Sleeping in El Nido
Unfortunately, my holiday eventually caught up to me, and whether it was something from the plane, maybe too much boozing in Coron, or exerting myself snorkelling too much, but by the time I got to my hotel in El Nido, I was FULL of a cold…
I had booked to stay here for 3 days, and the first 2 I really just stayed in bed most of the time, which really was a shame, but is the sad reality of travel sometimes.
I had planned to spend the first day hiking up into the Karsts surrounding the town and along the small via Feretta they have there, and then days 2 and 3 doing some of the famous trips out to the lagoons or perhaps up to Nacpan beach…. Sadly, I mostly just had massages at the place next door (was so cheap and AMAZING, and one day I literally fell asleep on the massage bed haha, I went there every day!), eating at my hotel (I’d booked this hotel because it was a vegan hotel with a fantastic vegan restaurant attached), slept (I slept A LOT), did laundry, and visited the pharmacy for cold medicine!
Fortunately, on the last day I started to feel a bit better, so I booked a boat tour with Haqqy Tours, which was recommended to me many times by people I’d met in Coron. However, the crowd was considerably younger here, and there wasn’t really anyone on the boat I connected with apart from the Filipino guide, who I had a drink with after.
I chose to do “Tour C” (there are 4 popular routes through the islands of the region, called A, B, C and D). C was supposed to be the best for snorkelling. However, I’d been absolutely spoiled the last few days, and the snorkelling here was honestly a bit underwhelming compared… still, it was a great day doing general sightseeing and just getting out of my hotel room.
It was a shame I couldn’t fully enjoy El Nido, but honestly, it seemed a lot more touristy than Coron, and definitely more than the expedition! Plus compared to where I had just been, it wasn’t as beautiful. Which is why I wish in hindsight, I had done the trip in reverse, starting in El Nido, so I could have fully built-up the expectations along the way.
So, I was starting to feel better, and just in time, as I was due to fly from El Nido airport to Panglao, to the south of Bohol.
