When a resort decides to remove rooms rather than add them, it’s worth paying attention. El Nido Lagen Island, the privately owned retreat on the northern tip of Palawan, has emerged from a year-long renovation with fewer keys (42, down from 51), a broader sweep of white sand beach, and a design philosophy built around Filipino craft and local materials.
What’s Changed
The overwater villas are the centrepiece, inspired by the bahay kubo, the traditional Filipino stilt hut. Sunken lounges offering post-card perfect views onto Bacuit Bay. Woven panels line the walls. Palm-fringed roofs sit low overhead, and the colour palette of creams, pale sand and soft whites mirrors the water beyond the villas. Throughout the resort, clay brickmakers drew on indigenous weaving patterns for ceramic detailing; wood carvers chiselled local motifs into doors and railings. You notice the handiwork before you notice the luxury.
The environmental thinking goes further than you might expect. The pool is cleaned with UV light rather than chemicals. Low-wattage lighting protects nesting turtles along the beach. Privacy barriers between villas weren’t built – they were grown. Original flooring from the resort’s first incarnation in 1998 has been repurposed throughout. None of this is shouted about. You piece it together gradually, which somehow makes it more convincing.
Say ‘I Do’ on Your Own Island
A new ceremonial hall, its A-frame structure echoing both nipa huts and church naves, seats 56 guests with limestone cliffs and forest visible through the open sides. Wedding packages start from PHP 650,000 for up to 40 guests, covering two nights in an overwater villa, a couples’ spa treatment, champagne toast and full event coordination. The entire island can also be reserved exclusively – a three-day house party on your own private island, if that’s how you want to do it.
What Else Couples Should Know
Those not planning a wedding should look at the resort’s Shared Moments package: three nights of full-board dining, all-inclusive beverages for two of those nights, a sunset cruise through the limestone karsts with champagne, a Sand and Stars dinner outdoors, and spa treatments at the new Lagen Wellness Sanctuary. The Heritage Healing ritual there draws on the ancient practices of Filipino babaylan healers – one of several treatments that feel specific to this place rather than imported from a global spa menu. From PHP 94,000 per night for two.
Lagen sits within the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area: 36,000 hectares of protected land and 54,000 hectares of marine waters. Nearby Entalula Island was named the world’s best beach in 2026. More than 20 dive sites are accessible from the resort, and at night you can take out kayaks fitted with underwater lights and paddle across the bay with the water glowing beneath you.
Rates from USD 1,425 per night. Visit elnidoresorts.com
For more than 30 years, Holidays for Couples has been Australia’s trusted voice in romance travel. From its beginnings as a glossy coffee-table magazine to today’s digital platform, the brand has always championed the best in honeymoons, romantic escapes and stylish getaways for two. The H4C Team curates travel news, hotel openings and destination inspiration, drawing on decades of editorial experience and a passion for helping couples plan unforgettable journeys together.
