El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe
The following entry is contributed by guest blogger, Mec, currently writing at MEComposing.
A trip to Palawan is not complete without a visit to El Nido.
A trip to El nido, on the other hand, is made complete by the offerings of El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe . It’s a one-stop shop really for everything you need to make the most of your stay in El Nido.
Owned and operated by Judith and Tani since 1995, the boutique has been instrumental to enticing more tourists to go to El Nido by providing these travellers convenience in many forms.
First, there is the shop which sells all the usual things one might look for on a beach vacation: Souvenir shirts, sarongs, friendship bracelets, pearl necklaces, sunscreens, even disposable waterproof cameras. Those who were unable to leave their sweet tooth behind can also help themselves to different-brand imported chocolates. We also bought waterproof bags for our wallets and cameras there. Oh and of course, you can rent fins and goggles and snorkelling equipment there too.
Then there is the restaurant. Given that El Nido only has electricity between 3:00 PM to 3:00 AM, the restaurant is still able to provide a varied international menu. For a middle-class Filipino, the cost of the meals would be a little on the expensive side but the portions are big and the food great. While waiting for your order, you’re free to people-watch or enjoy the many knick knacks all over the restaurant (I especially loved the wood clock, made by a local).
And then, of course, there are the tours. Due to limited time, we were only able to enjoy one island-hopping tour and a sunset tour. The sunset tour is offered because the limestone formations deprive you of it, so you have to sail some towards the seas to enjoy it. People in the tour can drink beer or take a swim while enjoying the sunset.
The island-hopping tours offered by the boutique also offers a source of income for the locals. Don’t be surprised if your guides also turn out be environmentalists, picking up trash from beaches, because preserving the beauty of El Nido is deeply-grained in its people. During our stay there, an oil spill rendered some destinations ugly so we were brought to other islands. Judith and Tani supervised the clean-up while we docked in different points, enjoying the view, the corals, the sun, the beginnings of inter-racial friendships.
The lunch provided with the tours is basically simple fare of fried fish, some salad, rice and drinks and fruits for dessert. The fish is cooked on open fire at the beach by one of the guides while the rest keep watch of us tourists, directing us to where the corals are, saving us from strong currents when we could no longer swim, and bringing our attention to the occasional shark that’s passing by.
Blissful would be a good word to describe these tours. Exhausting but utterly blissful.
The boutique also serves as local travel agency, coordinating travel arrangements for the tourists and exchanging currencies.
And in the quiet moments when you’re just enjoying the coming and going of everybody else, you can pour over the cafe’s guestbook filled with e-mails and letters and postcards from people all over the world… the truest testament to the kind of service and one-of-a-kind experience offered by Judith and Tani and their wonderful staff.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Asian Hotels and Resorts, Beaches in Asia, Philippines
1 opinion for El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe
Maija
Jul 2, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Been there, it is simply a wonderful place, service is excellent, and food best in town. El Nido is also a beautiful place with nature you did not know exist any more. Dont miss it!!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: