Yes, it’s a totally different world out there.

Just 75 minutes by plane from Manila, El Nido is a perfect showcase of the rich and diverse flora and fauna endemic to Palawan, which has more similarities to Borneo than the rest of the Philippines. Composed of 45 islands and islets, El Nido is remarkable for its striking limestone cliffs jutting out of its clear blue waters as well as its pristine beaches, quiet lagoons, coves and caves, lush tropical rainforest and thick mangrove forests.

Declared a protected area by the Philippine government in 1998, the breathtaking panorama of majestic limestone cliffs over serene waters in cool shades of blues and greens - no noise and no pollution, promise to be feast for the senses. Lagen Island Resort is set amidst this backdrop. As a 2006 Conde Nast Traveler Green List Awardee, the resort operates with minimal impact to environment. Guests are likewise encouraged to do so.

Upon arrival at the resort, guests are not only briefed on what activities they can do like scuba diving, trekking, fishing, snorkeling, bird watching, island hopping, and doing “quiet” water sports like kayaking, hobie cat and windsurfing, but also on how they can help ‘preserve’ the green environment by killing nothing but time, taking nothing but pictures and leaving nothing but footprints. Guests are supplied with disposal bags to take back home whatever they have brought in to the island, especially non biodegradable wastes like batteries, plastic containers or canisters and the like. Sewage treatment plants recycle water for flushing toilets and for irrigation. Eco-friendly non pollutant soap, bath gels and shampoos are provided to guests in reusable ceramic pots eliminating the use of disposable canisters. Complimentary distilled drinking water is provided to guests by the pitcher. Instead of selling mineral water in disposable plastic bottles, the resort sells a sturdy reusable water bottle which is refillable with distilled water all throughout the guest’s resort stay.

It may be a conscious effort to stay clean and green but it is the best way to preserve the beauty of the environment and nature yields its rewards so magnificently.