Philippine Tourism News

El Nido is a municipality located at the northwestern tip of Palawan and is about 430 kilometers southwest of Manila. El Nido is named after the edible nests of Swiftlets (Collocalia Fuciphaga) found in the crevices of its limestone cliffs. El Nido boasts of its scenic landscape with massive limestone islands scattered about the sea. The limestone cliffs of El Nido were naturally carved out of extensive and thick layers of coralline deposits. From the developed resorts of Lagen Island and Miniloc Island guests can arrange for island hopping to the diffrent islands of the El Nido group of islands like the Pangulasian Island, Entalula Island, Vigan Island or Snake Island, Pinasil Island, Matinloc Island, Cadlao Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Ipil, 7 Commandos Point and Lapus-Lapus Beach.

Lagen Island Resort

Lagen Island Resort is set in a cove, bordered with thick primary forest. The sprawling grounds cover more than four hectares. Lagen Island is a showcase of El Nido’s flora and fauna, where trees provide various niches for a diverse variety of birds and mammals, providing a wealth of opportunities and experiences for wildlife observation and sightings. At the back of the resort is a trail that passes through a forest and ends in a private cove. The Lagen trail is one of the best sites for bird watching, more rewarding during the early morning or towards late afternoon. Lagen Island hosts a high diversity of birds including almost all of the species endemic to Palawan.

The resort offers its guests a choice of their fine accommodations which have floors and furnitures made of antique wood, full-height sliding glass doors that open up to a private verandah and depending on the location of the room, will allow guests with views of the cove, the cliffs, the bay or the sunset. Each room is equipped with air-conditioning, private toilet and bath with hair dryer, mini bar, stereo system with CD player and IDD phone. The rooms are the beachfront cottages with a view of the entire cove and of the magnificent sunset, forest rooms and forest suites that are built at the fringes of the tropical forest and the water cottages which are built on stilts on both sides of the cove.

At Lagen Island’s clubhouse is the air-conditioned main dining area which serves a la carte and buffet meals. On the lower level are the boutique, game area, library, clinic and conference room. The swimming pool, which is designed with an even depth of four feet so as not to touch the roots of the trees that lie underneath, is located at the front of the clubhouse with the poolside bar.

The resort also has a marine sports center with complete facilities for scuba diving and snorkeling as well as kayaking, windsurfing and hobie cat. Lagen Island Resort provides fast and convenient access to the different islands within El Nido. Among the activities available at Lagen Island Resort are hiking, lagoon tours, cave tours, mangrove river tours, bottom fishing, bird watching, hat making, picnic lunches, sunset cruising, kayaking, windsurfing, hobiecat sailing, snorkeling, diving and with prior arrangement, dive courses.

Miniloc Island Resort

Miniloc Island Resort is also set in a cove with sheer limestone cliffs as its backdrop. The resort’s quite charm is enhance by the clear and pristine waters that is home to a wide variety of marine life. At the end of the resort’s marina, guests can snorkel and marvel at the 3-foot long groupers and hundreds of sergeant majors, damsel fish, fusiliers, and other multi-colored tropical fishes.

Miniloc Island Resort has different accommodations for their guests to choose from. These are the water cottages, sea view rooms, garden cottages, cliff cottages and beachside rooms. The cottages and rooms are built with thatched roofs and furnished with local indigenous materials. All the accommodations have a mini bar, air-conditioning, private toilet and bath with hair dryer and a private veranda that offer views of the cove and the nearby islands.

Facilities at the resort includes a restaurant located at the clubhouse, a boutique, video room, game area, Pavilion Bar and a conference room. It also has complete facilities for scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, aqua biking, windsurfing and hobie cat. The different islands and activity sites in El Nido are easily accessible from Miniloc Island Resort. The Big and Small Lagoons are a short kayak ride away from the resort. Activities offered at Miniloc Island Resort include lagoon tours, cave tours, mangrove river tours, bottom fishing, bird watching, hat making, picnic lunches, sunset cruising, kayaking, windsurfing, hobiecat sailing, snorkeling, diving and, with prior arrangement, dive courses.

The fastest and most direct way to get to El Nido is from Manila. Island Transvoyager Inc. operates daily flights to El Nido for El Nido Resorts using a 19-seater Dornier 228 aircraft. Flying time is approximately 75 minutes and lands directly at El Nido Airport. Flight reservations may be made through El Nido Resorts. At El Nido Airport, guests are met by resort staff and transferred to a motorized outrigger boat for a scenic ride to the resorts. The boat transfers takes approximately 40 minutes to Miniloc Island and 50 minutes to Lagen Island.

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