El Nido Resorts spans Miniloc and Lagen Islands, with Miniloc being the older property. Starting life as the humblest of dive camps in 1985, Miniloc Island Resort retains its rustic, paradise-in-the-middle-of-nowhere feel even after expanding into a 43-room property. With Water Cottages built on stilts, Seaview Rooms with an awe-inspiring view of the bay, Garden Rooms surrounded by tropical plants, Beachside Rooms built right on the beach, and Cliff Cottages nestled in the limestone cliffs, there’s something for everyone’s inner Robinson Crusoe. Snorkelling can be done right off the pier, landing the snorkeller right in the middle of schools of colorful reef fish. Based on a fish identification survey done by Drs. Gerry Allen and Mark Erdmann early this year, El Nido boasts of 694 confirmed species of fish, with 6 potential new species. In fact, the Miniloc house reef is one of the few places in the Indo-Pacific where you’re guaranteed to see several grown giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis), a fish prized by sport fishers for its fighting ability. For guests staying in Miniloc, the famous Big and Small Lagoons are just around the corner via kayak. Just be prepared for the serious paddling involved, as touring the Big Lagoon via kayak takes about an hour.
Paradise Less Traveled, part 1
Having managed to sleep through your first flight in a 19-seater plane, you look out your window and see dark blue water below you. Suddenly, you find yourself overlooking a tiny speck of green on the blue. Then you see more specks, growing larger and larger as you get closer and closer. Finally, you see a beach coming right at you. After your plane lands and the cloud of dust stirred by your arrival settles down, your pilot says the magic words you’ve been waiting to hear: “Welcome to El Nido, Palawan”.