FWIW, I got out to PPS in 1996 and it was pleasant enough. Stayed in town to save money and remembered a place with rock lobster tails, grilled, at 2 for $5 (worth of pesos). They had never heard of drawn butter, though. The town was cleaner than most. Got out to Dos Palmas in Honda Bay for a daytrip and some snorkeling (the same Dos Palmas attacked by terrorists not long afterward), and also did the underground river trip, which was great. That passed by Sabang (?) beach, which had the swaying palms and lots of sand and not many hotels.

Have wanted to get to El Nido but have balked at the charter costs (about twice what MNL-PPS on LCCs cost). Guidebooks also used to warn people about malaria dangers in Palawan...dunno if that's still as much a concern.

The general rule of thumb with hotels in the Philippines is that you pay more and get less than in Thailand or Malaysia, as supply/demand isn't as much on your side.