First of all let me start by saying how much we LOVED our stay. The location is absolutely stunning and we had an amazing trip. I want to call out 2 very special people who really made us comfortable. First and foremost, we want to thank Ian! I have never experienced service as good. He always went above and beyond to ensure our stay was magical. Without him I’m not sure the stay would have been as nice. To the owners. This man is amazing and should be given a raise and promoted to manage the resort. He knows what it takes! Next was the chef for us. There were many items on the menu that they didn’t have supply for but the chef always came up with something amazing to satisfy our bellies. He was so kind.

Second, this resort needs some updates but they have an amazing location and all the right bones to take it to the next level. The gazebo needs updating as does the area behind the restaurant. There is a pool back there but it looks like it needs renovation as do the buildings back there. The resort is extremely expensive so i would have expected better upkeep. Another major issue with this resort is that they don’t serve alcohol. It’s a small resort so probably couldn’t fit a bar but I could see them clearing out the tables at night for karaoke and dancing. There is a space they could use as a bar and this would really provide some fun for the guests. We ended up returning to our room after dinner. Unfortunately the rooms have no Tv cable and the Internet doesn’t work most of the time. When it worked it was extremely slow.

While the resort location and setting were beautiful as well as the supreme service from Ian spectacular, we ultimately had to give this resort a 1 star. Upon our departure we left an extremely expensive and rare jacket in our room. We called and spoke to Margie and she never would get back to us. We continued calling and asking her to question housekeeping but again we never heard back. We even tried to discuss this with the front desk lead. I believe his name was Selvan but again absolutely nothing was done to locate and return this jacket. When you spend this kind of money at a resort you want to feel safe and secure. We would love to return to this resort but until they find the holder of this jacket we can’t trust them. We also can’t trust management who doesn’t take this seriously and resolve the matter.

So to those reading this please beware that there are staff members there that can’t be trusted and others that aren’t willing to do anything about the situation. Truly sad because aside from this we would have returned.

I want to use this forum to rave about our recent stay at Matinloc Resort in El Nido. The island of Matinloc is magical and a great place to unwind on what feels like your on private island. Each day was a new adventure and our two night stay at Matinloc made this trip to El Nido so incredibly memorable.

Upon arriving into El Nido, a private charter boat from Matinloc picked us up at the pier in town. Dave introduced himself as our host and explained the boat ride would take about 25 minutes from El Nido to Matinloc. Dave explained islands along the way and pointed out the island of Matinloc in the distance which is massive. As we neared Matinloc, you could see properties lining the hills above the beach as well as a few beachfront properties that line the beach all of which belong to Matinloc resort.

Upon arrival, we were escorted up the long pier to the lobby for check in and were greeted by Margie, Sylvan and Sir Jason who greeted us and checked us in. Shortly after check in we arrived into our HUGE breathtaking beachfront villa that could easily have slept six or more people. While I could go on and on about the natural beauty of Mantinloc island and our incredible room, not to mention world class snorkeling which is right out front, it is important to know why is worth visiting Matinloc island beyond the stunning landscape, Matinloc island team members provide a exceptional operation at its absolute finest.

Matinloc set the bar incredibly high and for someone who considers themselves high maintenance when it comes to travel I want to acknowledge the team.

Sir Jason - GM Matinloc Island Resort
Jonathan
Sylvan
Margie
Ian
Jeb

Personally I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dave who acted as our private host during our entire stay on Matinloc and for going above and beyond to make our stay so incredibly memorable.

Can’t wait to visit again!

We loved our stay at Matinloc. The staff are very friendly and helpful especially William, Jayson, Margie, Ian and our tour guide Kuya Wilner.

It's definitely an adventure to get to the island. We flew 2 planes, got rerouted to a different island due to zero visibility at El Nido airport, waited 4 hours at Puerto Princesa airport only for the airline captain to decide to fly us back to Manila. We decided to just go ahead and rent a van and drive to El Nido which took about 6 hours. We had to stay the night at the main island and take a 30-minute boat ride to Matinloc island. William was the one that met us and escorted us to the island.

The internet is shaky because of weather but that didn't matter to us as we wanted to be disconnected and relax. There was only 12 guests (including the 5 of us) at the resort during our stay as it was their slow season. It felt as if we were the only ones at the resort so the service was a lot more personal and attentive. We really enjoyed that.

We also booked an all-day lagoon tour which was the highlight of our stay. Our tour guide Kuya Wilner was amazing so was our boat captain, Kuya Ben (I think that's his name lol). We went to 4 lagoons and had a very nice picnic lunch by the beach. The food was pretty good and very flavorful. Also very fresh.

Overall, it was definitely an experience we won't ever forget.

Thank you for an amazing time!