Coron

A refreshing island getaway…

I’ve always wanted to visit Coron especially after having friends tell me that if I enjoyed my trips to El Nido, then I would surely love it in Coron. True to their word if you want to get out of the city and go on a refreshing island getaway, then Coron should definitely be on your list!

It’s a bit more laid back compared to El Nido but still as beautiful.

Getting there

Got super ecstatic when we found out that Philippine Airlines was starting to fly direct to Busuanga from Cebu. This is good news for budget travelers like myself, since it means we no longer have to fly to Manila to get connecting flights.

As soon as they launched their promo, I immediately asked my friends if they wanted to go and in less than a day about 7 others confirmed and we immediately booked tickets!

In case you are wondering Philippine Airlines now has daily flights from Cebu to Busuanga v.v. and it only takes about one and a half hours to get there.

Sites to See

Mt. Tapyas

Maquinit Hotspring

Siete Pecados

Kayangan Lake

Twin Lagoon

Skeleton Wreck and Malwawey Coral Garden

Calauit Sanctuary

North Cay Island and Pamalican Island

Must Taste

KT Sugba sa Balay

Wild Fern

Pedro’s Gelato

Also try Bruijita and Lolo Nonoy’s =)

Where to Stay

Tree Top Suites

A modern boutique hotel with just 12 rooms.

They only have two room types which is the Standard Room with twin beds or their Deluxe/Family room which has 2 queen size beds.

We chose this hotel for a number of reasons, one that I would really like to site is that they are absolutely in the heart of the city so going around isn’t such of a problem  you can walk to the different restaurants if you choose to or ride to the nearby shops and sites. Another reason is that even if they are the newest addition to the hotels in Calle Real they have been getting great reviews.

Kudos to the Staff especially Mohna, she absolutely made sure our stay would be pleasant.

The only downside to staying here was that they do not have WIFI in their rooms, and comparing this with the rest of the island getting steady internet connection might be a little bit of a problem even if you’re using your very own mobile data. This might be a problem to people who need to be connected most of the time or for people who are planning to sneak in a bit of work even on vacation.

But if you are like me, then I find this a good thing since it means I get to have a break from work and a short detox from my social media accounts.

If you can’t get rooms here you can opt to get one from Coron Eco Lodge (its right across the street), or Casa Coron (right beside it) and are managed by the same company.

Travel Tips:

The more the merrier

If you’re not going for a romantic beach getaway, it’s more fun to explore this wonderful island with great company.

In my case, I had my awesome friends with me!

Dining is a Feast

Contrary to what some friends told me about food prices, food is relatively affordable especially if you are dining with a group.

In our case it’s more of a feast than normal >_<

Getting around

There are no taxis or jeeps in Coron, the best way to get around the city is either by renting a van or riding tricycles.

If you do have a licence, you can also rent a motorbike for a day. There are places around the city where you can do so. Usual rates are about 500 pesos for a day excluding fuel.

Tours

Getting private tours can be quite pricey, but travel agencies and tour operators around Coron offer good deals to travelers travelling in small groups.

They offer joining rates for the following tours.

• Coron Island Tour
• Coron Town tour
• Coron Reefs and Wreck Tour
• Calauit Safari

And if you are travelling with a much bigger group you can absolutely ask for better rates and design your own package.

I highly recommend, before booking on certain agencies that you read external reviews about them first, saves you the trouble of getting highly commercialize ones that do not anymore entertain their customers well.