The Nest El Nido is a new resort occupying an enviable position in the area of El Nido, on the northern tip of the Philippine island of Palawan. A quiet and tranquil luxurious resort, here is The Nest El Nido hotel review:
The Location
In recent years, Palawan has been named ‘World’s Best Island’ by many international media outlets, while El Nido has been named ‘World’s Best Beach Destination’ by many more. The islands in the Bacuit Bay, just off the coast of El Nido are indeed home to some of the world’s most spectacular, however the town of El Nido itself is not. With traffic-clogged streets and somewhat dirty water, with bangkas (local Filipino boats with bamboo outriggers) around, this can come as a bit of a surprise to many, expecting paradise.
The Nest El Nido, thankfully is built away from all of this, around the corner in the serene and underdeveloped area of Caalan Beach, offering some of the most stunning views of El Nido’s famous limestone karsts, jutting out from the sea. There are only a couple of downsides to its location. One, is that there’s not much of a beach here, it’s mainly just large rocks, and the second is that because it’s quite far from town, you have to walk around 20 – 30 minutes down dirt roads into the main area for eating and activities. The Nest do provide a free tricycle ride for guests however, but with only one tricycle we believe this may not be an option when the resort gets more crowded. One thing we did feel that The Nest El Nido was missing though, was that all important swimming pool.
Ambiance and Service
As we were some of the very first guests to stay at The Nest El Nido, the ambiance was still very quiet and everything felt brand new. Set far enough away from the crowded backpacker guesthouses and busy streets of El Nido, we believe this place is set to stay quiet and secluded. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, and everyone made sure that we enjoyed our time there, attending to our every need.
The Room
Our room was very large and spacious, and was made even bigger by the vaulted ceiling. We especially like the use of native materials – lots of polished wood, thatched roofing, bamboo and lampshades made of colourful rattan. Everything was very minimalist with clean lines and neutral shades. The bathroom too was spacious, with marble fittings, a rain shower and large fluffy white towels. We especially loved our little balcony with lovely wooden furniture and views across the tropical garden.
The Breakfast
Breakfasts at The Nest El Nido are like main meals. There’s no menu, it’s just whatever the chef feels like cooking up that particular day. Get used to Filipino classics such as chicken adobo with rice. As one of us is a vegetarian, the chef also made us a type of aubergine parmigiana with mountains of fried onions, tangy tomato sauce and stringy mozzarella cheese. Though heavy and not quite what we were used to the mornings, you couldn’t fault the flavours or the cooking, and they were among the best meals we had in the Philippines.
Our Verdict of The Nest El Nido
We really enjoyed our time at The Nest El Nido and definitely preferred it to staying in the town of El Nido itself. While we really would have liked a proper beach or swimming pool, however, the whole point of going to El Nido is to spend your days island-hopping off shore in the Bacuit Bay, so we had our fare share of sea and sand anyway.
