BonBob Inn — Hotel in El Nido

I battled to decide what the overall rating should be, as well as how to rate the location. In terms of ease of getting to places and also not being right in the hustle and bustle of the village, it is ideal as there is transport available right outside, plus an easy walk into the village where there are restaurants, shops and a lovely beach with beautiful scenery. To the left there are more little shops (like at markets) and Los Cabanas is about 4-5kms from BonBob Inn. We walked there, first along the road and then along the beach when we found a path going down to a place with beach access. We took a trike back. So, great location for this. The absolute downside to the location is the constant, about 22hrs a day, thunderous noise from the road due to all the trikes and motorcycles coming past. If we didn't have good earplugs, we wouldn't have slept a wink. Even in the daytime when we had to get some work done, it was quite disturbing.

Breakfast is ala carte, and you choose what you want the night before. It is not bad, but breakfast is served at a small table outside your room's door, right in the narrow corridor where everyone walks past. The road noise outside the room was even worse and didn't give a peaceful atmosphere in which to have breakfast.

Rooms don't have fridges or coffee facilities, but there is a communal area with tea and coffee (and milo very occasionally), as well as a fridge with bottles of water you can take to your room.

The rooms are clean and they provide daily cleaning if you tick it off on your breakfast sheet. They don't change used drinking glasses for clean ones, and some of the glasses are chipped. Clean towels are provided daily. Room size is not bad, but there's some wasted space that could've been used for more storage or a better wardrobe.

Customer service is not great, but there are a couple of people who were lovely. Others were quite grumpy.

Check-in wasn't great. To start with there's no clear signage to show where reception is, so we had to walk up the stairs to look for it. We were also not given instructions as to the breakfast sheets, but luckily the night-time staff menber was onto it and explained everything to us.

Water pressure in the shower is average and the sprayer is way too high.

Probably won't stay at...

I'm giving Bonbon 5 stars not because they're perfect but because they made our stay at El Nido so convenient.

Travelling with a budget, Bonbon Inn and Swiftlets Inn will now be my first consideration for accommodations on my next trip to El Nido. Hopefully soon!

Room The room was clean, spacious (for its price range in El Nido), and comfortably cold, with a split-type AC that kept it cool and dry. It could accommodate up to four people with a sofa bed included. The bathroom was clean, equipped with a bidet, and featured a hot tub we enjoyed using with bath bombs. The highlight was the cozy, supportive bed, which provided much-needed relief after long days of island hopping and travel. There is noise but I'm from Manila so i've gotten used to sleeping through stuff like that. However, being near the highway, some noise was noticeable but not overly disruptive. WiFi was decent (~20 Mbps), and alternative mobile data options (SMART and DITO) worked well. The TV had cable, and we used an HDMI cable for Netflix.

Location Conveniently located next to the highway and the main road to El Nido town, Bonbon Inn made it easy to access restaurants, bars, and other attractions on foot.

Service Service was exceptional from arrival. The staff accommodated our early check-in at no extra charge and offered complimentary drinks while preparing our room. Free breakfast (with four choices) was satisfying, and we could pre-schedule turndown service. Booking tours, transfers, and massages through the inn was seamless, with prices matching local providers. Charges were billed to the room, allowing for convenient payment via bank transfer at checkout. Island hopping, arranged through their partner, Leatherback Travel Company, was comfortable and well-organized.

Extras A ground-floor public shower was available for rinsing off sand before returning to the room.

Overall Bonbon Inn's clean, comfortable rooms, great location, and outstanding service made for an enjoyable and...

People underrate this place and complain like they've never stayed in the Philippines (except maybe manila?) or SE Asia. Yes, there is traffic noise, but it's not bad in your room during sleeping hours, if you use a sound machine you usually hear more noise at night. And wow, the roosters are far away, not right under window like some places! I'll take occassional light traffic to soothing me to sleep over jarring roosters every 15 minutes all night, ha! Next, breakfast served based on what you select right outside of your door! That's a PLUS in my book, yes, you do have traffic noise, but you would have the same if you were served on your balcony at most hotels... even in manila folks... The rooms are pretty new, the water pressure is great, the location is great. Yes, you have to walk up steps to get here... again, wver stayed in southease asia before, if so you are going to be alright, ha! Anyway, I hope people read this review. It's...