El Nido, Palawan lands in BBC's list of 8 best beach escapes
BBC dropped a list of eight best beach destinations in the world—and Palawan's El Nido is one of them.
Produced by the BBC Features team each year, the list features memorable, unconventional, and sustainable beach trips BBC editors have taken. The writeup on El Nido was written by journalist Francis Agustin.
"In El Nido, on Palawan Island, there are a number of beaches on the islands and archipelagos where the wet sand grains slip like silky butter through your fingers," Agustin wrote.
He went to El Nido with his family and friends, taking a tour with a local crew. During their trip, Agustin wrote that they spent the day in Bacuit Bay looking for beaches and lagoons secluded from other tourists and locals.
"Among these limestone island clusters, we swam, kayaked, and snorkelled before anchoring in a solitary beach cove where our guides set up a meal of traditional Filipino meat and seafood dishes," wrote Agustin.
He then recommended visiting other white-sand beaches on the mainland, such as Las Cabanas, Lio, and Corong Corong.
"There's nothing like cracking open a cold bottle of San Miguel and watching the deep red and golden skies as the sun sets," Agustin concluded.
Celebrating the inclusion, Department of Tourism Officer-in-Charge Secretary Verna Buensuceso said it demonstrates the world-class capabilities of Philippine tourism.
"Citations such as these affirm the beauty and prestige of the many treasures that we boast to the world. This recognition proves that El Nido, like our other coastal destinations, can offer the same level of quality vacations as our global counterparts," Buensuceso said in DOT's statement.
In January, Palawan was thrust into the world tourism spotlight when Ritz-Carlton's newest ship MV Luminara made its first-ever stop in Puerto Princesa City. According to DOT, the luxury cruise ship had 200 tourists onboard and made other stops in Palawan, including Coron.
Apart from El Nido, the BBC list included The Andaman Islands, India; Icacos, Puerto Rico; La Baia di Ieranto, Sorrentine Peninsula, Italy; Grand Case Beach, St. Maarten; Achmelvich Beach, Scotland; Brighton Beach, New York; and Bay of Fires, Tasmania.
