Pinoy Roadtrip

Explore El Nido by Motorbike (Part II: Where to Go: Nacpan Beach)

June 5, 2011

Explore El Nido by Motorbike

Part II: Where to go: Nacpan Beach

Why go to Nacpan Beach:
Nacpan Beach is a pristine white sand beach with clear aquamarine waters. Visitors do not frequent this beach so the water remains crystal clear and the beachfront remains clean. They say that what you see at Nacpan beach is what the beach in front of El Nido town used to look like. But with the many resorts built in front of it and the indiscriminate anchoring of bancas in front of the beach, the quality of the beachfront of El Nido town has deteriorated.

Nacpan Beach does not have resorts in front of it except for a large beach house owned by a Swiss national (see below some photos of the beach house). The house of the caretaker is beside the beach house. There are no resorts or other structures around it because the owner of the beach house bought at least 3 hectares of land around it. Anyone can still go there and use the beach because it remains public property. So the beach is still open to the public.

By motorbike, it took us 1 1/2 hours to get there, with motorcycle speed from 30-50kph. We had to make a lot of stops to verify our location and we also couldn't ride fast because majority of the roads going there are unpaved.

The series of photos below will show you why you should visit Nacpan Beach:

CENTER OF THE BEACH

The fine white sand

THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BEACH

THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BEACH

SOME PHOTOS OF THE BEACH HOUSE AT NACPAN BEACH

See Explore El Nido by Motorbike (Part 1. Where to rent a motorbike)
See Explore El Nido by Motorbike (Part 3. How to go to Nacpan Beach)

Facilities of El Nido (Lio) Airport, Palawan

June 3, 2011

Facilities at El Nido (Lio) Airport, Palawan

Arrival at El Nido Airport

Entering El Nido airport

The Welcoming Committee of El Nido airport

Arrival area of El Nido airport

Waiting for our luggage at the arrival lounge

Baggage claim area

Airport transfers

Airport ground transportation also uses the runway

Departure from El Nido Airport

Airport safety inspection in the middle
Check-in counter at right

Departure Lounge

Free drinks (coffee, iced tea, water) at the departure lounge

TV at departure lounge

Toilets at departure lounge

My experience riding SEAIR's 19-seater LET plane to El Nido, Palawan

June 2, 2011

My experience riding SEAIR's 19-seater LET plane to El Nido, Palawan

Outside the plane

Arrival at El Nido Airport

As you can see, runway is not paved.

More views of our small plane

Departure from El Nido airport

You can see the walking distance from the departure lounge to the airplane

Boarding the plane at El Nido airport

Inside the plane

You can see the 1-2 seat configuration of the plane

View of the seats

Pilot and co-pilot are at viewing distance

What's different about riding a 19-seater plane

1. At check-in, you are weighed together with your hand carry luggage.

2. You cannot choose your seats.

Your seat assignment depends on the combined weight of yourself and your hand-carry luggage. So the airline personnel do not assign seats until they know your weight. I presume that the purpose is to keep the plane's balance during flight.

As you can see above, the seat assignment is handwritten.

You find out your seat assignment only upon actual boarding of the plan.

3. There is no toilet inside the plane.

You should visit the airport toilet just before boarding.

This is what should have been the location of a toilet

4. The cabin is not pressurized so at take off and landing the aircon is turned off.

5. The whole flight is very noisy.

Because the plane is so small, you can hear the engine running all throughout the flight.

Here is a video of the SEAIR plane taking off from El Nido airport.

6. You cannot recline your seats.

7. There is no stewardess on board.

The airline personnel informs you about the safety precaution after your board the plane and prior to take-off. Then he/she leaves the plane before take-off.

8. The plane flies low.

Because the plane flies low all the time, you have a great view of the islands and buildings you pass during the whole flight.

9. The plane can leave earlier than the indicated departure time if all the passengers have already checked in.

Our flight from Manila to El Nido had only 12 passengers. Once the 12 passengers had checked-in and the plane deemed ready for flight, we were called to board the plane 30 minutes earlier than the actual boarding time.

My tip:

1. Make sure to stay within the allowed weight limit of free luggage.
Even if you're willing to pay for excess baggage, you cannot be sure they will accept your luggage at check-in for safety reasons.

2. Use the airport toilet just before boarding the plane to make sure you won't need to use one during flight.
The airline personnel are considerate about a slight delay in boarding due to this reason.

3. Do not transfer seats or walk around during the flight.
Seats were assigned carefully for the purpose of keeping the plane's balance during flight.

4. If you are prone to motion sickness, make sure to drink bonamine at least an hour before the flight (or at most, 24 hours before your arrival at the next destination).
When a small plane encounters air pockets during flight, the turbulence is more strongly felt . The plane shakes a lot.

Where to get Supplies in El Nido Town

June 1, 2011

El Nido: Where to get Supplies in El Nido Town

Location of Stores

FARMACIA COMPRENDIO

What to buy: groceries, medicines, water, snacks

Location: across El Nido church

Hours: 7am-12midnight

My tip: We preferred this store because it's easiest to find (it's across El Nido Church) and offers the widest variety of goods. We also like that it's open very early and closes late at night.

F.U. GENERAL MERCHANDISE

What to buy: ice cream, hardware supplies

Location: corner of

My tip: We also liked visiting this store because this is one of the few stores where we found ice cream. The other store is Midtown bakery but Midtown bakery closes early

OTHER STORES NEAR MARINA GARDEN RESORT:

VARGAS STORE

STORE BESIDE VARGAS STORE

ISST-INGGO STORE (ACROSS VARGAS STORE)

El Nido Church: St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church

May 31, 2011

El Nido Church: St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church

Mass Schedule

Inside the Church

The Church at Night

How to get there:

Everything in El Nido town is within walking distance of each other. You can easily find the Church by walking around El Nido town. To help you out, below is a map of El Nido town showing the location of the Church.

El Nido Town Beachfront: A Guide to Location of Resorts and Restaurants (Part II)

May 30, 2011

El Nido Town Beachfront:
A Guide to Location of Resorts, Restaurants, Dive Centers

Part II: Left Side of Marina Garden Resort

See El Nido Town Beachfront: A Guide to Location of Resorts, Restaurants, Dive Centers (Part I: Right Side of Marina Garden Resort)

El Nido Town Map

From the center of the map (center of the map is Marina Garden Resort) to the left of the map, you see the following resorts, restaurants, dive centers in order of appearance: