Palawan post 1 and 2

The only way to see El Nido is by boat. There isn't a lot to see in town but it all works out because the majestic island hopping more than makes up for it. Our day of island hopping already seems too far away as if the reality of the creation is slipping away from my memory. This year I have formed a deeper gratitude for photographs and videos that rekindle memories and breath life back into them. It's hard to put into words the unreal beauty of El Nido's bay and many islands so I will try and share this piece of heaven through photos and video.

Plan to invest in island hopping during your travels. Prices for most items in El Nido are higher because they are harder to access. Affordable lodging can be found but definitely plan on spending a majority of your costs on boat tours. I will have a post about our Airbnb shortly. The average rate for a boat tour was 800-1200 php per person. We only did one day and did Tour A, the most common tour. It lasted from around 10 am - 5 pm with four main island stops and included lunch.

Big Lagoon

With so much greatness, how am I supposed to decide when to stop snapping photos? I wanted to remember it all.

We floated.

And floated.

And floated some more.

Here's a closer look at our surroundings.

Off we go to another island! Look behind us! The views just don't quit.

Lunch At Simizu island

This was hands down the most scenic lunch experience I have ever had. In fact, I don't know if I will ever be able beat this one.

While waiting for the kuyas to prepare our lunch, we swam, climbed, explored and sipped on some fresh buko juice.

Before

After

You guys, this meal was prepared on the boat! They chopped everything AND grilled the fish right there on the deck while we explored the beach. It really is more fun in the Philippines.

And it tasted marvelous! Please notice even the tomato flower.

I spy little hands fetching a galunggong.

While we were eating this was our boring view. Joke lang. It cannot be stopped!

Secret Lagoon

Off we go to Secret Lagoon! El Nido couldn't be humble even if it tried, you can't hide that beauty.

I didn't get many photos of Secret Lagoon because I was canoeing (let's be honest, I was being towed but needed to pretend like I was helping) with two small children BUT if you watch the video at the end of this post you will get an idea of how dreamy this place really was. It was straight out of the Little Mermaid, I'm not even kidding. I saw Ariel.

Last Stop, 7 commandos beach

No, there were no commandos. :) I am hoping this is the correct name for the beach, we actually skipped an island on the tour because the waves were a little too big for our liking with three small boys and the name has slipped my mind.

VIEWS FOR DAYS

They just don't stop!

sunset

And this, my friends, is how you cap off an excellent day of island hopping.

press play

We used Sea Crown Tours because Alma of Kids More Fun used them recently. Her post about El Nido with kids is super helpful and what gave me the itch to visit Palawan. We were able to ask for a discounted rate for tours because of our family size. We only did one day of boat tours but I recommend two. Shea and Kevin who run Sea Crown Tours are kind, friendly and great people, I cannot recommend them enough. The crew they hire are also superb.