Frangipani El Nido

We had such high hopes for this boutique hotel - photos look incredible and the reviews were great. Sadly, these did not match the experience we had. This was our last stop in the Philippines and we have left raving reviews for all other accommodation!! On arrival the hotel offered a complimentary taxi service, which was booked weeks in advance. When we got to the airport, the van driver decided to instead take paying guests to another hotel, leaving us stuck at the airport. We phoned the hotel and they said we should wait for the next taxi, which arrived 40 minutes after the booked time! The hotel does have amazing views from the bar, restaurant and rooms however the hotel itself is tired and shabby with broken fixtures throughout, and construction materials tainting the look of the beach front (see photo). Staff weren’t particularly helpful - they didn’t acknowledge the long wait, and multiple requests were left ignored. For example, there is only one small chair on the balcony, when asking for another they said they would sort this and then we heard nothing else. The WiFi was also down on arrival and despite telling us they would let us know when it was back, we again never heard from them. We checked everyday and once it was working again, it didn’t actually cover the bedroom or restaurant, so could only be used in the small front office space. Whilst we thought this would be a small boutique hotel, the loud children at breakfast make it less enjoyable/romantic. Paired with an hour wait for food, it wasn’t the best start to the day, delaying our boat trip, however the breakfast itself was delicious! Wouldn’t recommend the nachos as a snack though - stale and cheap (see photo)!!! Given the price we paid, we have found much nicer and more affordable accommodation in the town centre, so would recommend looking around before booking!

I had the best hotel experience. The hotel was really cozy. Our room was amazing! It was spacious and it smells really good. It also has the best beachfront view especially during sunsets! Staff were also accommodating and made sure to cater all of our requests. 10/10 would recommend!

Perfect Hotel for El Nido. The location is great as it’s slight away from the town centre. The staff was amazing from our checking late at night to our packed lunch waiting for us at check out. The team is young and super professional. The food at the restaurant was maybe the best around El Nido. We had a pool suite which As quite spacious and super clean! They only have 7 rooms so they can offer special treatments to all the guests

If it were not for the very steep High season pricing we would have given this cute "bed and breakfast" a higher rating. It is a charming place with very lovely views especially the Panoramic Suite, large and comfortable, with outdoor seating and a spectacular view of the sunsets every night. It is unfortunate that the living room window was unwashed, in fact streaked with dirt, completely unacceptable when preparing for the high season or any season really. The positives first...Zenobia and Emm at the front desk are two real gems who work very hard to make things run smoothly and do their best to accommodate guests. The other staff are mostly young and eager but inexperienced and some spoke rather limited English. Everyone was sweet and meant well. That is fine if you are charging 2 or 3 star prices but at rates that are higher than a Club Floor Suite at the Peninsula Hotel in Manila, get your act together. I do not fault the staff, the place is poorly managed. There is virtually no housekeeping other than making the bed, (even that was forgotten one day), confused and inconsistent service at the in house restaurant, staff are not empowered to make decisions on the spot, always need "to check" with their supervisor or manager for requests, etc. Additionally, the relationship with El Nido Yacht Club seems to be primarily to sell private tours...a request for group tour resulted in my having to organize my own group. To be fair they do provide a much higher level of service than the other tours but don't expect much help putting together a group tour with them. El Nido itself is lovely but deserves only a few days at most. There are the island hopping tours which quickly feel repetitive and 3 vey nice beaches on the mainland. For us 6 days was one or two days too much. In summary we liked El Nido and the team at the Frangiapani for their sweetness and friendliness but felt that for the prices they are charging they need to deliver a much better and more professional product with service that justifies the price.

Everything was perfect. The hotel was very very nice and all the people working there were super helpful. We have stayed here 1 week and we have not had any problems. Food was also very good and everything was very clean.

Myself and my friend booked into Frangipani for 3 nights and we really enjoyed our stay The hotel only has a small number of rooms so you really feel like you are there on your own and it’s not crowded at all The staff and extremely attentive and very helpful with arranging additional activities like massages and the paddle boards The food is excellent and the chefs cook it fresh in front of you. The menu had a wide selection for all meals throughout the day - we ended up eating dinner here most nights The rooms were very clean and comfortable. They were also spacious enough and had a nice big bed The bar area at the top of the hotel was our favourite spot to have a quiet drink and watch the sun go down Overall we really annoyed our stay and would recommend to friends and family to stay here if in El Nido