"Another Paradise on Earth" El Nido by blackace

First of all, my family and I stayed in El Nido town. The El Nido resorts are actually located on two islands, Miniloc and Lagen, which are about thirty minutes (through pumpboat) from the town. Staying in town is a less costly alternative if you are not so particular about amenities and comfort. In fact, I was surprised to find that most of the Caucasians prefer to stay in town and it's the Japanese and Koreans (aside from Filipinos) that go to El Nido resort. There were only two other Filipino families that we met during our vacation, which was during the Holy Week.

El Nido Town Beach

The beach is a long stretch, although I'm not sure of the distance. On our first day, there was a lot of seaweed along the shoreline but less as you went out farther. This improved on the following days, especially in front of where we were staying and it was great to swim because the water was clear and the sand was fine (although brownish). All in all, I think the beach is even better than what you find in the El Nido resorts.

Old Map of Palawan

The twelve hour availability of electricity is the only disadvantage of staying in town. Restaurants are unable to stock up on food that require refrigeration and the beer is not always chilled. I inquired about this but the locals were not hopeful because Palawan as a whole, including Puerto Princesa (the capital city), is experiencing the same problem.

Nevertheless, it's nice just to walk around town and mingle with the residents. In addition, there are a lot of stores scattered around and everything is very affordable.