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| Banol Beach |
Coron Trip Mar 29 to Apr 1, 2011
Preparations:
Planning for a Coron Trip is best during Christmas season. It is the best time to check the best and cheapest online deals. Here are some suggestions: check the itinerary, the inclusions of the package, the hotel reviews, if available, and any Coron Trip blogs.
We got this deal for our trip-of-5:
3,800php per person (200 pesos for reservations sent thru the bank account number they provide us with and 3600php paid as we arrive in the hotel)
Inclusions: 3 nights and 4 days stay at the hotel
Airport transfers
Breakfast
Island Hopping with lunch
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| Mt. Tapyas |
Day 1
We arrived at the airport at 7am. We had breakfast at Jollibee, took some pictures while waiting for our flight scheduled at 920am. We checked in at around 830am. We took the Go Lite Cebu Pacific package so we can’t check in any bags but we brought a tripod and it’s not allowed in the carry-on luggage so we needed to check it in. Lucky us! The Cebu Pacific crew did not charge us for it. We got on-board by 950am (delayed flight from Cebu Pacific, hmm... what’s new?) We arrived at Francisco Reyes Airport in Busuanga at around 1045am then we traveled for 30 minutes going to Coron proper. We got a tour guide/ driver.
Trivias:
1. The airport is part of a former ranch sequestered by the government during Cory’s regime.
2. The grass in that former ranch was all imported from Australia.
3. All the cows that we saw at the ranch are all female and they get pregnant through IVF (sosyal!)
4. No Sun Cellular cell site in Coron (Good thing I’m with globe)
5. There’s no beach front hotel in Coron ( aaw.. not nice. My travel mates and I are used to a beachfront hotel room but we’ll see)
We arrived at Amor Boytek Hotel around 12nn. Impression? More or less a 2-star hotel trying to be a 3-star. Description? 4 storey building, terrace-like corridor, no exhaust fan in the comfort room, clean but hmm let say from 1-10, I’ll give it a 4. But it’s fine. Lunch upon arrival is not included in the package so we need go around & try the local restaurants. There is no fast food in Coron. We went to Lolo Nonoy’s to eat lunch. The food is delicious and affordable but the service is a bit slow.
We had siesta from 2pm and head to Mt. Tapyas at 4pm:
*720 steps (Uphill) (no entrance fee)
*View from the top: Coron proper, sleeping giant, Port of Coron, Big white Cross,
*Trivia: During World War II, a bomb hit that specific mountain and it created a concave shape beside the mountain that’s why it was called Mount Tapyas.
Mt. Tapyas is nice but I’ll surely skip that part of the tour if I’ll go back to Coron. The view on top of the mountain is not enough to satisfy your tired legs. I suggest that you warm up before you go up that mountain.
We headed to Maquinit hotspring right after that tiring 720 steps
*Entrance: 100 per person
*The hotspring is open until 10pm.
*Balot: You should try the balot just outside gate of the hotspring. (Yummy!)
It was nice except for the algae but the water is really hot. Just like any normal wet sauna, you need to get off the water every 15 to 20 minutes to avoid dizziness. The water is soothing especially after that tiring trekking at Mt Tapyas. The best way to end the day is get to another local restaurant, Kawayanan Grill : The food is really good and anyone who will go there should try their Seafood Pancit. It is more expensive to eat at Kawayanan Grill compared to Lolo Nonoy’s.
Back to the hotel, we had a videoke and drinking night. Kampai!
DAY 2
We woke up at 630am and had breakfast at 7am and prepared for the tour. The breakfast is not really good but as what we always say during whole stay there. ”Do not judge Coron by your breakfast.”
We headed to the Port by 830am. We were supposed to have a Coron Island tour on our second day but since,as the locals in Coron says, “kalmado ang dagat” (the ocean is calm) that day, we headed to the islands which are 1.5 hours away from Coron proper.
1st Stop: Malaroyroy Island: Sand bar : we were the only group in the island so we were able to explore every inch of it
2nd Stop: Banana Island: Entrance fee: 100. This is where we had our super yummy lunch: crabs, grilled fish, lato, grilled pork for those allergic to seafood, local fruits and brown rice. We had snorkeling and sun bathing. We met the owner of the island. Overnight stay in Banana Island is feasible but with no aircon at night, solar powered lightbulb, and no activities at night except for of course drinking sessions. There is a sandbar on the other end of the island. The island is really nice if you just want to be a beach bum.
3rd Stop: Malcapuya Island: Entrance fee 200. Beach-cold beer. Why not?! The best sand in Coron. Almost powder-like. We stayed there until 4pm.
We went back to the hotel. We went out for dinner at around 7pm and we went to Out of Africa, a diving center and a restaurant.
They serve grilled burgers. Almost brother’s burger-like and almost has same price. Just across the street is the KUWEBA Orjanik Bar and Grill where we had our henna while drinking. They also offer cocktails but according to my travelmate Josh (the cocktail critic in the group), she had the Kuweba mix but she said she can make a better cocktail than that, well I believe her. What I really love at Kuweba Bar, beside the ambiance, is the music. They have a combination of reggae, island and world music, (local artist like Enchi and of course, the Marley Clan (Ziggy, Stephen and Damian Marley). I will definitely go back to that bar if ever I’ll go back to Coron (Beer Price: 60/bottle)
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| View from the cave going to Kayangan Lake |
We had our usual breakfast at the hotel and head off to the Port where we will meet our bangkeros for our Coron Island tour ( a group of islands near Coron Proper).
1st stop: Twin Peaks: a bit of a challenge for a non-swimmer like me. You’ll need to go under a rock formation to get to the other side. View: Nice rock formations. Paradise-like. (Entrance Fee: 100/person)
2nd stop: Lunch at Banol Beach : A lot of boat parking during lunch time but the beach is really nice. We went snorkeling while waiting for our bangkeros to prepare our super belly-busting lunch and of course, picture taking. Underwater camera is a must if you are going to Coron. (GE’s underwater camera is just less than 7,000php). (Entrance Fee: 100/person)
3rd Stop: Shipwreck: (fee: 100/person) You’ll need to jump from the boat. I so thank the person who invented the floater and the snorkeler. You make everything possible for a non-swimmer like me.
4th Stop: Barracuda Lake: (Fee: 100/person but we got it for 80pesos) Just an ordinary lake in Coron. The locals said that if you’ll dive at Barracuda it will take 45 minutes to reach the bottom. Again thanks to the floater haha!
5th stop: Kayangan Lake: (Fee:200/ person) This is the reason why you are in Coron. The cleanest lake in the Philippines. An uphill and downhill trekking before you reach the lake. Don’t miss the view by the cave before you go downhill. Picturesque! If I’ll make a post card from Coron I’ll definitely put that view from the cave on it. There is a small cave across the lake but there’s not much to see inside. It’s the first time I saw a live shrimp swimming with me at the lake. There is much to see underwater.
6th Stop: Siete Picados: Too bad we were not able to get off the boat because it was already late and we may not be able to see the view underwater. Anyways, Siete Picados is a group of 7 tiny islands which is also called the underwater park in Coron.
For Dinner, we tried the food at Piniliko Restaurant: we tried the local rice noodle soup which comes in different toppings. It taste good but not good enough. The rest of the menu sucks! I personally don’t like it.
DAY 4
After breakfast, we went back to Maquinit hotspring to relax then we had lunch at Lolo Nonoy’s before we go shopping for our pasalubong.
Other things you might need to know:
If you are a coffee drinker, there is a good coffee shop in Coron Town Proper which also has a branch at the airport.
If you’re tummy gets easily upset with local drinking water, I suggest that you don’t ask for any drinks on the rocks. It ruined my last night in Coron.
We enjoyed our stay in Coron. We will definitely go back there. The place is safe and the locals are really nice and accommodating. I hope that this post help you in anyway if you’re planning to go to Coron...until my next travel post J
