The Funny Lion El Nido

Old Town Access, Boutique Scale

El Nido's accommodation split has sharpened considerably over the past decade. On one side sit the remote island properties: Cauayan Island Resort, El Nido Resorts Lagen Island, and Pangulasian, El Nido, all requiring boat transfers and offering near-total seclusion. On the other sits a smaller urban tier: properties inside El Nido's Old Town itself, on Balinsasayaw Road, embedded in the actual texture of the town rather than sealed off from it. The Funny Lion belongs firmly in that second category, and the distinction matters when planning what kind of stay you want in Palawan.

With 49 rooms across a designer format, the property operates at a scale that sits above the town's guesthouses but below the sprawling resort complexes out on private islands. That intermediate position is the point. Proximity to the boat departure points for island-hopping tours, to the markets, to the restaurants along the main drag: these are advantages that remote-island properties structurally cannot offer, however polished their facilities. For travellers who want Palawan's limestone karst scenery without committing to a fully sealed resort experience, the Old Town boutique format is the logical entry point.

The Retreat Mindset in an Urban Setting

Wellness-oriented travel in Southeast Asia has historically sorted itself into two camps: destination spas in remote settings, and urban hotels where spa facilities are ancillary amenities rather than the organizing principle. The more interesting development in recent years is the boutique property that applies a retreat sensibility to a town-centre location, treating the surrounding environment as part of the restorative experience rather than something to be insulated from.

El Nido's Old Town, positioned along the curve of Bacuit Bay with the Sierra Madre limestone formations rising behind it, lends itself to that approach. The surrounding geography does substantial work: the bay itself, the clear water, the proximity to the coral gardens and lagoons accessible by bangka from the town's main beach, all contribute to a sensory environment that more remote properties have to engineer artificially. A property at the centre of that rather than removed from it can, in principle, let the landscape absorb the function that spa architecture typically has to perform at pure-retreat resorts.

The 49 designer rooms at The Funny Lion reflect a boutique hotel format built for guests who want considered interiors as a recovery space after days on the water, rather than a resort campus that contains everything within its own perimeter. That distinction shapes how the stay works in practice. Check in, drop equipment, walk to the boat terminal, spend a day in the lagoons, return, and the hotel becomes the base from which the actual experience radiates outward. For more self-contained alternatives on Palawan, Banwa Private Island operates at the ultra-private end of the spectrum, while Lihim Resorts, El Nido offers another mid-range reference point in the area.

Palawan's Wider Context

Palawan has held a durable reputation as the Philippines' standout destination for marine and karst landscape tourism. El Nido specifically draws from that reputation through Bacuit Bay's density of islands and the quality of its dive and snorkelling sites. For the Philippines more broadly, the range of boutique and resort formats is considerable: from Amanpulo in Pamalican Island at the ultra-luxury end to properties like Amorita Resort in Panglao Island, BE Grand Resort in Bohol, and Crimson Resort and Spa in Boracay, each positioned for different travel objectives.

The relevant comparison for El Nido town-based stays is more granular. Being on Balinsasayaw Road in the Old Town places the property within walking distance of the majority of the town's dining options and the main departure beach, which reduces the logistical overhead that comes with island-based properties. Guests do not need to schedule speedboat transfers to access a restaurant or walk along the waterfront at dusk. That operational simplicity has its own restorative logic, separate from formal wellness programming, for travellers who find resort-campus containment more draining than restful. See our full El Nido restaurants guide for what is within reach on foot.

Beyond Palawan, the Philippines' boutique hotel circuit extends through Nay Palad Hideaway in Siargao, Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort, Manami Resort in Sipalay, Discovery Coron, and Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort, with each island group offering a distinct flavour of coastal accommodation. For travellers building a longer Philippines itinerary, urban anchors like Admiral Hotel Manila – MGallery or Anya Resort Tagaytay provide city and highland counterpoints to Palawan's coastal focus. Additional regional references include Ogtong Cave Resort in Bantayan, Phuket Village in Polillo, Cala Laiya in Batangas, Hotel Dumaguete, and Vivere Azure in Mabini.

Planning Your Stay

The Funny Lion sits on Balinsasayaw Road in El Nido Old Town, Palawan, making it reachable on foot from the main beach and town centre once you arrive in El Nido. Access to El Nido itself typically requires a flight to Puerto Princesa followed by a road transfer of roughly five hours, or a shorter flight to Lio Airport if available on your travel dates, which reduces the overland leg significantly. Peak season runs from November through May, when sea conditions are calmer and visibility on dive and snorkel sites is at its clearest; June through October brings the southwest monsoon and rougher water, though shoulder-season rates reflect that. The property's 49-room count positions it as a boutique option rather than a resort complex, so advance booking is advisable during high season, particularly over Philippine public holidays and the Christmas-to-New Year period when El Nido draws considerable domestic and international traffic. For international reference points at the boutique end of the spectrum, The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, Aman New York, and Aman Venice illustrate how the boutique urban-hotel format plays out at different price points globally.