El Gordo's Adventures And Guesthouse — Hotel in El Nido

I travelled solo and stayed in a private room at El Gordo's for a week.||||Room:||The room was spacious, bed was clean, and there are fans to keep you well ventilated. The toilet was attached to my room and I even had a nice big space for dressing up. The showers are cold, but that is to be expected of the Philippines! Also, you'll get used to it like I did! Otherwise, Gordon and Cristina will surely find a way to get you a warm shower. ;) ||||Location:||The location of the guesthouse requires you to walk through a very local residential area which is quite rocky but very safe even at night. The great thing is you get to see how the locals live, and maybe make a few new friends when walking back to the guesthouse every day. Another plus point is that the area where the guesthouse is at, is very quiet at night, so you won't hear any man-made noise when you're about to prepare for bed. It's also not far from the main town area where all the bars and shops are at, just a short 10 - 15 minute walk away, or 5 minutes by tricycle. ||||Food:||The breakfast served each morning is always delicious, made with care, and at the timing requested for, which is important if you're going out for any island hopping or dive trips in the morning. My favourites are the french toast, and omelette with potatoes. They also make a great BLT sandwich which is more like the size of a burger! ||||Tours:||I booked a full day kayak tour with El Gordo's and got my own personal guide in a double kayak. He brought me to a few beautiful beaches, Cadlao lagoon, and we watched the sunset before paddling back. It's kind of like an island hopping tour but I could stay at each place as long as I wanted and I got my own personal photographer too. AND, no hoards of tourists! Highly recommended if you're a solo traveller and don't mind doing a small amount of kayaking in the sun. ||||Tips for staying here:||1) Leave your expectations at the door, this is not a 5 star hotel or a fancy hostel.||2) Bring your own towel, they offer laundry service so you can always wash it! ||3) Bring earplugs because the geckos are nocturnal and the roosters wake up at 4am! I'm pretty sure this is the standard at any other guesthouse in the PH. ||4) You'll be living near the beach, expect some sand underneath your feet almost all the time. ;) ||||The stuff that matters:||1) Delicious home made banana chips!!!!!! ||2) A lovely deck for having breakfast/ drinks, for being social with the other guests, or just for having an amazing view in the morning. ||3) The best hosts, Gordon and Cristina. Their hospitality beats no other, they welcomed me like a family friend and made sure I was well taken care of. Thank you so much for the experience, I will be...

Took a three day kayaking tour around Bacuit Bay from El Gordo Adventures, felt logical as we are staying there. And oh man, I am happy we did. It ended up being just the two of us, and our crew that consisted of our captain Reggie, the assistant Jack Sparrow and our kayaking guide Mr Stability aka Aaron. We had actually little knowledge of what we had set us into except that we would be sleeping in a tent in different locations each night. The day started out as a normal day tour - kayaking, snorkeling and enjoying the fabulous scenery and beaches of the Philippines. The more remote islands we did with our support boat, a bangka, while our kayaks were lifted up in the boat. The biggest surprise was when we arrived at our first camping site. A secluded beach, like in the movies, with only us staying there. The crew was sleeping on the boat and there was also a beach guard living there, who also slept on his own boat while we were there. We had been promised an all inclusive which would include the food as well. Little did we know that the guys would prepare us a crazy feast on the boat, and serve it at our beautiful camping spot 😍. They really know how to use spices here! Day two, our journey continued to five different beaches and snorkeling spots. The scenery here is immaculate. If you’ve seen Waterworld, the Philippines islands look exactly like the Dryland in the end of the movie 🤩. Our lunch was once again prepared by our fabulous crew on the boat while we were snorkeling in the beatiful turquoise water lagoon. The highlight of our second day was when we were taken to our camping spot and shown to a well behind the beach guards family house where we could wash ourselves. Fresh water has never felt so good on the skin! We were prepared once again a superb meal and the guys prepared our tent right on the beach so we could fall asleep to the sound of the waves. Day three was mostly kayaking and also Nacpan beach, which was the first place on three days with electricity and plumbing. Our first order was brewed coffee and man did that taste good! If ever in El Nido, you should definitely use El Gordos adventures for your tour organizer. You are sure to get the best value for your money, and his way of going all in for helping you to have the perfect vacation is really heartwarming. His guest house is also super cute and clean and moderately priced, a little bit off El Nido beachfront (10min walk) and away from the crowds (thank God). We did this tour in the beginning of a 3-week trip and I can say that nothing could be compared to these three days. A real adventure of a lifetime! Thank you Gordon, you are...

I joined El Gordo’s 3 day kayak camping trip and then stayed in the guesthouse dorm for 2 additional nights. Gordon and Christina run a unique and very local business in a special location. Gordon went beyond expectations to manage logistics and was very generous with gear and support to make it possible for me to join the trip-even when my flight was delayed. The kayak trip was an incredible way to see islands and get away from the more crowded tour boat routes. Aaron, Reggie and Rollie (Guide, Boat Men) are amazing at their work and fun to spend time with. Best lunch on a Bangka ever! Aaron got me out on a remote sandy basketball court for about the first time in 20 years. The guesthouse covers all the needs for a little more adventurous traveler, excellent food, safe and secure, useful Wi-Fi, beautiful balcony overlooking gorgeous scenery, helpful and friendly hosts. The 4 person dorm room was clean and equipped as a simple hostel type space-comfortable mattress and pillows, with overhead fan and ground fan, each bunk with bug net. Bath room is Filipino style and covers all the basic needs. Sure, things aren’t fancy and new, but the charming and welcoming hosts and house fits the character of a local place and is a nice change of pace from busy El Nido town (just a short 5-10 minute) walk away. The walk itself provides a real view of everyday life of the community. Go there for a great...