£5 Beach Tents: Travel the Philippines on a Budget

*This blog may contain affiliate links, which will give us a percentage of the booking with no additional cost to you.

Dreaming of travelling the Philippines but worried that it will break the bank? Well we have found a steal of an accommodation for you.

We spent 24 nights in the Philippines, gallivanting around Palawan and Mindoro. By day 10, we were absolutely knackered after having a schedule chock-a-block full of activities! Seriously, there’s so much to do and see, we practically had to schedule our naps in with the sightseeing! That’s where this budget accommodation swoops in ready to save our sanity.

We embarked on a not-so-short Jeepney ride from El Nido’s “bus station” to Bucana, costing 150 pesos each. We pulled in just before 9:30 AM, the magical hour we were promised the Jeepney would set off. Instead, we played the waiting game until 10:20, getting more and more uncomfortable as more passengers squeezed in. The Jeepney was packed tighter than a can of sardines, and while it was a bit of a cozy experience, at least we weren’t the lucky ones who got the rooftop VIP treatment!

Side note: be sure to find out when those return Jeepneys are, because we were informed there wouldn’t be one until 7 AM two days later! Luckily, that was the exact time we needed it. Otherwise, we might have had to summon an overpriced trike and mortgage a limb for transport!

We were unceremoniously dumped in the tiny town of Bucana, where our adventure began with a brisk 10-minute stroll—just enough time to reconsider our life choices. Our first challenge? A ‘hanging bridge’. If you found the canopy walk in El Nido to be nail-biting, then let’s just say that the journey to this accommodation might not be your cup of tea!

See the comparison?

We checked into our luxurious £5-a-night —yes, you heard that right, just a fiver! For those feeling fancy, you could splurge a tad more for a hut on the beach, but spoiler alert: it comes without a sea view! So, you might as well admire the stunning wall in your luxurious tent instead!

Name another beachfront abode with views as stunning as these for just £5 a night—I’ll wait! And let’s be real, this jaw-dropping £5 deal even throws in breakfast; I mean, if that isn’t a steal, I don’t know what is!

Now as you can imagine for £5, there were a few slight issues. The main one being the zip on the tent- very temperamental. But after a few attempts, it was closed and the bugs almost couldn’t get in.

The area was very quiet and not as built up as the more touristy spots, not an issue. But there were limited places to eat. The few on the beach front, including the one on site, were quite spenny. We got lunch at Mayád Misto Bar, and it was nice but not 700 pesos nice. Before you throw a wobbler, I know 700 pesos isn’t a lot (around £10) but we had much nicer food for 450 pesos (around £6.50) at Recto’s Snack House.

Tip: try the chicken asado.