Where to stay in El Nido, Coron and the rest of Palawan

How to choose a base in Palawan

Palawan is long and thin, and its bases are hours apart by road or sea, so most visitors stay in two or three places rather than one. Island-hopping boats in El Nido and Coron leave from the town waterfronts in the morning, which makes staying in or near town the practical choice if tours are the point of the trip. Stays farther out trade that convenience for space, quieter beaches and, often, higher prices.

Before you book, check the map rather than the hotel name: plenty of places listed as El Nido or Coron are a long ride from either town. Our Palawan itineraries help you decide how many nights each base deserves.

Where to stay in El Nido: town, Corong-Corong, Nacpan or Lio

El Nido town is the place to be for logistics. Tour offices, dive shops, ATMs, pharmacies and most of the restaurants are within walking distance, rooms run from hostels to mid-range hotels, and you can walk to the boats. The trade-offs are cramped streets, construction, noise into the night in peak season and a town beach lined with bangkas rather than loungers.

Corong-Corong, about 2 km south of town, is a short tricycle ride away and a good compromise: calmer, with resorts and inns facing west over Bacuit Bay for the sunset, but still close to the tour boats. It has fewer shops and ATMs, so stock up in town. Beyond it, the beaches of Marimegmeg (Las Cabanas) add a few more beachfront stays and sunset bars.

Nacpan, about 45 minutes north of town by tricycle, suits travelers who want a long, open beach and very little else. Accommodation is limited and simple, nights are quiet and you will commute to the tour boats, so it works best for two or three nights at the end of a trip; see our Nacpan Beach guide.

Lio is a planned tourism estate developed by Ayala Land next to El Nido's airport, roughly 4-5 km from town. It has a long beach, landscaped grounds, restaurants and hotels such as Seda Lio, and suits families and anyone who wants things tidy and walkable; some hotels run shuttles into town. The airport guide explains the transfers.

The most exclusive option is an island resort in Bacuit Bay. El Nido Resorts runs Miniloc, Lagen and Pangulasian on their own islands, with boat transfers and island trips arranged by the resort, plus Apulit farther east in Taytay. They are expensive and remote from town, but you wake up next to the lagoons; Miniloc is the base closest to the Big Lagoon. Our El Nido guide has more on the area.

Where to stay in Coron: town or an island resort

Coron town, on Busuanga Island about 30-45 minutes by van from Busuanga Airport, is where almost all Coron island hopping tours and wreck dives start. Hotels and guesthouses climb the hillsides around the harbor, with views over the bay toward Coron Island, and the town has the restaurants, dive shops and ATMs. It is busy, dusty and has no beach of its own, but it gives the shortest boat rides to Kayangan Lake and the wrecks.

The island resorts are a different trip. Two Seasons Coron Island Resort, on Bulalacao Island, lists a transfer of about 1 h 30 min from town by land and boat; Discovery Coron has Dimakya Island to itself; Huma Island Resort has villas built over the water; and Sangat Island Dive Resort is a small, solar-powered base for divers near the wrecks. Expect your own beach, house reefs and quiet nights, but long rides to the classic Coron Island stops, transfers timed to daylight flights and plans that depend on the sea. Our Coron guide covers the area.

Puerto Princesa and Port Barton

Puerto Princesa is a working city rather than a beach town. Stay a night or two near the center or the airport to visit the Underground River and Honda Bay, or sleep in Sabang, the village at the river's park, if you want an early boat before the tour vans arrive from the city, about 1-2 hours away. See the Puerto Princesa guide.

Port Barton, a village in San Vicente on the west coast, has beachfront guesthouses and small resorts on a bay dotted with islands, and suits backpackers and couples who want a slower stop between Puerto Princesa and El Nido. Power now runs around the clock but brownouts still happen, and the cash machine is unreliable, so bring pesos. San Vicente's 14 km Long Beach, a separate area farther north, has a handful of quieter resorts.

Where to stay by traveler type

First-timers and short trips: El Nido town or Corong-Corong, and Coron town, keep you close to the boats. Couples and honeymooners who can spend more do well with an island resort in El Nido or Coron, or a few nights at Nacpan or Lio after the tours. Families usually prefer Lio, Corong-Corong or the Coron island resorts for space and calmer evenings.

Divers should stay in Coron town, with its many dive shops, or at a dive resort near the wrecks. Budget travelers find the most hostels and cheap rooms in El Nido town and Port Barton; our Palawan budget guide covers daily costs.

Booking tips

Book well ahead for Christmas to New Year, Chinese New Year and Holy Week, when the best-located rooms in El Nido and Coron sell out. Outside those weeks and in the rainy season, from June to October, there is usually plenty of choice.

Power cuts still hit northern Palawan, so check whether a hotel has a generator, and read recent reviews for the reliability of water pressure and Wi-Fi. Ask how far the property is from the tour pier, and whether an island resort's boat runs after a late flight. For getting between bases, see our getting around Palawan guide.