El Nido | Budget vs Luxury

As a kid, I used to think people named El Nido after my favorite powdered milk, Nido, because the sand there is as white and fine as the powdered milk I love drinking. Its been my dream to go there since then.

Photo Courtesy of El Nido Resorts Website

El Nido is famous for the luxury resort chain, El Nido Resorts. There are currently 4 resorts in the different islands of Palawan under their management. Each are internationally recognized and multi-awarded for its eco-friendly design and luxury. But of course, luxury comes with a price. For more budget conscious tourists, a trip to El Nido could be as equally fun and exciting with the affordable island hopping activities that are available. Bacuit Bay in El Nido features beautiful islands with white sand beaches, lagoons concealed in limestone walls and rich marine life that are perfect for diving and snorkeling. So its just a matter of preference and, of course, budget. 

There's a small domestic airport in El Nido, however, only the charter airline of El Nido Resorts fly there now and they offer guests round trip airfares for about Php13,000++ per person. Seair no longer offers direct flights to El Nido Airport since early this year. A more affordable alternative is to fly to Puerto Princesa airport and ride a bus or a van to El Nido. Another option is to ride a boat. I'm not a fan of long boat rides so I won't even explore that option.  

Thanks to one of Cebu Pacific's promo fares, my friends and I were able to book a round trip flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan for only Php1115. I was able to contact Fortwally Shuttle Service and they offered us round trip private airport transfers to El Nido for Php 1100 per person. Its a 5-hour ride so I really hope its a comfortable van. 

The next question is whether we'd go for budget traveling or luxury vacation. For easier decision making, I made two itineraries with projected expenses each. 

Luxury El Nido Itinerary

March 2 (Sat): Day 1 – Arrival

4pm        Departure: NAIA Terminal 3 

5:15pm   Arrival: Puerto Prinsesa Airport

               Van to El Nido

               Dinner

1am        Arrival at El Nido

               Check-in at El Nido Town Hotel

March 3 (Sun): Day 2 – El Nido Resort

9am         Check-out El Nido Town Hotel Transfer to El Nido Resort

10am       Check-in at El Nido Resort

                Water Sports Activites (Hobie Cat, Windsurf, Kayak, etc)

                Standard Resort Guided Activities/Tours (snorkeling, island-hopping, etc)

March 4 (Mon): Day 3 – El Nido Resort

               Water Sports Activites (Hobie Cat, Windsurf, Kayak, etc)
               Standard Resort Guided Activities/Tours (snorkeling, island-hopping, etc)

March 5 (Tues): Day 4 - Departure

12pm      Check-out El Nido Resort Lunch

               Transfer to Puerto Princesa 6pm Arrival at Puerto Princesa

               Dinner
8:10pm   Departure: Puerto Princesa Airport

9:25pm   Arrival: NAIA Terminal 3

Budget El Nido Itinerary

March 2 (Sat): Day 1 – Arrival

4pm        Departure: NAIA Terminal 3 

5:15pm   Arrival: Puerto Prinsesa Airport

               Van to El Nido

               Dinner

1am        Arrival at El Nido

               Check-in at El Nido Town Hotel

March 3 (Sun): Day 2 – Island Hopping

9am        Island Hopping (Tour C) 

5pm        Return to El Nido Town Hotel

               Rest, Dinner, Nightlife

March 4 (Mon): Day 3 – Island Hopping

9am        Island Hopping (Tour A) 

5pm       Return to El Nido Town Hotel

              Rest, Dinner, Nightlife

March 5 (Tues): Day 4 - Departure

12pm      Check-out El Nido Town Hotel Lunch

               Transfer to Puerto Princesa 6pm Arrival at Puerto Princesa

               Dinner
8:10pm   Departure: Puerto Princesa Airport

9:25pm   Arrival: NAIA Terminal 3

We still haven't decided on where to go just yet. But its definitely going to be fun either way. 

Till next time ;) 

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An Overnight Stay at Chalet Baguio Hotel

A trip to Baguio is never about the hotel. The weather, food and tourist attractions are too good not to explore. So for our overnight stay, we decided not to splurge on some fancy and expensive hotel. Instead, we got a deal from Ensogo for Chalet Baguio Hotel. 

For only Php1500, we got a deluxe room with free breakfast for 2 and unlimited brewed coffee. Not bad, eh? Actually, the free coffee is what got me to purchase this deal. The location is pretty good too. Its near Kennon Road so it was quite easy to find our way there. We didn't want to bring the car around a city where there's an abundance of taxi and a scarcity of parking space. 

Its a chic little boutique. A lot better than I expected. The furnitures and decorations are classic pieces that (from what I've heard) were brought in all the way from Iloilo.  There's a Dulcinea Restaurant in the lobby that is open for all 24/7, even for non-hotel guests. The staff are friendly and helpful. Checking in was no problem at all.

There are a couple of parking spaces available in front of the hotel and also in the basement parking. Though I don't think it can accommodate the vehicles of all the guests in case they all happen to bring their own. 

The room that we got is on the far end corner of the second floor. Its very simple and very cozy. I loved the touch of stones in the interiors. The headboard is designed with a carving of what seems like pine trees with lights at the back to create silhouette figures. So cool. My favorite part of the room is on the corner window where we have a beautiful view of the mountains beyond. 

What I didn't like about the room was the air-conditioning. I can't remember why we opened them in the first place, but it was just wrong. It smelled really nasty after a few minutes. We had to open all the windows and doors in the room to get rid of the scent. We left the windows open for the rest of our stay. The natural cold weather feels a lot better anyway. 

Another plus point for this hotel is that you can avail the breakfast meal at any time of the day. Even after you've checked out of the room. So there's no need to rush in the morning. Honestly, every hotel should do the same. The food isn't anything special. But the coffee is really good. 

Overall, its a good value for the price we paid. There are lots of hotels in Baguio to choose from. It just depends on your budget and needs. And as for us, this one just got it right. I'd recommend this hotel for families, friends or couples who just need a place to crash with a safe parking space where they could leave their cars while they roam around in the city. 

Till next time :) 

Chalet Baguio Hotel 
Upper Military Cutoff Road, Baguio City 
http://www.chaletbaguiohotel.com/

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HK Trip - The Plan

Since 2009, the year I graduated from college and started working, I make it a point to travel out of the country at least once a year. A friend once told me that its lucky to cross the seas because it takes away bad vibes and leaves you with a fresh start. I guess the thought got stuck to me and I just went on with it. 

Hong Kong has always been on the top of my list of places to visit in Asia. For one, there's Disneyland. I mean, c'mon. Everyone wants to go to Disneyland. Its the happiest place on Earth! Or so I've been told. Secondly, its Asia's shopping capital. Need I say more? Lastly, I've seen a lot of beautiful landscape photos from this country. I've dreamed of taking pictures of them myself. So for the year 2012, I rounded up a group of my friends to come with me on an amazing journey to the Pearl of the Orient.

With one of Cebu Pacific's promo fares, we were able to book a one way flight to HK and a return flight from Macau for only Php2100 (steal!). From the time of flight booking, we had 5 months for research and preparation before the much awaited vacation. We already have a draft of an itinerary from the previous HK plan that we had which sadly got cancelled. So I just had to make a few arrangements for it to fit with the upcoming trip. 

For the first time here in this blog, I'm going to share one of my itineraries. I usually go with this format and I feel uncomfortable if I do it any other way. Its just my thing. Don't get me wrong, these things don't go exactly as planned no matter how carefully I create them. But at least its a plan. 

HK Itinerary

August 22 (Wed): Day 1 – Arrival. Disneyland.

5:40am    Departure: NAIA Terminal 3

7:40am    Arrival: Hong Kong Airport

9:30am    Check-in at HK Hotel

11am       Disneyland

               Back to Hotel

August 23 (Thurs): Day 2 – Shenzhen

8am         Train to Shenzhen

10am       Windows of the World

2pm         Splendid China/Folk Cultural Village

5pm         Shopping at Lo Wu

               Train to HK

August 24 (Fri): Day 3 - The Peak

               Free time/Shopping

               Avenue of Stars

3pm         The Peak Tram, Madame Tussauds, Sky Terrace

8pm         Symphony of Lights

               Back to Hotel

August 25 (Sat): Day 4 - Ocean Park

10am       Ocean Park

               Check out from HK Hotel

4pm         Ferry to Macau

6pm         Check in at Macau Hotel

               Venetian Hotel

               Casino Hopping

August 26 (Sun): Day 5 - Macau

9am        Senado Square

              Fisherman's Wharf

              Macau Tower

              Grand Lisboa

7pm        Check out from Hotel

8pm        Check in at the Airport

10pm      Departure: Macau Airport

12pm      Arrival: NAIA Terminal 3

On my next post, I'm gonna share with you how the 5-day trip went out. Till then :) 

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Towards the Lighthouse of Capones Island

Since we booked an all-in package for this tour, we didn't really have to worry about anything. Well, don't take "anything" too literally. I meant the important stuff, like the transportation, the food, the itinerary and all those things. It would be an awful lot of work to get this together by ourselves (especially this group of lazy kids). Don't get me wrong. I like camping, bonfires and nature and stuff but I hate planning for it. With this arrangement, all I had to pack were my clothes, my cam and other personal stuff (plus another bag full of chips that I promised to bring for the kids).

We were scheduled to leave at 12 midnight from the meeting place at SM North EDSA bus bay. Honestly, we were kinda scared at this point because we didn't really know if Kuya Jeff and his gang will show up and that all of this maybe a scam. Well obviously, it wasn't a scam and they did arrive (a bit later than expected though, but who's in a hurry?) After a short meet and greet, we were introduced to a couple who were also joining us for this trip. Then we're off to Zambales.

It was a quick ride to San Antonio, Zambales. I'm already used to traveling this route so I wasn't really into site seeing on the way. We arrived at around 4am and parked in a nearby 7/11 outlet. We ate some breakfast while our dear organizers visited the local market for some last minute grocery shopping. I wish I ate a lot more than I did that morning. But even if I did, nothing could've prepared me for what was in store for us on the next island.  

our boat ride to the islands 

At the crack of dawn, several boats were already lined up by the beach of Pundaquit. All of them are probably waiting for the tourists coming in to the islands that day. There was nothing special about the beach here but this isn't the town's best asset. We were one of the first groups to leave the town and arrive in the island of Capones. 

We got excited as we got off the boat. The sun was just coming out and the light was perfect for photo ops. While we were taking pictures, Kuya Jeff interrupted us and said that we had to get going. Going where? To the light house. And I was like, "Oh, I didn't know we were going to a lighthouse."

Capones Island at the crack of dawn 

And then we're off. Kuya Jeff's group and some other locals served as our guide. It was fun at first. I like walking by the beach. But as we went further, the path became harder to cross. We had to walk along the rocky parts of the beach and had to climb in and out of some of them to pass through. I didn't have enough sleep, food and water in my system for this strenuous exercise. I'm not much of a walker (if there's such a word). And this wasn't walking. I think this is what they called trekking. Now I hate trekking too (forgive me for my innocence in outdoor activities). I just kept on taking pictures of the island and my friends, hoping to relieve some of the stress I'm getting from this unexpected side trip. 

beginning of our journey to the lighthouse

We stopped by this old structure that's supposedly the camp for the Philippine Navy. We rested there for a while until we resumed walking. I think the most stressful part was not knowing when its gonna end. They kept saying "malapit na" but it felt like we've been walking forever. Towards the end of the trek, we were already climbing through a steep, muddy, uphill path. After 2 hours, we finally arrived at the goddamn lighthouse.

old Philippine Navy camp (or something like that)

Its really old. The only way you can get to the top of the light house is through a creepy spiral staircase. It felt like its gonna break any moment. Its really old. Waiting for us at the top is an amazing panoramic view of the sky, the sea and the rest of the island. It was breathtaking (and not because of my exhaustion). We were lucky enough to be the first ones to arrive because we had the lighthouse all to ourselves. We spent a few minutes there, absorbing the view and taking pictures. A couple of groups arrived as we were climbing down the staircase. I saw the mix of fatigue and excitement in their faces as they went through the path that we just came from. Well, I couldn't care less about them anymore because I knew I'd be facing yet another monstrous trek back to the boat.

the Capones Island Lighthouse

old spiral staircase to the top

view from the lighthouse

Somewhere along this journey, my (favorite) slippers gave in and I had to switch slippers with someone else. We kept on switching foot wear with one another till we got the bit of comfort that we needed to get through. My boyfriend had to walk through the rocky path barefoot at some point. The torture didn't end as we arrived back at the starting point. We didn't bring anything with us aside from our cameras. All our stocks (food and water, especially the freakin' water) were in the boat. The boat was floating somewhere, not anywhere near us, so we had to wait for it to come back. In the middle of the island and under the heat of the sun, all we were thinking about was a glass of ice cold Coke. These are the moments when you appreciate the little things that you neglect when you have them. 

the boat bringing us to Anawangin Cove

Then salvation came in the form of a boat with loads of water, soft drinks and ice. We jumped into it immediately and helped ourselves with (what seems to be) the prize for the challenge that we've been through. This boat will then take us to our final destination - Anawangin Cove. More on that on my next blog.

Lesson learned: Always check your itinerary. 

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Daranak Falls

In the heart of Tanay, Rizal lies the beauty that is Daranak Falls. Its a very wonderful sight indeed and to think that it's just a couple of hours away from the city makes it amazing. Until now, I keep wondering why they wouldn't publicize this place as much as they do with other travel destinations in the country. Aside from the fact that its near the city and very cheap, it is the perfect day trip for nature lover's out there. You won't have to do all the trekking and mountain climbing just to reach a serene landscape.

My friends and I decided to visit Daranak Falls on a holiday, that is the Feast of St. Nazarene way back in 2008. This truly was a budget day trip. It didn't require a lot of money and time which was perfect for us since we were still college students then. 

If I remember correctly, our meeting place was in Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall. From there, we hired a van that would take us to Daranak Falls. Its not along the highway - whatever took you there, should get you out of there as well. We paid the driver Php2000 for the round trip transfer. He didn't leave the 

resort anymore and just waited for us since he has already earned enough for a day's work. It took us around an hour to get there without any stop overs. Click here for a more detailed instruction on how to get to Daranak Falls.

more like a "thank you for coming" sign rather than a "welcome",
we took this picture on our way home

Entrance fee is just Php20, no extra charges or taxes that other tourist spots have thought of collecting. I think it would be best to come here early in the morning so you can get most out of the nature trip. There are a few tables and cottages and it costs around Php300, we were lucky to get the one near the falls itself. We had to bring our own food of course. You can't rely on sari-sari stores to offer you a full lunch meal. Alcoholic drinks are allowed, bring them all!

it's a whole new different kind of drinking experience
when you're beside a waterfall.

You have to be a very good swimmer to reach the bottom of the falls. Its very, very deep and you have to go against the flow of the water. There's also an available "salbabida" for rent, I was able to get near the falls with this, plus a very good swimmer friend. 

we spent most of our time here on the rocks, its a genuine water spa

Overnight camping is not allowed. We noticed there weren't any lights around the place and its quite secluded, I don't think its safe at night. 

keep out! don't play around the area, it could be dangerous too

We stopped by Leonardo's in Antipolo on our way home. It's one of the best spots overlooking the city. Perfect way to end the day trip.

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