Do not stay this place, This is a complete misinterpretation as they claimed. Slow wifi and such a rip off. This is not at all luxury boutique hotel at all.... read more This is the worst accommodation ever. If you want luxury this is not the place to be.

  Excited to stay here supposedly in September, only to have the booking cancelled because the rate they put in booking.com was incorrect. Is that my problem? Is that my fault?... read more How about some customer-centric service here?

  I go to El Nido frequently for business but I usually stay in cheap resorts. So sometimes I treat myself after a week of hard work.

I stayed at... read more Karuna Villas and it was almost perfect. The vibe, the design , the architecture,and most of all the view. You don't ever wanna leave once you stay here.

The service is also fantastic. The staff are so helpful specially Michelle Vino, the manager. Thank you for making my stay so unforgettable. I will be back for sure and I am going to recommend first Karuna El Nido when my friends ask me for a recommendation.

  Upon arriving I was greeted by Michelle. She is lovely. She showed me the pool and restaurant area. Villas and views are absolutely amazing! I look forward to coming back... read more again and highly recommend this stunning villa to anyone! It is a steep walk, however, it’s a great workout and well worth it!

  We loved the private villa at the top. It's big with 2 bedrooms and a private infinity pool. The owner is nice and knowledgeable. The staff are... read more happy to help with anything. I laugh at some of the previous reviews like "we are scared of bugs" or "it is up a steep hill." No kidding? There are bugs in the Philippines? This resort is on a hill?? These jokers go to McDonald's and complain when their Big Mac has beef in it.

The bathrooms are outdoors. The staff will come down the hill in the van when available to give a ride up. Trikes in town usually won't go all the way up to the resort but if you bargain downtown and find the right guy, they can and will. It's a thrill.

We loved the different food delivery options and cold beers delivered to our doors.

2 small suggestions: Mosquito nets around the beds and fans in the room. The aircon is good, but fans really bring the day to a close.

  I would have given it five stars if they gave us a phone that works and if they accept credit cards. Make sure you have your pesos to pay your... read more incidentals. The staff were wonderful though. As you arrive, you are given a cell phone to call for rides or order food or call reception desk but NONE of the 3 phones issued to us was working, either it ran out of minutes or it needs to be loaded or just out of service:(.....The place had nice rooms with a view but it’s on top of a hill and the hike up was challenging. There’s no dining in this place. It’s in the process of being built. They provide you some cooking utensils, refrigerator, if you decide to cook.

  Absolutely loved this place and would stay again/recommend it to friends. The rooms were spacious, simple and clean. Equipped with a decent size kitchen although we only used the fridge... read more to store drinks. The views from our studio (from the bed, balcony and outdoor bathtub and shower) and the dining/pool area were incredible. There was no need to go to sunset bars when we could have drinks on our balcony. It was a highlight of our trip to the Philippines. It is a little walk from the main road, and a steep one at that, but this didn’t put me off the place. To put it into context my boyfriend has recently had heart surgery and whilst he had to pause a few times when we walked from the road to our studio he was able to manage it. In any case they have a car which can come and take you up/down the hill. They mentioned they were considering giving guests staying at higher residences their own transportation - if they’re able to manage it golf carts would work well. Bar did good drinks. Food from the restaurant was a little hit and miss. If we stayed again we probably wouldn’t eat there. Food service was also very slow...took over an hour one morning to get brekkie (and most other days c45 mins) so bear that in mind if you need to leave for a tour/flight. Could have been... Absolutely loved this place and would stay again/recommend it to friends. The rooms were spacious, simple and clean. Equipped with a decent size kitchen although we only used the fridge to store drinks. The views from our studio (from the bed, balcony and outdoor bathtub and shower) and the dining/pool area were incredible. There was no need to go to sunset bars when we could have drinks on our balcony. It was a highlight of our trip to the Philippines.

It is a little walk from the main road, and a steep one at that, but this didn’t put me off the place. To put it into context my boyfriend has recently had heart surgery and whilst he had to pause a few times when we walked from the road to our studio he was able to manage it. In any case they have a car which can come and take you up/down the hill.

They mentioned they were considering giving guests staying at higher residences their own transportation - if they’re able to manage it golf carts would work well.

Bar did good drinks. Food from the restaurant was a little hit and miss. If we stayed again we probably wouldn’t eat there. Food service was also very slow...took over an hour one morning to get brekkie (and most other days c45 mins) so bear that in mind if you need to leave for a tour/flight. Could have been because they were a bit short staffed as we stayed over NYE.

All in all a fantastic stay. Michelle and her colleagues were super helpful and friendly. Wish we could have stayed longer. More

  Karuna is Fantastic! Nice, clean and big room with super terrace. We lived in a "Joglo 2" with Javanese design. The Joglo was made from teakwood and stone, all the... read more elements come from Indonesia. Built up along a hillside - so people with any kind og walking problems should not choose this hotel.
There is a fridge, filtered water and a small kitchen. Te and coffee is for free in the room, with Wi-Fi and air condition.
Exciting bath and toilette facilities.A bathtub on the side of the terrace with a view.
Visit the restaurant/bar with infinity pool. Rodge in the bar is super with information, answering questions and serves delicious drinks. This er were you will find the most beautiful view of water, islands, smal harbour and sunset.
Friendly and very helpful staff. More

  The views from the villas are magnificent because they sit high on a hillside. But the hillside location also means that you must work for the reward. The walk from... read more the main road to our villa was a steep incline of at least 500 meters punctuated by a final stairway of 80 steps. The incline is too steep for most trikes to navigate. So buyer beware if you have impaired mobility, or if you are poorly conditioned. The resort advertises free shuttle service to/from the main road. However, more often than not, the van was not available when we requested it. So, unless something changes, anticipate that you will have to make the walk a few times during your stay.

Our villa was newly completed, and we were the first guests to stay in it. It was spacious and well-appointed. However, my travel companion did not like the outdoor shower design. They were still putting the finishing touches on our unit. There was no television the first night because the cable/satellite box had not yet been installed. There was no reliable internet in the room because the wi-fi signal extender had not yet been installed. There was a known issue with hot water delivery to the shower that they were trying to work out. The smell of paint varnish was always present because some outdoor painting was being completed. Outdoor lighting was still being installed. A few times the owner requested to know our daily schedule so that small jobs could be completed while we were away from the villa.

Another villa was being built directly behind ours. Most of the work was being done with hand tools. So there was not the same level of noise pollution associated with powered tools. Still there was hammering audible during the daytime. And quite often we had to step over, walk around, or yield the right away to workers on the stairway.

The plan is for a full service resort with pool, restaurant, and bar. However, the pool, restaurant, and bar have not yet been completed. Some local restaurants do deliver. You can request breakfast (extra cost), but your order must be placed by 6pm the previous evening. We ordered breakfast one morning. It arrived 25 minutes late, and the hot items were cold by the time it arrived.

All that being said, I do see this place's great potential. It is simply an incomplete product in its current state. I will reserve final judgment until I have seen the finished product.

  Both my husband and I were very excited to stay here as part of our first anniversary and before we got here we had a total mix up with our... read more booking as it had been uploaded incorrectly on Hotels.com and the rate for the accommodation we had paid for was incorrectly set up (not really our problem) however a really helpful lady Michelle did look at booking us another smaller space at a discounted rate for the inconvenience:
So on arriving at the villas we were politely checked in and given a mobile phone to use for booking any transport either for free rides up and down the hill (as it is very steep to the main road) this is a good service (or so you would seem) getting from reception to our Jonglo no.4 was very tiring. The road itself is at a very steep gradient and then 80 steps to the villa. Once you arrive the views are nothing short of spectacular I can not deny and is its saving grace as it is an outstanding view looking over El Nido. We were exhausted however from the walk up to the villa and it did put us off from using any of the facilities as the swimming pool which is lovely is at the bottom of the steps. We did have an arrival drink and the guy at the pool was very well mannered.
We took advantage of the driver to take us to a nearby bar (Panorama) very good just after sunset and also booked him to take us to a restaurant which had been recommended to us (Tamboks) he was really great and friendly and had explained if we finished before 9.30pm he could collect us and we used the phone to boom this and all was fine (apart from the meal) we hiked back up the steps which certainly tired us out.
The room was cool but was also inhabited by a number of insects which I removed and is kinda expected in this type of location. But the next morning I had been half eaten alive by bugs which is just something which can happen.
On our second day tho we had a couple of issues not of the hotels making and again Michelle was amazing at trying to sorting them out again.
We returned from our trip and hiked back up the steps to get changed and back o it for sunset at a local bar. To then when coming back the phone had no credit so we could t call the driver or reception. There was no way we physically could walk up the hill so we had to convince a tricicle driver to bring us up the hill and of course paid.
I did explain to Michelle there had been this problem and ok 20 mins later it was loaded with some credit but it’s all a bit too late by then.
On arriving in the room we thought a nice chilled early night watching tv maybe a movie as you early for our flight. To find that the TV satalite channels didn’t work apart from Nickelodeon! So it’s been a bit of a let down. Other issues are the internet as maybe this villa is a little far away from the main reception and the signal strength is limited and cuts off quite easily.
It’s an expensive place to stay even with a big discount and I don’t know what extras will be added to our bill tomorrow though I will discuss these with the new manager as it needs some looking at.
It’s a shame as the basics for this place are amazing and it’s hard to solve some of them like steps but a little more care and attention need to be looked at. It is gorgeous until you scratch the surface a little. Coming from a hospitality background myself I understand the issues with the industry. The staff are the big saving grace here and that alone is not sufficient in this day and age.
Would I return no probably not which is a shame as the views are to die for. There are other issues and things which I feel let this down and I hope that the new manager can do a concise and realistic approach to making it much better and work on some solutions as it unfortunately fails in many ways. It’s a real shame as it could be very special.
Michelle is a star though and I hope she is looked after for her service to the clientele.

  The villas are on the hill side overseeing Coron Coron. Its a bit of a walk uphill or downhill but not a big deal if you can walk. Actually we... read more enjoyed the location because there is some privacy and definitely an exclusive feeling about it. The staff are very friendly and heflpful. The driver always willing to help and drive you up or down to the tricycle station.
Room, AC, Water etc all worked perfect. The semi outdoor bathroom and shower is awesome during a tropical holiday. Balcony overlooking the bay with table, chairs, sun loungers great to chill out after a day of sightseeing or by the beach.
The Coron Coron beach and the walk along it is superb wiht lots of small restaurants and bar options. Much nice then the El Nido side.
It would be nice if they offered some sort of breakfast to start of the day, but there are plenty of local options around too.
Price is relatively high to other places but we did book very last minute during high season.
Would certainly stay again.