El Nido, PH

A bright Sicilian-inspired room in El Nido's Town Square heritage strip, run by the same family for years and consistently the most-trusted Italian table in town. The pasta is made in-house, the wood-fired pizza uses imported flour, and the tiramisu arrives in a proper ceramic cup rather than a plastic dish. Good for a proper sit-down dinner after a day of boat tours.

A barefoot-only wood-fired pizza counter run by a Slovenian family near the Corong-Corong stretch, with a strict no-shoes policy that makes the covered dining area feel more like a private home than a restaurant. The Neapolitan-style crust is thin and blistered; the truffle-pancetta pizza has been a standard order for years. Lines form before opening and do not shorten until the kitchen runs out of dough.

A rooftop Thai restaurant on Hama Street with an open second floor that catches the bay breeze and gives a good sightline over the water. The kitchen is run by a Thai co-owner from the north-east, which shows in the measured heat of the curries and the fresh herbs in the larb. Portions are large and the green curry is one of the better renditions between Bangkok and Palawan.

A beachfront cafe on Hama Street with a wide deck cantilevered over the water and a direct sightline to Cadlao Island and the limestone formations. The coffee is specialty-grade with genuine espresso technique, and the breakfast selection covers savoury rice bowls alongside proper western brunch plates. The best morning perch in El Nido Town.

A small air-conditioned specialty-coffee shop in the town center that takes its sourcing seriously — single-origin beans, calibrated pour-overs, and proper non-dairy alternatives. The interior is spare and quiet compared to the beachfront cafes, making it the go-to for travellers who need to do a full morning of work or planning between island-hopping days.

A Mediterranean-meets-Middle-Eastern kitchen on the El Nido beachfront strip serving handmade hummus, shakshuka, falafel wraps, and a solid selection of green bowls using locally sourced produce. The menu is fully vegetarian and vegan-friendly, with oat and soy milk for coffee. The swing seating along the beach-side rail and happy-hour cocktails at the back make it a gathering spot from mid-afternoon through sunset.

A fully plant-based cafe in El Nido town with a surprisingly complete kitchen: eggplant lasagna, mac-and-not-cheese, a Mexican chipotle rice bowl, and fresh smoothie bowls. The upstairs cushion-floor seating area where shoes come off is an obvious nod to the low-key philosophy of the place. The most satisfying option in town for anyone avoiding animal products.

A Mexican-inflected restobar in the Pop District of Corong-Corong, decorated with hand-painted Mayan murals and Frida Kahlo cushions. The kitchen skews towards Oaxacan-style preparations — carnitas tacos, grilled octopus with stewed peppers, and a decent guacamole made tableside on request. The only true Mexican kitchen in El Nido.

A Spanish tapas and paella bar perched on the hillside at Sitio Lugadia in Corong-Corong, 4km from town, with a panoramic drop to Bacuit Bay. The sunset view here is unambiguous — facing west with no obstructions — and the kitchen backs it up with proper patatas bravas, a seafood paella cooked in a real paellera, and sangria by the jug. Worth the tricycle ride.

A sprawling open-air cafe on the main beachfront strip that doubles as a travel booking centre, a boutique shop, and a live-music stage — the combination that makes it feel like the town's de facto community living room. The kitchen grows some of its own organic produce and the menu covers everything from chicken tikka masala to French toast. The most eclectic and reliably open option on the main strip.

A small family-run Filipino kitchen on Osmena Street in El Nido Town that cooks the kind of food locals actually eat: squid adobo, crispy pork belly, sizzling sisig, and garlic rice. The dining room has four tables and no pretension. The honest prices and home-kitchen flavour make it the best place to understand what Palawan people cook when tourists are not looking.

A cafe and brunch spot on Serena Street with a serious commitment to Japanese-influenced pancakes — the souffle versions in flavours like creme brulee and Biscoff have become the most Instagrammed plate in El Nido. Beyond the pancakes the coffee programme is strong, with proper latte art and good matcha. A solid breakfast anchor before an island-hopping day.

A hilltop restaurant attached to The Birdhouse glamping resort at Marimegmeg Beach, reached by a 200-step bamboo stairway. The payoff is the best bay-view dining seat in the El Nido area — a wraparound deck above the treeline with a clear sightline across the entire Bacuit archipelago. The menu is Filipino-Western fusion; the view is the primary draw but the food holds up.

A 14km coastal walk from Nacpan Beach north along the shoreline to the twin beach at Calitang, passing through rice paddy fields, small fishing villages, rocky headlands, and stretches of empty beach. It is mostly flat, suitable for moderate fitness, and takes 3-4 hours at a comfortable pace. The second half of the walk, past the sandbar divider, is usually empty of other visitors entirely.

A 3km round-trip jungle trail from Barangay Pasadena through dense bamboo forest, crossing a riverbed nine times to reach a pair of cascading falls with a natural swimming pool below. The walk is moderate difficulty with some scrambling on wet river rocks, and the pool at the bottom is cold and deep enough for proper swimming. A good counterpoint to a day of salt water.

A multi-tiered waterfall system reached by a 2-hour return trek from Barangay Pasadena through old-growth forest with stream crossings. The three-tier falls include a cliff-jumping pool on the middle tier and a wider swimming area below. The forest section is genuinely pristine compared to the more frequented waterfall trails in the area.

A 3.8km loop through old-growth forest on the Lio Tourism Estate, ending at a 270-foot wooden viewing platform above the treeline with a panorama of Lio Beach, Bacuit Bay, and Cadlao Island. The trail is beginner-friendly and well-maintained, and is one of the few reliable places to spot Palawan hornbills and long-tailed macaques in their natural habitat. A gentle hour's activity for a rest day.

A short 20-minute scramble up the wooded ridge behind Las Cabanas Beach to a natural viewpoint overlooking both Marimegmeg and the outer Bacuit Bay islands. The trail is unsigned and starts behind the last bar on the north end of the beach, making it something most Las Cabanas visitors never discover. It provides the same wide-angle bay view used in most El Nido promotional photographs — without paying for the zipline.

The longest-operating diving centre in El Nido, with a consistent reputation as the most technically rigorous among the town's dive shops. The PADI 5-star IDC centre runs both fun dives and certification courses, with sites ranging from the coral gardens at South Miniloc to the Dilumacad tunnel swim-through. The rooftop bar and restaurant above the dive shop doubles as one of the better bay-view drinking spots in town.

A PADI 5-star dive centre that has been operating in El Nido for over a decade, known for a strict 4:1 diver-to-guide ratio and meticulously maintained equipment. The team includes guides who have lived on Palawan their whole careers and know the seasonal patterns of the dive sites — which reef is sheltered when the swell direction changes and where turtles are reliably resident.

The original multi-day island expedition operator in Palawan, running 4-night bamboo boat journeys between El Nido and Coron through uninhabited islands, community-hosted villages, and open-sea passages not accessible on day tours. The boats are traditional outrigger bangka vessels and the crew are experienced Palawan seafarers. It is the most immersive way to see north Palawan for travellers who can commit to four nights off the grid.

The largest fleet operator for the standard Tour A, B, C, and D island-hopping circuits in Bacuit Bay, with twin-engine boats, GPS, life vests, and a coast-guard-registered safety record. Good for travellers who want the classic El Nido circuit handled end-to-end, with guide, lunch, and snorkel gear included. The setup here is professional and reliable rather than adventurous.

A small yoga studio and massage centre in the Pop District of Corong-Corong, run by an instructor who trained in India and has been teaching Ashtanga here for many years. The classes are genuine Mysore-style with individual adjustments rather than gym-style group sessions. The massage treatments use local oils and the space has the quiet that most of El Nido's beachfront bars lack.

A 328-hectare eco-estate 5km from El Nido town that combines a calm public beach, a nature trail through old-growth forest, a wetlands kayak route, and a cluster of local craft shops called Kalye Artisano. It is publicly accessible and free to enter, making it the most family-friendly and unhurried destination in the El Nido area — a full counterpoint to the organised boat-tour circuit. The surf season runs November to March on the estate beach.

A rooftop restaurant and bar on top of Cuna Hotel in the centre of El Nido town, offering a 360-degree elevated view of the town rooftops, the bay, and the limestone formations behind. It serves as the most accessible elevated drinking spot in town — no hike required — and the cocktail list is more ambitious than the street-level competition. Good for a first or last night in town when you want a proper seat and a view.

A 750-metre zipline strung between two limestone ridges above Marimegmeg Beach, launching from a platform 80m above sea level and flying you over the open water between the headlands. The ride itself takes under a minute but the platform view before launch — a panorama of the Las Cabanas beach strip, the outer islands, and the sea — is the real event. Family-accessible with no strong height tolerance required.

The signature stop on Tour A, a cathedral of towering limestone karst walls enclosing a deep emerald-green lagoon reachable only by kayak through a narrow sea-level gap. The water shifts from pale jade near the entrance to deep teal at the back wall. Best for anyone who wants to feel genuinely inside a landscape rather than looking at one.

A sister stop to Big Lagoon on the same Miniloc Island, entered by swimming through a low limestone arch at high tide or wading at low tide. Inside the enclosure is a calm turquoise bowl with steep walls and several ledges for cliff jumping. The scale is intimate compared to Big Lagoon — you feel tucked away rather than dwarfed.

On Miniloc Island, a small sandy beach pocket hidden behind a wall of limestone, entered through a low hole in the rock. The lagoon inside is shallow and clear, ringed by ferns growing from the cliff face. It is on Tour A and is genuinely serene if you arrive before the midday rush.

A four-kilometre arc of cream-coloured sand backed by coconut palms about 17km north of El Nido town — one of the few beaches in the area wide enough to find genuine solitude even on a busy day. The northern end narrows into a sandbar dividing it from the twin beach at Calitang, which is almost always empty. Best for travellers who need a full day of horizontal time after days of boat tours.

The townie's sunset beach, a short tricycle ride from El Nido proper, with a line of low-key beach bars and a clear sightline toward the Bacuit archipelago silhouettes. Less pristine than Nacpan but far more convenient for an afternoon out of town. The ridge above the beach provides a good viewpoint and the zipline launch for those who want to end the day with something more active.

A fine white-sand beach on Tour A named for seven soldiers rumoured to have sheltered here during World War II. It is used as a lunch stop on most Tour A itineraries, which means the sand gets dotted with colourful outrigger boats and beach mats at noon. The water directly off the shore is clean and shallow for swimming.

The premium snorkelling stop on Tour A, a tiny island between two coral shelves that together form the most diverse marine ecosystem in the Bacuit Bay tour circuit. The shallow eastern shelf is good for beginners; the drop-off on the west side hosts turtles and bigger reef fish. Named for the Japanese diver who helped map the reefs here.

An island on Tour C with an abandoned Spanish-era mansion, a cliffside shrine to the Virgin Mary, and a limestone viewpoint that offers one of the widest panoramas of the outer Bacuit archipelago. The combination of crumbling colonial ruins and sea-cliffs is unlike any other stop in the tour circuit.

The signature stop on Tour B, a curved white sandbar that connects two islands at low tide and snakes through the shallow blue water in an S-shape visible from the ridge above. Tour B also stops at Cudugnon Cave and Cathedral Cave, making it the most geologically varied of the four tours. A short hike to the hilltop gives the aerial view most island-hopping photos use.