EL NIDO Thread 5

[itsKat!]

thanks sis simang and hisana! sana makarating pa kami sa nacpan 4days lang kasi kami 1st and last day halos travel lang dahil sa layo! TY

[petlovah]

Some tips to share based from experience:

1. Contingency Plans - just be ready to have it. may nakasabay kami bumalik na din ng PPC at hindi na bumaba ng van kasi cancelled lahat ng tours even those going to coron that time. I think two days din cancelled.
2. Tour Rates - standard rates sa mga tours. depende na lang sa agency if mabibigyan kayo ng discount. haggle.
3. Motorcycle Rental - renting a motorcycle is tricky. be sure to get the good ones kasi minsan kung ano ano na lang ang ibibigay na motor. haggle for the price. prices for locals and foreigners are different most of the time. if you are going to nacpan via rented mc, get those mc with tires for rough roads (especially the rear tire). Price ranges from 700-900 for approximately 8-12 hours. For me it's better to rent a motorcycle to roam around El Nido. You can go to Twin Beaches, Marimegmeg and Corong2 at your own time.
4. Twin Beaches
(i) for me, it is better to bring your own food going to nacpan. I didn't found something special there considering their price. very basic.
(ii) calitang beach has more affordable rooms than nacpan beach. I would rather rent sa calitang tutal naman these two beaches can easily be reached by walking, malapit lang naman.
(iii) if you want to relax and just lay around the beach without the noise, ok sa twin beach.
5. Transportation to/from El Nido
(i) Vans: prices of vans to/from el nido vary. some would charge 600-800 per pax. lucky if you get a 400/pax. again, haggle.
(ii) Aircon bus rates: RoRo Bus 380. Cherry Bus 480.
(iii) There are non-aircon buses that can be used for transpo. However, consider the length of the travel and rough roads in some areas. Be ready to get haggard with the humidity, smoke, dust etc. Maalikabok and mainit ang byahe lalo na kung tanghali/hapon.
6. Pros and Cons of Transpo to/from El Nido:
(i) Buses-cheaper, more comfortable ride, bigger leg room BUT travel time is slower for about 3-4 hours.
(ii) Vans- faster than vans. when we had van to PPC, we took it a little more than 4 hours. basa pa kalsada nun so medyo alalay sa maneho.

[itsKat!]

thanks for the tips sis petlovah! nakakatakot naman yung cancelled tours. huhu. Sana di mangyari yun pag nagpunta kami!

Btw, anyone na nakapagstay na sa Ipil Suites? dun kasi ako nakapagbook! any comments?

TY.

[s h e i l a]

Nabasa ko na thread 3-5 sumakit mata ko.haha Thanks sa lahat ng nagshare dami kong info na nakuha.  Try ko diy sana kayanin ng powers ko!

[honeybunny]

^wow good deal na din yan [textspeak!] agency mo sis if you don't mind? thanks!

sa northern hope almost 5k, sa hadefe they quoted me almost 6k

mas detailed si hadefe and replies to questions agad

if we go to nacpan, meron bang resort dun? can we just lay our towels sa sand and sunbathe? ok ba sunset dun? how about food? should we bring food there? or merong kainan somewhere?

[petlovah]

^Here's a more accurate description and answer to your question:

http://www.ironwulf.net/2015/02/17/el-nido-stay-nacpan-calitang-twin-beach-accommodations/

[s h e i l a]

thanks sis honeybunny for the info

Safe ba magtravel pabalik ng El Nido town at night time?  Gusto ko kasi maabutan ang sunset sa Nacpan kaso baka naman sobrang dilim na pag pauwi.

[beach_n_sunsets]

how about food? should we bring food there? or merong kainan somewhere?

Hi sis, sa Nacpan package ni Hadefe kasama na ang transpo, lunch and tour guide. Ang hindi kasama is yung entrance fee and cottage rental if mag-rerent kayo. Pero pwede ninyo naman kausapin ang Hadefe para ma-include na 'to sa package. Also ask for discounts kasi mabait naman sila

[itsKat!]

Hi sis! may concern lang ako! lapit na ng elnido trip namin!!!

Anyway, yung sa mga tours, diba may kasama kayo sa boat. Pano yung mga cell phone nyo (na hindi waterproof) and other valuables habang nagssnorkel kayo or wala sa boat? safe ba iwan sa bag lang? or dahil di mo kakilala yung mga kasama mo sa boat eh iniwan nyo nalang sa hotel? inisip ko kasi pano pangpicture! babantayan ba ni manong bangkero? hehe

Thanks mga sis!

[fidelity88]

^sis base sa experience namin sa Boaracay, much better if you will bring drybag or mobile waterproof bag. waterproof bag for your phone and drybag (which is malaki compared to mobile waterproof bag) for other things like coin purse, towel, sunblock, etc. mas mura kung bibili ka na before your trip. though merong nagtitinda dun but expect it to be more pricey. yes, babantayan naman nila. mas okay lang na nasa isang bag yung valuables nyo para makita nyo agad, and always keep an eye on it.

[petlovah]

^sis s h e i l a, safe naman to travel during night time kaso nga lang walang masyadong ilaw around El Nido pero keri naman. There are a lot of foreign tourists walking around at night.

^sis itsKat! she's right na dapat you bring with you those kinds of bags/cases. If you have budget, there are a lot of these sa The Travel Club. For dry/waterproof bag, meron ang Towelite which is cheaper than sa those sa TTC kaso medyo mabigat. For the waterproof pouch for the gadgets (phones, money etc), we purchased one from TTC just to be sure na safe ang phones namin. so far, our gadgets are all doing good. if you have waterproof camera, mas ok at least you wont have to worry that much for the safety of your phone.

[itsKat!]

Thanks for the info sis fidelity88 and petlovah!

Ang worry ko lang is sa el nido tours diba may mga instance na kelangan mo magswim sa ilalim ng water to get to a certain place. iniwan nyo yung bags nyo sa boat? or because you have waterproof bags  dala nyo sila nung nagswim kayo? ang balita ko kasi yung bankero tutulungan ka din to swim or igguide ka diba. so hindi rin siya nakabantay sa boat? tama ba?

Sorry im so lost kung papano.
TIA

[syana]

^ sa amin nun sis, may dalang malaking waterproof bag un bangkero so every time na bababa kami, pinapalagay nya dun un gadgets then ilalabas na pag nasa island na kami para mag picture.

[simang]

ItsKat, don't worry too much about your belongings as long as may waterproof bag ka they'll be fine, the bangkeros there are very helpful naman madalas may naiiwan sa boat, yung iba they will help you with the swimming and all.

[itsKat!]

thanks Sis Simang. bili na lang ako ng waterproof bag! Yey!

[janangela]

3 of us are looking for a group to join for tours on March 11 and 12. Nabasa kasi namin na instead of going with other tours, pag nasa 6 ang head count ng group, we can rent a private boat para customized and walang time pressure sa mga pupuntahan. Anyone will be there who is interested?

[honeybunny]

is it ok to do underground river tour ng mga tanghali? we only stay sa palawan ng 6 days

i'm thinking of doing the underground tour on day 5

bale we leave early sa elnido about 7am, then underground tour na muna, estimated time is 12noon na kame makakapag underground river tour then check-in to hotel later in the afternoon na lang.

para 1 night na lang kame magstay sa PPS hotel then the next day leave for the airport na..

[simang]

^sis quote ko lang my reply from your previous query about this

^you need whole day for underground river tour, lalo na summer kayo pupunta. From PPS to Sabang Wharf (underground river) almost 3 hrs na. Tapos medyo matagal mag-antay sa underground river kasi maraming pumupunta doon. So better na yung bumalik kayo ng puerto sa gabi para next morning yung UGR. UGR tours usually start as early as 7am

[s h e i l a]

^ako naman ang gagawin ko kunin ko yung earliest flight para before we go to El Nido daan muna kami sa UGR possible kaya yun sis?

[simang]

^yes i think possible yan. If ipapaarrange nyo na UGR tour nyo, imention nyo na what time kayo dadating ng PP. naalala ko first time ko mag UGR parang 7am flight yata kami lapag kami ng past 8am tapos sundo na kami ng tour guide for UGR. Usually matatapos yan ng 3-4pm, minsan 5pm, so pwedeng pwede pa kayo bumyahe papuntang el nido nun.