Casa Juliana El Nido

The rooms are tiny, but they were very clean, and the bed was more comfortable than in many hotels I’ve stayed at around the Philippines. The hosts were simply lovely and made me feel at home. I’ve never had such warm, kind hospitality here. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from town, close to a beach, with plenty of shops nearby. You won’t get a huge room, but I’d definitely recommend it if you want to feel welcome.

We got a little chocolate and a note for Valentine’s Day, a lovely touch. We stayed for a week in February after booking somewhat last minute, and luckily they still had rooms. The staff were super nice and helpful. Breakfast was decent and much cheaper than at nearby places, there was free water and coffee, and the Wi-Fi worked. The room was small, but the bed was comfortable and clean, the AC worked, and there was a fan too. The bathroom was also small, with plenty of hot water, though the floor didn’t slope enough to drain. It stayed wet through the night and morning after a shower. We could mop it up with our towels and get fresh ones, so it wasn’t a dealbreaker. It’s next to the bus stop and about a 10-15 minute walk from el nido town. There are shops around, a restaurant on the beach, and an ATM next door. Casa Juliana is great value for the price.

We only stayed because our cruise had been postponed and we urgently needed somewhere for the night before it. This hotel was next door to the cruise meetup point, which suited us. Our previous hotel couldn’t extend our booking, and we’d paid just a third of this price there. Booking directly through the hotel’s website was a drama. I chose that way so they’d earn more than through a booking site, but there was no option to pay at booking. I spent an anxious three hours trying to get confirmation and a payment link. They finally called at midday to ask if I still wanted the room because I hadn’t paid. I paid $125 through papypal, then was asked to pay extra at check-in to cover the PayPal fee. We would have paid less through booking.com. The ‘deluxe room’ was on the ground floor, right by heavy traffic. It was a good size and had air conditioning and a few cosmetic touches, but the smell of faeces covered with room spray hit us as soon as we opened the door and never went away. Water had collected in a drawer, leaving my underwear wet. When I filled the kettle, soapy water bubbled out; rinsing it revealed brown slime at the bottom. If we hadn’t been so desperate for a room, we wouldn’t have stayed.

The receptionists and housekeeping staff were friendly and accommodating throughout my stay, and they helped make Casa Juliana a fantastic choice for visiting El Nido. They can arrange island hopping tours and scooter rentals, and the complimentary water was much appreciated. I booked at the last minute and they had a room available. The hotel is in a nice central location in Corong-Corong, close enough to El Nido and not far from Lio Beach or Vanilla Beach. My room had a comfortable bed, shelves and a countertop, large curtained windows, and cold AC. It was spacious enough, and the bathroom had pump bottles of shampoo and body wash.