We surely left the best for last when staying at Lagen Island Resort and visiting El Nido, Palawan…read more First, We stayed in water villa 109 for the most optimal sunset & resort views. Upon arriving to Lagen, we received a warm welcome & a beautiful welcome serenade along with warm cloth to freshen up and drinks as we awaited our boat to transfer to the resort (the only way to get to Lagen Island Resort). The entire staff is welcoming, kind, attentive, hospitable and are consummate professionals with beautiful smiles. Ahead of our visit, we arranged private tours offered through Lagen and finalized the details upon our arrival. we had the best time with Arnel (our guide) & Julie (captain of Banog, the premium speedboat we travelled in for all our tours.). Both Arnel & Julie made our tours flawless, perfect, special, fun and unforgettable. Arnel has so much knowledge about the various locations we visited and captured many memorable moments of our outings. Our early morning start with all the tours afforded us to be the first onsite to experience the tranquil, peaceful & natural beauty surrounding us avoiding all the crowds. We were in awe of the glasslike lagoons & cathedral like limestone formations towering over us. During all our tours, We were treated to a beautiful picnic basket of your choice with every tour and last tour included custom handmade hats made of coconut leaves which we took back with us when traveling home to California, US. Our tours were in the mornings and we got back to Lagen by lunchtime to have our midday siesta and to lounge poolside for the entire afternoon/ evening. We dined at Lagen Island Resort bar and restaurant where we were wowed with the entree options and drinks, too and, even saw monkeys frolicking in the bar area one early morning. The careful prep and serving of our food and drinks were delicious & flavorful to perfection. We were also treated with 2 nights of live entertainment by Mike during our stay whose voice mesmerized us. One more thing... I wasn't feeling too well and had an eye irritation. During our stay, I was seen, cared for by Lagen's onsite nurse and doctor who treated my cold and eye irritation. The nurse also seen me in our room, too. By the time we left, I was feeling so much better and my eye irritation was gone. I was so relieved & grateful that Lagen had an onsite nurse and doctor. Overall, We had a magnificent and unforgettable stay at Lagen Island Resort. We loved the garden area, the serene area with hammock and the cove next to our room. It was hard to leave Lagen but know we will be returning to Lagen in the future PH vacays and hopefully, with friends for them to see and be immersed in the most luxurious resort in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines. Maraming Salamat to the entire Lagen Island Resort staff for such an unforgettable, sensational & memorable stay. We look forward to returning to Lagen soon.

When my best friend and I got to Lagen Island on 1/19/19 we were speechless with how beautiful it…read morewas. For months we looked at photos of the resort and daydreamed about it. The photos don't represent how breathtaking this island truly is! Also, a major factor for our decision to book this resort is that this is an eco friendly resort! YAY! Once we disembarked from the boat, we were greeted with large warm smiles, necklaces made from a palm leaf, and a refreshing drink. We were escorted to the front desk and Johnny Ray helped us check in and gave us an overview of the amenities, excursions and explained different dining options for our stay. He accompanied us to our room, on the way he showed us where the different areas were located for dining, the gym, the bar and boutique . When we arrived to our room he showed us which remotes went to what device and where our complimentary slippers were and most importantly to press "0" if there was anything we needed. I like to preplan quite a bit and had explained that I booked multiple island hopping tours through a company in town prior to arrival and gave him the scheduled dates and times. I asked about transportation options back to town. That was when I realized that the complimentary charter they offer back into town where we needed to be for our tours in the mornings didn't workout timing wise (my bad!). He asked me for the tour group info and helped coordinate with them pick up/drop off for us! Lifesaver! PRO TIP: Book all of your island hopping tours/excursions through the resort, it's a lot more convenient! For our dining options we decided to choose the all-inclusive buffet for our meals. Everyday we were so excited to have our breakfast! There were so many options and fresh juices. All the buffet meals were different everyday. There were different staples for every meal that were the same(rice, breads, eggs made to order in the a.m.), which was great because my friend was addicted to their garlic rice! To be honest, we looked forward to every meal here! The room service a la carte items were delicious also. You won't be disappointed, the chefs are amazing! When we got back from our 1st day of island hopping Jazz, the activities coordinator asked us how our day was. I told her during that tour my GoPro was claimed by the ocean and not obtainable but other than that it was a great day! I asked her if she knew where I could purchase another one. She was able to locate one for me in town and Johnny Ray was able to help me coordinate a pick up for it on our transfer to our next resort which was in 2 days. I appreciate them going above and beyond to help me with this, they really did not have to do any of that! All of the staff members are so friendly and so welcoming here that we were so sad to leave. It was about that time and we had to check out and transfer to our next resort on 1/22/19. We arrived at our next resort, 15mins after being there we decided we really wanted to go back to Lagen Island and spend our last 2 nights in El Nido there. While the current property we were at was beautiful as well, it just wasn't Lagen. We truly missed the vibe of Lagen and the amazing team there, we felt more like home there! We immediately called and asked if there was anyway we could come back and unfortunately it was getting late and the coast guard curfew was rapidly approaching. We were unable to make the transfer back to Lagen that night but they had us back on a boat bright and early the next day! We were so excited to be going back "home"! Once we arrived we were welcomed back with warm smiles and open arms! Ms. Jen was so great and truly went above and beyond to get us back to Lagen. She even helped us coordinate a private van transfer to our next destination because a transfer flight I purchased wouldn't work with our connecting flight. I was unsuccessful with contacting that airline, but they were able to contact the airline for me. They truly did way more than we expected for us, faced all of our challenges we had presented from losing a GoPro, flight dilemmas, to adapters for our hair tools, etc. Also, we stayed in a bungalow and the rooms are so nice, the patio was our favorite spot. From the gorgeous view to the peaceful sound of the ocean waves, you won't be disappointed! They exceeded all of our expectations and it's going to be hard to stay anywhere else without comparing the hospitality/team to Lagen's amazing team! We really felt like they were more like a welcoming family here and the whole vibe on the island is so positive! We are currently feeling homesick from Lagen and can't wait to come back! Thank you for an amazing experience here!

The first time I saw a picture of El Nido, Pawalan was when I was a kid and I remember thinking,…read more"What a magical place." Definitely lived up to my hopes and expectations. Exceeded it tremendously. El Nido is a sleepy town in Palawan. El Nido Resorts is a company that owns 4 islands - Lagen, Miniloc, Pangulasian and Apulit - off the coast. Filipino designs with a modern twist resorts, wonderful people, and just beautiful, beautiful surroundings. There are several flights going in and out of El Nido from Manila. Then you have a 30 - 45 min travel by speedboat to the islands. You are greeted and handed leis and refreshing drinks after disembarking. Then they give an orientation to make sure the guests are aware of the do's and dont's when out and about since there are several parts of the island and surrounding area that are under marine life protection. There are a lot of animals you'll encounter on the island - monkeys, monitor lizards, etc - that guests are not allowed to feed so as not to disrupt their natural diet. Accommodations The island we stayed in is Pangulasian. It has a total of 40 villas. * Beach villa where your door leads straight to the beach * Canopy villa, where you have the gorgeous view of the ocean over the treetops * Pool villa; you have a pool outside your door, right before the beach Activities * The resort offers a lot of activities for free - snorkeling, kayaking, guided tours and hikes. * Dives are PHP6000 per person which is around $120 right now. * Gym is overlooking the beautiful canopy. But seriously, who works out whileon vacation? -crickets- I guess I'm the only one who doesn't. * Massages and spa services are available with a 24 hour request notification Food * Breakfast is from 6 AM - 9 AM; buffet style and mostly filipino dishes. Hint: you'll never go wrong with garlic rice, eggs, and tocino. So yums. * The pool bar offers more Western food if traditional Filipino dishes aren't your thing. Service * Zero complaints. Special shoutout to Martin who was so helpful. Also to Pau, Garcia, Glen (dive guide) and Eugene (dive guide). The pictures don't give this place justice. It's just a place you need to see for yourself. Perfect for wedding destinations, honeymoons, babymoons, whatever excuse you want to use just to see this slice of paradise.

El Nido resorts is a representation of all that is good about the Philippines and Filipinos. When…read morewe say 'It's more fun in the Philippines,' this is exactly what we mean. Our collective imagination is a reality here. Pristine, isolated beaches, teeming protected wildlife, smiling people. In short--Paradise. In all my years of growing up in the heart of Manila, I never knew these places really existed. We stayed at Miniloc Island, in an overwater bungalow. We had a two story hut for a family of 4. Our two girls stayed upstairs in twin beds, and we had a comfortable king sized bed downstairs. We were welcomed by song and dance. Activities were planned, no fuss and relaxed. We were taken to all the different sights, island resorts during our 3 night stay. Food was buffet style for breakfast, lunch, dinner. They made sure you ate like a royal even while you were in their other islands. I could not believe that they served us an entire buffet lunch in one of the little islands, even if there was just 10 of us total. We also had a private dinner at one of the lagoons, to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Overall, this experience was what my youngest termed 'legendary.' One I will dream of coming back to, until my return.