Huni Lio, El Nido — Hotel in El Nido

Huni Lio was a small 2 storey beach front hotel in Lio, El Nido. It was a last minute booking so the price we paid was a bit high (more than $200 a night). The rooms were a good size, with twin beds, a desk, dresser, cabinet with safe, TV, mini bar, large sofa (which could be used as an extra bed). The beds were comfortable & they made the room up daily upon my request. Upon arrival I was surprised that they only provided bath towels and bath gel & shampoo through dispensers. Upon request they added hand & face towels. But there were no bar soaps, vanity kit, robe or slippers. For the price paid, I was expecting these amenities.

Buffet breakfast facing the beach, was included with a decent selection. The F&B service was great, and ambience was nice. If you wanted to eat elsewhere, there were several good restaurants just 1 min walk away. Location of Huni was ideal to the restos and the airport. Free airport transfer was included.

The hotel had a small pool which was right by the reception. The area was always clean & beach towels were always avail. They also exchange your towels when wet. Receptionists were polite, but they strictly stuck to the check in & check out times.

Perhaps due to our last min booking we were assigned a room on the passage way from reception to the resto & beach, which made it quite noisy at times. I would reco avoiding rooms 101-105 if you’re a light sleeper.

Beach chairs were available but only one pair was covered. Since it rained during our stay, we had to try & secure these or else end up at the beach front resto or at other public beach chairs in Lio beach. Overall it was still a good stay & I would recommend it for the general service & location.

Be aware that waves at Lio beach during the Dec-Jan pd are quite high. So small children who swim here would need supervision. There were even surfers in the late afternoon.

Photos are of the beach front of hotel, and the very nearby...

Firstly, Lio beach is fantastic. It’s just ten minutes from El Nido, but it seems like a planned area, with everything looking like it’s been built in the last few years. The beach is 100 times nicer than El Nido, much less touristy, and there’s 8-10 restaurants and cafes that are nearly all of a high standard. I highly recommend staying in Lio vs El Nido area. In particular, the cafe, the taco truck, and “a spa” are fantastic at what they do.

The Huna Lio is one of a scant few hotels on Lio beach. The rooms are modern and comfortable. They offer anything you could possibly need- reliable wifi and AC, a small fridge, a balcony with cozy seats, etc. The large pool in the courtyard was usually empty and was so peaceful. The hotel is steps from the beach, and though it does not own any loungers, there are enough available free of charge from the Lio municipality. There are always tricycles waiting outside to take customers in to el Nido, for only 350 pesos. I was able to have laundry done at the hotel, and they helped with transport in and out of the area.

Two areas of improvement are the breakfast (restaurant area is modern and welcoming, but the food- it’s been mentioned in reviews before- is not really made for a western palette, though most of the guests seem to be western), and the shower never really got hot (though in the humid weather the cool shower didn’t really bother me).

I would highly recommend...

So I used to have dinner/lunch to this resto “Huni El Nido” with friends, because the food is good, and it's my third time eating lunch there alone. I always bring work with me wherever I go, and I tend to stay for longer hours. Then the restaurant team leader told me I can't work and stay longer there because they said they're not a working place, even though I had food and was a paying customer. To be honest, there were a lot of empty tables, sometimes it's just me there and I still have sisig on my plate. She told me I can sit outside because the inside tables are for customers, but I am a customer. It's my first time in Lio, usually, businesses here are very friendly and open to digital nomads.

At my friend's suggestion, I decided not to leave and just ordered again and continued working. So I ordered mango juice, and the staff told me, 'Mahal po mango juice, 190’- ‘the mango juice here is expensive, 190’.

From the management's perspective, they wanted to maintain exclusivity for the guests, so why do they still accept walk-ins and have the menu placard outside their restaurant? They can also tell to the customers in advance!

They wanted customers to eat and leave because they don’t want them to stay longer in their facility, even if it’s...