El Nido

El Nido is for nomads who want their weekends spent on a boat among limestone karsts. The Bacuit archipelago is one of the most striking seascapes in Asia, with lagoons, snorkelling and diving a short bangka ride from town. The town has grown from a backpacker stop into a more polished destination, and a small but steady stream of remote workers now stays for a month or more, particularly in the dry season.

El Nido Town around Buena Suerte has the most food and services but can be noisy and congested; Corong Corong, a few minutes south, has sunset views and calmer guesthouses, and Lio Estate near the airport is more manicured and expensive. Neighbors and Nomads, which opened in early 2025 in the Townsquare on Hama Street, is the town's first serious coworking space, open around the clock with air conditioning and a rooftop bar, at about PHP 7,500 a month. Lexias Hostel in Corong Corong and Masayana in Caalan offer cheaper desks with day and monthly passes.

Fibre and Starlink have made reliable work possible in town and at the coworking spaces, though speeds drop away from the centre and at budget guesthouses. Power interruptions still happen, so ask whether your accommodation has a generator. Tricycles and rented scooters are the way around. November to May is the dry season; from June to October the southwest monsoon makes boat trips less reliable and flights more prone to delays. Plan on about USD 1,500 a month.

El Nido is expensive by Philippine standards because nearly everything is shipped in, and good monthly rentals are scarce in peak season. Getting here is slow unless you can afford the small AirSWIFT planes, as the alternative is a five to six hour van ride from Puerto Princesa. Tourism has strained water supplies and drainage in town, healthcare is limited, and evenings outside the town centre are very quiet.