El Nido Reef Strand Resort

Sheryn Ibrahim

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January 15, 2025

Beautiful resort with the best service. So far the best place we stayed in Palawan. The owner himself came looking for us when we could not find the place (google maps tells you to go through a dirt road in a mountain, DO NOT GO THAT WAY, take the beach road from town square, however if you call the resort they will come pick you up!) The service was phenomenal, they clean your room better than I've ever experienced in a hotel and they will do it daily if you ask. They even made us food after all the restaurants including theirs were closed and the food is very good! The owner takes good care of guests making sure everyone is happy. Everyone is very friendly, I highly recommend this place. It's a bit out of the way but they have free rides back and forth from town so it's not an issue! Thank you very much for making our trip great! 😊

Richard Bergeron

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February 02, 2025

From our perspective, the way it is currently, this hotel should not even be allowed to operate. It requires major maintenance. Honestly, don’t go there. This appears to be like a scam to take advantage and trap travellers. We had made a reservation for what was expected to be a “Deluxe room” in upper floor level with ocean view for 3 nights. We had also selected the option requesting transportation from the airport. The benefits were also supposed to include “Express check in” and a welcome drink. We had received a written confirmation that our booking request had been confirmed. Unfortunately, this is not how it turned out, nor what we received. There was nothing “express” in what we went through. And for health & safety reasons, we ended up having to find an alternate hotel for our stay in El Nido. When we arrived at the airport, there was no representative from the hotel. We had not received any communication either. It was strange, but managed to wait in line to get transportation (only a “tricycle” was possible). After finally arriving at the hotel on our own, there was nobody at the Front Desk to welcome us. There was only a man sitting at the bar working on his laptop. He did not even turn is head to look at us. We thought that he was a client. Later, we learned that he was in fact the owner of the property ! Eventually an employee came to the Front Desk. She presented a paper form to fill with a set of rules that we had to follow, and surprisingly (considerign that the reservation had been fully paid) requested that we make a deposit of 2,000 PHP without specifying the reason. We then went to the Room #2. What a surprise to realize that this room did not correspond to our booking and certainly not to any definition of what constitute a “Deluxe Room”. It did not match the pictures seen or definitions on the website or reservation platforms. That room was located behind the reception building, had mould dew, and very strong smell from the mould. It also, for example, did not include the bath tub, hair dryer, and beach towels expected. It had multiple holes in the wals. We then went back to the Front Desk to enquire about what did happen to the room that we had reserved. The Front Desk employee was not confortable with the situation. She literally disappeared. This is then that the owner, who was sitting at the bar since the beginning, intervened to explain that somebody else was in our room in the upper level, and that this customer did not want to leave the room. The owner acknowledged that he should have notified us ahead of time, and also that he would not be picking us up at the airport. He did not have any other solution to offer other than Room #2. He went on explaining that the hotel was fully booked. We went back to Room #2 to discuss the situation, and assess what were the possible options available for us. A quick search revealed that in fact, there were at least 2 other “Deluxe rooms” available for the same dates as us (at 1/3 of the cost that we had paid). That lead to major doubts and trust issues with the story of the owner. When we challenged back the owner, he changed his story or statements. He wanted us to give him time so that he would talk to other clients to see if they would accept to be relocated. We were very stressed and went to the hotel next door to see if they had anything available. Unfortunately no. We finally found an alternate hotel and transportation on our own. And able to live the El Nido Reef Strand hotel just on time before high tide. This is false representation. The pictures, the information available and the definitions for this hotel are misleading and not representatives of the reality. There was also no information made available to us that this hotel was in fact not accessible by vehicle (other than by tricycle and only when there is low tide). If we would have stayed in this hotel, we would have been partially stuck (for example to go for dinner and come back). And in case of emergency situation, people’s life might be at risk.

Andreea Girbaci

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January 13, 2025

The location was very remote from the center of the city and TownSquare, we had to go through water on the beach because there was no other way to reach Townsquare or the city center and some days the tides were high so we were soaked wet. The furniture is old, there were ants in the room, the stairs leading up to the room were rusty and they are in spiral shape, it was very scary to carry our luggages up and down the rusty stairs. Given the price we paid (350 eur for 3 nights) we expected the location to look nice, however it was not the case.The wifi has a weak connection, the water pressure is low, the hotel’s location is on the beach but you cannot use the beach because it is dirty. I haven’t found any advantage during our stay, the positive reviews are misleading.I don’t recommend this accomodation, it is better to find an accomodation close to the center/ Townsquare.

Srikar

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October 22, 2024

Rooms are clean with an amazing sea view. They are located a km away from town square where most restaurants and cafés are located, but they provide a free tricycle service to get to town square between 7am to 7pm. The breakfast they serve was tasty as well. WiFi in the room also seems to be very fast at around 100mbps Very helpful front desk staff. Definitely recommended

Andrew MacLeod

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December 15, 2023

I stayed at the Reef Strand Resort at the beginning of November for four days, I was there with several friends and we had a blast. The owner and his wife were great hosts and made us feel right at home. The breakfast was included, and always hot and fresh, their tocino was fantastic! The beers were reasonably priced and the food was comparable to the food prices out in town. The owner being German definitely meant there were sausages on the menu, I definitely enjoyed a few late night curry wursts! The owners wife coordinated tours for us and even came along with us, she arranged drinks even for the island hopping tour and what we didn’t finish she let us self consume poolside! The food was outstanding and we definitely enjoyed our time there, and you can’t beat the view!