I was walking up and down the beach of El Nido town, finding a place to stay for the next two nights. As expected, there are a lot of places to stay in. I would prefer one that is beside the beach with a view of the sea. I was wondering where my fellow boatmates ended up when I stumbled into the Turkish couple at a resort. He told me it looked like a great place but here was looking for a room for two which we not available at the time. But for a single traveler like me, it would be perfect.
The name of the place is The Alternative Center. It is made of wood and has a very unique feel. It has two floors, with the bottom floor presumably for the family to stay in. The upper floor is where the guests stay. Reception is also there.
The moment I saw the place, I immediately wanted to stay there. Fortunately, there is still room and I immediately took it. My room is is a single bed with no doors. I kind of felt uneasy about the place no having doors but since people are always there, it should be fine. A lot of things are different about the place. The bed is octagonal in shape. The “doors” are just some sort of makeshift curtain. There is no air conditioning either, but there is an overhead fan to keep guests cool.
Unfortunately, my room didn’t have any bathroom. I would have to use the common one downstairs. Something I don’t really mind at all. The bathroom wasn’t really very far anyway. Oh yeah, no hot water either.
The reception area is similarly made of wood and indigenous materials. It has a very traditional feel to it. To the point that the internet-enabled computer feels out of place. Just beyond the reception is an open area for travelers without rooms to stay in. I found it amusing to see that they can offer something like this.
To the end of the room is the terrace area. It has an amazing view of the bay and the islands around it. It offers bar stools for guests to relax and soak in the scenery. Speaking of relax, just off to the side of the bar stools is a hammock, where you can really relax and sleep the day away. To the other side of the bar stools and what I can only describe as nests. They are round platforms with cushions for guests to gather, sit, take in the view and relax. I really like this place.
It was almost dinner time and I was tired and starving from the long trip. I was ordering food at the dining area when this lady mentioned me over. She was seated at one of the nests and invited me to have dinner. She was Korean-American and was in the Philippines for a few months. She was traveling alone and probably wanted some company. Another traveler soon joined us, this time he is from Sweden. Apparently, the two met during their travels here and stayed together ever since.
The Alternative Center also serves food and is more than happy to cater to vegetarians. Since they do not serve any meat at all. With no meat, I ordered some fish dish. And it was great! Normally, health food places don’t have much taste so I generally avoid them. But this one was really good.
After getting to know my new friends, we decided to go for the island hopping tour the next day. Obviously, we would save a lot if we share the boat. And I don’t really mind that at all.
As the sun set, the view disappeared in the darkness, I set out to see what else is there in town. El Nido is a small town built around the bay. Below are a couple of bars by the beach. It is not noisy, unlike maybe a Boracay, so it still has that small town feel. Behind the beach are a row of souvenir shops, strangely enough, I didn’t feel like buying any of them this time.
When I got back to The Alternative Center, I noticed that the tide was already coming in. After a few more hours you won’t be able to step out of the place without getting wet. I found it strange that they would put up a place so near the shore. True enough, when the tide is high, the water is literally already at the resort’s doorstep.
There is nothing much to do now. Next door, some group is having a karaoke session and is becoming quite noisy. But I think I can live with that. I went to bed and looked forward to my island hopping tour the next day.
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