EL NIDO: What to do. Where to eat. How much. And anything in between. Part II

Ola! I hope you found my previous post very helpful.

Now, here's the 3rd part of my El Nido articles which will cover the "Where to Eat" and "How much is the Budget" questions.


Crossing Bridges, Puerto Prinsesa

Just a few meters from the airport. Serves as a terminal for van leaving for El Nido.

Here I ordered their version of Big Breakfast meal which includes bacon, ham, egg and bread. I'd say for its price, it's pretty worth it. The vicinity is also perfect for that airport layover.

Art Cafe, El Nido

Ate here a couple of times. One was for dinner and the other for brunch.

I ordered pesto, a glass of house red wine and another glass of margarita for dinner. The serving size of pesto was big! I wasn't able to finish it myself.

The next day I had seafood salad. I highly recommend this particularly to those who don't eat meat. There's no scarcity of sea creatures on this meal, shrimp, squid and tanigue on your plate plus the freshest green veggies!. :)

This is a nice resto, but I didn't like how the staff lingers around while you eat. Sure, it feels great to know they're just near when you needed something, but it's different when you feel they're around to rush you eat and place another order. Sadly, I feel the latter on both my visits.

Mezzanine, El Nido

One of the many restaurants along the beach. They serve mostly Italian cuisine. I ordered seafood pasta. I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting pasta with more seafood and less tomato sauce. Most reviews in TripAdvisor though were fantastic, so maybe I just ordered the wrong food from the menu.

Trattoria Altrove, El Nido

I saved the best for last. I am not exaggerating, THE BEST PIZZA I'VE EATEN IN THIS COUNTRY IS HERE.  

It was quite a challenge to look for this place as there's no signage along the streets and it's on the second floor of what looks like another small inn. I almost gave up actually, but as they say, "you just have to follow where your smell leads you" and I'm glad I did!

The size of the pizza is good for 2, but it was so deliciously good that I was able to finish it all by myself!

The service was also great! The owner (I assumed) was very hands on, and the staff were very polite! I hope they open a branch here in the City!

There were a lot of other restaurants I was meaning to eat (Squiddos, La Salangane) but sadly time wasn't on my side. Next time when I return, I'll make sure to try out these other places.


Now- on to the question everyone would like to know the answer. How much is the budget needed to enjoy El Nido? If you've read the Part I of this post, you basically have the idea what my daily activities were. And those 3 full days I was there, it was very enjoyable.

Here we go, rundown of my expenses (all in PHP):

Day 1:

Round Trip Van PP-El Nido: 1200

Breakfast at Crossing Bridges in PP: 140

Lunch stopover: 80

Tricycle from van terminal to El Nido proper: 50

Early dinner at El Nido Skyline resto: 110

Biscuits, bottled water from grocery: 125

Day 2:

Island Tour + Environmental Fee: 1400

Underwater camera rental: 700

Dinner at Art Cafe: 640

Day 3:

Island Tour: 1200

Tip to tour guides: 200

Dinner at Altrove: 470

Day 4:

Brunch at Art Cafe: 420

Tricycle to and from Corong-corong: 30

Banana Shake at Corong-corong: 150

Dinner at Mezzanine: 325

Day 5:

Back to PP. Remember that the van ticket I bought was 2way, only expense I had was the quick lunch along the way which was 110

Dinner at PP in a Fast food joint: 300

Day 6:

Breakfast at Blue Lagoon: 200

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Accommodation

4 nights in Dayunan Inn, El Nido: 6000

1 night in Blue Lagoon, Puerto Prinsesa:  1400

Airfare

This was booked back in October 2013: more or less 4000


TOTAL: 19,250

Please note the amount I paid for my dinners. If you're sharing meals with another person, this will significantly decrease your expenses.


Hope this post will help you in your future travel to El Nido. For any questions and tips, don't hesitate to message me!

Til my next adventure!