I’m sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed this type of vacation on my own, but I was able to join in with a women’s group on an adventure tour first to the island of Cebu and then to the island of Palawan! It was exciting, full of fun activities, and a sweet opportunity to make new friends!
We were able to hike to three different waterfalls, swim with whale sharks, enjoy beach sunsets, eat mango smoothies and ube desserts, zipline, jump off cliffs into water, and hop from one island to another on a Philippine banca. It really was one fun activity after another!
And not only were our days filled with fun, adventurous activities, we stayed at one of the most beautiful places in El Nido — Maremegmeg Beach Resort! Just look at the views and the infinity pool and the gorgeous rooms and the VIEWS! We enjoyed welcome drinks and welcome cookies and delicious meals in the on-site restaurants. I don’t think I’ve ever seen sunsets like we saw from our ROOM BALCONY at this resort. It was nothing less than incredible.
Joining up with this women’s trip was a last minute decision for me, but I’m so glad I did!! It was really fun to meet everyone and get out of my comfort zone [solo travel] a little [a lot]!! There are lots of things about a group trip that I wouldn’t have ever done on my own. Yay for friends and group activities! The Philippines is still a developing country, with many people living in meager accommodations with probably barely enough to survive, but boy do they have some beautiful spots. The contrasts are really obvious. I hope our tourism dollars did their small part to support the local economy in the region.
I think you could probably fly into El Nido and rely on public transportation [or hotel pick-up]. The place we stayed on the island of Palawan wasn’t terribly far from the small airport. There were a variety of accommodations available, some more reasonably priced than others.
The island of Cebu is different — from Cebu city to the region where we did the waterfall tours and canyoneering was quite a trip [four hours] and we hired two vans/drivers as a group. We were so appreciative to our drivers because navigating the roads and traffic didn’t look simple. The adventure guides came along with us for all three days and took such good care of everything. We loved them!! The Philippines is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful!!
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