Coron Trip Itinerary, Tips & Review

As I've mentioned on my previous post, we got a great 3D/2N deal at Cleverbuy.com.ph.  We paid the total amount of Php 14, 450 for three heads that includes buffet breakfast on the second and third day, Coron Island tour on the second day, roundtrip airfare and ground transfers.

Tips:

• Pack light.  Just bring clothes for three days and swimwear.  No need to bring towels as you can borrow at Dive Link's receiving area when you're about to go on Coron Island tour.
• check this site as it will give you information on which terminal to go to or on the details of your flight.

Day 1:

• AirPhil Express flight to Busuanga, Terminal 3
• checked in at 9AM for our 11:20 AM flight
• ate breakfast at Rajah Maynila (less Php 300 for us three)
• flight got delayed for two hours
• left Manila around 2:00 PM

• Arrived at Busuanga domestic airport around 3 in the afternoon.
• fill-up info sheet form upon arrival.  An airport clerk will hand it out upon entering the airport's arrival area.  It'll just take you a minute to fill it up.
• don't try using their restroom as it doesn't have enough supply of water and it stinks.
• approach the resort's kiosk where you are booked and the staff will usher you to the respective van that will bring you to the port or to your hotel.
• the chauffeur/driver holds a signboard with your name in it.  
• airport to Harbour Center will take about 20-30-minute ride.

• Dropped off Harbour Center's port and was welcomed by J2 Travel & Tours' Cherry.
• orientation on the trip
• boat ride from port to Dive Link or vice versa is free until 7PM only.  Beyond the said time, you'll be paying Php 100 per head.
• pick-up time for Coron Island tour is between 8:00-8:30AM.
• for Coron town tour, coordinate with Cherry (or who handles your packaged tour) and she'll be asking for available tricycle and guide around town to come with you.  It'll cost Php 350 per tricycle.  Three to four persons can ride the trike.
• additional Php 150 per head for Maquinit Hot Springs entrance fee.

• 10-20-minute ride from port to Dive Link Resort
• briefing on the resort
• buffet breakfast opens at 7:30 AM.
• all other expenses (food, drinks, spa, boat fee) will be paid upon checking out.
• bar opens at 6:00 PM.  It's free videoke, so it's first-come-first-served basis.
• you can reserve the place if you want.
• other activities:
• pool use is until 10PM only
• free use of kayak -- please wear vests
• swim at your own risk as there are sea urchins and jellyfish around
• trek to the summit.
• basketball court
• drop in your room key whenever you leave the resort
• you can borrow towels from the receiving area if you're about to go to your Coron tour.
• boat ride is free of charge until 7PM.  Beyond the said time, Php100 is charged per head.  You'll be paying it upon checking out, so please be honest.
• electricity runs from 5PM to 9AM only.

• Early dinner (5PM) at Dive Link's restaurant.  Great food!
• Went to the bar after purchasing stuff from Coron town's market.

Day 2:

• Trek the summit before dawn.  5:30AM.
• wear proper footwear for trekking as the slopes are very steep.
• bring flashlight, whistle, and your camera.

• If you're afraid of trekking to the summit, walk down to the resort's dock and embrace dawn from there.

• Buffet breakfast at 7:30AM.

• Take a quick shower, bring necessary items for Coron Island tour:
• goggles or snorkeling gear
• plastic bags, preferably those large trash bags where you can put your bags in it to avoid getting wet, at the same time protect your gadgets.  also for your trash.
• wear flip-flops or most preferably aqua shoes.
• shades
• sunblock with a strong SPF, or tanning lotion if you want to
• insect repellent lotion
• towel
• water and some snacks
• underwater camera is a MUST!  digital cameras are fine too.
• wet wipes

• Destinations:
• Twin Peaks - 30 min to an hour of snorkeling
• Twin Lagoon - 30 min to an hour of swimming
• Smith Beach - an hour lunch
• CYC Beach - to burn off the calories, around 30 to an hour of swimming
• Kayangan Lake - 10-15 min trek, then an hour of swimming.

• Have more time for Coron town tour?
• coordinate with Divine or your lead tour guide and mention you want a town tour
• Php 350 per tricycle that would fit three to four people only
• first stop, Mt. Tapyas
• second stop, Maquinit Hot Springs (Php 150 entrance fee per head)
• third stop, Coron Souvenir and Gift Shop
• fourth stop, if you feel like having dinner in any of the restaurants around town
• But in our case, we rented the tricycle and had Kuya Jun as our guide
• took a quick look at Maquinit Hot Springs without paying since we're just going take photos
• bought few stuff from Coron Souvenir and Gift Shop
• dinner at Lolo Nonoy's.
• Had our ride back to Dive Link past 7 in the evening.

Day 3:

• Buffet breakfast at 7.
• Kayak
• Bathe, pack-up
• Check-out around 9AM.
• Walked from the port towards Centro Coron where we dropped off mom.
• Walked our way towards the foot of Mt. Tapyas.  It'll take 5 minutes from Centro Coron.
• Climbing up the summit will take you 20-30 minutes depending on your pace.
• Bring bottled water, camera, shades and face towel
• 700 steps ahead!  Better do stretch exercise, trust me, you need that.  You're welcome :)
• If you ran out of water getting back from the summit, there's a sari-sari store right before Daven's Palace.  Php10 per bottle.
• Ate lunch at Centro Coron, and it was bad.
• Went back to the port where we were picked up.
• Cebu Pacific flight got delayed for an hour.
• Arrived at Manila Terminal 3 around 7PM.

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Contact:

Tourist Guides at J2:

• Cherry - 0929.795.9819
• Divine - 0929.595.2921

Tourist guide for backpacking trip next time:

• Jun - 0929.199.2549

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Feedback:

Dive Link Resort (10 out of 10 stars)

• accommodating and friendly staff (even before and after the trip.  like them on Facebook!)
• good food (reminds you of the good ol' home-cooked meals), pricing is a-okay
• free of charge activities, which is a major plus! 
• kayaking, videoke, boat transfers
• nice, simple and quiet place to stay, which I love

J2 Travel and Tours (10 out of 10 stars)

• accommodating and friendly staff
• prepared delicious lunch during our Coron Island tour
• very informative tour
• props to:
• Kuya Ricky for the great lunch
• Ms. Divine and Ms. Cherry for coordination/guiding
• Kuya Allan for the information about the place
• Kuya Jun, our Coron town tour guide, for all the information we've gathered too :)

Lolo Nonoy's (8 out of 10 stars)

• good food, yet small portions, which I find a bit pricey
• served late even if the place isn't packed.
• no lights on the hut where we were seated
• great shakes
• inattentive staff

Dads' Coronzy Coffee and Tea Shop (9 out of 10 stars)

• good drinks
• great place to hang out: wifi, ac
• accommodating staff
• price range the same with coffee shops in the metro

Centro Coron's (7 out of 10 stars)

• attentive staff
• salty stir fried vegetables
• no 'wow' factor on the dishes we had
• pricey

AirPhil Express (7 out of 10 stars)

• two hours delayed flight
• rough landing

Cebu Pacific (8 out of 10 stars)

• an hour delayed flight
• smooth landing
• comfortable seats
• interior looks way better

Destination: Coron, Palawan (Day 3)

~ a photo travelogue ~

We all woke up late, around 7 AM.  Yup, it's late if you're in a paradise like Coron.  We headed out to the restaurant for breakfast that served toast, rice, scrambled eggs, sunny side ups, corned beef, tocino, fruits, and dried fish.  Coffee and juice are also served upon request--unlimited too.  

After getting ourselves filled up, John and I decided to go kayaking, while mom stayed at the dock to take pictures or shoot a video.  Unfortunately mom wasn't able to press record on her phone while we're kayaking.  The water was very calm, which was a great time to kayak.  I had fun but had anxiety attacked when we were about to reach the other side of the island.  I can no longer see the coral reefs and the sand so it gave me the attacks.  Lol.  So we went back near Dive Link's shoreline and go round and round.  It was a great exercise early in the morning.  By the way, you can kayak whenever you want.  It's free of charge.  But be sure to wear vests for protection 'cause you'll never know when your kayak will turn over.  You can swim too if you want, but beware of sea urchins and jellyfish.

After our morning kayak, we went back to our room, bathed, and packed our stuff as we decided to leave the resort early.  There's enough time to spare so we decided to climb up Mt. Tapyas to see the entirety Coron Island and the sleeping giant, and have our lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Ms. Tess of Dive Link Resort :)

We checked out at Dive Link Resort around 9 in the morning.  Thanks, Dive Link!  We had a great stay.  Very accommodating staff.

Kuya Mark, our shy boatman, of Dive Link Resort :)

Mom decided to stay in a restaurant instead of going to Mt. Tapyas.  So we dropped her off at Dads' Coronzy Coffee & Tea Shop, which was just near the Harbour Center, but along the main road.  You can just walk around the town proper instead of paying Php 10 per tricycle ride.

carioca

bananacue

These kids went inside the coffee shop and were selling carioca and bananacue.  The place wasn't strict as opposed to the shops in the metro where street vendors are not allowed inside an establishment.

My strawberry smoothie.  I loved it.

the price range for the drinks is way similar to what is in the metro.  Php 100 ++

We brought the drinks with us as we walked towards the foot of Mt. Tapyas.  It's just five minutes away (by foot) from Coronzy.  So no need to take a trike ride from the port to Mt. Tapyas or vice versa.  Another advice, better bring bottled water instead of smoothies, and do stretch exercise before going to Mt. Tapyas. You'll thank me after.. :)  You're welcome in advance :p

You'll never get lost at Coron.

the corner coffee shop.  left side of this photo (refer to the photo before this) is where the huge signboard is situated.
will try this place next time :)

just turn left from the main road if you're coming from Harbour Center.
the road to Mt. Tapyas.

foot of the trek.

We made stops from time to time.  Seven hundred steps?  It's no joke.  No matter how fit you are, you'll feel exhausted because it's humid and it's kind of steep going up.  Take breaks and have snapshots of the scenery around you.

The Sleeping Giant.
He looks mummified, eh?  He must be Mt. Buntis' (in Maragondon) hubby but they fought so they separated.  ^_^
Okay, I made that up.  lol.

finally!  the place reminds me of People's Park in Tagaytay.

we went towards the other side of the summit and this captivated us too.

I remember catching myself singing ♫♪ the hills are alive with the sound of music ♪♫ here that made Pres laugh hysterically.  lol

now, going down.  that's how steep the steps are.

You can buy your bottled water at the sari-sari store right beside Daven's Palace at the foot of Mt. Tapyas.  Php 10 per bottle.  I totally drank the entire bottle less than a minute.  That's how dehydrated I was.  Then we went back to Coronzy and this kid sells buchi.

mapilit sila, pramis

 Instead of moving to other place to have our lunch, we stayed at Coronzy's and ordered sinigang na salmon, fried chicken, and stir fried vegetables.

I wasn't able to see how much each dish costs, but mom says it was too pricey.  It wasn't that good as well, most specifically the stir fried vegetables.  They put too much oyster sauce in it that it ended up too salty.

We went back to the port where we will be picked up.  The van assigned to us was still in the airport waiting for incoming tourists since all flights got delayed, but gladly, there's a spare van who picked us up at the port.  So here's the tip, always coordinate with your tourist guide, in our case we communicated with Ms. Cherry of our whereabouts and the time we wanted to be picked up.  As soon as we got in the van, the chauffeur went to other hotels and picked up other tourists as well.  The van was totally packed.  Thank 'gawd' we only brought backpacks and not luggage.

Our Cebu Pac flight to Manila got delayed for an hour or so due to, again, air traffic.  Instead of leaving at 4, we left around 6.  Oh, if you have lotion or any liquid bottled items with you, throw them out, leave it somewhere or put it in your check-in luggage.  The authorities does manual check of bags, so umbrella is a no-no too.  They even told me to have it checked in.  Are they crazy?  Haha!  Of course, stubborn me, I ignored them and just inserted it in my bag, underneath.  My pepper spray was confiscated too.  I forgot to remove that very item on my keys.  Bummer.  I haven't used it and will never use it in a plane.  Duh...  As if the police will protect us from harm too.  Gee.

Nevertheless, the flight calmed me down.

See you soon, Busuanga, Coron.  :'(

♫♪ Manila, Manila, I keep coming back to Manila.. Manila, I'm coming home ♪♫

Complete itinerary (and review) of our trip where you can base your Coron vacation after the jump.

Destination: Coron, Palawan (Day 2)

~ a photo travelogue ~

Woke up at 5:30 in the morning to see the sun rise and embrace the beauty of Coron.  We were supposed to trek up the mountain for a better view but I didn't pushed through due to anxiety attack because it was very dark and steep.

I went on the dock instead and see the beauty surrounding us, and took shots of it.

if you want to purchase a photo, shoot me an e-mail.  original, no watermark.  curlyscribblings@gmail.com 

Buffet breakfast opens at 7:30AM, but since almost all guests were up and hungry, dining staff opened their buffet table at 7.  Unlimited juice and coffee were served.

toast, marmalade, fried rice, scrambled eggs, sunny side up, hotdog, longganisa, danggit, fresh fruits for breakfast

my breakfast plate :)

We have 30 minutes to spare, so we went back to our room, had a quick shower, changed to swimming clothes and packed our bags.  Then we headed to the receiving area and asked for towels for the trip.

If you don't have snorkeling gear with you, you can rent it for only Php 150.  Text Cherry (0929.795.9819) or Divine (0929.595.2921) or whoever takes over the tour the day before the trip so that they would be able to bring those for you.  But goggles are fine, just practice holding your breath.

The boat came in late, around 9, and it was just okay with me, though other guests were furious, which I find funny.  Stressing themselves instead of relaxing..geesh..  Spend your time taking photos if waiting bothers you.

As soon as we all hopped in the boat, Divine, our lead tour guide, told us that we're going to five different locations on the day-long trip which will last till, approximately, 4PM.

For our first destination, we went to Twin Peaks for snorkeling.  Unfortunately, I had my period (yes, too much information here lol), so I wasn't able to experience snorkeling in Sulu water!  I hadn't had the chance looking at those magnificent coral reefs.  But I was able to capture the beauty right in front of us.

Twin Peaks

snorkeling at Twin Peaks

After 30-45 minutes of snorkeling, we moved to another location.  As we were moving, amazement showered us all with the extreme beauty of Coron Island.  Wonderful!

I'm happy to see local tourists :)
Twin Lagoon

Twin Lagoon

Limestone cliffs at Twin Lagoon

One of Dive Link's boatmen.  I forgot kuya's name.  He's with other batch of tourists.

I can't remember if kuya is a native who takes care of the place or a boatman.  But he's got a great smile.

Kuya Ricky, our boatman and chef, preparing our lunch while everyone's at the other side of the lagoon.

Because I was too jealous of the rest of the tourists who were having fun on the other side, neglecting my condition, I crossed the bridge, swam in the water, climbed up to get to the other side of the lagoon--and left my mom on the boat since she's not that adventurous kind of a person.

There are two ways to get into the other side of the lagoon.  If the tide is low, you can ride a balsa or raft and push your way under the open cliff towards the other side of the lagoon.  When the tide is high, after reaching the end of the bridge, swim towards the wooden ladder and climb yourself up, cross the tiny space between cliffs and go down the slippery wooden ladder so you can dive/swim to the other side of the lagoon.  It was worth the effort.  Beautiful place.  The water is somewhat sticky due to the mix of saltwater and freshwater.

I took some pics using an underwater camera.  Will be posting it some other time.  I'd be updating this post from time to time.  :)

Kuya Allan informed us that the lagoon is hidden on the so-called Sleeping Giant.  The said giant can be seen from Mt. Tapyas.  Going up Mt. Tapyas then is a must!

After an hour of fun at the lagoon, we all headed to our next destination at Smith Beach to have lunch.

Smith Beach

Kuya Allan, our boatman/tour guide

Kuya Allan told us that there are a huge number of locals who are from the metro.  He's one of them and was originally from Navotas.  Most of them found solace and jobs at Palawan that's why they decided to stay there.  I, too, want to live there.  It's beautiful and living a simple life is what I really want.

I wasn't able to get ate's name who owns the beach.

I wasn't able to get ate's name, who owns the beachfront.  She's a native of the ancestral land.  There were people/companies who wanted to buy the entire stretch for millions of pesos, but she turned them down.  I would also turn down all offers if I were on her shoes.  Having this kind of paradise is a great gift that shouldn't be given or sold to anyone outside the immediate family.

feast prepared by our tour guides

my lunch plate :D

Bring wet wipes so that after eating with your hands and cleaning it at the shore, you could wipe off the fishy smell from your precious hands.

Just by looking at my plate above makes me crave big time!!!  The crab tastes great, far different from what I usually have at home.  The mango-cucumber ensalada balances all dishes.  The grilled fish and pork was delish!  Now, I'm hungry.

Right after lunch, we moved to CYC beach to burn calories.  Kuya Allan said that the beach got smaller because of those people who dug the sands out to other beach locations, you know, those big-name businessmen are the culprits.  He didn't name names.  Mahirap na..

Thirty minutes after swimming, we moved to our last destination, Kayangan Lake.

right behind these cliffs is Kayangan Lake

I looked back, took a shot, before trekking up

There's a restroom at Kayangan Lake.  It's just behind the sari-sari store.

At the foot of the stone flights up.

my mom, in full battle gear.

It'll take you 5-10 minutes going up and get to the scenic spot where all tourists take their pictures of themselves.  Then another five minutes or so going down the lake, depends on your pace.  If there were no handle bars on the trek, it would take me hours to get to the lake as my knees will wobble every single step. Hehe.  Wear aqua shoes instead of flip-flops.  I wasn't able to buy one so I took risk wearing my flops.  Buti na lang makapit hehe.

the famous spot

Right behind this spot is a cave.  Be sure to apply insect repellent lotion especially when going inside the cave.

the cave

Kayangan Lake

right in the middle is a tiny cave.  it is lit naturally by the sunlight coming from the small hole above.

Be careful of sharp stones in the area whether you're swimming or not.  It's around 20 or more feet deep, it's freshwater so better wear vests as you won't float naturally (you know, the more salt the water has, the more chance you float and less paddling).

Half an hour or so passed, it's time to get back to our boat, thus, the end of our Coron Island tour.  Bitin sobra!  The group we're with had other plans like going to Mt. Tapyas and Maquinit Hot Spring.  Since there's a lot of time to spare, we decided to have a town tour as well but we dropped off Dive Link first to take a shower and unload stuff before heading to Coron town.

Ms. Divine of J2 Travel & Tours, our lead tour guide :)
0929.595.2921

Mom was too exhausted to go out so we left her at the resort as we continue our adventure.  We coordinated with Ms. Divine through text as we wanted to have our town tour.  She gave us the tricycle's number (not the driver's mobile number, just to clarify) and informed us that it'll cost Php350 for the ride.  So it's Php 350 per trike and NOT per person, okay?

As soon as we docked at the port, we looked for the said trike and met kuya Jun, our tour guide/driver.  Since we're not sure where to go at 5 o'clock, we opted to visit Maquinit Hot Spring just to take pictures of the place instead of trekking up Mt. Tapyas because I might not be able to capture the sunset when we get to the summit.

The ride to Maquinit Hot Spring will take around 15-20 minutes.

I think everyone knows everyone in the island and  Kuya Jun is one of them.  He told us that we can get inside Maquinit Hot Spring without paying the entrance fee of Php 150 mainly because we don't plan to go on dipping and just want to take pictures of the place, only if the boss isn't around.  Luckily, we got inside and were only given five minutes to explore the place.

the hot spring comes out on the hole (lower right). it's quite difficult to take a snapshot of it. hehe

Don't ever use your underwater camera in any hot springs.

Kuya Jun, originally from Pampanga

bumpy ride.  dirt road.

By the way, the trike allows three to four people only because of the bumpy road and hills.  Hold on tight.  :)  Too bad the local government left the road undeveloped, knowing that their town is now a tourist hot spot.

Our next stop, Coron Souvenir & Gift Shop along the main road near Harbour Center.

I only bought a pair of earrings, starfish magnet and a bracelet.  I don't buy souvenirs for people back home, I'm not obligated anyway.  Hehe.  I don't like that kind of tradition.

took this photo the next day. 

After buying stuff from the souvenir shop, we scouted for a place to eat.  Then we decided to go to Lolo Nonoy's per Kuya Jun's advice since we're looking for a cheap-but-good-food-kind-of-a-place.  I wasn't able to take photos of the place since our hut doesn't have lights, and I'm too hungry.  We invited Kuya Jun to eat with us, of course he's kind of shy but we pursued him to dine with us instead of waiting right outside.  We ordered calamari, blue marlin steak, kaldereta, rice, buko shake, mango shake, and banana shake.  It took them a long while serving our orders.  We waited like half an hour even if the place wasn't that packed.

We spent our time waiting by having great conversation with Kuya Jun.  He just moved in Coron two years ago because of personal reasons (that I won't mention ever in this blog).  Let's just say he found solace here.  He has four kids, two of his youngest kids are with him while the other two are in Pampanga, where he is from.  We even talked about interesting stuff like us coming back and we'll hire him as our tour guide as we explore the other hidden wonders of Coron.  Did you know that there are two waterfalls in the area?  That I have to see.  We can even stay at his place with a minimum fee.  Backpacking trip is next on our list :D  And did you  know that if you happen to know someone from the place and you wanted to give something, give them a sack of rice.  Rice, chicken, beef, pork and vegetables are expensive in Coron.  Seafood are cheap.  NPA rice costs Php 42 or up in Coron..that's NPA rice!  Imagine!

Finally, our food arrived.  Even though they served late, the food tastes great!  Though the serving was too small, so I think the price range (Php70 up) are somewhat pricey.

We then ended our night waiting for our boat to Dive Link.  It was past 7PM so we have to pay for the ride (which will be paid upon checking out), which is just a-okay :)   Kuya Jun hadn't left not until we hopped in our boat ride.  He surely is a good man, huh?  Definitely, we're coming back to tour with Kuya Jun.  :D

If you wish to have a backpacking trip in Coron with Kuya Jun, feel free to contact him on this number:

• Kuya Jun - 0929.199.2549

By the way, don't forget to give tips to our dear tour guides.  They work hard for us to enjoy our stay in Busuanga.

On a side note, riding a boat in the dark gives me the creeps.  Eerie.  :p

Day 3 after the jump :)