First Seda beach resort opens in El Nido

Property giant Ayala Land Inc., a leading investor in Palawan’s tourism space, has opened in world-renowned El Nido its first beach resort under fast-growing homegrown hospitality chain Seda.

The 153-room Seda Lio, which caters to leisure, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) and destination weddings, is part of the 325-hectare Lio Tourism Estate, a former copra farm at the El Nido mainland.

Based on online booking sites, the introductory prices for guest rooms in Seda Lio range from P8,000 to P8,500 a night.

Seda Lio is a low-rise structure with three floors or no taller than the surrounding coconut trees in keeping with Lio Tourism Estate’s sustainable development master plan. The resort also vows to adopt “eco-friendly” practices to limit its impact on its immediate environment.

“We will be addressing environmental concerns at Seda Lio,” general manager Brett Hickey Hickey said, “in addition to offering guests our brand of genuine Filipino hospitality aligned with the premier service standards offered by top-tier destinations.”

Seda Lio expands the current accommodation options in El Nido, consisting of luxury resorts on the adjacent islands, and bed-and-breakfast types in town.

Just minutes away via electric car from the Lio airport, Hickey said it would take guests from Manila only 70 minutes from takeoff to touchdown at Lio, transfer to the hotel, and to have a welcome drink on hand.

The resort has a 1,800-square-meter swimming pool, spa, children’s playroom, game room, pool bar and Misto restaurant. It also offers
nonmotorized watersports on the four-kilometer beachfront, like kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, pedal boating andsnorkeling.
Those who wish to go farther out can arrange for island-hopping tours of Bacuit Bay’s iconic sites.

For shopping needs, Ayala Malls’ Shops at Lio is just a short stroll away.

For team-building and incentive groups, Seda Lio offers fully equipped, airconditioned function rooms that can accommodate up to 100 people seated or even more with the adjoining outdoor patios of the main event venue. It also has three meeting rooms and two boardrooms.

The resort seeks to bring in “discerning” visitors by offering modern facilities while showcasing the area’s biodiversity and spectacular natural attractions.

Hickey said the resort aimed to be a leading wedding and meetings destination in the country. Couples have various options: a beachfront wedding and reception; a more conventional indoor ceremony in one of the largest indoor venues in El Nido; outdoors in the gardens, or even poolside.

Ayala Land has earmarked P11 billion for investment in El Nido, fleshed out the master plan for Lio and expanded its chain of island-resorts within the perimeter through 2022.

Evolving from being an operator of island-resorts into an integrated tourism estate developer, Ayala Land’s Ten Knots Development Corp. is now transforming Lio into a resort community guided by principles of sustainability and inclusive growth. By 2022, Ten Knots expects to have built up a total of 1,000 hotel rooms in El Nido.