My first time in El Nido!
My friends and I met up at NAIA 4 to catch the afternoon flight to El Nido. It was our first time flying with AirSWIFT (Philippines' only boutique airline offering daily roundtrip flights from Manila to El Nido) so we were pleasantly surprised that the airline provides snacks for all its passengers prior to the flight itself!
A bottle of water, a sandwich, and even dessert! We're definitely off to a good start, AirSWIFT!
AirSWIFT's guiding philosophy is that "your vacation begins with us, and not just when you reach your destination. We would like you to think of us as your friends, on the ground and in the sky, and traveling with friends should provide you with an uplifting experience and a great start to your vacation (hence their slogan Fly with Friends)."
The 50-seater plane took off and landed as scheduled, and soon, we were in Lio Tourism Estate located in El Nido, Palawan.
Once we got out of the plane, we rode a jeep to get to the airport itself.
But the Lio Airport is nothing like any airport I've been to. Arriving at Lio Tourism Estate feels like you're being welcomed into someone's home.
We were greeted by ladies singing local songs and a long table filled with assorted snacks and drinks - all for free! It's pretty amazing since you won't have to worry about bringing baon on the flight as there will be food waiting for you when you get off the plane!
Nadine gave us a brief background on Lio. For those who don't know, Lio is actually Ayala Land's first tourism estate located in the paradise of El Nido, Palawan.
It is masterplanned as an integrated resort community with hotel and resorts, commercial establishments, residential communities, amenities, and facilities for eco-adventure and leisure travelers.
The development is guided by principles of sustainability and inclusive growth ensuring least impact to the environment while benefiting the local community.
Lio has a total gross land area of 325 hectares. Huge, right? But only 179 of that (or 55%) is developable, as 45% is to be retained as non-developable nature reserve sites and open space. So you will definitely see lots of trees awhen you go to Lio; it is not going to be another over-developed area like, you know, Boracay.
Just after a few minutes in the van, we arrived at Casa Kalaw, which is the first hotel to open in Lio.
In the works: Hotel Covo (June 2017) and Balai Adlao (July 2017)
Upon stepping inside the hotel, we were given cold towels and pandan ice tea - the perfect island refreshment!
We then checked into our rooms, crashed for a bit, and went back out - energized and ready to explore Lio!
Here's a quick tour of what our room looks like:
They have poolside rooms available - ours wasn't, unfortunately - but that's okay. We didn't really spend a lot of time in the room anyway, especially since Lio has so much to offer! Check out the facilities:
You can choose to play foosball, darts, ping pong, or billiards..
Eat at Kalaw Cafe...
Or take a dip in the pool!
This pool is amazing! The best part about it is that the water is heated, so you don't have to worry about jumping into freezing cold water any time of the day!
My favorite time to swim? At night, especially after dinner and a few drinks! :)
Also check out my article on Where to Eat at Lio, El Nido!
But the highlight of the entire trip is really the beach. After all, what's El Nido without it, right?
That sunset though. ♥ ♥
I will be back, Lio. ♥
Know more about Lio Tourism Estate through their website or Facebook page!
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