Matinloc Shrine, El Nido (Tour C) 4/16

After Secret Beach, our next stop was at Matinloc Shrine.

This place is also another favorite of mine since it holds a fantastic view at the top!

The only negative point here is that there's an entrance fee of P50 which is not included in the Tour C package rate. Strange, I know.

Anyway, it was worth it since the place is really beautiful and it was also the perfect area for us to have lunch =P

What the area looks like...

rules and regulations *ehem

the stairs going up the limestone formation..

...and the breathtaking view on top!

the colors are just so lovely!

of course, i had to cam-whore at this spot! lol

Every corner is seriously instagrammable!haha

There was also a mini beach at the sides of the island. 

After climbing the cliff, we decided to go there and relax a bit ;)

Here's the view! OMG, such clear waters!

there's even a similar beach at the opposite side!

We didn't go there actually but I think it was Paradise beach?

Secret Beach, El Nido (Tour C) 4/16

Our first day of island hopping was around the islands of Tour C.

First destination was at Secret Beach, one of my personal favorites!

The beach itself is concealed by cliffs and is only accessible through a narrow hole --that's why it's "secret" =P  You either swim through or use a kayak boat so you can reach this piece of paradise!

Awesomesauce <3

Gorgeous!

I've never seen anything like this!

There's some rocks pools around the beach too!

Can I stay here forever? =P

split shot

 Before

After =P

Island Hopping in El Nido 101 (Questions, Basic Info & Tips) Apr 2016

It's not a secret that the best way to explore El Nido is to avail the different island hopping tours they offer. Here's some helpful info in case you're planning your beach getaway here soon.

1. How many islands can we see around El Nido? 

Basically, there are 4 kinds of Island Hopping Tours namely A,B,C & D.

Each tour consists of 5 islands/places but sometimes, you can request the boatman to include an additional island/s if it's near.

TIP: Better do your research and ask about certain islands you want to visit/include in the tour. Often times, some agents/boatmen don't suggest it.

2. How do we book/make a reservation for the tours?

Usually, you can ask directly from the staff in your hotel/accommodation to arrange the tour for you. There are also a lot of booking agents around the town so it's actually quite easy to do it.

I think you could also try to hire a boatman directly -there are a lot of boats parked in Bacuit Bay, just approach some boatmen there.

TIP: *In our experience, we just inquired the tours from the lodge we were staying in. I think it's more convenient and easier to make necessary arrangements or changes to your liking. But it is also good to ask around and inquire as much as you can so you could get the best deal for you.

I highly suggest NOT to book online. Book it once you arrive so could compare the prices.

3. How much are the tours? 

The picture above shows the rate for each tour when we went last April 2016.

 PS: These island hopping rates are arranged as GROUP TOURS. Meaning guests from your hotel/other hotels would join you in the excursion. 

TIP: If there's 10 or more people in your group, avail the private tour or ask a boatman to give you one. Don't forget to haggle!

PROS/CONS:

Group tour: Strangers in the boat lol but you can also meet new people.

Time is FAST. You're always in a hurry to transfer to another island. 

Imagine 10-15 mins each island!

For couples: the rate would be cheaper.

Private tour: No other people in the boat.

You CONTROL the time. 

You tell how long you want to stay and when to leave the area.

For couples: rate is more expensive

4. Can we combine the tours?

I think it would depend on the person/agency booking your tour if they would allow to combine the islands. 

*I've read some blog posts wherein they couldn't combine the tours and just settled paying for each tour. In our case, since we already did Tours A & B last 2011, we wanted to do C & D this time. 

According to the staff , tours B & D is less popular compared to the other 2 thus making it difficult to form a group tour for it. BUT, we got lucky that time as the staff told us that they were forming a group for a combination tour of B & D. We paid P1600 each for it.

5. What is the BEST TOUR? Which islands do you recommend?

I can't really say which one would be the best tour since beauty is in the eye of the beholder lol

In my opinion, there's 1 or 2 islands in each tour that's a MUST visit.

With that being said, I reco you avail all tours or combine/mix and match the islands!

My favorite islands/places were:

TOUR A: Big and Small Lagoon

Tour B: Snake Island 

Tour C: Secret Beach, Hidden Beach & Matinloc Shrine

Tour D: Cadlao Lagoon 

PS: All the other islands were also beautiful, it's just that the ones I chose above were really unique and something I could definitely say you will only get to see in El Nido ;)

TIP: For a private group tour, ask the agent/boatman if they could combine certain islands you want from each tour. It would be more cost and time efficient ;)

Got any more questions? Just comment in this post and I'll update this list! :)

El Nido: Where to eat and Restos to avoid 2016

Sharing with you, the restos we were able to try and some recommendations and finds!

There are many restos around the town but the ones by the beach overlooking Bacuit Bay are the main attraction :)

While walking around, we spotted Jarace Grill. 

I think the colorful chairs help attract customers lol

Didn't take a pic of our food so here's the menu instead =P

We ordered some grilled fish with rice, vegetable dish and mango juice.

The bill amounted to P680

Comment: The dishes were all good though overpriced.

Service wasn't excellent either.

FYI: What I noticed with the restos in El Nido is that the service is always slow (this happened in all restos we were able to try =/ )

It's difficult to order coz the staff/waiters/waitress are always "busy" and not observant specially during peak hours and the food takes a long time to arrive even after several follow-ups. 

So yea, if  ever you go and dine here in the future.. PLS set your expectations really low and have a lot of patience lol

2nd resto we tried was Pukka Bar & Resto.

It's a Reggae Bar with a chill, colorful ambiance.

Sorry, no food pic again though we got 2 orders of grilled tuna with

rice and mango juice. Total bill was P800.

Comment: No complains about the place itself, it's the perfect spot to relax and listen 

to Reggae music all night!

BUT again, SLOW SERVICE plus the staff forgot about our order of vegetable dish.

SMH, how can you forget something that's written down on a piece of paper?? 

Another horrible thing was that the tuna was under-cooked -_-

It took more than 30 minutes for the fish to arrive and yet it was under-cooked?? I can't even.

It wasn't even crowded when we dined there but service really sucked =/

Overall: Food was over-priced and not cooked well, bad service and incompetent staff.

The next day, we decided to ditch the resto scene and had dinner in a Carinderia.

In the Philippines, Carinderia or small eatery is a place

where you could get several local dishes for a cheap price.

The dishes are displayed at the front and you just point out which one you'd like to get ;)

Hassle-free, cheap and most importantly, FAST.

I highly recommend this when you're on a budget and wanna try authentic Filipino food.

*I've read several blog sites suggesting cheap places to eat in El Nido but they never include this one. For me, this is much better than a burger joint or a Tapsilog place =P

One particular carinderia is Kusina ni Nanay.

It's located in G. del Pilar st., before Calle Hamma going to Bacuit Bay and very near Squidos restaurant. It's quite easy to spot this once you pass by the area :)

We ordered Adobong sitaw (sauteed string beans in soy sauce),

Ginataang labong (Bamboo shoots in coconut milk),

and Ginataang Pagi (Sting Ray in coconut milk)

Total was P140 including rice and you get free unlimited purified water =P

On our last night, we walked around Serena st. and found Angel Wish.

I'm not sure if they're affiliated to the same Angel Wish palutuan in Boracay but anyway I'm glad we chanced upon this.

They have Seafood package meals which is very reasonable compared to the ala carte meals

of other restos in the vicinity.

Beautiful view! and yes, no customers yet since we decided to have an early dinner, as usual hehe

Coconut shake and Mango juice as usual =P

We got the P850 package meal which includes lobsters, squid and clams -your choice of cooking style (drinks not included)

Grilled lobsters

Grilled squid 

Clams soup

*Everything was delicious! Better service and food compared to the other ones.

~thumbs up!

El Nido Bakery is also quite popular in the area.

I don't know which bread is their best seller but anyway, there's always a lot

of customers buying something from them.

Me, on the other hand just wanted puto haha

Maybe next time I'll try their famous breads!

Next are the restos we weren't able to try but looks nice =P

We saw this while walking around Serena street, again lol

Nice selections of oysters, clams etc!

This one was beside Angel Wish and I believe they have lower rates compared to Angel's.

Their fresh seafood display. YUM

If you're tired with all the seafood, I think Little Italy would be a good choice!

L'assiette was actually on my list but wasn't able to try due to time constraints.

They offer desserts like crepes, gelato etc.

But the main reason I wanted to dine here is to go up their terrace with an overlooking view of Bacuit Bay!lol

Lastly, El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe.

 One of the high-rated restos on Trip Advisor =P