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#4 of 20 resorts in El Nido
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Miniloc Island is a rustic and charming hideaway reminiscent of a coastal village. Miniloc Island is located in El Nido, in northwestern Palawan. It takes a 75-minute direct flight from Manila to get to El Nido or a 6-hour travel by land from Puerto Princesa City (Palawan's Capital City).Miniloc Island Resort is tucked within a beautiful cove surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and a vibrant coral reef. It is a gateway to popular activity sites in a breath-taking location known for its high biodiversity. The resort has 50 cottages and rooms built in traditional Filipino design over the water, beside the beach, or surrounded by garden and limestone cliffs.
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
Marina View
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Filipino
Location
El Nido, Palawan Island 5313 Philippines
El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
1,472 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island is a haven lauded for its cleanliness and eco-friendly practices, providing a serene atmosphere that guests find tranquil. Despite some concerns about room size, the resort's prime location is a hit for those seeking adventure without the crowds.
The service receives high marks for staff attentiveness, and though the rooms are on the smaller side, the variety of amenities and activities, along with the picturesque setting, offer good value for many travelers.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Serene
Rooms
Cramped
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Abundant
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Who could have thought that behind those rocks lies a paradise..😜 I was welcomed with warm smiles of the staff and the sweet kuyon music.
Miniloc Island Resort employs excellent staff that are very good in English and very professional. They are efficient and very friendly, and always go the extra mile to deliver an excellent quality of service.
The beach area and the rooms as well as other public areas are always kept clean and organized. There is daily housekeeping. Because it is an eco-resort, they also use clean energy sources for lighting and ceiling fans.
The room design is rustic and comfortable. The beds and pillows are top notch quality and standard amenities are provided. There is a private balcony with amazing views.
There are numerous activities to be done on the island as well. The activity coordinator will orient you on the number of activities and you can choose how much or how little you would like to do. They will help you plan all your activities on a daily basis. Most of the excursions are free apart from diving. They also follow the strict policy of no C-card no diving policy.
Some of the activities that you can do are: snorkeling in the house reef a few meters from the beach and you can swim with the resident jacks and hundreds of sergeant majors; kayak or ride a boat to the nearby big and small lagoons; sunset cruises; spelunking at cathedral cave; unlimited island hopping to nearby islands like the Entalula, Lagen and Snake Island with prepared picnic lunch; hiking to the forest and watching some birds and monkeys; other water sports activities like paddle boarding, kayaking, water biking, and wind surfing.
The most special and popular activity is the Jack fish feeding. All guests try it out just because it’s something you’ll never have a chance to do anywhere else. This fish reach a size of 1.7m and weigh up to 80kg – and you get a chance to swim and snorkel around them as they are fed by the house staff. This activity is available every day.
There are also in-house activities found in the game room like billiard, darts, video games and table tennis. There are also beach volleyball, badminton and Frisbee. Lastly, kids will find entertainment in their Kids Activity Center.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip 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.
Response from ElNidoResortsPH, Manager at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 14 Mar 2020
Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time and effort to recount your experience in TripAdvisor. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay. It has been our pleasure to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in future
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We spent our anniversary split between two El Nido properties (Miniloc and Lagen). If you are honeymooning or have an extended stay, I'd recommend splitting your time to experience the atmosphere at two resorts. At Miniloc, we took advantage of the wonderful activities (kayaking in the spectacular lagoons, snorkeling and island hopping). At Lagen, we relaxed in the lush environment and enjoying seeing wildlife like monkeys and hornbills. Our overwater bungalow was kept sparkling clean by housekeeping. I'd like to give a big shout out to the unsung heroes in the laundry department. We've never had such good service even from 5* resorts in major cities (clean laundry delivered at lightening speed). What's really impressive about this resort is the activities team. They are really pros at logistics from the coordinator signing up people in the dining room, to delivering everyone safely back to the resort. Everything runs on time. During our trip to the Philippines, we stayed at four resorts and the food at Miniloc was the best. I thought they did a decent job, considering that everything has to been delivered on tiny boats to the island. Kudos to the chef for providing a lot of variety, while not wasting food (it's an eco resort). Instead of making giant portions, smaller crockpots and dishes were used on the buffet and replenished frequently. Two glass display fridges were used for the desserts and salad items to prevent contamination with insects or from the humidity. Before we left, we started talking about coming back some day. The space is a little tight in the overwater bungalows for couples, so next time we will book a larger room now that we've had the unique experience of sleeping over the water. Miniloc has a great energy, but is still very relaxing/quiet in the afternoon and evening. This is a very special place and I'm grateful that we had the chance to spend our anniversary at this resort.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Cleanliness
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.
Response from ElNidoResortsPH, Manager at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 28 Jan 2020
Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time and effort to recount your experience in TripAdvisor. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay. It has been our pleasure to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in future
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Was in Miniloc Island Resort last month and am in Maldives now. El Nido is, hands down, a prettier place in terms of natural features (rocks, caves, jungles, hills, clear and calm waters). I love snorkeling and El Nido is THE place for that.
The villas are rather small, with very little area to walk on.
Staff were all nice and friendly. I’m glad they wore PPEs properly too.
There are two things I noted that need improvement.
First is the food. It’s one thing to not be able to sit in the restaurants (it’s a safety precaution, I understand) but having to eat cold delivered food in your room is another story. If the new normal would mean room service food only, the resort has to make sure they deliver fresh, hot meals. They can do that by having food delivered in insulated boxes, not in baskets.
Second is waste management and hygiene. Guests need trash bins, pandemic or no pandemic. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any trash bin in the resort. Also, not all common bathrooms had toilet paper and/or hand soap.
Overall, the resort is a great one. It’s not better than Pangulasian Island but it’s a great place for a couple getaway (I think it’s too small for families).
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip 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.
Our group joined Miniloc's travel bubble package. We were all tested (PCR) 3 -4 days before our trip which gave us some peace of mind knowing that everyone in our group tested negative. I understand that the entire staff of the resort also undergoes testing just before going to the island. Upon arriving in Lio, the wait was quick and unnoticeable. Their process of transferring guests (and our luggage) from the airport to the resort was also very smooth. At the resort, all meals were served in bento boxes with covers, ensuring safety while handling. The food was good and very filling. Each meal usually came with soup, bread, appetizers, 2 variants for the main course, rice, and dessert. One comment though is that the food can be too much for some, so there's a tendency that people with smaller appetites aren't able to finish their food. I'm not sure what the resorts does with left over food. But maybe they can serve smaller servings instead and just invite people to request for a refill if they want to lessen food waste. The rooms were very clean and pleasant. The resort staff aren't allowed to enter or clean your room for the duration of the stay (to minimize contact) so it's up to you to keep your room tidy. You may however request for new towels or linens if needed. The resort staff is also very diligent in wearing their face masks, which gives you that extra sense of comfort that they are putting your safety as their priority. We were celebrating my uncle's birthday that weekend, and the entire staff of Miniloc along with the Eds (the RM), Angel (the activity coordinator), Andy and GL (our boat guides), and all the staff at the restaurant and the bar took really good care of us and made sure we had a wonderful time. It was definitely a memorable weekend and all of us are looking forward to going back!
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Date of stay: November 2020
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.
We enjoyed our stay at Miniloc which no doubt offers a great and stunning location and scenery along with a great list of included activities. Snorkeling in front of the resort is also really great with a lot to see underwater.
Also highly recommended is the snorkeling at Shimizo Island and kayaking at the big and small lagoon.
The major drawback is the food. We knew from friends it would be buffet but a much higher quality and variety was expected as this place comes with a big price tag. Also the staff in the restaurant was not very attentive and if we dined late during service hours a lot of the items were sold out and the staff seemed annoyed by us being there.
There should be an a la carte option here for dinner. Or at least have a seafood and fresh fish buffet. Also there was no snack menu to order from during the day. Food and the quality needs a big upgrade or they should lower the prices.
We splashed out for one of the cabins in the sea. We of course got the 2nd closest to land and it practically was more on land than water. View was amazing though and the cabin itself was also really nice (cabin 06). However it also ment that we were right next to the basketball court which was frequently used and also the place where kayaks were drag out by early bird guests and dragged in again in the afternoon. This was really disappointing and assuming the price is the same for alle water cabins you really strike out of luck by getting 1, 2 and probably also 3 from land. The resort should offer these at a lower rate!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip 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.
Response from ElNidoResortsPH, Manager at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 14 Mar 2020
Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time and effort to recount your experience in TripAdvisor. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay. It has been our pleasure to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in future
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We had a safe and amazing experience at our first El Nido Travel Bubble in Lagen, This time we went to Miniloc and were even more blown away by the service, amenities, location and safety precautions. We were travelling with a 5 year-old and everyday, Chef James would ask what he wanted and made his favorite food. Waitstaff including Deo, Rey and Jess were all very friendly and attentive, asking us about our stay and ensuring our needs were met. The rooms at Miniloc are newly renovated so for us they were better than the rooms at Lagen. The beach was also nicer and love that there's so much coral and fish just a few meters from the shore. Activities, arranged by Jade and her team, were within Miniloc so we did not have to rely on a group tour all the time as we did in Lagen. Since we did all the tours in January, we were able to choose the places we wanted to go and sometimes, a private boat would just take us there given everything is so close by, such as Big Lagoon (just a kayak away), Secret Lagoon, and Shimizu island. The wifi in our room was not that strong and we had to attend a few online meetings and classes. Teddy gladly gave us vacant room for a day where the wifi was strong so we were able to work and our son was able to attend his online class without interruption. As we left, we were already discussing schedules for our next El Nido bubble trip.
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Date of stay: June 2021
Value
Rooms
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.
We loved our stay on Miniloc island. The location is stunning and so convenient for all the main attractions in El Nido such as big and small lagoon, shimizu island snorkelling. The tours were all great, really well run and were timed so that we missed the big crowds of tourists from the mainland. We also went to Entalula island which has a beautiful white sand beach. My only negative would be that they need to tidy up the back of the Entalula beach club and sort the toilets out as they weren't very clean and were very basic. I think they are doing great work on running the resort sustainably however I was disappointed to see so many people standing on the coral when snorkelling - they need to do a a better job of educating people about this and stopping them do it, the leaflet in the room is not enough. Overall we had a wonderful time here and i would highly recommend staying here.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from ElNidoResortsPH, Manager at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 12 Feb 2020
Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time and effort to recount your experience in TripAdvisor. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay. It has been our pleasure to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in future
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There were eight of us in our party and we occupied different room categories. Overall, the Sea View is the one that we would all recommend. The Water Cottage, where I stayed, was quite small and older than the others. While the room was very clean, it was in need of updating and refurbishing, like the tile/grout in the shower. I rate the Water Cottage a 3 star and the Sea View a 4 star. All meals, as advertised, are served buffet style. We were there for three nights and the menu selection did not change throughout our stay. The first day was great but by the third day, the selection and variety were getting old. I rate the food selection a 3 star and food quality a 4 star. Our tour guide, ANDY, was the absolute BEST and gets a 5+++ stars. He was always on time, planned our activities for the day, knew the island sites really well, taught us how to SUP and maneuver a kayak, extremely helpful & patient to my not so mobile sister, very polite and all around nice guy. Although I'm sure the other guides are also wonderful, I recommend you ask for Andy to be your personal tour guide. The servers and behind the counter staff at the dining room were all very attentive and genuinely happy to assist us with anything. We never had to wait to get water refills or dirty plates removed. I rate them a 5+stars also. The laundry service was excellent. Our clothes came back clean and neatly folded. Another 5+ starts. The housekeeping team also gets 5+ stars from us. Our room just got magically cleaned while we were gone. They seem to know when we're in the room so they didn't disturb us. We love that our guide Andy greeted us at the airport terminal at arrival and accompanied us back to the terminal at departure. This made the airport process much easier as he also took care of our luggage. The island is beautiful and peaceful with plenty of water activity during the day. However, there are no night time activity or entertainment so after dinner it's either the bar or your room.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Response from ElNidoResortsPH, Manager at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 28 Jan 2020
Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time and effort to recount your experience in TripAdvisor. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay. It has been our pleasure to have you with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in future
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I chose to holiday in the Philippines after seeing a Facebook post of Big Lagoon. After looking on the map to find its location I saw a resort nestled on the same island of Miniloc and chose that as our destination. From our arrival at the airport we were blown away by the beauty of the land and the people. The airport staff greeted us in song and our transfer guide was there to grab our luggage and get us to the awaiting boat all the while pointing out things of interest on the way. The boat ride only took about 30 minutes and we were blown away by the gorgeous scenery. We arrived at Miniloc Island to a joyous singalong by the resort staff, a welcome drink and cold towel. Great start! The resort was super clean, right down to the sand being raked every day! The staff felt like family, the food was awesome and all activities included in your package including lunch on neighbouring islands if you chose. All the tour guides were exceptional and at no time did we find we were being pushed into doing anything or buying anything. Having said that, because it’s all included (drinks not included) we didn’t think to take cash on tours and we wish we had because there are locals who float around selling ice creams, beer, drinks and fresh coconuts. The resort is plastic free so be sure to bring a sturdy water bottle that you can refill with the water provided by the hotel. Miniloc Island Resort is the perfect location to base yourself while exploring the surrounding islands and lagoons or just stay right here and snorkel with turtles, Jack fish and an abundance of other fish and marine life. Tipping to individual staff is not allowed, which is sort of lucky because we would be broke! There are so many staff that made our stay so enjoyable. You can tip at the end and it goes to all staff including the gardeners who keep the grounds immaculate, wait staff who ensure that your plate is removed the minute you are finished eating, the guides who show you the most amazing places you’ll see, the cleaners who make up your room each day and remove any sand you bring in, and the list goes on. Bring light weight, quick drying clothes, aqua shoes to walk on the rocks, sunscreen, a quality water bottle, waterproof case for your phone and your spirit of adventure and get ready to have the holiday of a lifetime!! Thankyou everyone at Miniloc for making our holiday so special, we hope to be back real soon!
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip 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.
Response from El Nido Resorts, General Manager at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 7 Nov 2022
Dear Ms. Kerrie, we could not express how thankful we are for all your beautiful words to the whole team. We are truly grateful for your appreciation to all the efforts of each staff. We will definitely share this inspiring words to the Team and we are so happy that we were able to contribute in making your holiday so special. We also hope to see you again soon. All the best!
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We stayed at the end of the month of November. We were welcomed by the best and most hospitable staff ever. It was such a pleasant experience to be in a peaceful and most beautiful environment in a time of a pandemic. I felt like everything was back to normal though they were really on top in terms of safety precautions that they do. They require RT PCR for all guests and they do intensive cleaning before and after.
The food was superb! The choices were enough and were really handpicked so they could only offer you ones that would seriously satisfy your palate. Imagine to be in an exquisite place with buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!! The staff in the restaurant also were so accommodating. Well, all their staff in the resort actually were very polite and hospitable. They would greet you every time they pass by and would offer help before you even ask.
For the activities, you don't have to stress about it anymore as they are all laid out for you. They would bring you to beautiful lagoons and island, you would enjoy kayaking! And at the end of the day, do not forget to book their massage! Best massage ever. You would be in a hut in front of the beach so the sound of the waves were also so calming.
Lastly, rooms are very clean! My number one priority in choosing a hotel/resort. I enjoy relaxing and sleeping after doing the activities during the day. (Though I opt to relax in the beach front just because I was at home the entire pandemic so... lol). Ok enough. Definitely worth your money! And I am ready to go back!!!
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Date of stay: November 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from Miniloc Island Resort, Other at El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
Responded 17 Jan 2022
Thank you very much for choosing to stay with us and taking the time to share your comments. It is certainly encouraging to learn that you were satisfied with your stay. Rest assured that our team will continue to be stewards of the environment, and be steadfast in our commitment to safe tourism. We are looking forward to welcoming you back in the near future.
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If you are staying in miniloc, you are already in Bacuit Bay where all the beautiful sites are. If your friends are staying in the mainland (Lio), they still have to take. 30-40 minute boat ride to your area. There will be some retrictions in Miniloc. They will not allow non staying guests on the property. My suggestion would be for your friends to hire a private bangks from Palaweña or similar companies. Then you can arrange for you to be brought to an area where you can meet (for example, the big or small lagoon which is close to Miniloc), and then join them in their biat & continue on your tour. Miniloc will charge you for use of their biat to drop you off, but it will not be so expensive because the big lagoon & small lagoon are not that far from Miniloc. You may ask advice too, from the company you will rent a boat from.
When I was there with the family yes all meals and activities like islands hoping, snorkeling, scuba diving, transfers, feeding baby sharks, return flights all included ;) though check with your travel agents as it depends what they offers or what you prefer… thanks ;)
Hi Samantha G! Hope you can share your email address and contact details and we can have our reservation agents reach out to you.
Hope to see you at Miniloc soon!
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