Duli Beach Resort — Hotel in El Nido

Ever heard the saying: less is more?|Well, the ingenuity is here, more or less...||The journey in is as challenging with off road tracks trails and countryside, as interesting as the resort itself.||Van Aircon taxi from El Nido airport, php2000 (one way). Around 30-50 mins depending on time of day.|If you prefer tricycle, php1000 (one way).|As of, July 2024.|All ably assisted by Elma in pre arranged emails.||Sited at end of Duli beach, around 200m walk, set in half forest mangroves and beach surrounds - almost dreamlike - are a few bungalows, each equipped with simple living standards of, fan, big comfy bed and pillows, bathroom including shower...|This also included complimentary chickens swinging by to say hello, of course a few dogs roaming freel, and butterflies landing around us meeting our acquaintance..|Solar lighting is utilised.|WiFi and electric is not in abundance so selective hours on days to conserve, part of the eco way - it adds to a real 'get away from it all' feel.|In the morning, beautiful sunrises, if you're lucky.|At night, the stars come out to play, if you're lucky.|You fall asleep to the natural sounds of the sea and forest, also the breeze- no soundproofing here - but every bungalow is detached so your neighbour is away from you.||Check in, simple quick formality.|Elma and Max, the proprietors and their 2 big bosses, were so helpful and engaging during our stay. Never overbearing, they appeared like tourists themselves! But always on hand to help with advice and logistics.||Just to say, if luxury state of art fashion and all the mod cons is your thing, this would possibly be a place to make you think twice before booking....but if rest, seclusion and tranquility, set in natural surroundings with an eco ethic about them is your sort of thing, close to beach and sea - you won't go far wrong with a simple, yet charming stay.|Bring your bug repellent, this is natural at it's most biting!||A surfers paradise. Waves in abundance.|A few other beach games available with a net set up for beach volleyball, and hammocks between the trees. Some Jenga, card games and puzzles with a small library of books in reception/restaurant.||Food is traditional choice of breakfast.|There are lunch options (we didn't take them).|Dinner is a small choice of local Filipino dishes, we had squid with rice, and pork with pasta and shared (all delicious). |Try the freshly made fruit shakes! Yum! Canned fruit drinks available, as is fresh coconut with a straw!|Beers 330ml and 1litre water are coming out at php100. |Wine, and spirits also on offer.||Check out simple, and breakfast offered as we had an early morning leave the next day. Nice touch. We had help transporting suitcase to our transport from night security porter guy. ||If there's ever a documentary or docu drama that needs to be made, this is it! |What a fantastic unique offering of a basic 'let nature do the talking' experience of Filipino life where the fun is in the detail....thank you so much for hosting us, we appreciated every minute of it!|Affordable and unique experience here, we can't speak highly enough of this place that offers something different of less, not more in amenities. But more sights sounds and feelings than the average more ⭐ rated establishments, especially with their seasonal turtle conservation plan.||That would indeed be an interesting...

Magical unforgettable experience.

Duli Beach will leave you breathless. It’s pristine sands, all-natural landscapes, the beautiful star-lit night sky. They have this long stretch of beach that’s empty of tourists so you basically have the beach to yourself. All you can hear are the wind and the waves. This is picturesque perfection of nature right here. It doesn’t get any better than this.

The surfing was amazing too. There’s multiple shops that offer surfboard rentals and lessons.

At night, if you time your trip just right, you’ll have a star-studded night sky. I mean countless little white dots of these awesome glowing balls of gas light years away. This was the highlight of my trip.

The resort has a few things they can improve on, mostly outside of their control, however. They only have electricity at certain times of the day so they have a small battery in the room for the overnight fan. The room is bare bones which is understandable seeing as you don’t really go to Duli for the hotel stay. It’s just a bed and a bathroom. They only have curtains against a screen door/wall for privacy which isn’t really a bad thing especially cause you need a lot of ventilation given the lack of good electricity.

The food is average. They don’t have a good selection. I got the Dutch style pancakes for breakfast which they should have spruced up more. It’s just 2 pancakes. Maybe they could have added eggs or fruits. Their coffee was top tier though. They had freshly brewed French press coffee which was superb and the perfect add-on to the whole beach experience.

The staff was nice, hospitable, friendly and accommodating. They offer laundry.

The logistics is the worst part. They didn’t communicate with us that you need to walk around 150 something meters to get to the hotel. This would have been okay if not for having to lug around heavy luggage through sand. They said they could have helped out if we told them about our arrival time. But we didn’t know that getting there would be a challenge. Getting to the beach is another whole ordeal which again is out of their control. It’s a hilly dirt road and you need to have good grip strength to hold on to the tricycle. Maybe they should have some kind of atv to help bring you to and fro the main road.

All in all it was an unforgettable experience. Magical....

Max and Alma's Duli Beach Resort is currently the only lodging on the beach. It is in a beautiful setting, nestled next to the rocks on the south side of the beach. The beach is large, clean, and quiet but the water can be rough (compared with other beaches in the Philippines--not compared to New Jersey!) Duli Beach is a surfer's paradise with a few surfing schools nearby, but it is a bit difficult to get there. ||||The cabins are large and close to the beach. So close, in fact, that the roar of the waves at night can seem deafening at first. We had a king size bed that was comfortable and clean. The cabins are attractive and designed perfectly for the location. Each cabin has its own bathrooms along with a front porch facing the sea. There is no AC but it is not needed as there is a huge screen that makes up the front wall of the cabin, allowing for a cool sea breeze. Privacy is not an issue as they have a full curtain you can close. Wi-Fi is extremely spotty, and we only had it certain times of the day. ||||Some other things points to mention:||-The massages were fantastic. The woman who they have is strong and the setting relaxing.||-Max and Alma are wonderful hosts and have a lovely family. The staff is friendly and hardworking and keep the entire resort spotless from top to bottom.||-There is a trail behind the resort that goes up to a viewpoint--it is short but worth doing.||-The menu was small but can change quickly. We were there when the bartender came in holding a fish that was just caught. Max looked at me and said, "Would you like fish for supper tonight?" It was fantastic!||-They have a turtle rescue onsite, and we were there to see baby turtles released into the sea 3 out of the 4 nights we stayed there. ||-Max and Alma arranged for our transportation back to the airport. There are various options from private van to tricycle depending on your budget.||||If you plan on taking a shared van, make sure that the driver does not drop you off at the intersection of the beach road and the main road--that is still 3.2 kilometers from Duli Beach. Ask him to take you a couple of kilometers down the beach road till the road starts to go up the big hill. The last kilometer or so of that beach road is really bad and most drivers will not...