I’ve been terrible at keeping up with writing about our experiences. I’ve probably forgotten more over the last eight months of traveling than I experienced in the previous eight years. I tried keeping a journal, but that lasted all of eight days before I completely forgot about it. Now I just scroll through photos and see what sparks a memory or a story I want to share.
I’ll start with the much-needed visit from our friends.
On December 27, we got up before the sun and caught the water taxi from our resort in Coron to the Coron ferry terminal. We were treated to one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen. We boarded the ferry with about 300 other people and set sail on a three hour tour to El Nido. The seating was comfortable and air-conditioned, which is really all you can ask for in the Philippines. The staff serenaded us with Christmas songs and even performed a few dances. What an experience.
About a third of the way to El Nido, we hit some rough seas, and for only the second time in my life, I got sea sick. SO SEA SICK. I tried to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to settle my stomach, but that was a terrible idea. Dramamine did not help much either. I have never been so happy to reach a destination.
When we arrived, we split into two tuk tuks, Ethan and I in one, Jered and Ainsley in the other. We made our way to our first El Nido hotel. I am embarrassed to admit I did not realize how close it was to the hotel we booked with the Whitakers. The hotel was extremely basic, just a bed, toilet, sink, and shower. That is all. Perfect for our needs. I even made a TikTok tour of the room, about five seconds long.
Arriving a few days early gave us time to lock in the fun things we wanted to do with our friends. Jered and I settled the kids into the hotel and went out for an impromptu date while they went to a recommended Italian restaurant for pizza. Ainsley ordered a Hawaiian pizza and caught the attention of the chef, an Italian expat living in El Nido. He was offended at the idea of pineapple on pizza but made it for her anyway. We went back the next night, and he told us how impressed he was with our kids’ maturity. He was happy to see us return a few times over the next few days. We even took the Whitakers there as a family, and the kids went back on their own another night while the adults enjoyed a night out.
Back to date night. Jered and I headed to downtown El Nido, which is much like any tourist town, with souvenir shops everywhere and plenty of beach bars. We moved from bar to bar, making friends with locals, travelers, and even some friendly animals. I happily bought probably ten bracelets from kids who wandered in with their handmade jewelry, eager to share their creations with tourists. We met two friends from the UK who were searching for a pool hall they had visited the night before. We ended up having drinks with them and sharing stories of our travels. One of my favorite new friends was a dog we aptly named Digger. Every time we saw him, he was digging a new hole, but he was always happy to leave it behind to walk along the beach with us.
The next morning, it was time to focus on why we arrived early, planning the next few days. Our friends were arriving on the 30th, and we were leaving the island on January 2nd. That gave us three full days to pack in as much as possible while still enjoying a relaxing vacation. El Nido makes that pretty easy. We wanted to do a few days of boat tours, and after reading reviews, I assumed it would be simple to book at short notice. I was wrong. Holiday crowds and boats damaged from recent typhoons created a shortage of tours. We visited shop after shop before finally finding someone who could help. We scheduled a half day boat tour for the day everyone arrived and a full day tour on New Year’s Eve. The tours covered all the iconic El Nido spots, and we were not disappointed. The next two days were filled with the most beautiful water I have ever seen and the joy of making memories with our friends.
When we booked the hotel back in August, there was supposed to be a New Year’s Eve party with a big buffet and fireworks on the beach, which made planning easy. Leave it to Murphy, the reservations coordinator who promised it, was no longer with the resort, and none of it happened. We tried booking other restaurants, but with ten people, it was impossible. We settled for bar food at the hotel and a family game night of pool, a rock paper scissors tournament, and Jered’s sandal throwing game he learned in Laos. After 26 hours of travel for the Whitakers and two days in the sun and water, we rang in the New Year at 10:30 and sent the kids to bed. James, Crystal, Kyah, Jered, and I played an action-packed game of Yahtzee. Later, Ethan and Ainsley joined us on the beach to celebrate the New Year locally. While the resort dropped the ball, fireworks around the area and a few bottles of Dom out of paper cups kept us happy.
We also planned family photos on Lio Beach for New Year’s Day. The same reservations agent who promised the big NYE celebration was supposed to find a photographer, which never happened. Fortunately, I reached out to the resort in early December to confirm, and I had time to book a photographer via Instagram. He scheduled us for 4 pm to catch the sunlight in the jungle and on the beach, finishing with a beautiful sunset. The morning was spent exploring town. I got my nails done and my hair washed, which is unbelievably relaxing and made getting ready easy. The girls explored El Nido while the boys got haircuts and shaves. Once dressed in white, we paraded in tuk tuks to Lio Beach to meet our photographer. I have never had more fun taking family photos. So many personalities, laughter, and genuine smiles show in the final product. You can see all the photos in the Family Photo album of our travel reel. The only snag was a group of 20 something Australians trying to be in the background of our shots, but we made it into a funny memory, and they were easily edited out.
On the way back, we stopped at a market for souvenirs. Everyone found little treasures to take home. The parents headed into El Nido proper to meet one of our tour guides for pool and cocktails while the kids went back to the Italian restaurant for pizza. Our guide John took us to a bar with a private pool room, and we had a blast. Power outages closed the kitchen, so Crystal and I went on a burger run. Greasy, delicious burgers were perfect for a night of drinks. We finished the evening with a stroll on the beach and a tuk tuk ride back to the resort.
The next day, it was time to pack for our next destination. We had a late flight, giving us time to cross a few more things off our El Nido wish lists. Jered and I got massages on the beach while I later met everyone at Vanilla Beach. Crystal had found a TikTok of a man turning coins into rings (it’s important to note he uses Euros NOT Philippine Peso). They had been searching for him, and just as they were about to give up, he appeared from the boardwalk. Each ring took 15 minutes, and with five girls plus a gift for the Whitakers’ dog sitter, time was tight. Fortunately, he called reinforcements, and everyone got a custom ring with enough time to grab McDonald’s before our flight.
Saying goodbye to paradise was hard, but we were on to our next adventure, Subic. Stay tuned for stories about our time with the Whitakers, our walk through history at Corregidor Island, our close encounter with lions, tigers, and zebras (Oh My!), and how we officially became Sabongeros.
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