Getting to El Nido: Long Haul, Layovers and Why I’d Still Do It Again

When we planned our trip to the Philippines, El Nido was always high on the list. It’s one of those places that looks unreal in photos. Bright blue water, hidden beaches, limestone cliffs, all of it. What the photos don’t show you is that getting there is a bit more of a mission than it looks. By the time we’d done the long-haul flights, the layover, and the final hop into El Nido, I was very ready to find out if it was actually worth it.

Getting there

We flew from London Heathrow via Singapore to Manila, then straight on to El Nido. No overnight stop. No easing into it. Just get there. After 18 hours of flying, we had an 8-hour layover in Manila, so instead of trying to survive it in the airport, we booked a sleep pod at Wings Transit Lounge. It cost 2500 PHP, which worked out at roughly £35, and for that we got 7.5 hours in a private room with bunk beds, shower facilities, hot and cold drinks, and snacks. It was basic, but after that journey, just having somewhere to lie down properly felt amazing.

Top tip: if you’ve got a long layover in Manila, book somewhere to sleep. Even a few hours horizontal makes a huge difference before that final internal flight.

A lot of people stop overnight in Manila, but honestly, I think pushing straight through was the right call. We woke up in El Nido instead of losing a night in the city, and that made the trip feel like it had started properly much sooner.

One thing to know before you fly internally

A lot of internal flights in the Philippines are on propeller planes, and they were stricter than I expected at check-in. We saw aerosols being taken out of bags. Deodorant, spray suncream, insect repellent… gone.

Top tip: don’t pack aerosols in the bag you’re relying on for internal flights, otherwise you may end up losing half your toiletries at the airport.

How long did it actually take?

We left our house at 7am on Saturday and arrived at our hotel at 11pm on Sunday. It’s a long journey. There’s no glamorous way of describing that.

But for me, it was still the right decision to just get to El Nido rather than drag it out and stay in Manila first. Once we arrived, had some sleep, and woke up there the next morning, it already felt worth it.

Where we stayed

We stayed at Terra Sancta Resort, which was brand new when we visited. It was beautifully decorated, had a great pool, and a small restaurant area. It was a little outside the main part of El Nido, but a motorbike taxi got us into town in around 15 minutes. From memory, the trip was about 300 PHP. It worked really well for us because it meant we could dip into the busier part of El Nido and then come back somewhere quieter.

Top tip: if you want a nicer hotel experience, don’t be afraid to stay slightly outside the main drag. A short motorbike taxi is a small price to pay for a bit more peace and comfort.

First impressions

After a good night’s sleep, we headed into town for breakfast and got our first proper feel for El Nido. There are loads of bars and restaurants to choose from, and some have a great view of the beach. Café Athena was one of our first stops and did a really good breakfast. El Nido town itself is not the polished, picture-perfect version social media can make it look like. It’s lively, busy, and a bit chaotic in places. That said, that’s part of the charm. It feels real rather than overly polished.

A mistake I wouldn’t repeat

There’s a street food market in the evening, which looked great. We ate there, and I got food poisoning from the rice and spent a day in bed. I love street food, but I broke my own rule here.

Top tip: be careful with rice from food markets if it’s been sitting out. One bad meal can wipe out a whole day of your trip.

Why El Nido is worth it

This is the bit that makes the journey make sense. We did a boat trip around some of the neighbouring islands and honestly, the photos do not do it justice. Kayaking and snorkelling were included, and being out on the water surrounded by those limestone cliffs is exactly the kind of moment you picture when you book a trip like this. That’s the part that stays with you. Once you’re out there, you stop caring how long it took to get there.

Top tip: book your boat trips early if there’s a specific one you want to do. The best days on a trip like this are usually the ones you remember most, so they’re worth prioritising.

Beaches we loved

There are lots of beaches in El Nido, and we made the most of that. We went to Lio Beach and spent the day at Lio Beach Club, which was great if you want a more comfortable beach day with a proper setup and somewhere decent for drinks. We also went to Las Cabanas Beach and Corong Corong Beach, both beautiful and both worth visiting. There weren’t rows of sunloungers directly on the beach, but lots of bars and restaurants let you use theirs as long as you’re buying food or drinks.

Top tip: on some beaches, the easiest way to get a good setup is just to pick a beach bar and settle in there. You don’t always need to pay separately for loungers.

Food and evenings

There were some really good restaurants in El Nido too. Bella Vita was a great Italian, and Republica Sunset Bar was one of the best places to sit with a cocktail and watch the sunset. That mix of island-hopping in the day and good food and drinks in the evening is what made El Nido work so well.

The reality check

El Nido is beautiful, but it isn’t polished. WiFi can be unreliable, the town itself is not especially pretty, and unless you’ve booked somewhere higher end, this is not a luxury destination by default. That didn’t ruin it for me, but I do think it’s worth saying because if you go expecting seamless and polished, you might be disappointed. If you go for the scenery and the experience, you’ll probably love it.

Final thoughts

El Nido is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, but it is a bit of a mission to get to. However, I would still recommend going to El Nido, because once you get there you get it. It’s the kind of place that makes you forgive the long journey pretty quickly.

After five nights in El Nido, we were ready to head somewhere different, so next up was Boracay.