Rates
Prior to the pandemic, I never bothered to research about El Nido as I had the impression that it was a very expensive place to go to. Though it is on the premium side, the travel bubble rates are very reasonable, considering everything is all-inclusive.
For our travel dates, there were three resorts that were open: Miniloc, Lagen and Pangulasian.
Miniloc and Lagen has about the same base rate, while the more high-end and exclusive Pangulasian resort is considerably more expensive.
We chose Miniloc resort mainly for two reasons:
1) nearest to the airport among all resorts 2) nearest to all the attractions included in the package
Since we were traveling with little children, we wanted to make sure that our transfers were as short and smooth as possible.
Looks Pricey! Is it A Good Deal?
Honestly, yes! The fee for the kids is their airfare only. For Paul who was under two years old, we only paid P1,000, while Mati and Hannah were charged P10,000 for their plane ticket, and their entire stay at the resort (meals, activities, tours) was free:
- 4D3N Accommodation in an air-conditioned room
- Roundtrip Airfare via Airswift Special Flight (MNL-ELN-MNL)
- Roundtrip transfers
- Daily pre-set full board meals
- Brewed coffee, tea and fresh fruit juices during breakfast
- Use of non-motorized water sports equipment – kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling
- Taxes & service charge
- Travel Insurance
- Standard tours and activities – I can’t emphasize how wonderful the tours were (will write more about them on the next post!)
Here is a list of the included tours below. At the time when we inquired with other resorts such as Aman, Sunlight, and Lio, tours were an extra fee, so this was another great and hassle-free perk.
Extras
Spa
Albert and I were still a bit cautious about getting spa treatments (close contact) because of the pandemic, so we didn’t get to try their signature massages.
Private Dining
There’s also a private dining option and they set up a separate table near the swimming pool with lights for your group.
Diving
