Coron is a municipality in the province of Palawan. It is known for its fantastic beaches and lagoons and awesome diving and snorkeling sites. If you are the type of person who loves island hopping, snorkeling, then this is definitely a place worth visiting and must be added to your bucket list.
My husband and I have already been to Coron last April (year 2017). We had a great time and we enjoyed the experience so we decided to go back. We booked a round trip flight from Cebu to Coron last May 2017 and paid PHP 1,716 for 2 PAX. Thanks to PAL's seat sale.
We arrived at Coron on September 13 and we stayed for 6 days. During the first 2 days, we stayed at Sunz En Coron, a hotel that is situated at Barangay Poblacion 6 and a 5 minute ride to the town center. I would give this place a 5 out of 10, mainly because the staff are courteous and helpful, the place is nice, clean and quiet, and they have a swimming pool that you and your kids can enjoy. The only downside of staying there is there is no Internet and cellular signal and you are far from the town center. Good thing they offer free transfers (one way) via trike to the town.
For the last three days, we stayed at Happy Camper hostel near Diamond Center. A friend of mine booked the place for all 4 of us and paid PHP 7,350 for 3 days (PHP 1,837 each). It was our first time to stay in a fan room and in a hostel but I do not have complaints about it since the place was clean, secured and the host was really accommodating, and they have super fast wi-fi too! The place is situated just near Lolo Nonoy's Restaurant, and a few minutes to cafes, banks and other establishments. Highly recommended!
DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN CORON
We arrived at around 2:00 PM in Coron. We intentionally did not avail any tours for Day 1 to prepare ourselves for the beach hopping activity the next day. We heard that it's going to be a 3 hour ride from the port, so after dinner, we went back to the hotel and chill at the pool with drinks.
DAY 2: ISLAND ESCAPADE TOUR (3 Destinations)
We availed the Island Escapade Tour from Dream Travel and Tours. The tour cost PHP 1,500 per person which is inclusive of lunch, transfers, boat rental, crew, fuel and tour to 3 destinations - Malcapuya Beach, Banana Island and Bulog Dos Island.
Our first stop - Malcapuya Island!
Malcapuya Island is a 2-3 hour boat ride from the Coron Port. According to our guide, there was a storm in Coron prior to our arrival and guests who booked the Island Escapade tour in advance were not able to take the tour since the coast guard won't issue a permit. We were lucky that when we arrived in the island, the weather was okay and it was sunny. Perfect for the island hopping activity!
Our second stop - Banana Island, where we had our lunch. The guide and the boat crew prepared a sumptuous meal for us. It was a selection of fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken. Yum!
Lastly, Bulog Dos Island which is by far our favorite among the 3 destinations. The sand is very fine and the water is clear. Too bad, it rained when we arrived.
The tour ended at around 5 PM and we headed straight to Lobster King Restaurant for dinner. Here are a few of their best sellers.
DAY 3: CORON TOWN TOUR
Our friends from Cebu (Mabel and Geecarl) arrived in Coron to join our escapade. At 3 PM, we toured around Coron town via trike. We visited Lualhalti Park, Augustine Parish Church, visited some souvenir shops and a cashew factory, climbed 721 steps to reach Mt. Tapyas and dipped in Maquinit Hot Spring. It was indeed a tiring but fun-filled day!
DAY 4: CORON ULTIMATE TOUR (7 Destinations)
We again availed the Coron Ultimate Tour from Dream Travel and Tours. We were able to tour 7 destinations around Coron Island - Kayangan Lake, Atwayan Beach, CYC Beach, Coral Garden, Siete Pecados, a shipwreck site and Twin Lagoon. My most favorite destination of all is the Siete Pecados. The marine life here is breathtaking!
DAY 5: CALAUIT SAFARI PARK AND ISLAND HOPPING
This is definitely the highlight of our Coron trip. We have never seen zebras or giraffes in our entire life, so imagine the excitement when we went to Calauit Island and see them for the first time. :)
Calauit is an island situated in Busuanga which is the next town after Coron. We were picked up by van at 5:00 AM and traveled for 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Busuanga Town. We booked this tour from JY Travel and Tours and paid PHP 2,500 per person which already includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, air-conditioned van transfers from and to Coron, entrance fees to Calauit and neighboring islands, boat rental and boat crew and tour guide services.
We reached Calauit at around 8:00 AM and we were pretty amazed of the wildlife in that 3,700 hectare island. We enjoyed feeding the giraffes, taking photos and most of all knowing information about the animals protected there.
After visiting Calauit Safari Park, we had lunch then went straight to Ocam Ocam Beach and Pamalican Island to chill.
It started raining at around 4:00 PM. Good thing that we already left the island and headed back to Coron.
DAY 6: DEPART CORON
It's our last day in Coron so it is time for some souvenir and pasalubong shopping. We bought cashew nuts and ref magnets for our friends back in Cebu.
Overall, it was still a great experience. Would love to go back again and this time, will go on a diving adventure. Our next goal - learn to swim and enroll for basic diving course. Thanks again Coron! It was indeed another memorable trip.
Here's a video of our first Coron escapade.
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