When in El Nido: Huni Lio

El Nido Resorts never fail to deliver exceptional service and gift us with great memories to cherish. This is why we opted to book Huni Lio after finding out that it is also part of the same group. 

Hello, Huni Lio.

Huni is the newest addition to the Lio Estate Resorts group. Knowing that it opened just last June made it so easy for us to confirm our reservation. 

When in El Nido: The Red Crab Alimango House

After days of swimming, snorkeling and climbing in Apulit and Miniloc, R and I were looking forward to finally relax at Lio, El Nido. Just thinking about lounging on its long shore and enjoying the area's chill vibe made us excited. But another thing made us giddy to spend a few days in this newly developed area... and that was to feast on good seafood.

Hello, The Red Crab Alimango House.

The Red Crab Alimango House opened in Lio Estate just last April and it's one of the best places to dine in the area.

When in Palawan: Miniloc Island Resort

Our eco adventure in Apulit Island Resort made us realize that it might have been a bad idea to head to Miniloc right after. With more complimentary activities to try, we had to delay our plan to recover from hours of snorkeling, swimming and climbing lime stones. 

Hello, Miniloc Island Resort.

Located just 50 minutes away from Lio Airport, Miniloc Island is one of the more popular islands of El Nido Resorts. 

When in Palawan: Apulit Island Resort

Palawan has always been a favorite destination of mine. Basking in the beauty of its wonderful limestone formations and pristine beaches is my idea of vacation. And our stay in Pangulasian Island Resort last February made it an easy decision for us to check out other El Nido Resorts' properties. Our first stop, Apulit Island Resort. 

Hello, Apulit Island Resort. 

Apulit is located at the opposite side of other El Nido Resorts properties and is about two and a half hours away from Lio Airport. We had to take an hour and half van ride to Taytay Pier and take a 50 minute boat ride to the resort. 

When in Puerto Princesa: Costa Palawan

Puerto Princesa is one beautiful city filled with natural wonders. From the famous underground river to striking limestone, this city is a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of Manila. However, we ended up in a rather unpleasant hotel on my first visit which left a negative impression on Puerto Princesa's accommodations. Fast forward to 2019, the island experienced a boom in the hotel and resort industry giving visitors more value for money options. One of which is Costa Palawan. 

Hello, Costa Palawan. 

Costa Palawan is just 10 minutes away from Puerto Princesa International Airport but is on a quieter side of the city. It offers complimentary airport transfer which made us decide to book our last two nights here. 

When in Puerto Princesa: Dos Palmas

Dos Palmas has been one of the most popular spots in Puerto Princesa for decades. Just the idea of basking under the sun in a rather secluded island makes anyone smile from ear to ear. It grew into an international headline when a kidnapping incident happened in 2001 which led to the abduction of 20 guests and staff. Though it has been a long while since the unfortunate event, many are still scared to stay here and question the island's security. I was uneasy too but we pushed through with our reservation and spent a few days here. And I was so happy that we did.

Hello, Dos Palmas. 

We spotted Dos Palmas while searching Agoda for resorts in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The aerial view of the island won us over as we like the idea of being far from the city proper. And it didn't take long before we clicked the book button. 

The Red Crab Alimango House opens in El Nido

Crab is probably the only seafood I have a love-hate relationship with. I love eating its fresh and slightly sweet meat, not to mention that divine crab fat. But getting all those could be a pain. And more often than not, I avoid ordering crab if it's not de-shelled as I've developed a bit of trauma from being hurt while cracking open those long legs. Then again, seeing ginormous ones could be too hard to resist especially when its a restaurant's specialty. 

Hello, The Red Crab Alimango House. 

If you've been to The Red Crab Alimango House in Manila, you'd know that this establishment takes "crab" seriously as it is one of the best places to satisfy your hunger for this delectable crustacean. 

Eco-Luxury at its Finest: Pangulasian Island Resort

El Nido is one of my favorite places in the Philippines. Just thinking about basking in the majestic beauty of the limestone rock formations surrounding its islands makes me want to book the next possible flight. And just when I thought I had a great time at El Nido, a resort showed me how to best enjoy this wonderful vacation spot.

Hello, Pangulasian Island Resort.

Hailed as one of the most luxurious resorts in El Nido (with rates at par or slightly higher compared to the more popular Lagen Island Resort), Pangulasian is managed by El Nido Resorts.

National Gem: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

This year has been a crazy year packed with travels to different provinces. And I started the year visiting one of the places I've been dying to visit... Puerto Princesa's Underground River. Hailed as a World Heritage sites on December 4, 1999, this gem has been one of the must visit destinations when in Palawan. 

Hello, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

R and I booked a tour to this beautiful site and paid PHP1,800 per head which covers round trip van transfer to and from the underground river, buffet lunch, motorized boat transfer, fees and permits, tour guide and audio device you'll use while on the underground river tour. 

When In Coron: Maquinit Hot Springs

I am not a beach person. I even have a love < hate relationship with the sun. I remember that my nose used to bleed every time I get too exposed to the sun’s harsh rays. Yes, I was a sensitive kid back then. So when R invited me to go to Coron with him and his friends who I do not know then, I wasn’t really thrilled. But I changed my mind when I saw Coron’s beauty.

Hello, Coron!

We were in Coron for 3 days and 2 nights and R’s friend who is based in Coron did all the arrangements for us. We had a tour guide during our whole stay and all we had to do is ride the van, tricycle or boat and follow him.

 

On our first day, we kept it light and went to Maquinit Hot Springs.

I would have not thought of Coron having hot springs as the first few things that come to mind whenever I hear Coron are rock formations, corals, snorkeling, beaches and giraffes. (Okay, giraffes seem a bit out of place but there is a place in Coron where you could feed them!)

 

We got to the hot springs a bit past 4 p.m.. We were supposed to be there earlier after our supposed Mount Tapyas climb. But thanks to the ever reliable Cebu Pacific, we were behind schedule by a couple of hours. We opted to delay the hike till our last day in the island.

Love at First Bite: Lobster King

I hardly get to explore the Philippines so when R asked me to join him and his friends to Coron, I quickly said yes. (And I have not met his friends then.) It was a fun trip and I got do things for the first time such as jump off a boat, climb a mountain (towards Kayangan Lake), and enjoy Coron. I have to admit though that one of the highlights of our trip was our stop at Lobster King.

Hello, Lobster King!

J, the wonderful local who helped us with everything while we were in Coron, raved about Lobster King and that we should prepare our tummies. It wasn’t hard to do so when all we did for hours before dinner was jump off the boat and swim.

The girls took charge of ordering for the whole group and they went crazy over lobster. We had 8 plates full of lobster! Other dishes that were ordered were oysters (in cheese and in butter garlic), sisig, roasted chicken and clam soup. (I forgot to take photos of the soup, sisig and roasted chicken as these were placed far from me and everyone was hungry.)

The oysters were huge! R was disappointed that the cheese on the oysters did not melt and was just grated cheese on top of grilled oysters. But it was still pretty good as it was fresh!

The butter garlic version was better though as it was more savory.

Now for the star of the night… lobsters.