Where to Stay in El Nido: I Visited Twice and These are the Best Hotels and Areas

This small town may be one of the most jaw-dropping places in Palawan, but choosing where to stay in El Nido can be surprisingly tricky.

Located at the northern tip of the Palawan archipelago, El Nido is known for its limestone islands, emerald-green lagoons and remote, sandy beaches.

For most tourists, the best place to stay in El Nido is the town proper. It’s where all of the best El Nido island-hopping tours depart from.

However, El Nido town doesn’t have a beach, just a small port. That’s why nearby areas like Corong Corong Beach, Las Cabañas and Lio Beach have become increasingly popular alternatives.

In this guide to where to stay in El Nido, I’ll share all of the best areas to stay in El Nido, plus the best hotels, hostels and island resorts. I’ve been to El Nido twice now, so I know it very well.

Not yet sure if you want to visit El Nido? You might find it helpful to start by reading my detailed El Nido itinerary, which covers what to do and how long to stay.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.

Where to Stay in El Nido: Common Mistakes

No wonder it’s so hard to figure out where to stay in El Nido. When you type the name into Google Maps, it highlights the whole El Nido municipality, which covers 180 square miles.

Here’s how to make your life easier. Zoom in on the main tourist area, El Nido town proper, home to El Nido port and the Taraw Cliffs.

Pretty much all island-hopping tours depart from El Nido port, although some begin from nearby Corong Corong Beach.

El Nido Port

Due to this, most tourists stay in the town proper, where they can easily walk to the port first thing in the morning.

Alternatively, they stay within a short drive of El Nido port: Caalan Beach (a five-minute drive from the port), Corong Corong Beach (five minutes), Las Cabañas Beach (15 minutes) or Lio Beach (15 minutes).

Quick Overview of Where to Stay in El Nido

1. El Nido town: Best choice for most tourists.
   • It’s home to El Nido port, where you can take island-hopping tours to locations like Big Lagoon and Secret Beach.
   • It has a large variety of hotels, hostels and restaurants.
   • It offers direct access to the Taraw Cliffs and taxis to Las Cabañas Beach, Lio Beach and other nearby areas.
   • Downside: It doesn’t have a beach.
2. Caalan Beach: The closest beach to El Nido port.
   • It’s only a five-minute drive from El Nido port.
   • The hotels have gorgeous views over the bay.
   • Downside: The beach has lots of corals and rocks.
3. Corong Corong Beach: A popular beach area with lots of hostels.
   • It’s a five-minute drive from El Nido port.
   • There are lots of hostels and a few luxury villa-style hotels.
   • Downside: Reef shoes are needed on the beach.
4. Las Cabañas Beach: A nice area with a beach and zipwire.
   • It has a taxi stand with fixed-price taxis to El Nido port.
   • There’s a modern ‘mall’ with a gym and restaurants.
   • The beach is good for swimming and has a zipwire.
   • Downside: There are limited hotels and poorer standards.
5. Lio Beach: A scenic sandy beach near the airport.
   • The area is easy to access from the airport.
   • The beach is long, sandy and great for swimming.
   • There are some excellent luxury beachside hotels.
   • Downside: Taxis to and from the port can quickly add up.
6. The Islands (Cavayan, Matinloc and Pangalusian): Best for a special occasion.
   • Private island resorts offer the ultimate luxury experience.
   • They have private beaches, boats and watersports.
   • Downside: They’re expensive, costing 38,700 PHP (£500+) per night.

The Best Areas to Stay in El Nido

1. El Nido Town Proper

By far the best place to stay in El Nido is El Nido town proper.

It’s the largest tourist area in the municipality, which is no doubt due to the fact that it’s home to El Nido port, the boarding point for all island-hopping tours.

The town has the biggest range of hotels for all budgets. That being said, it’s only a small bay, so you won’t find huge, luxury resorts with magnificent swimming pools.

Most of the hotels are narrow, multi-story venues. If they have a swimming pool, it’ll usually be on the rooftop.

This isn’t really a downside when you consider the views out over the turquoise bay.

Nowadays, even the hostels in El Nido have rooftop pools. Prime example: Frendz Hostel, where I stayed for five nights.

The Taraw Cliffs tower over the back of El Nido town. You don’t need to look at them from afar; if you visit the booking office in town or check availability online, you can reach the top via the Taraw Via Ferrata.

Taraw Cliffs

Because there are so many tourists in town, there are plenty of car and tricycle taxis ready to attend to your beck and call. For a good price, I visited the Las Cabañas zipwire, Lio Beach and Nacpan Beach.

I do recommend doing one of these day trips, because El Nido beach isn’t suitable for swimming (it’s absolutely packed with tour boats).

Top Places to Stay:

• Frendz Hostel (£££)
• Sea Cocoon Hotel (£££)
• H Hotel El Nido (£££)

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2. Calaan Beach

Space is limited in El town, so luxury hotels had to find an alternative area. Many of them picked Calaan Beach, a five-minute drive northeast of the main town.

At first glance, Calaan Beach sounds perfect. It has a beach. It’s only a five-minute drive away from El Nido port. On top of that, the hotels have spectacular views of the bay.

However, the problem is that the beach has lots of rocks and coral, making swimming unpleasant.

Accommodation, however, is slightly cheaper than in El Nido town for what you get. There are some really nice resorts that will arrange your taxis to and from the port.

Resorts like Lihim Resorts have huge pools, gardens and even tennis courts. As I said, space is no issue here.

Top Places to Stay:

• OIA Beach Hostel (£££)
• Golden Monkey Beach Hotel (£££)
• Lihim Resorts (£££)

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3. Corong Corong Beach

The more popular alternative to Calaan is Corong Corong Beach, a five-minute drive south of El Nido Port.

The beach is nicer overall, although I still recommend packing sea shoes because it’s a little bit rocky. (For sandier beach areas, scroll down to Lio Beach and Nacpan).

Corong Corong is known for its hostels, the most popular being Outpost Beach Hostel. Many of the hotels and hostels arrange island-hopping tours with pick-up directly from Corong Corong.

Otherwise, it’s easy and cheap enough to take a tricycle to the port within 10 minutes or so.

Top Places to Stay:

• Outpost Beach Hostel (£££)
• El Nido Coco Resort (£££)
• Last Frontier Beach Resort (£££)

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4. Las Cabañas Beach

Las Cabañas Beach is a 15-minute drive south of El Nido port. It’s in the same direction as Corong Corong, but just a little further south.

It’s a decent place to stay, with a gorgeous swimming beach and a scenic zipwire extending across the bay – I’ve done it, and recommend it in my El Nido itinerary.

The beach is next to a small mall with western-style restaurants, a gym and shops. Therefore, it feels a lot more westernised than other areas (a downside or a plus, depending on how you view this).

There’s a taxi rank where you can easily take a tricycle to El Nido port. They operate on a fixed-price basis, so you don’t need to worry about haggling first thing in the morning.

The only problem is, if you need to take a taxi to and from the port every day, the cost can quickly add up.

Top Places to Stay:

• El Nido Bayview Resort (£££)
• Mua Tala Hotel El Nido (£££)

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5. Lio Beach

Lio Beach is by far the best beach in El Nido. I stayed here for one night back in 2018 and it was just spectacular: a huge stretch of fine, white sand backed by palm trees, with one long wooden pier in the centre.

Just north of the airport, Lio doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. However, at least this helps to keep it looking as pristine as it did over seven years ago.

Lio Beach is mainly home to luxury resorts. Therefore, it’s best for families, couples or people who are looking to treat themselves.

Taxis from Lio Beach to El Nido port are quite expensive because it’s a 15-minute drive (seven kilometres) from the port.

Top Places to Stay:

• Seda Lio (£££)
• Piece Lio (£££)

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6. The Islands (Cavayan, Matinloc and Pangalusian)

Private island resorts are the ultimate way to experience El Nido. Best for special occasions, the hotels exist on their own private island and therefore give you immediate access to beaches, watersports and boat tours.

I visited Cauayan Island Resort and Spa on Cavayan Island back in 2018, and honestly, I was blown away. No wonder people pick it as their honeymoon location, with the private beach, forested slopes and luxurious waterfront villas.

If you’re organising a long-awaited trip or celebrating a special occasion, they’re well worth some consideration. And honestly, £500 per night is not bad for a stay on a private island – if this was in the U.S., you’d probably be looking at paying double.

Top Places to Stay:

• Cauayan Island Resort and Spa (£££) – Cavayan Island
• Matinloc Resort (£££) – Matinloc Island
• Pangulasian (£££) – Pangalusian Island

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5. Nacpan – Best as an Add-On

This one’s best as an add-on, as it’s a little far from El Nido town. However, it’s definitely worth mentioning here because many people simply don’t know it exists.

Nacpan Beach, a 45-minute drive from El Nido town proper, is a spectacular sandy beach famous for its Nacpan Beach Glamping hotel and beachfront bars.

My friend and I took a day trip to Nacpan from El Nido town, and it was well worth it: beautiful white sand, lush water, palm trees and beachfront cabanas.

At Nacpan Beach Glamping, you can stay in bell tents right on the beach. Don’t be confused by the name; it’s not a campsite at all, but a luxury resort with a swimming pool and a swim-up bar.

Nowadays, due to the beach’s rising popularity, there’s also a Mad Monkey hostel and a growing number of budget-friendly hotels.

Top Places to Stay:

• Nacpan Beach Glamping (£££)
• Balili Farm At Nacpan (£££)
• Mad Monkey Hostel Nacpan Beach (£££)

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The Best Hostels in El Nido: Cheap Places to Stay

There are around 30 hostels in El Nido, and 10+ of those are in the town proper.

As a rule of thumb, if you’re on a budget, it’s best to stay within walking distance of El Nido Port so that you can easily take island-hopping tours without forking out on taxis every day.

I stayed at Frendz Hostel, which has a ground-floor coffee shop and a rooftop pool and bar. They also have their own tour ticket counter, so you can join island tours with other backpackers (this ends with a party back at the rooftop pool).

There are many more hostels at Corong Corong Beach, just south of El Nido town, plus a popular Mad Monkey at Nacpan.

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The Best Hotels in El Nido, From Mid-Budget to Luxury Stays

Best 3 Mid-Budget Hotels in El Nido

The mid-budget hotels in El Nido town get booked up quickly during high season.

Despite being the most popular tourist destination on the island, El Nido is still just a small town. Therefore, when the demand is high (from December to April), the hotels often sell out 1-3 months in advance.

There are many small guesthouses in the town proper. However, not many of them have a swimming pool due to space limitations.

Therefore, if you’re in need of some pool or water time, you might want to explore the additional options at Corong Corong, Calaan and Las Cabañas.

The downside of being based out of town is that you must budget for taxis to and from the port.

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Top 3 Luxury Hotels in El Nido Town

There are plenty of luxury hotels scattered around El Nido municipality. Within the town proper, where space is limited, the hotels usually have rooftop pools and small but luxurious hotel rooms.

There are far more options at Calaan Beach, such as Lihim Resorts, or Corong Corong Beach. You can also consider staying at one of the private island resorts around El Nido.

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I hope you found my guide to where to stay in El Nido helpful! Leave a comment below to let me know where you’re planning to stay and if you have any favourite hotels in El Nido.