Duli Beach Resort

The night guard made a real difference. He was kind, proactive, and helpful, quickly sorting out a room key problem late at night and arranging transport for our return. The rest of the staff were generally friendly, but we felt service training and initiative were lacking. The younger receptionist we dealt with most often spoke the best English, yet seemed disengaged and not very welcoming. It sometimes felt uncomfortable to ask her things. At other places we stayed, reception staff would proactively offer help with transport, scooters, or activity ideas. We missed that here. With only a few rooms, we expected a more personal and attentive level of hospitality, but didn’t get it. The location itself is beautiful, peaceful, right on the beach, and good for disconnecting. It’s remote, around 50 minutes from El Nido, with limited activities. The water was cold, and Wi-Fi was very limited, especially after 10 PM. The signal in the area is generally weak. It has a lot of potential, and better staff training and more proactive service would make a big difference.

Getting here takes some effort, but I thought it was worth it. It’s a quiet spot up north, away from the town center, and a lovely place to recharge and just be. Wi-Fi is only available at certain times, and the nights are so still you’ll probably want to sleep early. The sky is beautiful, full of stars every night. I appreciated the owners’ care for the environment, including the solar-powered rooms. Their work with the turtles really touched me. They also offer surfing lessons for a fee. I loved the time I spent here.

We had a great stay and hope to come back someday. Max, Elma, and their kids gave us such a warm welcome, and we enjoyed disconnecting from civilization and eating great food. The highlight was waking up to news that baby turtles had hatched. We adopted a nest and are looking forward to the hatchlings arriving. One thing that needs attention is the toilets behind the restaurant, where there was no soap or disinfectant.

We spent a week at Duli and found it so hard to leave. It’s a special place, right by the sea, with the simple feel we love. The owners are friendly and helpful, and the off-grid limitations are managed really well. Surfing and massages are available at affordable prices. The restaurant is simple, but the food is good and tasty. The most unforgettable part was seeing baby turtles make their way to the sea every morning for a week. Maybe 500 to 1,000 were released in total. That was unique. Long life to duli beach resort, and well done to the owners for looking after such a special place.