El Nido, Palawan
El Nido, which is often thought of as a town, is in fact a principality covering 465 square km and it is located in the northernmost tip of Palawan. It has to be said that El Nido is home to some of the most stunning vistas in the world.
El Nido town or Buena Suerte, as it is officially known, is the main bus drop off point and base for island hopping. Buena Suerte literally means ‘Good luck’ in Spanish. Here you will find many shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, resorts and a main beach.
There are many more beaches on the mainland within 20 km of the town centre, but for most of these you will need to rent a scooter / motorbike or take a tricycle.
The main El Nido beaches are Nacpan, Dolarog, Seven Commandos, Marimegmeg, Lio, Duli, Corong-Corong and Caalan.
El Nido is also the gateway to the Bacuit Archipelago islands, which is the main reason for tourists to visit here. To see the islands you will need to book a tour and the most popular tours are Tour A, Tour B, Tour C and Tour D. Out of these, the most popular are Tour A and Tour C. The tour operators include a free buffet lunch, drinking water and snorkelling gear.
The tour operators are located around the main beach area and most of the tours leave at around 9am and return around 5pm
Top Tip – You will need to wear water shoes on these tours, because some the beaches have sharp pebbles and the tour operators may not let you leave the boat without them. You will also need swimming gear, and if you have your own mask and snorkel take them because some of the snorkelling gear provided may not be as good as your own. You can buy water shoes and snorkelling gear in the town centre.
For nightlife, there are many restaurants and bars in the town centre – some of them have balconies overlooking the beach, which is especially good for watching the sun setting over the sea. It you like Thai food, the Big Bad Thai Bistro is very good. For drinks afterwards, the Sava beach bar is excellent – here you can dance the night away until the small hours.
A great café is called the Art Café, where you can sit on the balcony with a coffee or a cocktail and watch the world go by. They also sell very good food.
Useful links
Where to stay in El Nido – hotel guide
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