Rich's Kuala Lumpur Pictures

El Nido, Palawan - Tour A

Coron or El Nido? After MUCH deliberation, research and headaches, I finally decided on El Nido. Although El Nido is known for its luxurious resorts, there are also budget options that I am definitely going to be using. 

Anyhow in this post, we are going to be figuring out what there is to do in El Nido. Although El Nido town has beachfront properties, their beaches aren't really all that great. What El Nido is really known for are the multitide of little beaches, coves, karsts and lagoons that are supposedly spectacular. The only downside is, you need a boat to get there.

Fortunately there are tours that will take you there for for approximately 700-900 ($18-23) pesos per person. There are four tour packages throughout El Nido, listed A, B, C, and D. They all last pretty much from 9am-5pm and include lunch.

Tour A 700 Pesos/pax	Tour B 800 Pesos/pax	Tour C 900 Pesos/pax	Tour D 700 Pesos/pax
Small Lagoon Big Lagoon Simizu Island Secret Lagoon 7 Commando	Cathedral Cave Codugnon Cave Panggalusian Island Snake Island Pinagbuyutan Island	Hidden Beach Shrine Secret Beach Talisay Helicopter Island	Cadlao Lagoon Pasandigan Beach Paradise Beach Natnat Beach Bukal Island

I think Tour A is a definite must on this trip. I've heard great things about it and I really wouldn't want to miss El Nido's main attractions.

Small Lagoon - The boat docks at an entrance with a small hole that you have to swim through to get to the Lagoon. Once inside there is clear emerald water.

Big Lagoon (we would just pass by this and not snorkel or swim here since it's too deep)

Secret Cove/Lagoon - I believe this is the place where people have lunch and relax

Simizu (snorkeling) - This is supposed to be a great spot for snorkeling with quite a variety of fish.

7 Commando Beach - this is the last stop before heading back to the town. Here there are stretches of white sand beach where people can snorkel or just swim around. There is also a little sari-sari store where one can get coconut juice and other snacks.

This is a great post about Tour A with pictures and includes great tips about what you need to bring, etc.

After all this, am I really up to posting about Tours B, C, and D? Probably not, but if I have free time soon, I just may get bloggitivity on and do a post on each of the tours. Don't hold your breath though.

Bantayan Island - Where to stay and transportation

Getting to Bantayan Island will be a bit of a journey, but many folks think the destination is well worth it.
Here's step by step instructions of how to get there, the costs along the way, and where to stay. (Photo taken from here.

Bantayan Island - What to do

Where Boracay has crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches, Bantayan Island supposedly has all that without the crowds and built up resorts. It'll be a long bus/boat ride from Cebu City, but I think the visit will be well worth  it.

Cebu - Where to Stay

In Southeast Asia, hotels are so cheap compared to similar star-rated hotels in the U.S. In the Philippines, you can get 5-star hotels for a fraction of the cost of 3-star hotels in New York City! With that in mind, it's easy to go overboard and reserve rooms in the swankiest of places, and who can blame you? But, I love finding great hotels for unbelievably low prices in the Philippines. It's so easy, because they're everywhere!

Cebu - What to do

Cebu is the second largest city in the Philippines, with the first being Manila. We plan to make this our base from which we would travel on to other destinations. From what I've read, Cebu is great alternative to Manila. I've been there a couple of times, with the latest being about 10 years ago. My recollection of Cebu is hazy so I'm interested in relearning what Cebu has to offer.

Visayas

The Visayas is a group of islands in Central Philippines. This is an ideal area for us to concentrate on for this trip because I speak two of their main dialects AND they have awesome beaches!