I’ve been really looking forward to this trip all year because Ron didn’t know that I had booked a trip to Coron since last year. I booked it in September for only 7,000 pesos for a round-trip ticket, which already included baggage. He thought we were just going to Moalboal because I wanted to surprise him, and at the same time, make fun of him a bit *cries in guilt*
The prank went well, although he was dumbstruck at first. He seemed a little disappointed, I guess, since he thought we were going to Moalboal and was so excited about it that he was even ready to dig into the famous restaurants there. But lo and behold, we’re going to Coron LOL.
That’s it for all the yapping!
Coron Island is located in northern Palawan. Just like El Nido, which is only 4–6 hours away by boat, this place is known for its best island-hopping spots and stunning karst formations.
How to Get There?
You can take a direct flight to Coron from Clark or Cebu, with a travel time of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Direct flights are available via Cebu Pacific or PAL.
Once you arrive at the airport, you can take a van for ₱300 per person, which usually takes 30–40 minutes to reach Coron Town Proper. However, it really depends on the driver. On our way back, the van we took only took 15 minutes to get to the airport. I swear he must’ve been part of the Fast & Furious cast because that was insanely fast, I was praying the whole trip, LOL
Where to Stay?
I highly recommend Blue Waters Inn, which is situated in the heart of Coron Town Proper. Everything you need is just around the corner – from top-rated restaurants and cafés, laundry shops, pharmacies, and even the port of Coron, all just a few minutes’ walk away.
The only drawback I can think of is their WiFi and the lack of an elevator. The strongest WiFi signal is only accessible in the lobby, the 2nd floor, and the 4th floor, where our room was located, so it wasn’t really an issue for us. They also help you with your luggage and bring it to your room, even up to the 4th floor. *salutes to the staff*
But anyway, just read their reviews because they’re all positiveeeee! And here’s our cute room and the view from the 4th floor’s dining area.
When we arrived at 10AM, we we’re asked to get ready for our private island hopping because the tour guide will be arriving at 11AM, as what I have requested.
There are no nearby beaches in Coron Town Proper, unlike in El Nido. Since Ron wanted to go to the beach right away once we got to Moalboal, when he still thought we were heading there, I had planned a different tour for that day instead. I booked a private tour for 4,000 pesos so we could choose which islands to visit and stay at each one for as long as we wanted. I also requested lunch, which cost us 1,500 pesos. It was a last-minute booking, and I know the prices are a bit more expensive compared to booking in advance, but what choice did I have when everything was a surprise? LOL
Day 1: Smith Beach & Banul Beach Private Tour
These beaches are just 30 minutes away from Coron Port and these are one of the lunch spots during the Island Hopping tours. We went to Smith Beach first and luckily, we still have a spot when we got there even if it’s already lunch time.
And here’s the Banul Beach, which has a longer shoreline than Smith Beach and is known for its limestone Karst views. Since we transferred there after lunch, we had the beach all by ourselves. Well, not literally since there are locals there lol.
You can read more about this island hopping tour HERE.
At night, we had dinner at Inasal Eats Co., which is just one block away from where we’re staying. Based on the reviews, it’s supposed to taste better than Mang Inasal but maybe not for me. It just tasted like regular inasal. Please don’t bash me.
Then we had coffee at Epic Cafe, which has really good reviews online. They also have crayons if you want to draw something and leave it in the cafe.
Day 2: Freedive with a Dugong and Caluit Safari Park Private Tour
I’ve been excited for this trip because WHO WOULDN’T BE? It’s one of my dreams to freedive with dugongs, and since we’re already here, why not get the tour?
Also, this was a last minute booking (again) because the last time I asked the underwater photographer who offers this service, his schedule is full. Luckily, I asked again a week before and those reservations were cancelled so here we are. *smirks*
You can read more about my Dugong encounter trip HERE.
After the Dugong encounter trip, off we go to Calauit Safari, which I was looking forward to as well because of the giraffes.
Look at us having fun lololololoooool! You can read more about Calauit Safari HERE.
We had lunch at a restaurant near the safari, which was arranged by my underwater photographer. The food was so plentiful that we weren’t able to finish it all.
At night, we dine at Gavin’s Kitchen + Bar since it also had good reviews. It was really delicious… at first. We got satiated after just a few bites. Maybe it was too Western? Overall, it was great but maybe it’s just not for us.
Day 3: Chill Private Tour A Island Hopping
I’d say this is one of the best island-hopping experiences I’ve had since I started traveling. We had the boat to ourselves and could control our time, with the best food and the best views!
I chose Tour A because I just wanted a chill trip that day after the dugong dive from yesterday. Also, Kayangan Lake is included in this tour, and I’ve really wanted to go there for a long time. Aside from Kayangan Lake, we also went to CYC Beach, Green Lagoon, and Sunset Beach, which is a private island exclusively available through the tour agency I booked with.
To know more about this Island Hopping Tour, click HERE.
The lunch was superb as well! There’s only 2 of us but it’s like a fiesta lol! Exaggeration at its finest!
For dinner, we went to Santino’s Grill, which is about 5 minutes away by tricycle from Coron Town Proper. It’s highly recommended, but just make sure the waiters have listed your order, or you might end up like us, waiting for almost 1 hour only to find out the order wasn’t even taken. *rolls eyes*
Day 4: Fun Dive with Joiners Island Hopping
Another day for an island hopping tour! Hurray! I’m a little anxious about this one because it’s a joiner tour, which means there will be other tourists on the boat with us. I was actually thinking the night before if I should just book a private tour again, but since my underwater videographer has already reserved it, there’s no turning back now.
But hey, don’t get me wrong! It’s not like we don’t want to deal with other tourists (although we do lol), it’s just that we’re used to having the whole experience to ourselves. Anyway, it was still fun because there were 28 people on the tour, and we met master divers who currently work in Coron but are originally from Cebu.
I’m not sure what this tour is because it wasn’t me who booked it but we went to Shipwreck (where I fun dive too), Twin Lagoon, Barracuda Lake and Kayangan Lake. Me and my videographer were dropped off at the Barracude Lake since we will be doing most of the fun dives there.
You can read more about my fun dive that day HERE.
The food lunch was kind of a meeeeh. Maybe that’s the downside of joiners tour?
Then at night, we dine at El Kuvo and I swear, their food is sooooo delicious! Ron really loved their sisig!
They really have good reviews online too.
Day 5: Chill Day
We’re supposed to go to Maquinit Hot Spring this day but decided not to because I don’t want another wet clothes so we decided to do the laundry instead and buy some souvenirs for ourselves.
We had lunch at Pacifico before leaving since our flight will be at 3pm.
It’s so hard to leave Coron because we really enjoyed everything we did here. But there’s one thing that’s for sure – we’ll be back to try the shipwreck tour and visit the other islands that are farther away. *creeeeys*
So that’s it for our Coron trip!