It started from a friend of mine wanting to show me El Nido. I said, ‘no I don’t have time, I don’t have time!’

Hotelier Paul Louie M. Tugade is enamored with El Nido.

In the town of El Nido, life has picked up in the last few years. Resorts from simple to luxe have sprung up; a charming little airport now makes direct flights possible from different parts of the Philippines and tourists are flocking in.

“We get plenty of Europeans and more Filipinos are coming, too,” a local tour guide tells us, but we are only half-listening as we speed over the clearest blue waters with limestone cliffs holding us transfixed.

We are aboard a 10-seater speedboat that skims through the famed Palawan waters, on our way to see the Secret Lagoon and other wonders of nature for which the province is known.

Our ride is comfortable and fast, allowing us to see much more than if we had taken the regular banca ride.

Such a thing would not have been possible if not for the enterprising foresight of one Paul Louie M. Tugade, who came to the island one fine day sometime around the turn of the millennium and fell in love.

His eyes light up and his voice takes on a reverent tone when he speaks of El Nido.

PAUL Louie Tugade proves he is his own man with his passion for nature. ALFONSO PADILLA

“Ang gandaaa (It’s so beautiful)!” he says in almost half a whisper.

Paul first came to the Palawan town sometime in 2000. “It started from a friend of mine wanting to show me El Nido. I said, ‘no I don’t have time, I don’t have time!’ We were starting up this company, Perry’s Group. Until finally, my friend told me, ‘I bought your tickets already.’ He even gave me a coffeemaker so I could have coffee daw while I was reading the papers,” he recalls with a laugh.

Paul loved the place so much that he would go back four to five times a year to get a break from work and city life. And every time he went back, his love just grew.

“I fell in love with the place. The locals are so nice. The place is beautiful! And unlike other beaches that you go to, like Boracay – in Boracay, the top is nice, but if you go to El Nido, the top and the bottom are really, really nice!” he tells Daily Tribune.

The enterprising man thought of a way to keep going back to the island. Initially, he brought in about a hundred kayaks, he said, “just to start the business.”

His love grew ever deeper so he bought a piece of property, about a thousand square meters of land in the town of El Nido. Seven years after, the president and CEO of Perry’s Logistics started putting up The Apartments at El Nido.

“At first I wanted to take the family — sort of a beach house for the family. Then it evolved to The Apartments,” he relates.

Paul describes this pioneering venture as “kakaibang klaseng Airbnb (a different kind of accommodations) — a cross between a hotel and Airbnb.”

The Apartments offers one-of-a-kind accommodations that are homely and ultra comfortable. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

Rising at a corner lot along the town’s main road, the apartment complex, which also houses a swimming pool, officially opened this month without much fanfare, as APT Travels, the company that runs the new venture, prefers to keep it simple.

The minimalist bent is evident in the design of the place where space is a priority and comfort the key to a memorable stay. Each villa is inspired by the various wonders of El Nido and, thus, named The El Nido House, The Bacuit House and the Darocotan House.

Rooms in the three structures, which may be booked separately, are also named after some of the famed destinations in the Bacuit archipelago: House 1 has the Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon; House 2 has Cugugnon Cave and Cathedral Cave; and House 3 has Snake Island, Shimizu Island, Lovers Island, Panuytuyan Island and Pupulkan Island.

“If you go to my house, to my parents’ house, it’s similar! In fact, my kids would always say, ‘Dad, it looks like our house!’ I wanted it to be comfortable, like a house,” Paul describes.

“The design is like our house — minimalist, homey. I’d like to portray The Apartments to be a home away from home. It should be a place for family, to hang out with friends — that’s why it’s spacious,” he adds.

For him, the best way to experience Palawan is to immerse yourself in the place. Explore the town, talk to the locals, wake up at your own pace, cook, enjoy meals with family or friends together, buy the local food, hop on a speedboat and discover islands so wonderful, it can capture your imagination.

With accommodations at The Apartments where it feels like home, the little details complete experience after a day spent basking in the sun in one of El Nido’s many white beaches; trekking through green landscapes to get to waterfalls and wonderous views;!or speeding through the ocean and staring in awe at majestic limestone cliffs and lagoons.

A spacious living area, clean bathrooms with plenty of hot or cold water, an efficiently stocked kitchen deliver extra comfort and convenience. Plush towels, fluffy comforters, plenty of soft pillows and smooth, fine linens perfect the stay.

Paul simply describes it all as “a nice place to rest.”

UNITS at The Apartments have their own dining and living areas, a small kitchen and spacious bedrooms. Photos by DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

Unlike being in a hotel, he says, The Apartments enables you to just walk around the town, try the cafes or restaurants and shop for local wares.

Make it a point to try the wood-fired pizza, the gelato, the localized Vietnamese noodle dish and the Palawan specialties, Paul recommends. The seafood, he shares with such joy, are freshest and oh so affordable!

While the town is sleepy by day and quieter than most resort towns at night, El Nido offers plenty of entertainment for those who seek it. There are bars to hang out in, sipping anything from fruit shakes to whisky while enjoying local color, as well as joints offering music or a chance to belt out a tune or two.

Just like its property’s many local elements and all-local staff, APT advocates nature and nurture — promoting the best of the place and ensuring that these are taken care of.

“I had to challenge the development in El Nido. Because there, you get just a room. Basic. What I gave emphasis on really is the STP — the sewage treatment plant. Ours has six chambers. That’s very, very good. It filters and what we do, once every two weeks, we get samples and we bring it to Manila. Just to make sure that the releases are at a good level,” Paul gets a little technical talking about building their first-ever property development.

“For the investment, I told the contractors, do it right the first time. If we can just take care of the place, take care of the locals, then it will be a good place for everyone.”

Paul is happy that efforts by the Duterte administration had trickled to Palawan, following the closure and massive rehabilitation of Boracay. It would be a shame, he believes, for a place like El Nido to deteriorate due to abuse or neglect.

El Nido has been ranked fourth in Conde Nast Traveler’s list of “20 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World.” Also, its “extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem” has been cited by CNNGo which called it the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines.

“Before, (El Nido) was a mess. It was starting to become messy. But now they started to clean it. Now they started implementing the easement rules. Natakot sila sa nangyari sa Boracay. DENR is very strict. Magaling ang Presidente (They got afraid after what happened to Boracay. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is very strict. The President is good)!” he quips.

Now, Paul adds, there is more of an effort from local government to control tourism movements to help protect and maintain the environment.

“If you go to the Big and Small Lagoons before, anyone could just go. Now you can only go inside using kayaks. Then there are the easement rules. Also, many hotels were closed because of the sewerage system issue,” he replies when asked about the changes in El Nido of late.

A BIRD’S eye view of one of the beach areas in El Nido. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

“The whole island has also banned the use of plastics. They announce it in the plane. Slowly they are fixing it because there is a new mayor,” Paul notes.

“I hope government is consistent, I hope they maintain the discipline taking care of the place. I’m not there just to make money, but take care of the people, too. Sayang, ang ganda (It would be a waste, it’s just so beautiful)!”

While plans are afoot for more APT property developments in other parts of the country, Paul’s heart remains in El Nido. “The plan for the future is to put up as many small apartments like that. Well, I’d like to go to Batanes next, then after that maybe Ilocos. The main goal is, I really just want to tell the people how beautiful the Philippines is! El Nido — sobrang ganda lang talaga (it’s simply gorgeous)!”

“I’m very passionate about El Nido. I love the people, I love the place, the locals are great. Whenever I’m there, it’s a different world.”

Paul, son of a big man in public service, Department of Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade, was raised to be down-to earth and yet to fly. He, like the company his father established and is now run by him and his other siblings, is determined to continue the tradition of values espoused by the Perry’s Group of Companies.

“It’s a company that teaches people values formation and building your character. It’s a school to mold character,” he briefly describes. “My founder would always tell us: at the end of the day, it would be our way of doing things that sets us apart. Based on his experiences in his jobs before, he made sure to give the best to his employees.”

LUNCH prepared in an island stop during a speedboat tour of the islands of El Nido. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

He also made sure his children would learn to appreciate everything, starting them off at the bottom rung when they eventually joined the company years after they graduated from college.

Paul, educated in Toronto and partly in Manila, found himself starting out in the humble job as janitor for the company, “making coffee for the executives, for about six months,” he recalls with a laugh.

Their father also gave them a set allowance only once in a month, so if they ran out, they had to find ways to augment it. Paul found himself making candles from scratch and selling them. At 23, he was discovering his business-minded side, moving from the candle-making to trucking, then eventually, the logistics, his forte.

Even as he moved up in the company and his businesses soared, Paul has made it a point to keep his priorities clear and centered on family — a value he also shares with his employees.

PALAWAN’S El Nido is known for 45 islands and limestone cliffs, coral reefs and beaches. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

“When you start to have your own family — things change. That’s why one of the policies here (at Perry’s) is, if it’s the birthday of your wife or kids, you get leave with pay. I’m not scared of competition. What I’m scared of is makalaban ng company ang pamilya. That’s why we have Halloween for the kids. We make sure when it’s the birthday of spouses or kids, they have a cake. I don’t want to have a crack between company and family.”

As a father, Paul dotes on his son, now 10 and into baseball, and daughter, who is nine and is into gymnastics.

“Family is first,” he emphasizes. It shows in the company he runs with a caring yet firm hand, and it shows in his first venture into the travel accommodations business — The Apartments at El Nido — where he helps ensure that people who stay truly have a home away from home.