El Nido Reef Strand Resort

A Hidden Gem That Saved Our Trip! After a horrible and short-lived experience at another resort in El Nido, my partner and I were left stranded late at night with nowhere to stay. Thankfully, El Nido Reef Strand Resort had a room available—and from the moment we arrived, we knew we were in good hands. Rose, who welcomed us in the middle of the night, was incredibly warm, friendly, and accommodating. She went above and beyond to make us feel safe and cared for. Not only did she offer us a late checkout and breakfast free of charge, but her kind and calming demeanor truly helped turn our stressful situation into a positive experience. We stayed in a ground floor room with a stunning view of the ocean—it was peaceful, clean, air-conditioned, and had a very comfortable bed. The resort itself is small, quaint, and has a charming bed and breakfast feel. It’s the perfect place for couples or older adults looking to relax and unwind. Though we only stayed for one night, we genuinely wish we had found this place sooner. The staff and owners are absolutely amazing, and we can't recommend this place enough to fellow travelers looking for a quiet and welcoming stay in El Nido. Thank you, Reef Strand, for saving our short trip—we’ll be back!

We stayed at Reef Strand for 5 nights and had a great time. The unobstructed view of the ocean is breathtaking and all of the staff were extremely friendly and accommodating, a special shout out to the front desk staff and the drivers. We also booked both of the tours we did directly with the hotel. The hotel is a ~10 minute walk from the center on either the beach or a road and we personally enjoyed being away from the hustle and bustle of being right in town. The hotel also offers drop off and pick up to the town square for free until 7 pm. Not sure where all the 1 star reviews came from, but if you're expecting the Ritz-Carlton this isn't the hotel for you.

We booked this hotel for two nights because from the photos it looked very nice and in good condition but when we arrived at the hotel we realised that this was not the case. The room is very old, the toilet was leaking water from the bottom when you flush. The whole structure is rusted. We could not stay there so after only 30 min we decided to leave. The hotel was completely empty except for two rooms, we asked if it was possible to receive a refund for at least one night but it was not accepted. When we pointed out that the photos were different from reality, the girl confirmed that the photos were altered. I understand that she is not the owner but to say such a thing is absurd, at which point she offered us another room which I did not want to see because it all seemed like a joke to me. We left. But the worst thing is that in the request for reimbursement assistance they said the hotel was full when on our arrival everything was switched off, as soon as we arrived they started to switch on some lights but everything was shabby. No. Take this hotel, for that price you find very good facilities and not old and shabby.

Beautiful resort with the best service. So far the best place we stayed in Palawan. The owner himself came looking for us when we could not find the place (google maps tells you to go through a dirt road in a mountain, DO NOT GO THAT WAY, take the beach road from town square, however if you call the resort they will come pick you up!) The service was phenomenal, they clean your room better than I've ever experienced in a hotel and they will do it daily if you ask. They even made us food after all the restaurants including theirs were closed and the food is very good! The owner takes good care of guests making sure everyone is happy. Everyone is very friendly, I highly recommend this place. It's a bit out of the way but they have free rides back and forth from town so it's not an issue! Thank you very much for making our trip great!

From our perspective, the way it is currently, this hotel should not even be allowed to operate. It requires major maintenance. Honestly, don’t go there. This appears to be like a scam to take advantage and trap travellers. We had made a reservation for what was expected to be a “Deluxe room” in upper floor level with ocean view for 3 nights. We had also selected the option requesting transportation from the airport. The benefits were also supposed to include “Express check in” and a welcome drink. We had received a written confirmation that our booking request had been confirmed. Unfortunately, this is not how it turned out, nor what we received. There was nothing “express” in what we went through. And for health & safety reasons, we ended up having to find an alternate hotel for our stay in El Nido. When we arrived at the airport, there was no representative from the hotel. We had not received any communication either. It was strange, but managed to wait in line to get transportation (only a “tricycle” was possible). After finally arriving at the hotel on our own, there was nobody at the Front Desk to welcome us. There was only a man sitting at the bar working on his laptop. He did not even turn is head to look at us. We thought that he was a client. Later, we learned that he was in fact the owner of the property ! Eventually an employee came to the Front Desk. She presented a paper form to fill with a set of rules that we had to follow, and surprisingly (considerign that the reservation had been fully paid) requested that we make a deposit of 2,000 PHP without specifying the reason. We then went to the Room #2. What a surprise to realize that this room did not correspond to our booking and certainly not to any definition of what constitute a “Deluxe Room”. It did not match the pictures seen or definitions on the website or reservation platforms. That room was located behind the reception building, had mould dew, and very strong smell from the mould. It also, for example, did not include the bath tub, hair dryer, and beach towels expected. It had multiple holes in the wals. We then went back to the Front Desk to enquire about what did happen to the room that we had reserved. The Front Desk employee was not confortable with the situation. She literally disappeared. This is then that the owner, who was sitting at the bar since the beginning, intervened to explain that somebody else was in our room in the upper level, and that this customer did not want to leave the room. The owner acknowledged that he should have notified us ahead of time, and also that he would not be picking us up at the airport. He did not have any other solution to offer other than Room #2. He went on explaining that the hotel was fully booked. We went back to Room #2 to discuss the situation, and assess what were the possible options available for us. A quick search revealed that in fact, there were at least 2 other “Deluxe rooms” available for the same dates as us (at 1/3 of the cost that we had paid). That lead to major doubts and trust issues with the story of the owner. When we challenged back the owner, he changed his story or statements. He wanted us to give him time so that he would talk to other clients to see if they would accept to be relocated. We were very stressed and went to the hotel next door to see if they had anything available. Unfortunately no. We finally found an alternate hotel and transportation on our own. And able to live the El Nido Reef Strand hotel just on time before high tide. This is false representation. The pictures, the information available and the definitions for this hotel are misleading and not representatives of the reality. There was also no information made available to us that this hotel was in fact not accessible by vehicle (other than by tricycle and only when there is low tide). If we would have stayed in this hotel, we would have been partially stuck (for example to go for dinner and come back). And in case of emergency situation, people’s life might be at risk.