Coron - Still Amazing Like The First Time

Where have you spent your Holy Week vacation? Well, I spent mine in the awesome group of islands in Coron. Honestly, Im a bit unprepared. The airfare were so expensive at the time I planned to book, like around P9,500! Thanks 2Go Travel for offering a relatively affordable fare to the paradise province of Palawan. For just around P3,500 round trip fare from Manila to Coron, I did not just enjoy my destination but I already had an awesome journey on the sea. My vacation has started as the ship started to cruise.

my Coron addiction ♥

Manila to Coron
2Go Travel ship sails from Manila to Puerto Princesa via Coron route. The port is located at Pier 4 in Manila. This is more convenient than the Batangas - Caticlan, Boracay route which I tried last year. Click here for a complete review of 2Go Travel experience, accommodation, ticket upgrade, dining, parking, etc.

Manila to Puerto Princesa via Coron

journey is a good 12 hours. leave Manila at 5pm and arrive in Coron at 6.30am.

Cabin for 4 Accommodation

tourist to cabin upgrade costs P250 per way

complimentary meals can be upgraded for P80. this includes a main dish, side dish, soup, and dessert.

After exploring the ship, had dinner in the Horizon cafe, had a drink in the upper most deck, and watched TV - we decided to call it a day. My friend and I had a good sleep in our very own cabin room (yeah, lucky us there are unoccupied beds). We arrived in Coron ahead of time. Summer is here!


Coron, you still amazed me like the first time!
I've been to Coron last 2010 and I still remembered clearly how I enjoyed that trip. Instantly, it became one of my favorite destinations in the country. The water is so clear, the corals are healthy, the rock formations are breathtaking. Coron really deserves all the raves. 

Coron Packaged tour or Do-It-Yourself trip? We hired a private boat again for our island hopping tour. If you are a big group, this is cheaper than joining a group tour for P650 per person. Mind you, not all must-see spots are included in that P650 package. Go for the DIY, you have the power to control where your boat is heading and there's no rush so spend the time you want on your favorite spots. 

hello Coron! ang ganda ganda mo pa rin!

uncrowded Malcapuya ♥

my white and wide playground

where I spent my summer day - in a hammock enjoying the sea breeze!

a great vacation always comes with great food

That's pretty much like it. We spent all morning and afternoon in the quiet island of Malcapuya. It was so relaxing that we didn't even want to move and to leave. Banana island is nearby but we chose not to go there anymore because of the crowd.

Next day was allotted for the much awaited Coron loop. If you have to choose between Malcapuya/Banana tour and Coron loop, definitely choose the Coron loop. The nearby islands are already so amazing that every tourist goes crazy just by seeing the rock formations. Of course, it's a tough job not to jump out of the boat specially when the water is so inviting.

  sight seeing is already good enough for me

 trust me, it's more breathtaking to see this in person

im still so amazed

The first time I was there, I didn't pay much attention to the view because all my friends and I cared for was the colorful fish and corals under neath the water.We snorkeled from morning til sunset! Ang energetic ko talaga nung bagets pa ko.

When I returned, I got myself ready for some underwater activities - but the view on the boat kept me so busy. The weather, the extremely clear water, and the rock formations left me breathless.

 lucky Palawenos for their blessed place

lucky me too for the privilege to travel

feeling lucky and happy at the same time

my Coron addiction

one of the reasons why i love Pinas!

Coron as one of the Top Destinations in the Philippines
Two days may not be enough but the satisfaction, relaxation, and happiness I got in this quick Coron getaway was already equivalent to a week long vacation. I have no regrets traveling 12 hours by sea just to reach this place. It's all worth the journey. ♥

my Coron experience wont be complete without seeing you

and i will see you again, soon!

Links:
✈ Coron 2010 (overnight at Banana island + Coron loop)
✈ 2Go Travel 2013
✈ thanks Leidy for the discounted tour! for boat rentals, contact 0999.993.66.39

My 45-Hour Coron Getaway

Actually, this is supposed to be a 48-hour trip. Very bitin I know! And unfortunately our flight got delayed for 3 hours more so there, it became a 45-Hour trip. ^_^

Nevertheless, I still get my hopes high in this trip. Besides, a lot of Pinoys say that Coron is the best spot in Pinas.

a preview of Coron's paradise

At 2pm, finally a touchdown at Busuanga airport. My friends and I met our driver kuya Mark who's been waiting for us since 11am. After a 45-min drive to town proper, we we're introduced to our boatman Kuya Toto (contact number 09077468955 and 09276945752). And off we go to our destination: Banana Island.

journey to Banana Island

Note: spending a night in Banana Island is quite pricier than staying around town, but since we don't have enough hours to visit coron loop and the beaches in 45 hours, we all agreed to maximize our time and spend our 1st night at Banana Island.

arriving at Banana Island

We reached the island after an hour or so. We paid Aling Violeta and his husband, the owners of the island, P800 each for a 12-hour generator powered stay. The 7-hour generator rate is of course cheaper. Anyway, since we were the only visitors, we were given 4 kubos, 2 occupants sleep per kubo.

Banana Island accommodation

each kubo has 2 beds, 2 fans, a decent CR

A decent accommodation in a remote island. The kubo as well as the bedsheets are clean. The restroom has fresh water too.

Im usually tamad on the 1st day at ayoko pa muna magpicture taking. Relax muna on this duyan.

super beachfront accommodation

just in time for the sunset

Due to my working and sleeping hours, I rarely catch the sunset. Nakakamiss din pala.. Anyway, our kind and funny boatmen prepared our dinner. They are very maasikaso. Also, thank you Kayleen and Cha for buying our supplies ahead.

meet my friends from college

That ends Day 1. I slept early because I haven't slept for the last 24 hours.


Day 2: Coron, indeed one of the best spots in the Philippines

Coron Essentials:
underwater camera, snorkeling gears, off lotion

you'll regret big time if you don't have these 3 things with you

Right after breakfast which was prepared by our boatmen, we headed to the shore and enjoy the beach!


○ Banana Island

Banana Island

the sand is white, the water is clear, the seabed is mabato

kat and thea, ito ay jump shot lamang, hindi long jump competition Ü

shaded stretch

A beautiful secluded place yet convenient. Plus points!


○ Malcapuya

We put our things in the boat and started island hopping. The nearest beach is next - Malcapuya.

arriving at Malcapuya

the nipa huts

the super fine beach stretch

Howkey, dahil corny pag may cover-up..

my nautical swimwear by http://waterwear.multiply.com

Me, Jacq, Dred, Pola, Kay, Cha, Kat, Thea

We enjoyed this place all by ourselves. Ansaya!
Super ganda, though I've seen better..


○ Skeleton Wreck

arriving at Skeleton Wreck

Entrance is P100.
We looked around and everything impressed us. Rock formations are noticeable. The water is very clear. The fish are everywhere. I cant wait to go snorkeling!

presenting my accidental underwater shots:

underwater world

corals and more

and so much more

andaming fish!

our boatman's feet - captured

photo op with the fish

dont these fish get full?

amazing fishies

super enjoy

Parang underwater photography na ang gusto ko maging career!
Never miss Skeleton Wreck in your island hopping tour.


○ Kayangan Lake

Most awaited and the highlight of every tour in Coron. The limestone rock formations are very impressive.

Banul Beach
Ayaw na namin ng beach, gusto namin snorkeling activity!

approaching Kayangan Lake

Entrance is P200.
Truly, this place is malamok. Good thing we already put on some mosquito repellent even before we started the island hopping. Better safe than sorry, right?

the most photographed spot in Coron

living in a postcard

To be honest, it didn't look very outstanding sa personal. Good but kinda fell short my expectation.

On the other side is the lake. Light bluish water welcomed us.

Kayangan Lake

see how clear the water is

my accidental underwater shots again (kayangan edition)

spectacular limestone formation

i like these water reflections

we didn't bother if there's not much fish here

submerging and posing infront of these wonders is enough
kahit parang malulunod na ko any moment

Just so you know, andami kong lunod moments before I achieved that shot. About 2x-3x as my height kasi yung lalim. Haha

me with jacq and cha
the water looks magical

After our there-seems-no-tomorrow swimming activity, it's time to get back and eat our lunch. Our boatmen prepared our heavy meals again. Perfect for our heavy gutom! Thank you sa aming mga maasikasong boatmen! Ü

our heavy meal at Kayangan Lake

Right after, ilabas na agad ang iced cold San Mig Light. Pinapatagal pa ba yan?

cheers!

○ Barracuda Lake

approaching Barracuda Lake

Entrance is P100.
They say still water runs deep. True enough. This calm water is literally very very deep. Btw, this lake is good for scuba diving.

lime-stoned walls

still waters run deep..
true enough, this water is 30-40m deep or 130 feet

I read somewhere that if you have to do nude swimming, then this is the perfect place. Dont be alarmed, we don't have the guts to do that. But what we can do is remove our lifevests and jump into the 100++ feet deep water!

matapang ang may life insurance!
jump into the 100++ feet deep water

Ang lalim nga! Antagal ko nakasubmerged bago lumutang ulit. Haha
Risk more to enjoy more! \m/


○ Twin Lagoon

Entrance is P50.
To pass through the lake, everyone must swim under the cave. Fun but we took the balsa instead. More fun! Ü

passing through the lake

neon yellow ladies riding the balsa

There's only 1 remaining underwater camera left, the other 2 are already drained. We saved it for our next destination.


○ Siete Pecados

Entrance is P100.
It's almost past 4pm when we arrived. We wasted no time and started snorkeling again.

Siete Pecados = 7 peaks

photos taken by me using FinePix (Fuji)

beautiful creations underneath

i don't know why some are bright colored

the shelter

Actually we saw and encountered a lot of fish here. Sadly most of the photos are blurred. This one's photographed by our boatman.

keep your feet together, that's the size of this fish

After all this time I was a beach loving person. But not anymore, not after experiencing the beauty of the underwater creatures in Coron. Snorkeling and diving na ang gusto ko!

now this is my real calling - to snorkel and dive! chos!

○ Maquinit Hotspring

Entrance is P100.
Very hot indeed, above 40degress I think. Daig ang init sa Ace Water Spa herbal pools. Ang sakit sa ulo ng init.

mangroves all around the pool

at 40 degrees and beyond

Finally our long day is over. We rented a van to drive us to our lodging place- Princess of Coron. We instantly fell in love with this place. Surely you'll agree too..

shutter priority: 0.3"
partida- walang tripod yan

the big Nony Room

fabulous and super spacious rest room

Aircon works properly. The mattresses are very comfortable (more comfy than the bed). Rest room has hot and cold water. They provide free towels too. We don't have anything to complain about this place. Truly a gem.

We had dinner at Kawayanan Grill. Pricey yet nothing spectacular.


Day 3 is for last minute shopping of pasalubong. We still had time to climb Mt.Tapyas but we decided to sip it. At 8:30, the driver picked us up at Princess of Coron, and we headed to the airport to catch our 10:50am flight.

Now the total expenses for this 3Days-2Nights Coron trip:
(once and for all, we didn't avail any tour package, but we used Leidy's contacts that's why we got good deals)

a total of P4,198 including airfare

I know you always want proof. Here's the e-ticket.

P388 for 4 passengers. P97 each roundtrip ticket

○ Obviously, we all had fun. I enjoyed that much that Im willing to trade my DSLR for a good underwater camera.. Hahaha

I'd like to thank Leidy for lending us her contacts. If you need a cheap Coron tour package, please visit her site. http://leidyscorontour.multiply.com/


Thank you sa bestfriend ko, Che-che sa pagpapahiram ng snorkeling set. Pwede ba this year yan ang give away? Hihi
Thank you Leidy para sa superb Canon underwater camera mo. Inggit na inggit ako!
Thank you Kay and Cha for organizing our supplies. We had fun doing this trip with you.
And Kat, kala mo ligtas ka na! Ipagkakalat kong naiwan ka ng airplane! Haha Happy Bday! ♥

So is Coron the best spot in Pinas? One of the best! Pasok sa top 3 ko! ^_^