Best Eco Hotels in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

This was an almost untouched part of the island before the resort opened, and the owners have done everything they can to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible. Everything here is built with sustainable and local materials, including bamboo (instead of hardwood, which takes longer to grow), cogon, and a minimum amount of concrete. The outcome is a beautiful resort that perfectly blends with the surrounding grounds. Other sustainable efforts include eco-friendly toiletries in all rooms, and the use of solar power, local produce, and natural fertilizers and insect repellents.

El Nido Resorts Lagen Island has a gorgeous setting on a largely uninhabited island in northern Palawan. Like all four properties in the El Nido Resorts chainlet, this intimate tropical retreat does much to protect its gorgeous environment, including extensive water, energy, and biodiversity conservation efforts and the operation of sewage treatment and desalination plants. Motorized water sports, like jet-skiing, are not available, though non-motorized water sports are free with the rates. The restaurants purchase the majority of their meats and produce locally and removed grouper from their menus when the local population started to shrink.

Like Lagen Island and the other El Nido Resorts, Miniloc Island is a tropical oasis with laid-back style and immense green initiatives, including the use of solar panels in some of its water cottages. All hotel staff members undergo "Be G.R.E.E.N." (Guard, Respect, Educate El Nido) training, which educates on conservation, waste management, and environmental laws. The hotel group purchases bags and slippers from craftspeople in local villages (these amenities are free for guests) and buys as locally as possible for its restaurants.

El Nido Resorts Pangulasian Island is located in Bacuit Bay, on an island mostly untouched lush forests, pristine white sands, and clear azure waters, and aside from the hotel, there isn't much in the way of services or other businesses. The resort, a destination in itself, offers a variety of activities such as water sports, hiking, and island tours. The same as the other hotels in the group, Pangulasian Island is strict about its environmental measures, which include composting, recycling, and the use of eco-friendly boats, CFL bulbs, and low-flow showerheads and toilets.

Located on a remote beach in northeastern Palawan, the four-pearl El Nido Resorts Apulit Island is a stunning, intimate retreat for those looking to get in touch with nature. Its 50 rooms are housed in stand-alone thatched cottages built on stilts directly over the clear waters. In line with El Nido Resorts' many eco-friendly practices, Apulit Island offers sustainable menus, refillable drinking water, and low-impact activities, such as snorkeling and sea kayaking. The on-site PADI center offers scuba diving day trips to coral reefs and a Japanese shipwreck, and the hotel can arrange for guests to climb up and rappel down its 200-foot limestone cliff.