what i did, what i wore: philippines
07: favorite spots in el nido and siargao plus summer wardrobe staples
After 10 days in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, to be specific), my husband and I went to the Philippines — the first time I had been back in 21 years. As soon as I arrived, I asked myself, what took me so long?! I felt so ashamed that in the many years of traveling in my adulthood, I never made the trip back. For some reason it felt so daunting… maybe it was the long flight, the unfamiliarity of the lay of the land. But soon after arriving there, I realized how silly that was.
We first flew to Tokyo from Los Angeles, which was only an hour longer than a flight to London, a city I travel to every year. From Tokyo to Manila, it took just under 5 hours. From Manila, we had no issue with our flights to El Nido and Siargao and transportation was so easy using Grab (their version of Uber) in Manila and getting around on tricycles or renting a car or moped on the other islands.
I share this not because I find modes of transportation all that interesting, but to explain how straightforward it all was! I wish someone had reassured me of how easy this trip would be because if they had, I think I would’ve gone back a lot sooner and more frequently.
We spent some time in Manila as a base, staying at an airport hotel as we went in and out of the airport to the other islands. We also did a quick trip to the province where my mom grew up, but most of our trip was in El Nido and Siargao, two beach destinations that were highly recommended by friends and family. Overall, our visit to the Philippines was incredible. The people are so warm, friendly and welcoming, the beaches are breathtaking and the food, especially Filipino breakfast, is unparalleled.
Amidst all the beauty that the Philippines had to offer, though, the wealth disparity was plain to see. While I was so happy to be there, I felt this gnawing guilt that I can’t explain, but
describes so well in sharing her own experience visiting her motherland. Returning to the country where my parents were born and raised gave me a new appreciation of them and their sacrifices and I was reminded of my sheer luck, my privilege. Especially as a devastating typhoon hit Manila just a couple weeks after we left, leaving over 600,000 displaced and homes destroyed. While this piece is meant to highlight all of the beautiful experiences we had in the Philippines, I also want to acknowledge the challenges faced by many who live there. Angat Buhay is an organization that responds to the needs of those most affected by the typhoon. You can learn more about them or donate here. A portion of all proceeds from paid subscriptions this month will be donated to their cause.Paid subscribers get access to a detailed list of the outfits I packed and wore with links.
El Nido
We went back and forth between El Nido and Coron, both on the island of Palawan, but after watching many TikToks putting El Nido at the top of the list and my brother telling us it’s his favorite place he’s ever traveled to, we decided to go to El Nido. We took the direct flight from Manila to El Nido, which was quick and easy, especially as we had gotten so lucky with weather. Summer is usually Philippines’ rainy season, but we didn’t experience a drop of rain during our time there. We quickly understood why it was my brother’s favorite destination — it was so beautiful and relaxing. Not only are the views stunning but the ocean was so calm and warm to swim in. This definitely felt more like a place to relax, take boat tours and lounge at the resorts, whereas Siargao had a different feel, which I’ll explain more below.
Where we stayed
Frangipani: An affordable boutique hotel with a beautiful view, but a beach too shallow for swimming.
Maremegmeg Beach Club: One of my favorite hotels I’ve ever stayed in. It had large and spacious rooms, a nice pool, and an incredible beach with lots of lounge chairs and calm, warm water. We spent as much time there as we could. Their beach was such a hot spot for those who wanted a nice place to lay and swim and their restaurant was more of a happening place to eat, compared to the empty nearby restaurants. We spent so much time here just lounging, reading, swimming and drinking mango shakes. It was heaven.
Where we ate
Lion’s Sunset Lounge: Delicious thai with an oceanview — perfect around sunset.
Big Bad Thai: Where we got crab curry, lychee shakes and a beautiful view of the water, located in the town of El Nido.
Maremegmeg Beach Club: For the second half of our time in El Nido, we mostly ate at our hotel. It was just so beautiful and more lively than other surrounding restaurants that it was really hard to leave.
What we did
Boat tour with El Nido Yachting Club: The main thing to do in El Nido is going on boat tours to see more of the islands. This was the more affordable boat tour of the two we did and we opted for a speed boat, as I get really bad motion sickness on any other kind of boat. We did Tour A, where we kayaked in the Big Lagoon and snorkeled at a couple private islands. It was cool, but the Big Lagoon felt a bit crowded and we preferred the second tour that we did.
Maremegmeg Boat Tour: We booked another speedboat tour as my brother said he had wished he done another to see more of the islands. This time, we got a private boat which ended up being really nice, as we were able to spend time at each destination for however long we wanted. Because we got through some spots pretty quickly, we were able to go to a mixture from Tours B, C and D, rather having to just choose one. We sped around the beautiful limestone cliffs and formations, visited different sandbars and private islands, crawled through caves, some of which served as shelter for Filipinos to hide in from Japanese soldiers during WWII, and went to more lagoons. Our absolute favorite spot was Small Lagoon, which we somehow had all to ourselves. It was so peaceful and so serene to kayak through the cliffs and inlets without anyone else in sight. It was a highlight of our entire trip.
Nacpan Beach: A popular beach 30 minutes north of Frangipani with a long stretch of sand and water and lounge chairs to rent. Wasn’t our favorite, but I think it’s just because we loved Maramegmeg Beach so much that we didn’t want to leave.
Maremegmeg Beach and Las Cabanas Beach: Gorgeous beaches just minutes walking distance from one another that had the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen with silhouettes of distant islands peppering the ocean view.
Siargao
Siargao was the other island that my friends raved about and was at the top of many “must visit” lists, and for right reason. While El Nido felt a bit quieter, Siargao felt much more lively and vibrant. It’s also a big surf destination with a fun, laidback culture that attracts a younger, more adventurous crowd. While we were perfectly satisfied lounging on the beach in El Nido, Siargao had more to do and more spots to try. We rented a car one day to explore the different parts of the island and spent some time in General Luna, which has lots of restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. I also found that we interacted with more locals here, which I love, whereas in El Nido, the tourists gravitated towards the same areas. The only thing I wish I knew before going, though, was to check low and high tide. There were a couple days we were so excited to get to a beach, only to find that the water was too far out to get in and had to change plans.
Where we stayed
Siago Beach Resort: Beachfront hotel with nice, big rooms, a warm, welcoming staff and central location in General Luna. It was the ideal hotel and I wish we had stayed here our whole trip. Highly recommend.
Inara: An exclusive, high end hotel in the southern part of Siargao that we honestly didn’t love. It was too quiet and felt like we were the only ones there, which I know some may prefer. Even though it was much pricier than Siago, the room was smaller and not as nice. While the view and accessibility to the ocean from the restaurant was stunning, there weren’t beachfront lounge chairs and umbrellas to sit under to enjoy it. I wish we had stayed at Siago or tried Maison Bukana, another hotel in the south, instead. The food was really good, though, and we did enjoy the location as it was walking distance to our favorite beach on the island.
Where we ate
Kanin Baboy: My favorite of our trip. Crispy lechon and sticky, yummy pork ribs. Super casual and really delicious.
Coco Frio: Incredible coconut frozen treats — homemade coconut ice cream, coconut shakes, affogatos. So so good.
Shaka: Popular smoothie spot that I thought was just ok!
Kurvada: A local favorite that came highly recommended. I loved the community feel of it — they make huge pots of different food that you can choose from and everyone gets in line and chooses what they want to eat. Felt really homey.
Lokal Lab: We ate at the Burgos location up north, where we had home-cooked shredded adobo made with locally grown ingredients. They’re a part of a local organization that really supports the community by using local materials and keeping things affordable. My friend Christina’s new brand actually supports Lokal Lab, which I love — for every sale, $1 is donated to them.
El Mejor Pan De Coco: A small stand outside of a church where a little girl sells freshly baked bread filled with shredded coconut — so good!!
CEV: A tasty ceviche spot that came highly recommended. Even though it was off-season, they were fully booked so make sure to make a reservation before going.
Bravo: What we got was just ok.
What we did
Cloud 9: A popular surf spot where you can watch locals and tourists alike from the boardwalk.
Rented a car: The land tours are really popular in Siargao, but we decided to rent a car and pick the spots we wanted to go to and at our own pace, most of which were north of the island. We drove past the famous coconut tree view deck and stopped at the Maasin River where you can go swimming and kayaking. We then made sure to get to Magpopongko Rock Pools while it was low tide, the spot we were most excited about. There were so many people there, but it was nice to be able to swim through the rock pools and I loved watching the kids jump from the rocks into the water. Afterwards we went to Pacifico Beach, which we heard was the superior surf spot and more beginner-friendly for those who want lessons. It was low tide so the water was too far out for us to stay and swim. Same with Pasikon Beach. We then had lunch at Lokal Lab and headed to Alegria Beach, which had a nice stretch of water that you can swim in. Afterwards, we drove on the other side of the islands, tried to find Tangbo and Secret Paradise Beach (without luck) and headed back to General Luna, first stopping at El Mejor Pan De Coco, a small stand where a little girl was selling freshly baked bread filled with shredded coconut.
Catangnan Bridge: A popular spot for tourists to watch the sunset and grab food from the many street vendors.
Secret Beach / Doot Beach: Our favorite beach on the island. We almost missed it trying to follow Google Maps to get there but luckily a man told us to go down a path, which opened up to a grassy area with palm trees and a beautiful lagoon surrounded by mangroves. The water was calm and warm and I loved that we were able to swim there even during low tide. We loved it so much we ended up coming back the following two days, including our last day on the island. It just had the best vibe to it — felt secluded but full of life, locals and tourists kicking around soccer balls with one another, some reading under the palms, some kayaking through the mangroves. It was such a beautiful escape.
Speedboat Tour: Last minute we decided to do the boat tour, which we definitely did on the wrong day. Of all the days in Siargao, we chose the day that rained :/ We first went to Naked Island, which was cool but was full of tourists taking photos, and then to Daku Island, where we sat under the covers, drinking mango shakes until the last 20 minutes when the rain finally died down and we got to swim before heading off.
Paid subscribers have access to the details of all the outfits I wore below, along with full access to previous pieces: Japan recommendations and outfit diary and every product I packed for my month-long trip.
What I packed
Because we went to Japan on this same trip, I had to be smart about what I was packing to make the most out of my luggage space. I made sure to bring pieces that I was able to wear in both countries but also wanted to add a biiit more color and texture to my otherwise very neutral palette for the Philippines. While I used to think I had to go shopping for vacation, I now pride myself on having a staple summer wardrobe that consists of swimwear I’ve worn year after year and pieces that get wear no matter the season.
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