El Nido Resorts Lagen Island

Rooms and decor

The charm here is in the cottages, designed in several styles to blend into the forest and water. The highlight is the Water Cottage, built out over the shallow lagoon, where opening the door to the deck reveals steps leading down into clear water you can step into to swim or snorkel without going anywhere. Because the water is shallow and still, taking a dip right outside your room feels completely easy. If you want to be near the forest, there is the Forest Cottage hidden under the canopy, where you wake to birdsong and green shade. Beach lovers get the Beach Cottage, where pulling back the curtain reveals full views of the bay and lagoon. Rooms are done in a warm tropical-resort style with wood and natural tones, leaning toward airy comfort rather than flashy luxury. At the centre of the resort is an infinity pool whose edge blends into the lagoon and forest behind it, and because the lagoon out front is shallow and sheltered from waves, it suits kayaking, gentle swims and letting kids in the water without worry.

Food and amenities

Everything runs on an all-inclusive package that covers food and activities. A real draw is the team of naturalist guides who lead forest walks, wildlife spotting and eco-minded explanations of the ecosystem. Out front there is the house reef, where you put on a mask and walk straight in to look at coral and schools of fish without taking a boat anywhere - a spot divers and snorkelers mention often. The lagoon-side restaurant handles meals, and the surrounding 4-hectare conservation forest is alive with monitor lizards, fruit bats, monkeys and many kinds of forest bird, so the wildlife is part of the experience rather than a backdrop. If you want to head out, the resort arranges Bacuit Bay island tours like Tour A and Tour C to see lagoons, hidden beaches and dive spots.

Location and getting there

Lagen sits on a private island in Bacuit Bay, north of El Nido town, on a spot that sells nature fully: conservation forest and limestone cliffs behind, a shallow wave-sheltered lagoon in front. Getting here starts with flying into El Nido airport or driving from Puerto Princesa, then boarding a boat at the town pier, where the resort has a boat and staff waiting. The ride takes around 30-45 minutes to reach the island. Once there, you have the beach, lagoon, pool, restaurant and all-inclusive activities on hand. This location suits people who come mainly to be with nature, focused on quiet, forest and sea, heading out on tours only on some days.

Things to know before booking

To be straight with you, the biggest thing to weigh is that this is a private island reachable only by boat. To reach El Nido town, join a tour or find a restaurant outside, you take the resort's boat every time and depend on the boat schedule, and the ride from Lagen takes noticeably longer than from many resorts in the bay. Anyone who wants to walk out of their room and hit shops immediately may find it inconvenient, so plan each day and bring what you need. The next point is cost: even though the package is all-inclusive for food and basic activities, special tours, some drinks and added services still cost more, and prices run high overall because everything is shipped to the island by boat. The last point, and the most distinctive one, is that because this is a real conservation forest, wildlife like monitor lizards and monkeys often walk right up to you, and some rooms may have insects or night animal sounds. Anyone not used to nature this close may need to make peace with it, and as with any resort out at sea, the experience depends a fair bit on weather and waves, so check the season before booking.

Our take

After reading through plenty of real guest reviews, El Nido Resorts Lagen Island is a resort that sells its eco-sanctuary-in-the-forest character with full confidence: a conservation forest packed with wildlife, over-water cottages you can step into the lagoon from, an infinity pool, a house reef out front, and an all-inclusive setup with naturalist guides on hand. If your idea of the trip is waking to birdsong, spotting monitor lizards and fruit bats, stepping into the shallow lagoon to snorkel right outside your room, then closing the day with the quiet of forest and sea, this place delivers. It is best for nature lovers, birders, divers, couples and families who want their kids close to nature safely in the shallow lagoon. But if the heart of your trip is wandering a town, finding new places to eat and drink every night, or wanting a grand luxury room like in a big city, the remote forest setting and up-close wildlife may not be for everyone. Overall we give it 9.1/10 - choose it for the nature, the privacy, and the feeling of sleeping in the middle of a forest by the sea that is hard to find elsewhere.