El Nido itself is a small, somewhat scruffy beach town built tight against the foot of a thousand-foot limestone cliff. The town beach is not the reason to come — it's a working harbour, not pretty by Philippine standards — but the cliffs behind it are spectacular, and the town is the obvious base for the Bacuit Archipelago, the dozens of karst islands offshore.
The main strip, Calle Hama and the parallel Serena Street, are lined with dive shops, banca booking offices, restaurants and small hotels. In high season (November–April) the town is busy, prices noticeably higher than the Philippine norm, and the wifi unreliable. Bring cash; ATMs are limited and frequently empty.