A lot of people ask me which one is better, Coron or El Nido. I humbly answer that I haven’t been to El Nido to give an educated response. For Mary’s birthday this year, we have already booked a trip to Guam, purchased our insurance and reserved our hotel. Until, the threats between two super power countries threatened the safety and security of the US island territory.
As a last minute decision (more like last 24 hours), we switched to El Nido instead, and said goodbye to our paid ticket. Because I had done zero research and we don’t want to be stressed for Mary’s birthday, we got the all-in package offered by Oh Maria’s Travel and Tours. All we really had to think about was to pay for our dinner, or if we’re buying pasalubong. Else, everything is included in the package: RT flight via Air Asia, Van PP-El Nido and back, 3 nights accommodation with breakfast, island tours with lunch, and any other environmental fees. You will see the costing after the itinerary.
Day 1:
0710 Arrival at Puerto Princesa International Airport
It was a bumpy ride since it rained before we left Manila and we arrived with it. The 0550 flight is one of the best flights to book when you’re going straight to El Nido. You would arrive just in time to check in.
0730 Van left for El Nido
Make sure to bring food because it’s a 6-hour ride non-stop (or you can ask the driver to drive thru somewhere). In our experience, we slept the entire time so there was no drive thru.
1330 Drop off at Jurias Pensionne
This resort is a tricycle ride from any beach but near the town / market. If you want to wake up to the sound of the waves hitting the rocks or something, this is not the best place. It is ideal those, for those who want some quite. Even if it’s along the main road, it is not near any night establishment famous to the locals and foreigners.
1430-1700 Nacpan Beach
The afternoon of our arrival, it was a designated free time. We then chose to go to Nacpan since it’s not part of the package we selected. It is one of the most famous beaches in El Nido. It is a twin beach with a vantage view on top of a hill. That hill is privately-owned and is now guarded against “trespassers” who want to take a photo of the beaches. There is also a noticeably floating nuisance of a bar right in the middle of the beach, which I am not sure how they conduct their environmentally unsustainable business there.
1800 Dinner at Cadlao Resort
We googled the best places to eat in El Nido and this resort/restaurant has consistently come up in the results. Going there is not easy though. It was far, you’ll walk a dark alley, pass by a public cemetery before you could even get there. At first I thought we can walk to the resort but had to call in and we got picked up by one of their service tricycles. That’s when we realized it was dark and spooky to get there on foot. But the food? It was amazing. We had to come back a second time. We ordered the catch of the day (9/10), grilled squid (9/10) and their homemade chocolate ice cream with turon (10/10).
2000 Back to Jurias Pensionne
Since we had no sleep prior to the flight (straight from a shift), we slept early to prepare for the next day.
Day 2: Tour A
0700 Breakfast
The afternoon we arrived, we were asked to choose our breakfast from the menu, and decide what time we wanted to have breakfast. Nothing fancy, but enough to get you started for the day.
0845 Ready for Pickup
The guy was late, we were picked up at around 910am but he quickly apologized. There were only 4 other joiners with us and that’s a really great thing. They’re a Filipino family vacationing like us.
1000 Seven Commando Beach
It was our first stop and we were itching to get our feet on the sand. It still wasn’t sunny but it wasn’t drizzling anymore. We bought a mango shake and left our things on one of the tables and just strolled the beach. We wondered why it was called 7 Commando beach but we got conflicting responses from the guide and the boatman.
1130 Big Lagoon
We were already getting hungry but the view stalled it. My God, it was heaven on the face of the earth, or the sea. There were limestone formations, turquoise water, the sound of other boats and excited tourists and well, my mumbling stomach. We were not allowed to swim there but we took pictures. This is one of the downsides of a packaged tour – everything is timed.
1200 Small Lagoon
As these two lagoons were near each other, and the food is not entirely prepared yet, we went for the smaller lagoon where we can kayak and swim. From where the boat anchored, you’d have to take a kayak to enter the lagoon. Even a strong swimmer will get exhausted where we were from. I hired one of the boatmen to take us to the small lagoon and gave him a tip afterwards. We went inside a cave, got off the kayak and felt the rocks beneath us, the fresh water that was so clean I could even drink it (I didn’t).
We stayed there for a good hour and when we were getting ready to come back, food was ready.
1300 Lunch
Lunch comprised of rice (it’s a good thing we were all Filipinos) fish, chicken, prawns, vegetables and fruits.
1400 Last Destination
Forgive my good graces but I forgot where we went after. It could be the Secret Lagoon where guests had to walk on a rocky beach and go through a hole in the midst of the limestone rocks to see what’s inside. We didn’t go for it, instead we waited by the boat where Mary and I snorkeled. Mary took baby steps to let go of the rope and stay afloat on her own.
1630 End of Tour
We then decided to have dinner at the famed El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe which also showed up in the top places to eat in El Nido. We had pizza (5/10 rating from us) and chicken tikka masala (6/10). We brought home the extra 3 slices of pizza that we didn’t finish.
1800 Jurias Pensionne
Again, no night life for us, and it was the eve of Mary’s birthday.
Day 3: Tour C
0730 Breakfast / Buy fruits from the market
This is Mary’s birthday so we had a photo shoot opportunity in front of our cabana. She definitely enjoyed snapping using the Bluetooth remote of our tripod (or was it me?).
0830 Pick Up
The guys were early this time but we knew from the get go that we’re going to be with a bigger group than yesterday. We were all already seated on the boat that accommodated more than 30 passengers when a looming fog crept closer. And although we were given the Coast Guard’s clearance to tour for the day, the boatmen had to decide to wait it out till the rain passed.
1000 Cadlao Island
And because the Secret Beach is unreachable due to the size and strength of the waves (we were told it faced the open sea), they offered an alternative destination we did not want to refuse – the Cadlao Island. It’s like the Big Lagoon from yesterday only this time we were given 30 minutes to take photos and swim.
1100 Helicopter Island
The boats dock here and you have about 30 minutes for photos and swimming. There is a roped area where guests are allowed to swim and that day, the current was still strong. So Mary played in waist to chest-deep water and she told me to go explore the deeper parts – I tried to, but went back to where she was, just because (insert hearts).
1230 Lunch at Hidden Beach
Yeah, we had to walk on rocky path again and this time we had no choice because lunch will be served on the beach. Surprisingly, or maybe out of hunger, it wasn’t too difficult to get there. We were the first ones to settle, so we took pictures while the crew set up lunch.
We had the same menu as yesterday, just a different kind of fish and more fruits.
1400 Matinloc Shrine
Hidden Beach is in Matinloc Island so it was just logical to head to the nearby shrine when we finished lunch. Problem was, the waves were too strong, we couldn’t get near the dock. The captain decided to go for a different destination instead, which is, according to my iPhone, Tapiutan Island.
1600 End of Tour
We headed straight to Jurias Pensionne to shower and change so we can have Mary’s birthday dinner at Cadlao Restaurant. I told you, the food there was amazing. It was also too dark when we went there, we wanted to see how it looked with some natural light on.
1730 Dinner at Cadlao Resort
Their catch of the day was consistently good (9/10), we ordered a different kind of adobo (6/10) and grilled squid (9/10). We wanted to order their homemade ice cream but they ran out. We settled with the Thai-inspired mango sticky rice, which did not fare well with Mary (3/10).
Pick up from the nearby intersection to the resort, and vice versa, is complementary of the resort. Just call them and they’ll send their service your way.
2000 Jurias Pensionne
Early to bed for an early flight (which we felt would be delayed due to the weather).
Day 4: Flight Back to Manila
0730 Breakfast
0800 Van Pick-Up to Puerto Princesa
Our AirAsia flight is scheduled at 1540, and we already knew that the flight would be delayed based on the website. So there was no hurry especially since we knew that the other passengers were on the same, or a later flight.
I also bought some cashew along the way (a local vendor) because we were told it would be cheaper there compared to the city. I bought half a kilo at 300 pesos.
1400 Arrival at Puerto Princesa
Our original 1540 flight is now estimated to depart by 1700, so we had time to buy some souvenir and food. They can also take a credit card if you forgot to withdraw.
1500 Puerto Princesa International Airport
1700 Depart PPS IA
1840 Arrive at NAIA 4
2000 Home
When Mary opened the door, she was surprised by sisters Rona (who takes care of Rocket when we’re away) and via messenger, Rhoem, who is in Russia.
ALL-IN PACKAGE TOUR:
The cost was PhP 25,340 for two persons, 4D3N. Please take note that it can be cheaper especially if you booked ahead and on a seat sale. We booked less than 24 hours prior so admittedly, we were aware that the cost would be higher.
OUT-OF-POCKET COST:
Snorkel set – 150 (bring yours if you have). I bought Mary a set because I already had one and when I was already packing, I realized that the kid (Rocket) may have played with it and bit off a part. So I had to rent one.
Aqua Shoes – 100 per pair. I rented one for Mary so she’s comfortable walking on rocky shores
Dinner x3 – it’s totally up to you where you want to eat but since it was a birthday getaway, it was okay to splurge a bit.
Pasalubong – cashew and other staple souvenir food items
Snacks, water and fruits – probably at 500 max for 3 days
Terminal Fee – 200 per passenger, payable at the PPS IA
Mary has never been to Coron and I was there a really long time ago – 2013, so we would love to go next time.
Palawan is full of wonders, no wonder it’s consistently at the top 5 of any “best islands in the world” surveys. Next time your feet itch, head that way and you won’t regret it a bit. Check out the video I made of the short vacation here.
So what’s the answer to the question, which is better, Coron or El Nido? This sounds cliche but, it depends. I loved Coron for the scuba diving experience it gave me, and El Nido for the visual feast it offered its visitor. I guess you just have to visit both! *wink*
