I have already published Marv's 25th birthday celebration and I thought I'd also share with you how I celebrated my silver year! Of course, blog ko 'to eh, hindi pwedeng wala ako.
In 2012, our annual couple trip fell on my birthday (remember, the previous year we flew to Boracay on the exact day of Marv's birthday.
READ: #Throwback Thursday: Marv's 25th in Boracay
Unfortunately, it was also during our busiest days -- my workload had become unbearable that time with so many deadlines to meet and projects to oversee. Marv, on the other hand, was always out-of-town for fieldwork. Minsan, umaga nasa bahay lang siya, the next minute, he has to go to Isabela / Ifugao / Albay o kung saan-saan pang lupalop ng Luzon. So teleport siya agad. Up to the last minute, I wasn't sure if we were going to push through with my out-of-town birthday celebration.
Pero dahil I have the sweetest boyfriend in the world, he kept his promise even if he had to miss a business trip or two. Pero imagine this, during our vacation, my phone was ringing off the hook!
Day 1
Aug 26, Sun
We flew to Busuanga two days before my birthday because we'll be exploring Coron. During that time, I have already been to Puerto Princesa twice and was already planning to go to El Nido.
READ: Dreams Do Come True: El Nido, Palawan
I didn't know much about Coron except that people say it was beautiful there, especially the lakes and lagoons. Siguro because I am such a beach baby that I never saw myself enjoying other bodies of water but I said to myself that I'm going to give it a try on my silver year.
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| Paparazzi shot ng aking jowa |
So bilang hindi naman ako sanay sa mga hotels, I was extremely surprised and happy when I saw an elephant-shaped towel waiting for us inside our room! Sorry, hindi sanay sa mga ganyan-ganyan.
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| Grabbed this from Trip Advisor website. |
So cute that I didn't want to use it but I was forced to because I was reserving the towel I brought for our island camping. I kept saying sorry to Mr. Elephant before I used it. Good thing, hotel staff said they could just fold it again each time we had our room cleaned hehehe. Plus points for Coron Hilltop View Resort.
Staff in Coron Hilltop View Resort were very accommodating! Since Best in Pagtitipid ako everytime we travel, I kept on requesting them for cups of hot water for my baon na tea / 3-in-1 coffee and they would always deliver these up to our room.
The only thing that I didn't like about this hotel is that it was far from the town, where the palengke, restaurants, and port / jump off to islands were. Good thing they had private tricycles which were on-call 24 hours/day (seriously). Everytime we'd go out, the front desk officer would call anyone of them to pick us up and bring us to where we want to go (but with a fee, of course).
So for those looking for a peaceful place to stay, with verandas and overlooking rooms, couples who'd like to spend some quality time at peace (chos!), consider adding Coron Hilltop View Resort in your list. I'll post other hotels/inns/lodges at the end of this article, promise.
We arrived around 11:00 in the morning and decided to spend our first day touring the city. And the first thing we did was EAT! Syempre nasa Palawan kami and Marv demanded for crabs -- demand talaga, birthday niya eh. So ang sabi ko sa kanya with full conviction, "tara kain tayo, sagot ko ito, kahit saan, mayaman ako ngayon, birthday ko eh", knowing that seafood in Palawan is extremely affordable, based on my experience in Puerto Princesa.
READ: Paguran sa Palawan
Our first stop was Kawayanan Grill, one of the popular restaurants in Coron (thanks Kayela for the reco!) and guess what? THEY DIDN'T HAVE SHRIMPS!!!! I asked them if this was only out-of-stock because we can just go back for dinner but the waitress told me that shrimps are rare in Coron and if we do find some, these will be pretty expensive (so good luck ang pagiging mayaman ko). She offered me some lobsters instead. With a heavy heart, I settled for crabs -- KING CRABS. Hahaha so aayaw pa ba ako? :))
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| Happy as a bee whenever there are crabs |
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| Ang boyfriend kong pinaglihi sa alimango |
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| At Kawanayan Grill for a very late lunch |
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| Instead of eating indoors, we stayed in one of the cabanas for a more tourist-y feel |
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| Touring the city and waiting for the sun to set so we can climb Mt. Tapyas |
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| Happened to be the town's fiesta when we were there. We went to see some of their activities such as motocross racing. |
When it was around 4:00 in the afternoon, Marv and I decided to climb up Mt. Tapyas. Whenever you're in Coron, you must never leave town without climbing up the 718 steps of Mt. Tapyas; just be sure to bring water--which Marva and I didn't do.
With no water nor umbrella; armed only with our cameras and my lakwachera hat, we started our ascend. And even if we jog or exercise most of the time, we surely had a difficult time going up Mt. Tapyas -- probably dahil sa dami ng kinain namin sa Kawayanan Grill. We had to take a couple of rest breaks (slash photo op) before we could reach the top.
And 10 minutes after we reached the cross, it started to rain. HARD. WITH VERY STRONG WINDS. So we decided to go down immediately since we didn't have an umbrella or a waterproof bag. Good thing was we were already in our swimwear because our next stop was Maquinit Hot Spring, where we weren't able to take pictures because we were too excited to dip in the water.
Maquinit Hot Spring was perfect for our aching bodies (result of the hike). We stayed there for more than an hour. Must-try!
Of course, there will be algae because it is a natural hot spring but there is a shower area so you can rinse off when you're done. If you don't like algae and hot water, then you might want to think twice before going here.
Because of the recommendations by our friends, Kayela, Miah, & Noelle, our feet brought us to Kuweba Bar that night. We celebrated our first night the reggae way haha. But too bad, Kuweba Bar was scheduled for the rotating brown out so we only stayed there an hour or two drinking Redhorse na walang ice (lakas tama!) and then transferred to Coron Bistro. Marv and I have this weird habit of ALWAYS craving for pizza everytime we're on vacation.
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| We ended the night with pizza and a couple of beers |
Day 2
Aug 27, Mon
I woke up around 5AM the next morning because of the sounds of a parade. My friends would call me "Lola" because of the way I sleep, takaw tulog pero gising lola when travelling, no matter how late I slept the night before.
I appreciated that our hotel package already included breakfast since I'm always starving every time I wake up in the morning. We finished eating before 8:00AM and I was already in a state of panic! I wasn't used to Coron's laidback lifestyle as almost all my travels require me to expect bugbugang-byahe-lakwatsa.
When I was planning our trip to Coron pala, I asked help from my friend, Vanny, na ginagawa lang Quiapo ang Coron. I told her that I wanted a private trip (won't be joining other tourists) since I wanted to be able to control our leisure time and of course, the places we were going to visit. She told me to contact Jhonas or Nazh of Jamming Tours, and he will be the one to take care of our tour for days 2 to 4 so Marv and I can just sit back and relax.
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| Probably texting Jonas, asking him where he was |
Our first stop was Siete Picados, I'll never forget that spot because of one reason: it had a beautiful coral garden but I didn't have an underwater camera! Haha booo.
But we enjoyed swimming; si Jonas best in guiding siya; he swam with us and made sure that we were able to see the fishes, coral reefs, and at the same time, not harm ourselves--he would tell us where the water was shallow so we won't step on corals and hurt our feet. Wala naman kaming mga aqua shoes,
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| Silver! |
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| Peter Pan loves Tinkerbell photo <3 arte lang. |
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| Don't mistake this for Kayangan Lake. This is actually Kayangan Lagoon, entrance to the crystal-clear Kayangan Lake. |
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| Kayangan Lake, cleanest lake in the country |
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| Barracuda Lake |
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| Look how clear the lake is! |
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| I was so scared because I kept on imagining that I will come face-to-face with the barracuda once I hit the water. Hehe. |
For that day, we did the typical Coron
tour. Aside from Siete Picados, we
also visited Twin Peak Reaf, Dimanglit
Beach, CYC Beach. The only difference was we did the tour the other way around. Nazh insisted that we first go to the spots that tourist groups normally visit last so that there won't be too many people. And thank God, it worked, at one point, we had the whole Kayangan Barracuda lakes to ourselves, maximizing the photo opportunity hehe. The highlight of our day was when was saw the breathtaking Kayangan Lake
and jumped off a cliff in Barracuda Lake.
Nazh pampered us the whole trip. He was such an excellent cook; he would turn our palengke finds into mouthwatering dishes that we always crave for when we're in Manila. King Crabs, which we could never afford back home, became our daily viand and we never got tired of it. Sitting pretty kami the entire time -- which we rarely experience whenever we do DIY trips.
Aug 28, Tue
Best Day of the Year
So it was my birthday and I wanted to do something different. The past few days have been crazy and I longed for quiet time, away from everything (haha Disney Princess ang asta). I decided to go island-hopping and spend the night in one of Coron's most popular island, Malcapuya Island. Locals call this the Boracay of Coron because of the pristine waters and white sand.
It wasn't part of Nazh's usual tour packages but I insisted that we did this. Now, the good thing about arranging a private tour is that one can take control of their itinerary. Like this one, I could not have pushed it through if we had just joined a regular tour with other tourists.
So after our usual trip to the market, we were all set for an overnight stay in Malcapuya. But before we reached the island, Nazh took us to some other white-sand beaches: Banana Island, Bulog Island, and Bulog Dos.
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| Sorry for the bad photo quality, our lens was dirty :( |
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| Sorry for the bad photo quality, our lens was dirty :( |
We had lots of lazy time when we got to Malcapuya Island; Marv and I enjoyed taking photos and did a lot of talking (perhaps what we were going to do with our lives in the next few months haha). I felt like a princess since Nazh was there to take care of us.
While Marv and I were checking out the island, Nazh fixed all of our stuff, put our bags in the cottage, folded our clothes which we left by the shore, hanged our towels, etc. I found it kind of awkward since I am paying him as our guide and not as our butler (kakahiya!). He explained that that was how they treat their guests. So if bet niyo ang mag-buhay hari at reyna in Coron, you know who to go to. Pampering at the highest level!
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| My simple yet mouthwatering birthday dinner |
There was no electricity in Malcapuya Island during the wee hours of morning.
Day 4
Aug 29, Wed
I realized the next day that there wasn't any phone signal in Malcapuya Island. Mej nalungkot pa naman ako na wala masyadong bumabati sa'kin haha.
We spent half of the last day of our Coron gettaway in Malcapuya Island. Luckily, we still had the whole island to ourselves.
Beach, beer, and boyfriend = perfect way to kick-off my silver year.
Expenses
Exclusive of restaurant & restobar bills.
Coron islands Entrance Fee
(from E-philippines website)
My Take on Coron
Honestly, Coron is one of the most beautiful places I've visited in my life. In fact, sometimes I still find myself daydreaming about the amazingly-clear Kayangan Lake -- this is the highlight of our Coron trip. The beaches, on the other hand, are spectacular too and they are exactly what you imagine Palawan beaches to be.
I, however, found Coron prices to be very expensive. Costs of crabs in Coron were way higher than what we paid for in Puerto Princesa (that was why we were so shocked). Also, island entrance fees become a burden as these PhP100- or PhP200-entrance fees add up especially if you happen to explore a number of islands. Caretakers still expect guests to pay even if they just took some photos on the island and stayed for a couple of minutes. I had to haggle with some locals so I could get a 50% discount since we only took a couple of shots and went back to our boat.
Some may disagree with me and would say that I could have saved a lot if I joined a tourist group (as the entrance fees are already included in the package). However, I wanted more time to explore each spot, more time to enjoy Kayangan Lake, or cliff dive in Barracuda Lake. I knew that Coron boats of an extremely rich marine biodiversity and I needed a tour guide to show me around each coral reef so I can see everything and learn more about the sea creatures but still make sure that I was safe and that I didn't damage the reefs or harm the sea animals.
So here's what I always tell people who would ask me for a Coron itinerary:
- Get a tour package. This will be more affordable since each package usually includes accommodations, transfers, island-hopping via private boat, entrance fees, and even food.
- Get a registered tour guide (even if you know how to swim) -- a group can share his/her talent fee -- listen to everything he/she has to say about each island, the expeditions, and the tribes.
- Bring your own snorkeling equipment. If you have it. No more rental fees.
- Bring an underwater camera. Hehehe.
Contact
Jhonas A. Navarro
Jamming Tour
Brgy. 5, National Highway (near DivCal)
Phone: +63-916-401-5717 (Globe)
Phone: +63-939-223-2206 (Smart)
Email: jammingtour@yahoo.com
Some hotels / lodges / inns / pension houses in Coron
(from Jamming Tour's official website)
Amor Pension House
Apartelle de Gabrielle
Asia Grand View Hotel
Centro Coron Bed & Breakfast
Coron Backpacker Guesthouse
Coron Ecolodge
Coron Gateway
Coron Hilltop View Resort
Coron Paradise Bed & Breakfast
Coron Village Lodge
Coron Westown Resort
Corto Del Mar Hotel & Suites
Darayonan Lodge
Daven's Place Hotel
Dive Link Coron Adventure Island Resort
Escarez Pension House
Islands View Inn
Jernett Pension House
Jazmine's Place
La Natura Resort
Mommita's Place
Mt. Tapyas Hotel
Oriental Lodging House & Restaurant
Palanca Guesthouse
Patrik & Tezz Guesthouse
Pierhouse Lodging
Rudy's Place Lodge
Sea Coral Lodge
Sea Dive Resort
Shirl Baywalk Pension House
Sophia's Garden Resort
Villa Hermosa Guesthouse
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