Caalan Beach Resort El Nido Palawan – 5 Days Hotel Stay Review

<div><b>February 15 to 19, 2016</b> – I was in El Nido Palawan for another great adventure. I’ve finally set foot on the most talked about paradise in the Philippines, a paradise part of Palawan. With that, Caalan Beach resort in El Nido has taken me and my good friend, and travel buddy, Channel for 5 days, and 4 nights – yes, for the whole week.<br /> <br /> Usually I do get a hotel stay for at least 2 nights from hotels, which is great for me because with that I’d be able to try out the differences between hotels around the town. But the resort was so great that they did want us for the whole week there, though we can actually just say we need to try out other accommodations there, though we planned to do so, but being at <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/03/caalan-beach-resort-el-nido-palawan.html" target="_blank">Caalan Beach Resort</a> for 3 days was really great that we don’t want to transfer anymore – so that actually summarizes our stay, we love the resort way too much that we didn’t want to leave anymore.<br /> <br /> <h3>The Caalan Beach Resort El Nido</h3><div class="ProsCons"><b>PROS:</b><br /> * Away from the noise of the town<br /> * Family friendly<br /> * Awesome staff<br /> * Clean<br /> <br /> <b>CONS:</b><br /> * 15-20 minutes walk from the town<br /> <br /> <a class="button medium green" href="https://www.agoda.com/caalan-beach-resort/hotel/palawan-ph.html?cid=1742016" rel="nofollow"><b>BOOK NOW!</b></a></div>Caalan Beach Resort is formerly known as Taiyo Village Resort, wherein “Taiyo” means sun in Japanese, and yes Naoko the owner and operator of the resort is Japanese. They’ve changed the name into Caalan Beach resort in honor of the Caalan Beach – which is where their beach is. And yes, they do have beach front rooms, if that’s what you’re looking for.<br /> <br /> The resort is about 15-20 minutes walk away from the main town, which is nothing for foreigners actually but Filipinos like me is not a fan of walking, but we did try to walk it a number of times and it was a fun walk – yes, day and night, we did walk it. But no worries, if you’re not a fan of walking they have their own tricycle there that can take you to the main road, and from there you can actually walk to the town, or take a tricycle – there are a lot of tricycle from the corner waiting.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mceNFJ-qGww/Vu-LwoDAnvI/AAAAAAAAJ6Q/zpdgKLs1LGsFIYBsV8YoG53VcfxQOxF8w/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BHotel%2BReview%2BCebu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mceNFJ-qGww/Vu-LwoDAnvI/AAAAAAAAJ6Q/zpdgKLs1LGsFIYBsV8YoG53VcfxQOxF8w/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BHotel%2BReview%2BCebu.png" /></a></div><br /> <br /> <h3>The Hotel Rooms</h3>They’re not a high end hotel, so please don’t expect big and super comfy beds like you’re in a 5 star. But we were able to sleep well for days, and was comfortable, the size of their beds are even better than what we have at <b><a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2015/08/sea-coral-lodge-coron-review.html" target="_blank">Sea Coral Lodge</a></b> in <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/Coron%20Palawan" target="_blank">Coron Palawan</a>. Their staff also cleaned the room every day, and changed the sheets every 2 days, but there was one night where I spilled our meal on the end of my bed, and the next day, after we had a tour they’ve changed the bed sheets – and it wasn’t 2 days yet.<br /> <br /> The room doesn’t have a TV, but you can borrow one from them. The TV is not really necessary when you’re in places like <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido</a> because you’re out all day for a tour, and when you’re at the hotel you just want to rest, and sleep – which was what we actually did for days.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1lkHjTpyM/Vu-HqvH22PI/AAAAAAAAJ54/1IWkgmkkoJYZFEdm711fjP63Z31K6oWkQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BHotel%2BRoom%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk1lkHjTpyM/Vu-HqvH22PI/AAAAAAAAJ54/1IWkgmkkoJYZFEdm711fjP63Z31K6oWkQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BHotel%2BRoom%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog.png" /></a></div><br /> Also, if you’re bored at night a lot of foreigners do just go out to the town, to take their dinner or go to a beach party. I’ve also heard there’s this boat party till 2AM, so yeah, the town will entertain you.<br /> <br /> The rooms also have it's very own private patio, plus we also get our very own hammock.<br /> <br /> <h3>The Hotel Bathrooms</h3>Their bathrooms have hot showers, which I really appreciate. Most of the accommodation in this price range doesn’t have this. The bathrooms are also bigger than what I’ve tried on hotels that are at this price range.<br /> <br /> <h3>The Hotel Restaurant</h3>They don’t really call it restaurant, they call it lounge. We only eat there during breakfast, we ate western style breakfast for 2 days, and finally on our last day there we decided to go for the Filipino food. They do serve western style breakfast, but if you’re a Filipino, and we all know we can’t live without rice, so you may request to have that instead – actually their staff will offer it to you.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OmRyUwQO5yw/Vu-JtitLncI/AAAAAAAAJ6E/8frVz21i6CMVvTyLjoqFvLeQQdITx_1Cw/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BFilipino%2BBreakfast%2BWestern%2Bstyle%2Bbreakfast%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BFood%2BBlogger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OmRyUwQO5yw/Vu-JtitLncI/AAAAAAAAJ6E/8frVz21i6CMVvTyLjoqFvLeQQdITx_1Cw/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BFilipino%2BBreakfast%2BWestern%2Bstyle%2Bbreakfast%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BFood%2BBlogger.png" /></a></div><br /> Their breakfast is not like buffet, but it was fulfilling. The breakfast starts with some breads, spreads, and a coffee. Once they’ve done cooking your breakfast, they’ll serve it to you, most likely with eggs – I don’t mind eggs, love eggs. After that, they’ll also serve you some bowl of fruits. So you’ll really be full, not that many, but it was really fulfilling – no lie.<br /> <br /> I advise not to eat a lot also on your breakfast, since most of the tours there in El Nido Palawan are island hopping tours, so to be safe, don’t eat too much, since the <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/el-nido-island-hopping-tour-c.html" target="_blank">El Nido island hopping tour C</a> doesn’t have any bathroom or comfort rooms available on any destinations for you to take a break or release something.<br /> <br /> I was actually looking forward for Naoko’s pancakes, I’ve heard a lot about it. Since most of their previous guests was talking about the delicious pancake of Naoko, but she wasn’t there for days, and when she was there we were about to leave, and was too early for her to cook breakfast, or at least a pancake.<br /> <br /> Also, if you're tired on going out at night to eat out, you may place your orders at the lounge around 6pm and they'll be serving dinner at 7pm. Just make sure you order around 6.<br /> <br /> No worries, planning to come back there. Channel wants to.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4d7Tm6QjKE/Vu-RGA6q_rI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/cHiH911UKT4DfQZ2XCrzJZdgoTTGFSLhQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BLounge%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4d7Tm6QjKE/Vu-RGA6q_rI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/cHiH911UKT4DfQZ2XCrzJZdgoTTGFSLhQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BLounge%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog.png" /></a></div><br /> <h3></h3><h3>The Hotel Services</h3>Since the hotel is also a bit far away from the town, the great thing about the Caalan Beach resort is that they also have their own tours. It's the same itinerary with other tours in <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido</a>, it's just that when booking a tour with them, the boat will just pick you up at the resort from the shore of the beach. Which is really cool.<br /> <br /> They also have kayaks, stand up paddles, floaters, and snorkels that you can use for FREE.<br /> <br /> <h3>The Hotel Room Rates</h3>For an update price of their rooms, please visit their website. But as of now, the room that we have is P2,500 good for 2, but the room can fit in up to 4 persons – just pay P500 per person for the extra persons. The rooms above us are P2,700 though, same rules apply.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jgBkFEXOhIQ/Vu982ZYatvI/AAAAAAAAJ5o/Mt2PAIDtj3QKj8_7R1Qe0vUJ_dTbcbOJQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BHotel%2BReview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jgBkFEXOhIQ/Vu982ZYatvI/AAAAAAAAJ5o/Mt2PAIDtj3QKj8_7R1Qe0vUJ_dTbcbOJQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BHotel%2BReview.png" /></a></div><br /> They also have other rooms with the same rates, and some a bit higher that are still near the beach. If you’re a large group or a family, they also have rooms available for that. Just make sure you book ahead since they can be easily fully booked because a lot of people prefer them. I prefer staying with them.<br /> <br /> Their room rates is good, there’s no Peak season, low season rates like other hotels do there in El Nido – which is crazy because you think you’re going there in low season, then they give you a different rate. Anyway, at Caalan Beach resort you get what you pay for, and their rates are fixed. That’s what I appreciate with them.<br /> <br /> For their room rates and type of rooms, please check out this <a href="http://caalanbeachresort.com/accommodations/" target="_blank">link: http://caalanbeachresort.com/accommodations/</a><br /> <br /> <h3>Exotic Philippines Hotel Ratings</h3>As I’m writing this review, it’s actually more than a month later because I want to absorb just what happened to me in the hotel. I don’t want my overwhelming joy be the reason that I’ll give the hotel that I review a big rating. So I take time, think, absorb. But really, even a month later I’m still really happy with the hotel.<br /> <br /> I felt like there’s still something missing with the Caalan Beach resort, but I can’t point it out because in general I loved my stay that again, I want to stay there again when I come back in El Nido. The staff are awesome, the owners are great, our stay was way a lot better than what we’ve expected.<br /> <br /> Let me give them 4.5 stars out of 5 stars, because I felt like there’s something missing and not being able to spot it is my fault so I’m just deducting 0.5 points. Would love to give them 5 stars though.<br /> <br /> I've also created a vlog about my stay, giving you details and touring you around the Caalan Beach resort just to give you an idea and know what to expect from the resort.<br /> <br /> <center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_i7hIwvjEZ4" width="560"></iframe></center><br /> Lastly, you might enjoy this or like this amenities of the resort, which I really like. Chilling here is really nice, just relaxing in this area.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqfaOvBz6LU/Vu-OVLVrCoI/AAAAAAAAJ6c/saDL63UuPz8MBwEL2je1XzIr4TiQ6MGcQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BHotel%2BReview%2BBeach%2BSide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XqfaOvBz6LU/Vu-OVLVrCoI/AAAAAAAAJ6c/saDL63UuPz8MBwEL2je1XzIr4TiQ6MGcQ/s1600/Caalan%2BBeach%2BResort%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BHotel%2BReview%2BBeach%2BSide.png" /></a></div><br /> Anyway, if you’ve been to Caalan Beach Resort which is previously known as the Taiyo Village Resort, please let us know or share your experience of them by leaving it as a comment below.<br /> <br /> <b>TIPS:</b><br /> <br /> <ul><li>The Caalan Beach Resort's tricycle will pick you up at the corner of Lally and Abet, but they're also trying out a new place where they can pick you up, it's the DELINIDO CAFE, just beside the El Dive - a dive shop. The tricycles from the terminal is not familiar with Delinido yet, just tell them it's beside El Dive.</li> <li>Since they do pick up their guests at Delinido, you might want to check at Delinido if their tricycle is there waiting for a pick up, you can chill there while waiting for the guests and hitch a ride.</li> </ul><br /> <a class="button medium green" href="https://www.agoda.com/caalan-beach-resort/hotel/palawan-ph.html?cid=1742016" rel="nofollow"><b>BOOK NOW!</b></a><br /> <br /> <br /> <h3>Caalan Beach Resort</h3>at Taiyo Village<br /> <b>Website</b>: <a href="http://caalanbeachresort.com/">http://caalanbeachresort.com/</a><br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="clear:both;"></div><br/><br/></div>

On the Matinloc Shrine of El Nido

<div>The Matinloc shrine of El Nido Palawan is hidden in the forests of Matinloc Island and the abandoned Matinloc shrine was built in 1982 in honor of the virgin Mary. There are also a lot of stories about the place, but none of it are not really sure that was the reason.<br /> <br /> There is a chapel there, if only they’ve finished it I do think it will be like a place where a lot of people will visit there not only for the view. Or maybe instead of a chapel they’ve could’ve made it something else that could benefit the locals there, and the place itself. A hotel maybe?<br /> <br /> I’m scared of abandoned buildings, since I do see, well, see and feel figures that not a lot of people see. So I do avoid abandoned buildings or just creepy places. But if you’re not like me, you can do get inside the abandoned building and just check it out – do some photo-shoots maybe?<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/matinloc-shrine-el-nido-palawan.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On the Matinloc Shrine of El Nido Palawan Exotic Philippines Travel Blog Blogger" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5-aCKc1hCY/Vu9rh1rc6AI/AAAAAAAAJ5Y/0UOj9Zt99pcNR9Mi0JjmPoym4ivYDT1aA/s1600/On%2Bthe%2BMatinloc%2BShrine%2Bof%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2Bblog%2BBlogger.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Since the Matinloc shrine is in Matinloc island that has a secret beach, which is a pocket of white sand beach at the corner of a sinkhole, that is inaccessible by boat and surrounded by steep rock walls.<br /> <br /> The shrine is really tall. On the way up, you must step on the limestones that have started or maybe they’ve formed it like stairs, but they’re not like all equal or shaped really well and there’s no other things there that you can hold on to other than the sharp stones there. So, be careful where you step in to, watch your steps, and also before you totally hold on to the rocks, make sure you’re holding on the area of the sharp stones that can’t cut you – because I was cut there, not that big but still it’s a cut.<br /> <br /> We went there at the afternoon, it was our last stop but I wish we went there earlier or when the sun is out shining brightly since my shots are quiet dim. I have to adjust the lighting, the saturation, and brightness of my shot here which is still not that good for me.<br /> <br /> The view there was awesome though, I wish I could’ve gone up at the higher stone but the spot can only take 2 persons there at the higher view of the Matinloc shrine, but there’s this foreigner who doesn’t want to leave there considering there are a lot of us already in the shrine waiting for our turns.<br /> <br /> I also saw some kids there, going up and they’re all so game trying to reach and take a peak of the beautiful view. If you’re bringing a kid with you though, make sure they’re old enough that they could estimate the danger, it was a bit dangerous letting them go up really high without parents holding on to them since below the shrine is really high and there are rocks there.<br /> <br /> It was a great stop though at the Matinloc shrine, we just wished that they control the number of people going up there to give turns to the others who wants to take pictures and enjoy the view for at least a few minutes.<br /> <br /> That's it, the end of our <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/el-nido-island-hopping-tour-c.html" target="_blank">El Nido island hopping tour C</a>, But the day after this, we took the El Nido island hopping tour A which is what the foreigner's favorite tour in <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido Palawan</a>.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/" target="_blank">Exotic Philippines</a> toured El Nido Palawan with:<br /> <br /> <div> <b>Northern Hopes Tours</b></div> <div> Website: <a href="http://www.northernhopetours.com/">http://www.northernhopetours.com/</a></div> <div> E-mail: northernhopetours@gmail.com</div> </div>

Secret Beach El Nido Palawan – No Secret Anymore

<div>The Secret Beach is another reason why we think that El Nido island hopping tour C, stands for “Challenging”.<br /> <br /> It was windy, the wave is strong, and it was cold – well, for a Filipina. But we needed to jump off the boat, swim, go to the hole, and be able to spot and get into the Secret Beach El Nido.<br /> <br /> I haven’t also mentioned that the water from where we jump off the boat is really deep, I can’t even see clearly where it ends - that’s how deep it is. So, if you’re not a confident swimmer, make sure you have your life jacket on, it will also help you be not too cold with the cold water and breeze.<br /> <br /> No worries, if you’re worried that it’s still deep inside the Secret Beach, well, it’s not. There are a lot of rocks there, that you can immediately step on, and rest after swimming in a cold breeze – if it’s also cold when you’re visiting.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/03/secret-beach-el-nido-palawan.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Secret Beach El Nido Palawan Exotic Philippines Travel Blogger Blog" border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ES-aKti5zL4/VuwTuOk5BGI/AAAAAAAAJ2M/7QhTETfMBw8RGT2-jmz2FL2Zg5RnIKuKw/s1600/Secret%2BBeach%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2B%25E2%2580%2593%2BNo%2BSecret%2BAnymore%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger%2BGoPro%2BHero%2B4%2BSilver.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Inside the Secret Beach <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido</a>, there’s a white sand, and it’s like a small pool but the bottom is of course rocks, and sands. I also saw a big fish there, and he was really cute there swimming with all the tourists though he do tries to avoid us, just watching us.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OkgsWw3PYAM/VuwUITLX-5I/AAAAAAAAJ2Q/JHyMmnCHy0A4Lh20DU68o_83Ucz_jpNtA/s1600/Secret%2BBeach%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OkgsWw3PYAM/VuwUITLX-5I/AAAAAAAAJ2Q/JHyMmnCHy0A4Lh20DU68o_83Ucz_jpNtA/s1600/Secret%2BBeach%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Inside is actually surrounded with the rock formations, really beautiful but when we were there, there’s just too many people inside. Would’ve been a great place to take some awesome shots, but the people there might just block the great view.<br /> <br /> If you’re planning to take this tour, then check out the shore, the mini cave, also behind the rocks since there are some beautiful rock formations there. I wasn’t able to take a picture there because foreigners are lining up there to take their selfies inside the rock formations – but it could’ve been cool for me. But you might do that instead.<br /> <br /> Watch the video, and check out the beautiful El Nido tourist spots we visited during our <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/el-nido-island-hopping-tour-c.html" target="_blank">El Nido tour C</a>.<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7gxnKvvb_o" width="560"></iframe><br /> </center> <br /> After our Secret Beach stop, we visited the Matinloc Shrine of El Nido Palawan where we’ll see the top view.<br /> <br /> <br /> Exotic Philippines toured El Nido Palawan with:<br /> <br /> <div> <b>Northern Hopes Tours</b></div> <div> Website: <a href="http://www.northernhopetours.com/">http://www.northernhopetours.com/</a></div> <div> E-mail: northernhopetours@gmail.com</div> </div>

Lunch Stop at Talisay Beach

<div>After our challenging entrance to the Hidden beach El Nido, our next stop was the Talisay Beach wherein we had our lunch prepared by the tour guide and boat men of Northern Hope Tours.<br /> <br /> They needed more time to prepare our lunch, and our tour guide kuya Alfer told us that we can take a swim, snorkel near the rocks and see some beautiful fishes. Told us that if we’re not confident in swimming or snorkeling to stay along the side of the rocks because further from that is really deep – and it was indeed deep.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/03/lunch-stop-at-talisay-beach-el-nido-palawan.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lunch Stop at Talisay Beach El Nido Palawan Travel Blogger Exotic Philippines" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlGS9-erDE8/VuwHOO9VMpI/AAAAAAAAJ14/jClW1Z2olA8U2-m0187nqKaymbv8z46ww/s1600/Lunch%2BStop%2Bat%2BTalisay%2BBeach%2Bof%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Just few leg strikes from the boat I spotted the clown fish nest right away, and go there. Spotted a pair of clown fish with a friend fish – sorry, it was not Dory, but he sure was angry that I was there watching them.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Laz3M0IQnmI/VuwHgQslFSI/AAAAAAAAJ18/TUt1D6CW8OgyH82id4q3uszG6r-SBgx6Q/s1600/Lunch%2BStop%2Bat%2BTalisay%2BBeach%2Bof%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog%2BAngry%2BFish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lunch Stop at Talisay Beach El Nido Palawan Travel Blogger Exotic Philippines Angry Fish" border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Laz3M0IQnmI/VuwHgQslFSI/AAAAAAAAJ18/TUt1D6CW8OgyH82id4q3uszG6r-SBgx6Q/s1600/Lunch%2BStop%2Bat%2BTalisay%2BBeach%2Bof%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog%2BAngry%2BFish.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> We also saw some small fish at the Talisay Beach of El Nido, actually a school of small fish. It was dazzling, since they’re sparkling, the video that I’ve made showing them is not half as beautiful as it is.<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7gxnKvvb_o" width="560"></iframe><br /> </center> <br /> At the shore, there are also some big rocks there that you can actually climb and sit, or stand on to take some awesome photos, just like the first photo that I have in this blog post. I sat there for more than 5 minutes, took some photos, and enjoyed the view. Then they called me to go down to take our lunch.<br /> <br /> We took our lunch on the boat, there’s no good spot for us to take our lunch on the seaside since we’re on the side, and there are a lot of boat’s that are already there in Talisay Beach El Nido. But the boat lunch wasn’t bad, and you’re forced to talk to with the people you’re with since you may ask to pass the food to you – which is great, make more friends!<br /> <br /> We stayed at the Talisay Beach El Nido for about an hour, and left the area around 1PM since there are another two (2) El Nido tourist spots that we need to visit that is included in the <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/el-nido-island-hopping-tour-c.html" target="_blank">El Nido tour C</a> which are the Secret Beach and the Matinloc Shrine El Nido.<br /> <br /> Exotic Philippines toured <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido Palawan</a> with:<br /> <br /> <div> <b>Northern Hopes Tours</b></div> <div> Website: <a href="http://www.northernhopetours.com/">http://www.northernhopetours.com/</a></div> <div> E-mail: northernhopetours@gmail.com</div> </div>

Amazingly Sophisticated: Wine Tour Amalfi Coast

<div>The Amalfi coast stretches along the Sorrentine Peninsula and makes one of the world's ideal locations for growing grapes. Where there is wine, there is deliciously prepared food, comfortable lodging, and the warmth of true hospitality. Come, live and enjoy an Amalfi coast <a href="http://sorrentocoastlimo.com/wine-tour" rel="nofollow">wine tour from Sorrento</a>.<br /> <br /> <b>Historically charming, deliciously smooth: The wine tour Sorrento invites you</b><br /> <br /> Sorrento sits like a jewel overlooking the bay of Naples. One of the star cities along the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento is a haven for wine tastings, exceptional food and the luxury of culture. Local wines include Gragnano Penisola Sorrentina vinted by the Lovine family. Sorrento, Italy is a destination. The area is imbued with the with color. The gentle breeze is scented with citrus from the Orange groves, but the wine itself is a vacation.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXQtdEFfVIA/VuqLDHFC8EI/AAAAAAAAJ1o/X97YEg0HdYoGZvJ7Zj2632qNs1p0fqRzA/s1600/Amazingly%2BSophisticated%2BWine%2BTour%2BAmalfi%2BCoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXQtdEFfVIA/VuqLDHFC8EI/AAAAAAAAJ1o/X97YEg0HdYoGZvJ7Zj2632qNs1p0fqRzA/s1600/Amazingly%2BSophisticated%2BWine%2BTour%2BAmalfi%2BCoast.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <b>Richly woven from History: The Amalfi Coast wine tour is a decadent destination</b><br /> <br /> Throughout the Campania region are amazing wineries, with outstanding cellars. Wine, they say takes its essence from the land on which the grapes were grown. Castel San Lorenzo is a region within Campania that is rich in vineyards and wine making. Castel San Lorenzo Moscato Spumante is a sparkling wine that captures the fruity taste of the region. The Bianco is delicately pleasing and pairs easily with lighter foods. While these are a few samples of some of the wines from the Campania region, the wine tour Amalfi Coast is designed to allow you fully to sample the diversity of the wine making throughout the Amalfi Coast. Other wine making cities within the Campania region include Penisola Sorrentina, Greco di Tufo, Galluccio and others. The area is dotted with outstandingly wonderful winemakers.<br /> <br /> <b>Southern Italy: A wine lovers paradise</b><br /> <br /> The Earth itself seems to have come together in the Campania region to create soil, landscape and climate that is allows the grapes to flourish. It is the region itself that credit is given to when we discuss the quality of wine. There are vintners here who are masters, but without the influence of the land, the local plants, and the orchards, the wine would not be the same. This is one of the reasons that people are drawn to the Coast of Amalfi. Whether you start off with a wine tour Sorrento style or you end your tour in Sorrento, the journey between will amaze you, and the wine will spoil your palate.</div>

A Challenging Getaway to Hidden Beach of El Nido

<div>We were on the boat going onwards, towards some big rocks from our first stop at <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/03/helicopter-island-el-nido-palawan.html" target="_blank">Helicopter Island</a>. I didn’t really get where we're going, where’s the tourist spot? The anchors dropped, and our guide then said that we can now jump off now to go to the Hidden Beach. And I’m like, to where? The wave is strong, and if I jump off there most likely the waves are going to take me to the huge rocks. But then I saw some tourists coming out, and that’s the time I realized maybe we’re going there from where they’re from.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> I’m very dependent on my fins, I can swim without a life jacket, with a snorkel and fin, but if you remove the fin, I feel like I’m going to drown, and the guide said, no fins – I’m a dead piggy meat.<br /> <br /> I did try it. But I drank some salty water, felt like drowning because the wave is too strong that it covered my snorkel and all. I went back to the boat and ask the guide to get my life jacket, I can’t go on to where we should be without my fins, or at least a life jacket.<br /> <br /> Our guide from <b>Northern Hope Tours</b> then waited for me at a rock and I swim towards him, and he just grabbed me from the back and bring me to the nearest area where I can hold on to the rocks and go to where we should be going.<br /> <br /> And, then I saw this.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/03/hidden-beach-el-nido-palawan.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Hidden Beach of El Nido Palawan Exotic Philippines Travel Blog" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n7f5qfAgdfA/Vt2ffQWUCYI/AAAAAAAAJ1M/wEqst8VVlY0/s1600/The%2BHidden%2BBeach%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog%2BView.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> The Hidden Beach is a beautiful beach hidden behind some huge rock formations with shallow and very clear waters, and white beach great for swimming. I went from corner to corner just to take photos, there’s also some small cave but the tourists are all over it, taking photos.<br /> <br /> It’s really beautiful, so beautiful, the challenging part of going there is worth it, but then it’s too crowded. I just hope that they control the number of people doing the tour each day, because it can be too crowded even though the Hidden beach is a big area.<br /> <br /> It’s actually like a big shallow pool. A pool for kids, but its sea water. Surrounded with beautiful rock formations, and white sands. I actually wish we could stay longer, but the longer we wait the more people are coming in, and yeah, I can’t take the photo of me like owning the place or all alone in an island.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJH7lvL88Ts/Vt2bncaBN8I/AAAAAAAAJ1E/c_rhN3EcHRE/s1600/The%2BHidden%2BBeach%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog%2BVlogger%2BVlog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJH7lvL88Ts/Vt2bncaBN8I/AAAAAAAAJ1E/c_rhN3EcHRE/s1600/The%2BHidden%2BBeach%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlogger%2BBlog%2BVlogger%2BVlog.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> If you’re afraid of the wave, don’t be, just ask your tour guide for some assistance. Wear your life jacket, it’s highly suggested if you’re not that confident in swimming – like me, without fins.<br /> <br /> The Hidden beach is part of the <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido</a> island hopping tour C, but to give you an idea of the whole island hopping experience of the <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/el-nido-island-hopping-tour-c.html" target="_blank">El Nido Tour C</a>, then watch my video.<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7gxnKvvb_o" width="560"></iframe><br /> </center> <br /> After the Hidden beach, we have another stop at Talisay beach where we had our lunch on the boat.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/" target="_blank">Exotic Philippines</a> toured El Nido Palawan with:<br /> <br /> <div> <b>Northern Hopes Tours</b></div> <div> Website: <a href="http://www.northernhopetours.com/">http://www.northernhopetours.com/</a></div> <div> E-mail: northernhopetours@gmail.com</div> </div>

It’s a Whale, It’s a Fish, it’s El Nido’s Helicopter Island!

<div>Just about 25 minutes away from the El Nido shore, we arrived at the white sands, in the land of the Helicopter island. Yes, the name of the island is “helicopter” because of it’s helicopter shape but it’s also known as Dilumacad island.<br /> <br /> Actually, I see it more like a whale, or a fish. But yeah, it can be a helicopter too, without a propeller.<br /> <br /> Once we arrived, we jumped off the boat, other from the boat decided to go around first, take pictures, jump shots, or another OOTD. But, as you might have noticed in my blog, I love waters, I love snorkeling since the day I visited and snorkel in <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/01/coron-palawan-travel-guide-and-itinerary.html" target="_blank">Coron Palawan</a>. So yeah, I grabbed my snorkel, my fins, and my GoPro Hero 4 Silver and swim far away from the island and into the corals.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/03/helicopter-island-el-nido-palawan.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="El Nido Palawan Helicopter Island" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZLGfXjveKw/Vt2KBxVea_I/AAAAAAAAJ0g/NZwz3pQIiyM/s1600/Helicopter%2BIsland%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> I was so excited to see some corals again, and beautiful fishes, hoping El Nido has something more to offer than <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/Coron%20Palawan" target="_blank">Coron</a> since everyone says it’s way better. But sadly, I’m not sure why but there are some corals damaged in the island, not sure if it’s because of the typhoons, or strong waves, or what.<br /> <br /> Still we’re able to spot some fish eating there, bigger than the regular once you usually see when snorkeling. It seems to have a lot of corals than other islands, but it was just damaged.<br /> <br /> Our guide said that there are a lot of fish near the big rock, but I’m afraid to go there since the wave is too strong, that it might just push me to the rock. Though, I do see a number of foreigners going there, I’d rather not since I’m not that really good in swimming, or even at least had a swimming lessons, unlike them. I’m totally dependent on my fins.<br /> <br /> The Helicopter island has a beautiful 300 meters white beach that is great for your photoshoots, or maybe a romantic date in a very quiet island.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HMoC11UoobE/Vt2KKc_PeGI/AAAAAAAAJ0k/HUgNR8yCLtk/s1600/The%2BHelicopter%2BIsland%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="El Nido Palawan Helicopter Island" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HMoC11UoobE/Vt2KKc_PeGI/AAAAAAAAJ0k/HUgNR8yCLtk/s1600/The%2BHelicopter%2BIsland%2BEl%2BNido%2BPalawan%2BExotic%2BPhilippines%2BTravel%2BBlog%2BBlogger.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Our stop in the Helicopter island was just for about 15 minutes or so. There’s nothing much to do there other than taking pictures, climb the rock (if you want to be more adventurous), and go snorkeling.<br /> <br /> There’s a similar island shaped like this in Coron, somewhere near Busuanga. Not sure what’s the name of that island though, thought it was this island, but realized it is not.<br /> <br /> Here's  a tip, if you like roaming around you might like to go to the northern side of the Helicopter island since there's an underwater tunnel there and a fringing reef on it's southern end. Please take note that I was not able to do this, because I spent majority of my time snorkeling, then sitting at the beach side watching the wave and the sun shine!<br /> <br /> The stop here in Helicopter island is included in the island tours in El Nido Palawan, specifically the <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/2016/04/el-nido-island-hopping-tour-c.html" target="_blank">El Nido tour C</a>.<br /> <br /> Since I’m done making the <a href="http://www.exoticphilippines.info/search/label/El%20Nido%20Palawan" target="_blank">El Nido</a> island hopping tour C video, let me share it with you so you’ll get the whole idea.<br /> <br /> <center> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7gxnKvvb_o" width="560"></iframe><br /> </center> Our next stop was El Nido’s Hidden Beach.<br /> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Exotic Philippines toured El Nido Palawan with:</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b>Northern Hopes Tours</b></div> <div> Website: <a href="http://www.northernhopetours.com/">http://www.northernhopetours.com/</a></div> <div> E-mail: northernhopetours@gmail.com</div> <div> <br /></div> </div>