Keanna, me, Chester and Elay on Duli Beach
When I was writing another blog ( A - Z of Palawan's Best beaches) I discovered there was a beach a little further on than Nacpan, called Duli. According to the article I read it was on a list of the top 10 beaches in Palawan. So when I was staying in Lio I went to collect Keanna, Elay and Jhoanna and we drove to Duli!
For those of you in Puerto it's a 5.5 hour drive and is 293 km!
The last part is quite rough road wise and includes a long hill climb and then a long descent to the beach. So a 4x 4 would be preferable, but we made it in our little car. The good news is once you get there its free parking and no entrance fee. The beach is beautiful and even though we went on a Friday there were very few people there ( it was in the Rainy season) but the sun shone all day ( I got sunburnt again!) and the sand was so soft . For the surfers amongst you there are three places hiring boards ( and they offer lessons for aspiring surfers) and there were lots of kids on surf boards showing off their skills.
You can just see some of the surfers on the right in the sea- we settled for walking
Now the really good news- the surf shack where we stopped ( on the right as you look out to sea) served us ice cold drinks ( they had beer , water and soft drinks but had run out of Coke) and cooked a really tasty dinner. We did not have to wait long and it was really hot. I had chicken and pineapple which had bay leaves, soy sauce, ginger and huge chicken chunks and pineapple ( the tinned variety I think) with rice, and the 3 girls shared fried chicken with rice. With 6 cans of cold soft drinks and the two meals I think it was about 700 pesos.
The guys were really friendly and made us very welcome. The other places ( on the left as you faced the sea) looked a bit more up market - and had more customers. One was called a "Resto bar" - sounded a bit Maarte to me!
My chicken and pineapple with rice- Sarap!
Before we ate Chester and I walked to one end of the beach while the girls took selfies, and after lunch we went to the other side of the beach to see the surfers.
We also shot some video for a Vlog and will upload that to you tube once I can download the video editing software again ( for some reason it got deleted off my laptop)
Chester was exhausted after his early morning walk and swim at Lio
I was happy to let Chester off his lead as there were none of the doggy restrictions at Duli that there are at Lio:
I had to sign a two page contract to allow Chester to stay in the hotel at Lio- and pay a 3500 peso deposit and 2000 peso a night for him . By comparison the last time we stayed at Nacpan it cost 1500 a night for the two of us with no contract !
The rules apply to the whole Lio Estate so I had to put Chester in the car every time I went to eat there and he had to be on a leash, and we had to clear up any poop. I have stayed there several times before and he has eaten with me, sat outside the restaurants at Huni and Punta Playa amongst others. This will be the last time we stay there! Sadly it seems part of a backlash against dogs by hotels in Palawan. We went for lunch at the Microtel the other week and were turned away because we had a dog with us. I have been staying there since 2013 and since I arrived in Palawan to live my friends have stayed there many times ( Jhoanna and TJ in 2021, Grecil and Jhon, Kit and Chalsee, Jhoanna and TJ and myself and Chester in 2022 and so on). It has also been a regular dining haunt and there has never been a problem with taking Chester there.
Chester is always on a collar and lead when we eat and sits patiently waiting for food!
The strange thing is when I checked with the hotel at Lio they told me they had lots of empty rooms, and the Microtel is always advertising for guests. Hardly surprising at 10,000 peso a night for 1 adult and 1 dog. I later found out the hotel next door has a promo rate of 6000 a night and 2 of the hotels , and a part of the one we were staying in were closed for renovation as its the low season!
Elay walking Chester on his lead at Duli- you can see how few people are there
The deserted beach at Duli, looking back at the restaurants
Chester loves visiting all his friends houses, chasing the chicken and dogs and being petted by everyone. On the way from Lio we stopped at Barutaan to collect Keanna , Elay and Jhoanna ( who we surprised) and borrow some money after the ATM at Lio swallowed my card and did not give me any money! After being directed to the Bank in El Nido by the Lio Security man the bank said the ATM were looked after by an independent contractor and they could not get the card back until Monday. I politely explained I would be back in Puerto then and was not going to make a 10 hour drive to get my card back! Special thanks to Elay for lending me 20,000 peso to pay for fuel, the hotel and my food for 3 days!
Chester surprising Elay at Barutaan
2000 pesos a night to sleep on the floor ??????
The sun sets over Lio Beach
On the Saturday we had a long walk before breakfast and then had a rest while we wrote this blog and edited the vlog. Then we filled up with fuel ( It takes two tanks of fuel to get to El Nido and back!) ready for the journey home on Sunday. Then we went to Barutaan to collect the girls and over to Nacpan to meet up with Matilda ( Rhoda's daughter) and Daniel at the Glamping site. Then we all walked along the beach to Angkla for lunch. However Angkla was fully booked with people waiting ( strange as last year when I tried to book lunch for Elay's 18th Birthday they said they did not take reservations. So we walked back to Sunmai where we were given a warm welcome again and ate there. After we took some photos for Chester's 2023 Calendar. September is my Birth month so Chester and I will be wearing matching pink tee shirts as we celebrate!
TBK and Chester celebrating my birthday at Sunmai
TBK filming at Duli Beach
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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