Island Life: Coron

“No matter that reaching them requires a generous commitment, fiscally and temporally. For the second year in a row, the Philippine paradise Palawan wins first place as the best island in the world, thanks to its hidden lagoons, teeming ocean life, and rustic-luxe resorts.”  - Conde Nast’s World’s Best Awards Survey 2017

Our barkada scheduled a catch-up getaway, and this time, Coron! Hearing that Palawan is hailed as the most beautiful island in the world just weeks before our trip, I can’t help but feel so excited! Hey, who wouldn’t?

I’ve been hearing that Coron is an expensive getaway destination (say airfare, food, accommodation, pasalubong) but luckily, my friends were able to book a promo fare on Philippine Airlines to and fro Busuanga via Cebu. So we were able to cut down cost on this one.  Dapat talaga mag-abang abang ng airfare promo. Sipag at tyaga lang talaga!

Since we’re all employed and yes busy, kakahabol sa mga deadlines just to have our filed Vacation Leave approved, no one’s got the extra time to arrange a DIY tour.  So we decided to book a package tour booked online via friend’s referral (Link). The package includes airport roundtrip transfer, 4D3N accommodation with daily breakfast, Coron Island Tour, Coron Best Beaches Tour, and tour lunch buffet.  We compared prices from other online travel tours, and we found this one affordable with most of our desired destinations already included.

If you’re traveling solo or in a small group, you could join other groups via this link (http://corongaleri.com.ph/?pg=coron_tours_joiners ) and that would cost you less. If you plan to go DIY, then consider contacting local tour operators, paying entrance fees to desired islands, and arranging your lunch. Just make an extra time to organize. Also, tour packages would take at most one day, so better choose or arrange a tour na swak sa inyo if you have limited travel duration.

So, here’s our itinerary and corresponding expenses: (There are several ATM booths in the town so no need to worry if you fall short on your pocket money)

What to Do in Coron

1. Tour the small town, climb Mt. Tapyas, and end the day at Maquinit Hot Spring

We highly suggest that you visit past the rainy season. We experienced frequent rain showers during our stay at naubos slight energy namin kaka-sundance! :D But one advantage of visiting here off-peak is the cheaper cost of the tours and hotel accommodations due to several rainy sale offers. Inulan kami the first day and we were not able to do our town tour and witness the scenic view at Mt. Tapyas (one of the reasons for me to go back in Coron). So, we headed directly to Maquinit Hot Spring after the rain stopped.

Maquinit Hot Spring

 

Don’t underestimate this hot spring coz when they say it’s hot, IT IS REALLY HOT! It seems like the water is near to its boiling point. (Or, I’m just not used to it). But really, when I dipped my body, sweats are all over me but I enjoyed spending time in this natural sauna bath. It would have been a perfect post-climb relaxation.

2. Island Hopping

Our island hopping tour included 6 beautiful islets: Kayangan Lake, Siete Pecados, Banol

Beach, Twin Lagoon, Skeleton Wreck, and Barracuda Lake. Tour guides were assigned per

boat and recently, tour operators require that each guest should wear the provided life vest

when swimming. Snorkeling gears can be rented at P100 a day.

A picturesque taken at Kayangan Lake View Deck

Turquoise water at Kayangan Lake

White sand at Banol Beach

Entry to Twin Lagoon

The serene waters - Barracuda Lake

3. Best Beaches Tour

Malcapuya Island, Banana Island, Isla Bulog ----- By default, these 3 beaches were

absolutely beautiful! White sand, turquoise water, freshest air, delicious lunch buffet, Oh

Paradise!

 

Cool, crisp, clean air at Malcapuya Island

4. Explore other tour offers!

There are several tour offers, as Coron has so much to offer! Aside from the islands and

beaches, I also recommend the Calauit Safari tour where you could encounter giraffes,

zebras, and other animals. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to have this tour since we only

have limited time. ;)

P.S Where to Eat in Coron

Pag pagkain na, dapat tikman ang dapat tikman! Thanks to TripAdvisor! We referred to this site when searching for restaurants with good reviews and with most recommendations. You may want to do the same thing. ;)

I enjoyed Coron so much that I had everything all at once!

Reference: http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-07-13/visiting-the-most-beautiful-island-in-the-world-palawan-philippines