10 things you should know about Coron, Palawan

After visiting Coron last week (February 5-7, 2012), I thought of writing a run-down of 10 things I didn't know, and I think you might also want to know, about Coron. Some are stupid, factual items, but some, you might find useful.

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10. Coron is not a Boracay.
I was expecting our resort to be just beside the beach. As I trusted Mama to do up our whole itinerary, I didn't really care much researching about Coron. I told myself that I can possibly just lie down the whole day by the pool area, near the beach. Or pull out some beach mat and do some sun tanning while  drinking my favorite mojito. But NOOOOO!

Coron is actually a small town. And hotels/lodges/resorts are in the town area. There are no resorts beside the beach.

-Coron-

-Phuket-

9. Coron is comparable to other nearby famous tourist destinations in Southeast Asia 

I've been to Phuket/Phiphi Islands in 2009. I was amazed then with what I saw. Simply pretty. It was hard for me not to compare it with our very own Coron. I thought it was easily comparable.

Phuket/Phiphi is much more tourist friendly. There were a lot of entertainment & leisure activities to do there especially at night. Food was great everywhere too. It was the opposite of what I saw in Coron. At night, the town was too dark. No electricity in the day. No nightlife. No bars. No discos. Not a lot food options. No local delicacies and dishes.

-Remember Philippine Department of Tourism's ad?-

I even thought that the islands and the sceneries within Coron are quite at par (or sometimes falls short) from what you can enjoy in Phuket. Sorry to say that, but it's true.

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8. As of today, there are only three commercial flights which flies to Busuanga (Coron).

Expect hours of delays from any of these flights: Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, and Air Philippines

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7. There are only a few nice resort accommodations in Coron. So be careful which one to choose!

Most inns and lodges I saw around town looked old, shabby, and awful. Good thing we stayed in Busuanga Paradise Resort. It was actually not that luxurious as compared to what you can possibly have in a private villa in Bali. But the whole experience there was a thumbs-up!

The hotel staff were all helpful and accommodating. They were all smiles all the time. Although the heater in our room didn't work properly, I think the overall experience already passed my standards. Food was blah though.

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-Busuanga Island Paradise's restaurant-

6. Speaking of food, local cuisines here are oh-so expensive

As compared to what you can typically have in other parts of the Philippines, dishes here are pricey. Take an Adobo lunch meal for example. Just for a single serving of pork adobo (five small pieces) with rice, you will probably end up paying P200-250. It wasn't even cooked that well. It holds true for both the in-house resort resto I tried and the small local restaurant I found in town.

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5. Take good pictures in Banol Beach

It's a small island where our local tourist guide brought us as part of the boat ride package we signed up for. We had our lunch here in this island too. We later found out that this piece of land is owned by an old local couple who also runs a sari-sari (variety) store at the beach-front.

I never had the chance to lie on the sand during my three-day stay in Coron. But if I had the chance to, I would probably do it here. The beach doesn't stretch out that long though. But probably good enough if you just want to relax and lie on your back against the white, powdery sands.

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4. Boat rides are still the primary form of transportation for local families in Coron
Some boats still don't have motors. Imagine the sweat and muscle pains you will suffer rowing your boat every single day just to buy patis (fish sauce) and kamatis (tomatoes) from a nearby island. What happens to them if they need to see the doctor? I wonder.

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3. Probably, my favorite among those we've visited during the Coron Island tour was Kayangan Lake
For adventure seeking people like me, this is the perfect spot to go to. Imagine trekking up and down a rocky hill for about 15 minutes before seeing this beautiful lake at the end of the climb. It sure is rewarding.

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2. Sunset here looks awesome.
I was pretty impressed with the sunset I saw during our first night. It was all gloomy orange, yellow, and black. A perfect backdrop for a romantic photo shoot.

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1. For those seeking a local adventure in the Philippines, Coron should be part of your list of places to visit. Very rural. Still "virginal" as there are no commercial activities done in the island as of yet. And there a lot of things that you can still explore doing your holiday here. Sayang, I didn't manage to do diving as well.

Signing off,
SuperPao