Matinloc Island Resort

This hotel is amazing, the location the staff and everything makes it one of our favourite places in El Nido. We enjoyed the tranquility of the resort. waking up and looking straight out on to the beach was amazing

Sadly there is one massive flaw with the resort and thats the breakfast, there were bugs crawling all over the buffet and we didnt feel like eating it. The Main dinner menu is good but the hygiene is terrible, we both got very sick. my partner didnt sleep all night and when I went at 3am in the morning to find water the kitchen door was open and I saw Rats running across the floor. I do understand that it's only nature on the remote island but more needs to be done to ensure the health of guests in a luxury resort. I did raise my concerns to the reception and the also sent an email but both was ignored

The most amazing part about Matinloc Resort is their staff. They were accommodating in every aspect of our stay with them. Island hopping is typically scheduled at 9am but we were all so exhausted from our 5hr van ride from Puerto that we just needed some time to rest before going out on a full day excursion, and they had no issue with waiting until we were ready. Where the staff really shined was later that same night when we were all burnt out from the island hopping and were too tired to head out of the room for dinner. The staff called our room multiple times to check up on us and make sure we were going to eat, which was incredible of them because we kept falling asleep shortly after each call. Eventually, around 930pm when dinner typically ends, they called us one last time and brought the menu to our room so that we could order food there and eat it in our room when we were ready. This was the absolute best because we finally had the energy to eat after 10pm when the food arrived to our room and the food was spectacular! The bulalo, garlic rice, and mackerel were my favorite! The others really enjoyed the lamb chops! All so wonderfully flavorful and an amazing end to our night! Never have I stayed at a resort or hotel where the staff went out of their way to do something like this for us without us even asking, so for that reason alone I'd say Matinloc Resort is well worth the stay!

Although we enjoyed the island hopping and our tour guide was spectacular, we did still feel like the cost of the excursion was too high compared to what is offered elsewhere, since it came out to 3 times the average cost. We still tipped our tour guide bc he was a huge part of what made the excursion so fun. Without the tour guide's influence, I'd have to say the excursion is better purchased elsewhere, unless the price is at least lowered by 1/3 the current amount.

Stunning location, a bit of paradise on your own island! The boat ride there is beautiful, and a guide told us about some of the other islands. The resort has an infinity pool and a salt water pool. You can take a kayak to another nearby beach. There is snorkeling at both beaches, and you can borrow snorkel equipment and fins. There were different types of rooms, some built into the cliffs or in trees. Our room had AC, a fan, television, safe, robes and slippers as well as a mini fridge (we wish we had known in advance as we would have brought extra food and drinks). Staff were friendly and attentive.

While the overall price didn’t seem too bad, the price for food and drink at the resort was too high. As a vegetarian, options were limited for all meals, too. We mostly just ate the food we brought as we couldn’t afford the restaurant prices. As other reviewers have noted, the gangway off the boat is a bit dodgy. The property seems in need of some updates, particularly with outdoor furniture - some had large holes or no padding.

Our VIP villa was very nice. The view was amazing

Bad management. Food was bad!

Loved our treehouse suite. Tour and boat staff were so attentive and fun.

Lovely place to relax and enjoy the unbelievable reef at the edge of the beach. The staff is wonderful and friendly. Our room was very comfortable. Had a kettle and soaps and shampoos and a hair dryer. Plenty of hot water. Beach towels were also provided along with snorkel equipment. We did not take any tours because we did two in El Nido but the beach snorkeling was so great, we didn’t want to leave. Love the Palawan hornbills that were in the trees all around our room. Be advised that this is not a handicapped accessible resort. Stairs into almost everywhere and all rooms. Not a problem for us but difficult with limited mobility.

Needs four hooks in the shower to hang wet suits. Also need a couple hooks in the bedroom for robes. Food was good but when they have a large crowd you are forced into an expensive buffet unless you want to wait until 8:30 pm to order. I just can’t justify $1850 for a buffet …but..you are held captive and we don’t eat dinner at 8:30.

Breakfast buffet was good. Dinner buffet could use some improvement. The staff was truly exceptional. Every one of them was smiling, very friendly and attentive the whole time we were there. Specifically, Jed in the dining area went above and beyond. Jed would make sure that he was at our beckoning call for anything that we needed. No need to look for someone and try to get eye-contact with. Now that is service!

The ~$30 price paid for dinner buffet should have included a better selection of food items. The room's phone/clock display showed the wrong time and could not be correctly adjusted.

1. Excellent staff. They attended to all our needs with happy faces. Special mention to Dave and the staff in the La Playa restaurant (didn’t catch all their names)! 2. Location. Private resort that is accessible by boat and close to private beaches. The view from the top rooms was amazing! Having the pools, pingpong table, karaoke room are nice additional amenities. 3. Excellent tour guides. Exceptional service by staff. They made our tour one of the best ones we’ve had. Special mention to Wil and Vic! 4. Food was delicious and good quality.

1. Limited and expensive food options. 2. We had to walk all the way to the third floor just to get to our room. Not sure if there are other rooms available for us to stay. It wasn’t as busy when we were there.