DIY Coron: An Overview

January 28-30, 2015

Coron is located on the the most northern part of Palawan. It is known for its rich marine life as shown by many of its wonderful beaches and coral gardens as well as Japanese shipwrecks buried in the sea, now teeming with corals and fishes.

According to our tour guide during one of our island hopping tours, Coron is actually part of Busuanga Island and Coron Island is a totally different island located south of Busuanga (as seen in this map.) However, Coron Island was not inhabitable, so people living there transferred to Busuanga and later on, that place were they transferred to was also referred to as Coron.

Additional trivia from our guide:
1. Coron is translated to "palayok" or pot in Egyptian because it is shaped like a clay pot.
2. Culion Island was known to be a leper colony but now, it is leper-free. It still houses the best hospital in Palawan.
  
How to get there:
Coron town can be reached via an airplane in two hours (Cebu Pacific or PAL) or by boat for 14 hours. (2Go). Upon arriving via airplane, vans are already waiting outside the airport and fare costs 150php/person and travel time is only 30minutes. To me, the fare is a little bit steep considering the short distance. For those traveling by boat, you can hop on a tricycle and hire them to reach the main town. I'm just not sure how much that would cost.

Also, take note that the planes going to Busuanga are all turbo prop so expect them to be small and have little space.

Where to stay:

There are really a lot of places to stay in Coron town but according to the locals there, the best place to stay with value for your money (Php500/rm) is at Marley's Guesthouse. However, we opted not to stay there because I highly prefer rooms with its own comfort rooms and those located in the heart of the town. Instead, we stayed at Island's View Inn during our second day because when we walked into the place, we chanced upon the owner and got the room for only Php1000/rm instead of Php1500/rm. I suggest that you do a walk in because there's a bigger chance that they slash prices - it happened on both hotels where we inquired. But then again, there is that risk that the place is fully booked. It's up to you if you'll try out your luck.

During our first night, we stayed at Villa Hermosa for Php800/rm. However, I find the room a little bit old and the rat even ate the food or "baon" that we left in our room while we were out, which was really a downer.

Where to book your tours:

Various travel agencies and even your own hotel might offer you package tours for Coron. I have researched a lot of Coron Tour Packages but the cheapest I found for Calauit Safari by Sea is JY Travel And Tours aka Cheap Travel Coron. In their site, they give package tours for your whole stay but you can also just book a tour or hire a boat with them without including the whole package. They are located along Real St. and San Agustin St. and you can just walk in and book a tour with them or you can contact them in advance through these contact numbers.

Our tour guides during both tours, Calauit By Sea and Tour A, were Kuya Louie and Kuya Jing and I highly recommend them both. They are entertaining yet they respect and take care of their guests as much as they can. They are also very informative as well.

We didn't do a DIY of the island hopping because we were only two  persons when we went there hence, it is cheaper to join groups than to hire a boat. But if you are a group of at least 4, I highly suggest that you do a DIY of the island hoppings there. It would save you A LOT more money.

They have pretty standard tour rates. To give you an idea, Here is a list of tours from one of the pioneering travel agencies in Coron. It contains the list of places to visit as well as the price. Although, I still recommend JY tours.

Where to eat:

Along the National Highway, a lot of food places can be found seated right next to each other or a few walking distance from each other.

1. Lolo Nonoy's Food Station (approx.Php80/meal) - This place is highly recommended because the servings are big enough for sharing, it is cheap and last but not the least, the food tastes good. Among the local eateries in town, this was the only one flocked by the locals themselves and that says something great about this place.
2. Centro Coron Lodge and Restaurant/WG Diner (approx.Php100/meal) - This place boasts of serving the cheapest and coldest beer in Coron and I read from some blog that is true. I actually didn't expect to see the menu of WG Diner in Centro Coron but it was there. Maybe they have merged or something. Their pasta with coconut milk is a must try. Their milkshakes are as good as a smoothie, it actually tastes like ice cream. It is also good to pair it with their combo meal of Burger with Fries which is only worth Php85.

Their Big Burger

3. Big Mama's(approx.150/meal) - A little bit more pricier than Lolo Nonoy's Food Station but they serve similar Pinoy food. Food also tastes great and they were open even though it was already nine in the evening.

4. Bistro Coron - A lot of locals we have talked to recommend this place. Unfortunately, it was too early when we went there for breakfast and they still have nothing to serve to us so we didn't get to eat there.

Sample Itinerary

 

 Total expenses for suggested itinerary:

Day 1:
150-Van: Airport to main Coron town
500-Accommodation
650-Island Hopping Tour A
100-Dinner

Day 2:
2400-Calauit By Sea
150-Tricycle to Maquinit(150/head)
200-Maquinit Hotspring Entrance
150-Dinner

Day 3:
100-Breakfast
100-Lunch
150-Van going to airport
75-Terminal fee in airport

Click here to know how to do a DIY of Coron Town Tour
Click here to get a glimpse of the Reefs and Wrecks Tour
Click here to know about Calauit Safari
Click here to know what we saw during Island Hopping