Caalan Beach, 5313 El Nido, Philippines
#21 of 42 Holiday rentals in El Nido
Guests' ChoiceBased on 37 hotel reviews
8.0Cleanliness
8.9
Comfort
8.7
Location
6.8
Facilities
8.3
Staff
8.9
Value for money
8.1
Free WiFi
8.3
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Showing 1 – 25
Reviewed: 13 January 2024
Charmaine
AustraliaAs most reviews indicated, location can be challenging. Not most tricycle drivers know Sampaguita Villa as well. After around 8PM, the high tide comes in and no tricycle drivers are able to get through to drop you off. The walk is about 1.5-2KMs. The Villa downstairs where we were does not have a pool. The swimming pool belongs to the villa upstairs. They are considerate, as long as no one is checked in upstairs, you can use the pool. Alternatively, there are a couple of resorts across the road where you can pay PHP500 / person to access the beach front pool. The garden where we were was beautiful however, it would have been better if this was a pool instead. Inside the property: The living area can get pretty hot. It would have been good if there was air-conditioning in the area too. Safety: The hanging ropes we found was so dangerous. The hanging ropes were used as handrails on the balcony and stairs inside the house to get to the upstairs loft. If you have young children or even adults can lose balance and easily fall off. Privacy: It would be beneficial if the main living area had block out curtains. We did not realise the caretakers live right next to us, and whilst this may be okay for some people, I personally found it a little awkward that there’s people walking past all the time. When we checked in, we were also offered tours right away and we just wanted to settle in first. Preparedness: When we checked in, there were a few minor things that would have been handy. For instance, gas checked. We couldn’t make / cook anything for breakfast the following day. Rubbish bin bags, we were told it should be in the basket inside the property but it was empty. Day to day/needs: It would be handy if the property has guidelines/instructions. We found that there seemed so many “unwritten” rules. Although they are little things, it made it a bit inconvenient.
We were at the Villa Downstairs, the property looked exactly like the pictures. It is open, clean and spacious for our family of 5.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: 1 January 2024
Clarissa
ChinaThe safe was not functional and the master bedroom door didn't close properly. It was very hot, and there is no AC in the living room and the porch was also hot and full of mosquitoes. It would have been nice if the windows had screens so we could open the doors and get a breeze. We had a slight medical emergency at night and it would have been difficult to get to the clinic because of the high tide had we decided to go to a clinic. While we loved the remoteness of the villa, it was also a bit of a hassle.
We loved Marco. It was a great place to host our Christmas dinner. We loved the remoteness of the villa. Wifi was great! The house was beautifully decorated. Despite the few nuances of the villa, it was a great place to stay for our Christmas getaway.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: 14 November 2023
Olivier
KazakhstanI can only think of the hamac that is hung up too tightly.
Marco was there to hand out the keys and provide all necessary info about the property. He was always around to provide assistance when needed.
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: 31 October 2023
Escapegetlosttravel
PhilippinesAC is not cooling that much. Location is quite far from the centre and location is not accessible by tricycle so we are walking most of the time.
Villa is private and it was clean. The villa is huge and have cooking utensils.
Stayed in October 2023
Reviewed: 13 April 2023
Pierre
CanadaOne thing to be aware of is that even though the pictures show a pool, one of the villas does not include the pool so make sure to read to property description if you are expecting a pool to make sure you book the right villa.
This was an absolutely gorgeous property! It is a 10 minute walk to downtown El Nido and close to everything while also providing privacy. We had an amazing stay, and a big part of that was thanks to our property managers who were amazing. Marco was kind, respectful and always close by if we had questions. He had great advice as to where to visit and helped us set up our island hopping tours and scooter rentals.
Stayed in April 2023
Reviewed: 2 March 2023
Williams
NorwayHigh quality
Stayed in February 2023
Reviewed: 25 February 2023
Holly
United Kingdoma small swimming pool would have been great instead of a big garden, the 2nd villa does have a pool however this one was not available at our time of booking it can be a little bit of a tiresome walk after a very long day (but thats to be expected as we were aware of the rough location prior)
it was clean and spacious and had everything you need for a great stay, there was fresh water provided consistently throughout the stay and nothing was to much trouble for marco, the staff at the property are lovely and helpful
Stayed in February 2023
Reviewed: 6 February 2023
Barbara
GibraltarIt is far from the main road and the access is too dark and there are stray dogs at night. It is not car accessible, only tricycles can access the villa.
The caretaker is very accomodating and kind. The villa is very nice and IG worthy
Stayed in December 2022
Reviewed: 29 October 2022
Tehillah
PhilippinesWe wished the villa had an additional security lock since the doors seemed like they could easily be opened and that concerned us throughout our stay.
The aesthetic was perfect for pictures. All the facilities were clean and ma'am Janet comes every day to clean the villa. Appliances were. Complete as well.
Stayed in October 2022
Reviewed: 13 October 2022
Dianne
PhilippinesThe location is not accessible by car. :(
We really enjoyed our stay in this lovely place! The villa was beautifully decorated with great care for detail. Would definitely recommend it if you are looking for one of a kind escape to El Nido.
Stayed in October 2022
Reviewed: 17 December 2023
Jaanus
EstoniaNo signs to point to the property, it was a bit hard to find. Shower head was clogged, dishwashing sponge was old and dirty. The kitchen could use some cleaning.
The house is nice. The host Marco was very helpful.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: 5 November 2023
Eri
United StatesThe villa is a quite a ways from central town and can only be accessed by motorbike or tricycle. A part of the drive requires you to drive on the beach so you also have to be mindful of tide times when you go out so you can come back (its do-able but you need to be a good driver… especially at night). I will also say management for the property was nowhere to be found and only one person, Marco, was managing both properties. When you needed something but couldn’t find him, it was hard to manage. He did offer us a lot of things like private tours, motorbike rentals, and other equipment rental, but I found that’s it’s sometimes cheaper to get these in the town.
The villa with the pool has an amazing view and is very spacious. Each room has individual bathroom which makes it easy for a large group trip.
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: 5 November 2023
Ardit
AustraliaThe Villa is beautiful with lots of plants in the garden. The host Marco is really nice and helpful. The view between the villa and the town is amazing. I really suggest the Sampaguita Villas
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: 21 August 2023
Michelle
United StatesWe thought we could use the pool and other “common” areas. The stove had no propane to use it, the toaster did not work. No way to heat food without these things (no microwave either, but that’s ok!) There is no privacy in the bottom villa. Only laced curtains so it is easy to see in and out of the villa. Don’t walk around naked in your private space basically because anyone can come around to your deck. AC in the bottom room started making a clicking noise throughout the night so we had to turn it off and use the fan which left us hot. I recommend renting a scooter or motorbike to explore the island. Significantly more affordable.
Location is about a 10-12 minute walk to town with a lot to see along the way. Easy to get to. Hosts are very friendly, accommodating, and hospitable. They went to get us a couple meals and arranged for laundry services (70 pesos per kilo), tours and transportation. Overall you get what you pay for. I highly encourage travelers to seek outside quotes on tours (for 3 people, we paid P12,000 total for a private “combination tour A and B” package which was around 8-10 sites) and transportation (private transportation from Puerto Princesa was P6000 each way total) especially if you are a foreigner. Communication prior to arrival was spotty which left us a bit anxious. We went to Nacpan beach and paid 1200 pesos total round trip for tricycle. He even waited for us there which was comforting.
Stayed in August 2023
Reviewed: 4 August 2023
Sarah
FranceVery very heavenly. The rooms are awesome, modern and clean. The localization is a bit tough but you'll feel very intimate as no one really lives around. Had Marco taking care of us for any needs, very unique!
Stayed in July 2023
Reviewed: 30 June 2023
Yael
IsraelActually, its more a tip than what i didnt like…: the way to access to the villa is not simple and when we arrived to the corner , our driver couldn’t enter to the little tunnel, we had to walk about 5-7mn to the villa and we needed to pay for a tuktuk to take our luggages - we are a family of 7..! I think that it would be appropriate and more appreciate to offer the tuk tuk on the first and last days as a welcome gesture… During the stay , you can go by foot , motorbike, tricycle …the area is safe and the Center is about 5-7 mn by foot with about 1-2 mn on by the beach with a beautiful view..
The villa and the view are amazing: very clean, the pool is delighting in front of a magnificent view ! Marco is very kind and helping for everything in the villa, for visits, laundry, tips… . Our stay in El nido was a dream and this pool villa is wonderful ! We definitely will back again!
Stayed in June 2023
Reviewed: 25 June 2023
Adelberg
United StatesLocation is not ideal, far from beach but there are stores around walking distance be prepared for bug spray/repellent.
Overall is good, room/villa is well maintained, staff are friendly.
Stayed in June 2023
Reviewed: 24 June 2023
Shunsuke
JapanHowever, finding this place was a little difficult.
Everything is good.
Stayed in June 2023
Reviewed: 6 May 2023
Jessica
United KingdomThe location is really not ideal, I can’t imagine what kind of group / family this location would suit. It’s only a 10/15 minute walk into the town but down the sketchiest path / past a graveyard etc with so many stray dogs chasing you and it isn’t lit. You wouldn’t want to do this on your own or even a couple of you. Some tuk tuks can drive you to the villa but a lot will refuse due to the track. The power was always down during the day from about 9am - 3pm which meant we couldn’t have the air con on or charge phones / use the wifi (and there is no signal). The water was often switched off so we couldn’t shower or use the taps. Marco really tried his best to accommodate us and was very friendly however there was a big language barrier a lot of the time. There is also a horrible stray dog that has decided it’s his home which wasn’t ideal.
The villa itself in terms of the bedrooms / bathrooms and swimming pool was lovely. The bedrooms were very spacious.
Stayed in May 2023
Reviewed: 19 March 2023
Veronika
Czech Republicit is not possible to get there by car, we rented a car and had to leave it on the public parking place in the center of the city as there is not any way to the house for cars, but it is possible to get there by tuk tuk or motorbike.
The accomodatian was very nice, everything clean and very comfortable. The manager and the personal were super kind and friendly. We really enjoyed our stay there. Highly recommneded, nice view to the sea directly from the accomodation.
Stayed in March 2023
Reviewed: 15 March 2023
Othmane
FranceThe area is kind of sketchy with mostly no lights at night. We didn’t really feel safe walking around in the dark with dogs following us and barking at us. The checkin instructions weren’t clear and we struggled to find the villa, that has no standard portal which is also an issue as anyone and stray dogs can get in. Finally, there’s almost nothing around the villa.
The villa is very cute, spacious, comfortable and calm.
Stayed in March 2023
Reviewed: 29 January 2023
Ivan
United KingdomThe second room was too small! Basically it wasn’t a room more like roof room and you can’t stay up ! You should crawl it was a bummer! And also the staircase was too unsafe specially when you get down at night! This should be a one bedroom villa!
Marci was amazing! The only thing is that he should learn English little bit more:)
Stayed in January 2023
Reviewed: 14 January 2023
Anna
AustraliaLocation is VERY poor. Pretty much no street lights along the road back so it was quite scary to walk back at night. As mentioned in other reviews, the tide comes up at night so you’ll have to walk back through the water. The high tide at night wouldn’t be an issue if the villa was closer but it’s about a 10-15min walk after that through pitch darkness (you will need a torch). No electricity for majority of our stay there. Electricity was only available when the generator was on and you’ll have to ask to turn the generator on. the generator was so loud that we could hear the walls rumble in the master bedroom. We thought we would have at least got complementary fruit, coffee or tea but there were no extra amenities. ALSO, NO WIFI. We at least expected wifi but was told that it would be down for another week or so. Pretty poor effort from the owner to make our stay comfortable.
The interior was nice. The master bedroom was spacious and nice too. The room upstairs was cozy, it is a little low but not too bad. Marco and Janet were very accomodating and eager to help.
Stayed in January 2023
Reviewed: 13 November 2022
Joiada
Philippines-some lights are not working -the bathroom sink is too high -no handrail for the stairs (unsafe) -the room upstairs are good for kids only due to very low ceiling -we waited more than 30 mins to get picked up in the meeting place, so hard to contact them, either no answer or out of reach -they don’t have their own transport service and its so hassle going back at night due to high tide, you need to walk along the beach (no night life if you stay here, they should have atleast mentioned these things) -no public transport available from late afternoon due to high tide hence its not passable by the local transport -no street lights, we need to use our phone (unsafe for females), you’ll also pass by the cemetery and with dogs in the street -we left the following day and just used our 1 out of 5 nights stay with no refund at all even they initially said we could get the 50%, they are not responding anymore after several follow ups (this is not really good, they cannot stand for their words hence we felt scammed) -the owner is inconsiderate
Quiet. Clean. Wifi. Marco & Janet are nice.
Stayed in November 2022
Showing 1 – 25
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