If you are backpacking Palawan, specifically ElNIdo, or just looking for a room for a getaway, please don’t overlook Spin Hostel in ElNido. The experience there has created a permanent smile on my face. The location is ideal, located right off the main highway and a 3 minute walk to literally everything ElNido has to offer. Now I have been traveling around the Philippines for several months now and I have to say the stay at Spin Hostel is one of the highlights of my journey. First, the staff is amazing. How does everyone from the General Manager, Sir Don to the front desk supervisor Melqui (Mel-Key) maintain a smile on their face 24/7? I don’t know. Maybe its something in the water there. You decide, but I’ll warn you it is contagious. The day starts with the included made-to-order Omelettes, hot pancakes, fresh fruit juices and pineapple that you will swear was picked an hour earlier. This compliments the wonderful freshly brewed coffee, a rarity in the Philippines, while watching CNN on the sixty-inch in the open air cafeteria. In fact the setting is like sitting in a rain-forest with a bit of highway noise in the background calling you to the day’s activities. The amazing staff will coordinate your island hopping tours at no charge simply as a convenience for that turn-key worry-free vacation. And you will get the good tours, with the most entertaining operators if you book with them. You will feel in good hands here. After winding down from a day on the water you have a full kitchen attached to a full bar on the lower level ready to satisfy your appetite with amazing Filipino dishes at budget-friendly prices. But the hidden gem amongst the natural setting of the eating and gaming area is Enzo the bartender. He moved to ‘147’, the name of the Spin restaurant-bar, from one of the most exclusive resorts in Palawan, where most of the staff migrated from and I’ll tell you he is magic to watch and his cocktails are the best you may experience anywhere you travel. My drink of choice is the Long-Island-Ice-Tea, a US classic. I have never had a better one in my travels. You might want to schedule around the Margarita night as well as they rival the best found in the US. The 147 sound and lighting system is the best in El Nido for those of you tired of ear-raping music that most places seem to flood their establishments with downtown. Hostel rooms/beds at adventurerer prices, full service accommodating staff with love that is palpable, a unique and fun setting in a quaint eclectic tourist town offering all female or co-ed accommodations and Spin will leave you wanting to return as soon as possible. Please don’t miss it. Captain Russ Miley
Having read previous reviews about this hostel being a 'posh-tel', like a hotel, and a designer hostel - I think these are exaggerations. For me our stay here was standard and on par with any other hostel stay, yes the architecture of this hostel is a bit more interesting but ultimately the experience wasn't extraordinary.
PROS
-Good WIFI, although it did log you out if you didn't use it for five minutes
-Breakfast: Very good breakfast included in the price - juice, eggs, bread and spreads, rice, fruit, tea and coffee
-Location: 12 min walk from the ferry port, 7ish minute walk from the main town and restuarants. Can also walk to Corong Corong beach in twenty minutes. Las Cabanas and the bus terminal can be reached easily in a tricycle which wait outside the hostel
-Room: We stayed in a 4 bed dorm which was spacious and had decent aircon. Each bed had it's own light, plugs, bed storage, and locker.
-Amenities: Kitchen with fridge, drinking water available, outside bar, daily activities such as Beer Pong, all you can eat BBQ
-Staff: 24 hour reception staff and security, helpful and friendly.
CONS
-Shared bathrooms: As a designer hostel I would have expected these to be cleaned more regularly than they were - they were tolerable but not super clean. Also even though there were multiple stalls - they were insufficient at peak times. Often I had to wait for a free toilet cubicle or shower.
-Wear bug spray at night
-Would prefer more breakout spaces to chill in quietly. Away from the outside bar there was only really the sitting area by reception
-On the more expensive side for a Philippine hostel, though this may be an El Nido-wide thing
I stayed in Spin Hostel with my husband, we booked a private room and it was nothing but disappointing. We could deal with the fact it was tiny and felt like we're in a box, but it was soooo dirty it was a shame to let people stay there. Dust, spider webs and smelly sheets and towels. The stuff were no close to being nice, the Wi-Fi in the rooms is limited to a certain number of users so it disconnect every few minutes. The one and only nice thing about the hostel is the communal areas.
Overall we had a great stay for just under a week with clean rooms, good breakfast and lovely staff that made the stay diverse and fun.
The twin bed in the private room was a little bit to cramped for 2 Western travelers and it would of been nice to have a queen.
Hostel is located in a green and quiet area of El Nido with 24hr security staff on all entrances.
What a place we stayed here 5 nights central location, excellent service, excellent breakfast with selection, close to everything, there is a free washing machine for hotel guests Cons - water in the shower is not hot enough, the wifi in the room is sometimes strong and sometimes weak.