Resorts beckon as summer comes and in this country of  thousands of islands, the choices are endless, especially if you don’t want to return to Boracay, or prefer to go to  another hideaway—far  from the usual destinations in the province and the neighboring Oriental Negros, Guimaras and Panay.

One of the popular destinations in the country is the marine reserve park of El Nido,  located at the northernmost tip of Palawan, which is internationally famous for water sports, like kayaking, snorkeling and diving. Contrary to impressions that El Nido resorts are expensive, more than 20 smaller establishments offer affordable packages.

Among the affordable resorts is Hadefe, located at Caalang beach where visitors can have the best view of the sunset in the area. “It’s somehow isolated from the crowds of the town, thus visitors can have their privacy, it’s very peaceful here,” said resort manager-owner Hanny Enoran insurance company executive. Hadefe is one of the Palawan resorts  mentioned in the Lonely Planet site.

Rates range from P500 to P1,000 per day. For groups of two to three persons, the rate is P700 while families of four members pay P1,000.

What makes Hadef and similar resorts preferred by guests, including local ones, is their affordability. Here, we treat guests, both local and international, equally, the owner said.

El Nido can be reached by land, sea and plane. SeaAir and ITI service the area to and from Manila and Puerto Princesa, among others. Ships sail from Coron Island to El Nido with travel time estimated at more than a day. By land, it takes six to nine hours travel from Puerto Princesa City. For Negrenses, El Nido can be reached via plane either through Manila or Cebu, by boat via Iloilo and Antique or Negros Navigation which has trips to Puerto Princesa passing by Manila.

The place is known for its stunning inlets, limestone cliffs, sandy beachers and clear water. Almost 50 islands and inlets are found in El Nido.  The limestone cliffs of El Nido are similar to those found in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Guilin in China and Krabi in Thailand.  Many of its islands have lagoons, caves, coral reefs, hidden beaches and coves.

As the Hadefe owner said, a trip to El Nido is a nature trek, one that visitors will always remember. Much more if one spends less and still gets the same pleasure of exploring nature.