Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pem's Pension House and Restaurant
Rizal St
(near the fort)
T
0916 461 0334 or
T
048 723 0463.
Offers single rooms with a shared bathroom, plus smallish
cottages wit
h priva
te bathrooms, either with fan (P500) or
a/c (P1000).
P400
bars and restaurants, including a lovely little bar high on a
rocky cliff
at the back of the beach, reached by 109 steps.
P22,000
★
Flower Island Resort
Flower Island
T
0917 504
5567,
W
flowerisland-resort.com.
This idyllic, eco-
friendly, all-inclusive resort features 24 simple but
romantic and attractively furnished nipa huts scattered
along the shore, equipped with bathrooms (cold showers
only except for the Deluxe Champagne rooms, which have
solar-heated showers), fans (some have a/c) and verandas
with hamm
ocks. Th
e restaurant serves buffet meals. Per
person from
P5000
TAYTAY BAY
Apulit Island Resort
Apulit Island
T
02 894 5644,
W
elnidoresorts.com.
Run by
El Nido Resorts
, this swish
hideaway is the closest to Taytay and offers accommodation
in luxury cottages built on stilts over the water; you can
spot baby sharks from your balcony. The resort has various
El Nido and around
With its scruffy beach, narrow, tricycle-choked streets and unplanned rows of concrete
hotels, the small but booming resort town of
EL NIDO
, in the far northwest of Palawan,
makes a poor first impression, but the
surroundings
are jaw-dropping - the town is
hemmed in between spectacular cliffs of jagged karst and an iridescent bay littered with
jungle smothered outcrops of limestone. For now, El Nido remains refreshingly
low-key, provincial and relatively cheap, with sari-sari stores selling San Miguel and
snacks along the two main streets, Calle Hama and Calle Real - but it is changing fast.
The town is the departure point for trips to the mesmerizing
Bacuit archipelago
, the
largest marine sanctuary in the Philippines. The archipelago's striking beauty has not
gone unnoticed by developers, who have established a number of
exclusive resorts
on
some of the islands. If a rate of more than $250 a night (per person) for a taste of
paradise is too much for you, stay in El Nido itself - where
electricity
runs from 2pm
to 6am only - and island-hop by day.
Don't miss the climb to the top of the marble cliffs of
Mount Taraw
, the ridge that backs
El Nido; it's a strenuous haul, but the views are magnificent. Guided hikes take around
three hours and cost P500 per person - ask at the
El Nido Boutique and Artcafé
(see p.389).
7
Coron & Manila
Caalan Beach (path)
Pier
EL NIDO
Passenger
Terminal
Police
Station
Sea Dog
Diving
El Nido
Marine Club
Tao
Philippines
Petron
DOG-LEGS
JUNCTION
SERENA STREET
C
ALLE HA M A
Palawan
Divers
Caltex
Police
Singh
Internet
Café
Game On
Internet
General
Store
Market
To w n
Hall
C ALLE REAL
School
St. Francis
of Assisi
Health
Center
ACCOMMODATION
El Nido Beach Hotel
Entalula
Lally and Abet Beach Cottages
La Salangane
Marina Garden Beach Resort
Rosanna's Cottages
Tandikan Beach Cottages
2
6
1
4
7
3
5
Mount Taraw
0
100
metres
Y
A
Corong-Corong & Bus/Van Terminal
EATING & DRINKING
Habibi Restaurant &
Shisha Café
La Salangane
Midtown Bakery
Sea Slugs
Skyline Grill
Squidos
V and V Bagel
1
8
5
6
7
9
4
Balay Tubay
Bhing's Bizz Curry House
El Nido Boutique & Artcafé
3
2
10
