Dearest Bali

Dearest Bali,

Three giant trevallys were patrolling the clear water, anxiously waiting for the fish feeding that the resort regularly do twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the afternoon. You would give out a yelp of excitement every time you see their silhouettes from above the water. You still didn’t want to wear the snorkel and mask because you said that you were already enjoying floating and watching the fishes from the surface (but you kept on asking me to dive down every now and then so i could take pictures of “nemos” with your camera and then show it to you). After the fish-feeding, we playfully raced your mum back to the concrete steps. We won and celebrated but on our way up the steps a barnacle nipped your leg and the wound bled profusely. You cried and said that you’re not going back into the water again. Vacation over!

But we were in El Nido, one of the most beautiful group of islands in the country. So it did not take long (and with the help of Mommy’s magic wound glue) for the beauty of the place to lure you back to the beach and into the water. It was just too much to say no to. El Nido have always been one of the places your mommy and i wanted to visit but kept on choosing other local destinations instead. We were glad we finally made it and had an amazing time, especially you.

Our journey started from Legazpi airport and then a stop at Manila and an onward flight to El Nido airport via their AirSwift carrier. El Nido airport is tiny but is very clean and has a very island feel. It is also the only airport in the Philippines that we have been to that offers free drinks and snacks when you arrive or waiting for your flight out. A 20 minute tricycle ride took us to El Nido town, where we stayed at a newly built hotel named Cuna. It is a short walk to the busy beach. The town is typical to any Philippine resort town; residential and commercial structures cramped together with no planning, banners / signage everywhere, tourists and locals hustling and bustling, yummy street-food, loud bars by the beach, and a breathtaking nature backdrop to counter it all.

The next day you woke me and your mommy very early, as you do everyday. After another tricycle ride (which you are already a pro in riding), we get to the El Nido Resorts pick up point / jetty in Lio Beach. Then after more free drinks and local deserts, and other guests finally arriving, a boat took us to Miniloc Island. We passed by El Nido town along the way, with its bars and restaurants still sleeping and the only people on the beach are the ones who don’t have a big hangover from the night before (i kid).

Miniloc Island is one of those island resort that already takes your breath away while you are still approaching, your feet giddy way before stepping on its sandy beach. There is also something about villas on stilts (concrete) over the water that just yells “Palawan” to me. Throw in limestone cliffs and turquoise water and you have a piece of paradise right there. For me and your mom though, the best thing, the real treasure of Miniloc Island is the people. We’ve never experience a better service anywhere than what we had in Miniloc. From their staff at El Nido town to the Lio jetty to the boatmen to the bartenders to the restaurant servers to the lobby to housekeeping staff all the way up to their Manager, Mark Guerero, everybody was just so friendly, courteous, attentive and helpful. Genuinely helpful. While there will always be negative reviews online, all three of us were lucky enough to only meet awesome people at Miniloc.

Next best thing is its proximity to the tour-boat hot spots. We were able to visit Small and Big Lagoon with absolutely no crowds, just the three of us and the other 6 people with us on the boat. You especially enjoyed the Small Lagoon because you paddled with mommy on a kayak there while i stalked you girls with the Mavic (drones are allowed on most spots in El Nido but are prohibited to be flown at any El Nido Resorts property, per their website). We also visited Snake Island and lazied on its sandbar that connects two islands. There is a store hut in the middle, which i have a love / hate thing with. I believe the place would be so much better without it or if it was somewhere closer to either islands but hey, do you remember i bought you a royal tru-orange and your mom a pale pilsen from that hut?

Overall, we had an great time at El Nido. The place is sooo amazing that after a few days, your mom just had to fly back there. (Actually, just for an hour, thanks to your awesome Tatay for forgetting the drone in our hotel room). But that’s another story 🤪

So there, when you get old enough to travel by yourself, don’t skip El Nido anak.

Nagmamahal,

Tatay