About a 40 minute drive away from the hotel, this was said to be the nicest swimming beach area on the island. Not the white sandy beach I was expecting but this was one of the few beaches I noticed was for swimmers and beach goers. Get here early to beat the crowd and spend a few hours just laying on a chair, sip on some local coconut water and take a long walk down the beach.
Things I missed
There are plenty of islands to visit in the Philippines! This short weekend trip only gave me a little taste of what’s to come. Next time I may pop over Corun or even Boracay to checkout some majestic waterfalls and pristine beaches!
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