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The Lagen Island Resort in El Nido is touted to be among the best in the Philippines. For a country known for its long stretches of white-sand shores, the clearest ocean waters, and among the most diverse marine wildlife, that is a lofty reputation to live by. And with a rather steep price tag, our trip to Lagen was preempted with pretty high expectations. Are you curious how the trip stacked up against the anticipation?
Karen and I went to Lagen with her mom and sister. It was our birthday gift to her mom from last year, and we were really looking forward to the trip.
From the start of the trip, there was no mistaking that Lagen was determined to set itself apart from your average beach resorts. Travel to the resort begins with a 1 hour 15 minute chartered flight with Island Transvoyager, Inc (ITI), which has its terminal about five minutes away from the old domestic airport. Passengers are hosted at a simple lounge, where pastries, coffee, tea, and juice are served by accommodating staff. The plane used is a 20-seater Dornier 228, which may take some getting-used-to for people flying in such small plane for the first time. Turbulence is easily felt in the small aircraft, and queazy passengers may want to take motion-sickness meds 30 minutes before take-off.
Landing in Lio Airport in El Nido was a high in itself for our group. The weather was intermittent when we travelled, and the security of solid ground beneath our feet was very welcome. But dry land was a momentary break, only long enough for a round of iced tea and some palitaw (local sticky rice pastry), before we had to board a 10-person speed boat for a 5 minute ride to the bigger outriggers waiting for us out at sea. The transfer from the small speed boat to the larger out-rigger would have been a challenging experience, if not for the adept assistance provided by resort staff to the arriving guests.
The out-rigger boat ride was a 1 hour trip, with choppy waters preventing our boat from going too fast. We were warned we would get wet and were offered towels and ponchos to keep dry, but we were looking forward to getting into beach-mode so declined the poncho--and we really did get soaked. So a heads-up tip for future travelers during the south-west monsoon season (June-November): take the offer if you want to stay dry until you get to your room.
There was another boat transfer from the out-rigger to a speed boat, which then took us to the resort. We arrived at around 2 pm, and had a late lunch at the resort restaurant. At this point, we were not yet checked in to our room, and so had no access to our bags (which we last saw at the Manila terminal). So we had to eat our lunch in wet clothes, but didn't really mind too much.
Now, not to be too hard-to-please, but my honest description of the resort's facilities is that it was plain but complete. The forest room was not very big, but had a day bed aside from the queen-sized bed that faced the balcony's sliding doors. The bathroom wasn't very big either, but had convenient places to hang wet towels and clothes from. We weren't able to see the water villa, but we assumed it's interior was not very different from the forest room. What made it unique was that it stood on stilts in shallow waters, and had a terrace that looked out to the ocean. It did not, however, have direct access to the water from the terrace.
The restaurant was not very big, and one part of the buffet was a bit too tight out on the terrace. But it wasn't a big deal, since there resort's capacity was deliberately made small anyway. Lagen didn't have a powder-soft beach to hang out and swim from, but it had a charming pool area that had sun bathing beds and tables for guests. There was a clinic, a game room, a small souvenir shop, and a dive shop.
The food was a mix of good and average dishes, with my personal favorite being the prime rib carving on our first night. Our package was full-board, so buffet meals were included. All meals featured salads, meat and seafood viands, and fresh fruits for dessert. It was primarily filling, and varied enough to keep us looking forward to meals.
The service is something to speak of. Staff are very sensitive to guest needs, like how one of them brought us towels the moment we entered the pool, even before we realized that we may need them. I called the attention of their activity planner (Pearl) on our first afternoon to ask for help on what activities we could do the following day, and was impressed that she was ready with an itinerary made specifically for us. And she presented the itinerary without any sense of imposing that we had to follow it, reiterating that we were free to customize even if we would end up going our own way from the rest of the guests. The staff of the dive shop took their time to fit us with the right gear (which were also free), and set our gear aside in our own crate at the end of snorkeling dive. They kept those gear exclusively for our use for the rest of our stay, so we didn't have to fit new flippers and vests every time. The resort tour guides are well versed, and looked out for the safety and enjoyment of all guests.
The second day of our trip was packed with activities, starting with breakfast at sister-resort Miniloc. This was followed by, what was to me the highlight of the day, the feeding of yard-long (25-30 kg) jack fish from the resort's pier. Our guides told us this was unique, as mature jacks are typically territorial, and would not normally feed in a group like what we saw (maybe 15-20 fish). What was more amazing was how we were able to snorkel with the big fish while they fed, showing no fear for their human observers (though some of their human observers were afraid of the fish). I was able to get within feet of the big fish, keeping up with their lazy swim around the pier.
A sad, but nonetheless amazing anecdote: a month before our trip, a guest was swimming with the fish while her husband watched from the pier. She asked for their disposable, water-proof camera, which her husband threw to her in the water. The fish mistook the camera for food, and swallowed it in one gulp.
We also went to Miniloc Island's small and big lagoon (where Bourne Legacy shot its final scenes). We kayaked around the big lagoon, where our guide showed us a cool hidden cave on the island's lime-stone side.
After lunch at Dibuluan Island (also owned by Lagen Resort), we went to Cudugnon cave which was a neolithic burial ground thousands of years ago. Getting into the cave required a bit of agility, climbing through small holes and climbing slippery rock.
We went to snake island, an ever-changing sand bar where two currents met. It was an interesting example of how our ancestors reached the Philippines through land-bridges of old.
We meant to go snorkeling on the morning of our last day, before our 11 am boat ride back to the airport. But by the time we woke up, we were so tired and beat up from the day before that we decided to sleep in instead. We took the ponchos on our return boat trip to keep dry, feeling very satisfied with our El Nido experience.
The verdict? Did I think the trip was worth what we paid for it? I am convinced it was. Not for the facilities, though they were adequate and well-kept. But for the "even-before-i-think-about-it" service and the unique experiences we shared, I was glad we decided to go. In fact, I was glad no excessive luxury distracted us from the fullness of the experience--had rooms been too comfortable, they could have tempted us to stay in and miss out on all the good things to see and do. So if you can spare the buck, It's definitely an experience to save up for!
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