Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Business
Languages Spoken
Filipino
Property amenities
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Free airport transportation
Room features
Air conditioning
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Location
Lio Tourism Estate, El Nido, Palawan Island 5313 Philippines
Isla Amara Boutique Resort
37 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
This hotel is located on Lio Beach about a 20-minute tricycle ride into town and right next to the El Nido Airport. We had been staying down the beach earlier in the week and wanted to extend our stay and could not at our previous location. We were thrilled that Isla Amara had a room for us. This hotel is right near the beach and the restaurants/bars on the beach. The room was a good size with a comfortable bed. The scent in the hotel lobby was nice but was overpowering in the room. The staff was very friendly and did all they could to accommodate us. A few things would make me think twice about going back. The air conditioner in the room did not seem to cool off the room enough, even after we had someone come to help us with it. Most nights were warmer for sleeping than we would have preferred. As a beach hotel with a pool, it would have been nice to have a drying rack in the room to hang up swimsuits and extra towels. There was one small towel bar in the room. Housekeeping was inconsistent, forgetting to refill things (water) and replace all the towels. Breakfast was heavy on meat products so if you are a vegetarian, you will have limited choices. With a few enhancements to service, this would be a five star rating.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We transferred here from a nearby hotel so it was easy to compare.
1. When we arrived in our room, the bathroom was locked, we asked help from the staff and said they will have maintenance come over. Maintenance took a lot of time to come - not sure if someone actually went, so we just tried to opened it ourselves.
2. There's no phone in the room to call front desk, so if you have requests, you have to go to the front desk yourself. Also, what if there's an emergency?
3. Shuttle Service - if you want Airport transfers you need to pay. Our previous hotel, they picked us up from Lio Airport for free and offered to give us a ride for free when we transferred here.
4. Towels - they always ask where you're going, because apparently when you bring it for island hopping or places not within the area you have to pay Php 100 for each towel, in our previous hotel, no questions asked, no payments asked. The Orange towels they have also has threads or "himulmol" that sticks to your skin or clothes. So ask for the white and yellow striped towels instead.
5. There is no Clothes Rack in the balcony to dry wet clothes/swimsuit. Highly recommended to get one of these asap lol
6. Breakfast food was okay, just like breakfast you cook at home.
7. All staff were very nice, helpful, kind and courteous.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is very conveniently located due to its proximity to Lio Airport and Lio Beach location. I stayed for 4 days and had breakfast at the cafe/bistro every morning. I had no insects or anything in my room but I had an air conditioning issue in my room which the staff tried to fix but eventually couldn’t and augmented it with a fan which worked. The room is spacious enough and the bathroom is clean and the water pressure and temperature are adequate.
Read more
Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 star for staff courteousness and for breakfast. The Room is supposedly a Celebrity Suite. Shower head is taped with electrical tape, you need to force the outlet to plug 🔌 in your charger. There’s no phone or intercom in the room, you need to walk back to the reception area to call for help. There is no Wi fi in our room 221. There is no TV channel even after the maintenance staff tried to fix it. He said they need to call the main office in manila to see why the channels aren’t running properly LOL… but other rooms has local channels. You have to wake up early to avail a good breakfast… Bring your own hair conditioner, body soap they have shampoo and bath gel but ours is empty. If you like wash cloth, bring your own because they don’t replenish it.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â expect for the worst. its an old resort they have restaurant but not allin the menu is...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Check In people were marginal at their jobs. The rooms are small, small bath with clogged drain and the only amenities were a pool, pool table and bar that opened at 2 pm. Free breakfast were omelettes, some fresh fruit, flaps/toast and sundry salty other offerings and no juice. Towels were worn thin. Get the picture? I felt bad as half the staff really tried though all were polite but this is at best a budget hotel with nothing boutique…
Read more
Date of stay: February 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had an incredible experience at Isla Amara Resort in Lio, El Nido, Palawan with my sister and infant. Ezhyl, the resort's staff member, was exceptionally attentive and accommodating throughout our entire journey – from booking to check-in, during our stay, and even upon departure.
The resort's proximity to Lio Airport, a mere 3-minute shuttle ride away, was a huge plus. The free shuttle service made our arrival and departure hassle-free.
The courteous and kind staff, from reception to maintenance to the restaurant, made us feel truly taken care of. Their politeness and professionalism added a personal touch to our stay.
The resort boasts a beautiful pool, and to our delight, the beach was just a minute's walk away, providing us with the best of both worlds.
Our room was both aesthetically pleasing and spacious, providing ample space for the three of us. It was immaculately clean, and the strong water pressure with hot and cold options made our showers refreshing.
And let's not forget the delightful surprise of unlimited ice cream in the afternoon – a treat that made our stay even more enjoyable!
Overall, our experience at Isla Amara Resort was beyond satisfactory. The combination of excellent service, great location, and lovely amenities made it a memorable and highly recommended destination for travelers seeking a relaxing and enjoyable getaway.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel itself was okay at best. No wifi in the rooms (this day and age, internet service in the room is a must). Hotel service was terrible. The hot water wasn’t working when we checked in and we reported this to the concierge thinking that when we come back from our day trip it will be fixed. Nothing was done about it. The same with the TV which just keeps on playing on demo mode. There were no towels in the rooms. Again the concierge kept on making excuses saying that the towels are not back from the wash until 4:00am the next day. WTF? Will never go back to this hotel and unless you want your precious holiday ruined, stay here at your own risk!
Read more
Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Location to Lio Beach and restaurants is great . Lio Beach we would recommend staying at if you are looking for a more relaxed vibe then El Nido town which is a backpacker haven. In terms of the hotel, the staff were friendly greeting us whenever they saw us. Daily housekeeping we had to ask for towels and toilet paper with them taking the dirty towels but not replacing with clean towels. We ended up just getting pool towels one night. The rooms are extremely noisy when guests returned at 0200 each night you could hear all their conversations as they made there way to their rooms and then doors would slam. We were on a ground floor room and could hear the footsteps above us as guests moved around their room. The room itself is basic with a firm mattress. The pool needs some cover to provide shade as the water was very hot and not a refreshing dip in the pool like you would think. Not a lot of options in Lio Beach area, so I suppose it is doable if you want that area.
Read more
Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
These reviews are machine translated from their original language. Show machine translations?
I actually prefer to look at the positive side, but unfortunately too many things didn't work out here. We booked two rooms, one for the three children and one for us. We had written to the hotel in advance that we wanted them next to each other. When we arrived, this was no longer possible. There was only one room card (key), and an additional one would have cost 500 Php (9€). The children's room for three was spacious and nice. However, the booking confirmation said it had a balcony, which there was no such thing. We asked for a discount, which the hotel did not respond to until the end, but Booking refunded part of it. We booked a taxi, tuk-tuk or van through the hotel several times, as there is no other option from the hotel. It was forgotten every time, arrived more than an hour late and was horrendously overpriced (if you booked it directly for the return journey, it always worked, as the drivers still make good money from us tourists). The staff are very friendly and smile, but have no idea. Luckily we knew that at the end of our stay, otherwise we would have missed the flight, given the time given by the receptionist. At the hotel bar we once had to wait more than 15 minutes for the waiter to arrive, another 10 minutes for our drinks to arrive and after paying another 15 minutes for the change. In the end it was all just annoying, but maybe someone here will have a better experience, I hope you have a pleasant holiday.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Check-in was smooth / we were late getting to resort so didn’t experience any fancy welcome or drinks but that’s okay. The room was large clean and well designed. The staff were attentive and friendly. The location is away from the busy town centre and the resort is very quiet and private. I highly recommend. 300 peso flat rate to town centre / 450 peso to zip line. We did tour A & C island hoping / it was breath taking beautiful there were just too many people on these beaches for my liking during these tours. Did them once / won’t do them again. I would stay and enjoy this fixity more if I could have a do over
Read more
Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Enjoy the complimentary breakfast starting at 6am
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
