This resort was not only our best experience in the Philippines, but it was one of the best places we have stayed at in the world! The location is beautiful, and Lihim has built something truly spectacular in El Nido. From the moment we arrived, we were taken care with more than 5 star service. Each room is assigned its own butler to help you with everything imaginable during your stay and to help schedule all of your experiences around the island. Out main bulter was Neil, and he was awesome!! Anything we needed, Neil was there to help! We also had the pleasure of having Mark help us, who escorted us all of the way to the airport (just one detail that shows how well you are taken care of at Lihim). The butlers are actually extremely helpful, and they work so hard for you. They even went as far as to get us a special permit to take the boat into town late at night since the road to get to the resort was under construction. If you have ever experienced 5 star service at a hotel, this tops it by a long shot. I have never experienced anything like it.
The only way to really get to the resort is by boat, which is honestly preferable in this location. It is a short boat ride from the main pier of El Nido town to Lihim. The resort will schedule your boat ride for all excursions and to and from the town whenever you want.
We stayed in the Balinaud suite. It was beautiful and huge! We had a beautiful view of the ocean, mountains, and the whole town of El Nido. We had a plunge pool and a sizable kitchenette. The room is perfectly clean, comfortable, and everything is thought of. It is definitely a hike to get up to some of the rooms, but if you don't want to use the stairs, they have a truck that takes you very close to the suites.
Lihim will arrange all of your activities throughout the day for you. You can do private tours of the lagoon, diving, snorkeling, etc. We had already seen a few of the lagoons on another tour, so they created a custom tour for us to see the lagoons we didn't get to see before and also scuba dive. We had a private lunch in Lihim's private lounge in Cadlao lagoon. This was one of the coolest experiences we had, and we highly recommend it. We basically had the entire lagoon to ourselves, which if you have been to any of the lagoons, you know they are packed, so being able to go to this lagoon through Lihim was incredible.
Each morning, your butler will message you though WhatsApp with your schedule for the day, the weather, and anything else you need to know. You can communicate with them throughout the day by messaging. You also have a night time butler, for anything that you need late at night/overnight. '
The food at the restaurant is very good and the will accommodate any requests that you have. Be sure to try the fresh juices and delicious cocktails! You can also schedule private dining experience at locations around the resort, on a sunset cruise, and at their lounge at Cadlao lagoon.
We didn't know exactly what to expect with booking this resort and our expectations were beyond exceeded. It is the best experience we have had at any resort in the world. They have put so much thought into every detail to make your stay incredibly special. The beauty of this resort is great, but the service is what makes it a unique experience. If you are thinking of booking Lihim, do it now! You won't regret it!
Thank you again to Neil, Mark, Eunice, Clyde, Cynthia, and Kerrine!!
