Last May 23 to 25, my friends and I went to Coron, Palawan. This was actually a week’s preparation only, which, by the way, I completely discourage. We were choosing between Caramoan and Coron, Palawan, but since the weather in Caramoan is quite unpredictable, especially that the rainy season was starting then, we decided to go to Palawan instead.
First of all, why Coron? Why not Puerto Princessa or El Nido? I honestly wanted to visit Puerto Prinsesa. I don’t know if it’s just me, but whenever I hear the word Palawan, the first thing that comes in my mind is Puerto Princessa, though I heard a lot of beautiful things about El Nido and Coron. But anyway, since some of my friends have been to Puerto Prinsesa and El Nido, we opted to go to the not so explored part of Palawan, which is Coron. Some say it’s the Boracay of Palawan. My only dilemma- Where’s the party?! Hehehe! Definitely there are no gimmicks in Coron! You guys have to make your own gimmick, or else you would be sleeping as early as 9pm. This did not stop us though to give this paradise a shot. 🙂
Since travelling is my passion, I did everything I could for this vacation to push through. I really enjoyed my Boracay vacation last March, making me crave for the water, the white sand, and of course the sun! 🙂 I was like a travel agent for days. Hehehe! Since budget was important to us, I canvassed the cheapest flights at that time. Five days before our scheduled trip, I was able to book Zest Air to Busuanga and Cebu Pacific back to Manila for Php 5,000. Yah, I know it’s a bit pricey but that’s already cheap considering it was 5 days before the flight. I thought I just solved my biggest dilemma for the trip, which I thought was the airfare. The same day I booked our flight, I was able to contact the tour guide of my friend who would supposedly arrange everything for us, such as our itinerary, food, airport transfers, boat rides, and lodging. She even told me to book the flight first before she would arrange everything since that part would be easy. When I called back to tell her our flight is confirmed already, the tour guide told me she would contact me again when everything is set. Night came and I received a message from her saying that she couldn’t find us any accomodations. All rooms were full at that time. 🙁 She suggested that we stay in Banana Island since they also have cottages for rent. The problem- there is no aircondition available. I was thinking I would just make that our last option. By this time, just imagine how irritated I was! I ended up calling all hotels and inns I could find over the net, but no luck at all! So for those planning a Coron vacation, make sure you have a place to stay before booking a flight, especially if you are going to get promo tickets which are usually non-rebookable and non-refundable.
Good thing my friends’ friend save us! Thank God! Their family is the owner of Malcapuya Island and we are really very lucky that they accommodated us. She gave us a package, which includes the lodging, island hopping, transportation, full board meal, and airport transfers. For those who are planning for a Coron trip, I strongly suggest to get a package, which you can get in travel agencies and tour guides. You can also inquire in different inns and hotels around Coron. Usually, they can offer you packages. The going rate for a budget package when we went there was around Php 4,500 to 6,000 per person for 3 days/ 2 nights for 6 to 10 pax. Therefore, if you are traveling for 2, expect this quote to be more expensive as you have to split the costs of transportation between the two of you only, or you might wanna ask if they could possibly sneak you in other groups. 🙂
Fast forward to the day we arrived Coron, Palawan. Oh dear, the sceneries are just breath taking! For someone who hasn’t really toured around the Philippines, I was surprised that such wonders actually exist here in the country. We can definitely boast about our paradise! 🙂 Okay, you might think I thought too little of the Philippines. Honestly, whenever I travel, I always see tons and tons of tourists in all of the places I’ve been to, which I tend to compare here in the country. Obviously, tourists in the Philippines are not as much when compared to Hong Kong, for example, which led me to the conclusion that there is just not much to see here. Oooops! My bad! I know there are a lot of beautiful beaches around but I never thought that every beach could be unique – that Boracay can be different from Coron, or Coron can be different from El Nido. Check out some of our pictures below.
If you are planning your own itinerary, here are the places we visited just to give you an idea: Malcapuya Island, Atuwayan Beach, Twin Lagoon, Kayangan Lake, Siete Picados Marine Park, and Maquinit Hotspring. If you love the white sand beach, Malcapuya Island is the place to go. For snorkeling, I recommend the Twin Lagoon, Siete Picados Marine Park, and Kayangan Lake. There are a number of must-see islands that we were not able to visit due to the lack of time. 3 days/ 2 nights is really not enough for a Coron getaway. If you are lucky enough to have a longer stay (at least 4 days) in this paradise, you can also check out the following: Banol Beach, Mt. Tapyas, Skeleton Wreck, Barracuda Lake, Calumbuyan Island, Japanese Gun Boat/ Ship Wrecks, and Coral Garden. Then, at the end of all your adventures, finish of your itinerary with a relaxing night at Maquinit Hotspring. You’ll definitely have a memorable Coron getaway! 🙂
With all these, I realized that Philippines just have to be passionate about advertising such beautiful places. These natural wonders are just so marvelous. Just an hour plane ride from Manila and you’re in a real getaway far, far from the city life! Definitely a breather! Now, I’m more certain that I would love to go around the Philippines, but since the beach never appeals to my parents, I’ll be dragging my friends to go WOW Philippines with me! 🙂 My next getaway? I wish to see El Nido next summer! 🙂
