Amazing Coron: Malcapuya, Banana and Bulog Dos Islands

Our second day in Coron is supposed to be Coron Loop tour we booked through Ms. Rina of Coron Wonders (09178136159). But since our friend's flight was cancelled (she was the one on CebuPacific I mentioned in an earlier post), she said we can go on with our Banana-Malcapuya-Bulog Dos tour so she can join the Coron Loop tour the day after.

Fortunately, the weather was good and the sea is very calm that day. Ms. Rina fecthed us from Coron Reef Pension House at around 8:30am and we boarded this boat.

Ms. Rina told us that she will not be joining us for the day. Instead Kuya Juan will be our tour guide (he used to work in Amphibi-Ko, another inn near Coron Reef). We cruised the sea for about 2 hours and saw these beautiful limestones on the way.

Our first stop is Malcapuya Island. After researching for almost a year, I read a lot of good feedback about this island. And finally, I can now attest that indeed, this island is paradise. It has a long stretch of fine white sand, clear blue water and nice limestone formations. I read some comments that the sand is here is not as fine a boracay. I beg to disagree. Yes, the sand near the dock is not as fine as it has shells and small stones. But as you go farther towards the other end, there you will see the fine and white sand bar. The water is so clear that we even saw a small stingray not too far from the shore.

Here is a view of the docking area from Malcapuya's view deck.

A rumor says that the owners of Malcapuya Island bought this magnificent piece of nature at only Php 5,000. I dropped my jaw when I learned about this. Anyways, it's just a rumor and who am I to dig in? Just kidding. If I own this island, I wouldn't even trade this for a multi-million building in Makati. The place is simply breathtaking.

They also have huts for day tours and cottages/rooms for an overnight stay. We had our lunch here, food inclusive in our Coron Wonders package.

If you hate the seaweeds in Panglao, Bohol, I am sure you will love this part of Malcapuya.

Astonishing view of the island from the view deck.

Here's one of the cabanas available for an overnight stay. They also have concrete rooms for a premium price.

We strolled along the stretch of Malcapuya Island and arrived at these rock formations. I felt I am one of the casts of Survivor.

Jellyfish! But we only saw one.

Here's our morning snacks courtesy of Coron Wonders: sandwich, a delicious coffee jelly and Coke

And our sumptuous lunch! Crabs, Clams and Chicken Adobo.

After lunch, we headed to our next destination, Banana Island. If only I could spend a week in Malcapuya, believe me I will!

Banana Island is just a few minutes away from Malcapuya Island. Here, you can either go snorkeling, swimming or just beach bumming.

We chose snorkeling. Fishes galore!!!

The water is so clear that even without using an underwater camera, you can see the fishes roaming around from above water level. The seabed is rocky though compared to Malcapuya.

 Some corals, stones and sea urchins.

Look, I am chasing the pink fish!

Later that afternoon, we noticed that the sky is turning dark and that it is raining in some parts of Coron.

The sand here is not as fine as Malcapuya and not as white as well.The sand bar is shorter, too. But accomodations here for an overnight stay is more affordable than in Malcapuya.

It's going to rain!

Since rain is about to pour, we immediately left Banana Island and went to its neighbor island, Bulog Dos. Here, you will find a lot of giant starfishes.

From Bulog Dos, you will see Malaroyroy Island, where Two Seasons (a Boracay-based resort owner) is building villas. Their website says it will be open in the first quarter of 2012.

We just took some photos and ate our afternoon snacks (Putong Puti and Coke) and headed back to town. We docked at the public port in front of the Public Market and Coron Gateway Hotel becuase it's low tide already and our boat cannot dock in front of La Sirenetta/ Coron Reef. From the port we just walked home.

Amazing Coron: Busuanga Airport and Coron Reef Pension

It's been a year since I booked RT tickets to Busuanga (gateway to Coron, the northern part of Palawan) c/o Airphil Express Php88 seat sale. In a year, a lot had happend, including several flight changes by the said airline. There was even a time when Airphil Express said they will cease flights to Busuanga and that we will either be trasnfered to PAL Express or refund the ticket. Since Palawan has been my ultimate dream destination, I did not refund our tickets and instead requested to be transferred to PAL Express. Early this year, Airphil Express said they will not cease flights to Busuanga and we will be given new tickets again. Okay, that's a bit annoying but since it's Palawan, never mind the hassle. I have a feeling that this trip is going to be tremendous.

Our flight is at 11:50 am, but we were fetched by the NAIA shuttle from the departure area at a little before 12:00 noon.

We boarded Airphil Express flight 2P033 bound for Busuanga, a Q400 aircraft, in other words a Turboprop. Honestly, I am really afraid of small planes, as it tend to experience more turbulence making the flight so bumpy. So to ease my tension, I munched on Rin-Bee, my all-time favorite snack that I rarely see nowadays.

Since I am really nervous riding on a small plane, I kept myself busy by taking aerial shots. After about 40 minutes, the pilot said we cannot land in Busuanga Airport because of zero visibility and we have to wait about 10 minutes to see if the condition improves. After 10 minutes, the pilot announced that Busuanga Airport is closed and we will head back to Manila. As expected, the passengers were all disappointed. What now?

My friend from a forum (Girltalk) took CebuPacific that day as she will join us in Coron. I called her immediately to tell her that we disembarked again in NAIA Terminal 3. She told us that she is also walking down the departure area because their flight was cancelled. What? Cancelled? It's sunny and CebuPacific cancelled their flight without even trying again??? Just because it's promo fare? 

After about 30 minutes, we were asked to board again. Yehey! We are going to Coron! There is still hope!

The pilot was witty, perhaps because this is our second flight for the day and he wants to lessen the passengers' annoyance. He warned us though that this flight is going to be a little bit "sporty". Uh oh, i can smell turbulence galore!

While onboard, I took aerial photos of the islands we passed by. There's even a rainbow!

I think this is Club Paradise? Not sure though.

And I am guessing this is El Rio Y Mar?

Yey! We're near! To land or not to land, that is the question.

Nearer...to land? Com'on captain, tell us we will land!

Breathtaking!

Then the pilot announced we are on our final approach to Busuanga airport. Yehey! We are landing!

Then I learned later on that Airphil Express' Q400 aircrafts are better than CebuPacific's ATR aircrafts as ATRs cannot really withstand bad weather conditions and are more susceptible to flight cancellations. Airphil Express Q400 aircrafts are faster and tougher than ATRs. So next time you book a Turboprop, check if it's Q400 or ATR.

Finally, we stepped foot in Busuanga Airport!

We booked our accommodation in Coron Reef Pension House, and they also arranged our airport transfers. Anyhow, even if you do not arrange for your transfers, there are lots of vans there who can bring you to your hotel. Standard fare is Php 150/pax one way. Think FX. Is it possible to ride a tricycle from airport to town? I think it is possible but it is dangerous as you will pass by hills and rough roads. Also, the fare might be pricey as well considering the gas that it will consume. Php 150 is fair enough for a comfortable ride to your accommodation.

Coron Reef Pension House is the cheapest accommodation in town. We got our standard room at Php 600/ night. The owner, Ms. Chinnet Pe and her daughter Ms. Kristine Pe were the ones managing the inn. Ms. Lani on the other hand is the caretaker. They are allnice and hospitable.

 

The rooms in Coron Reef is a backpacker type of accommodation, very basic and made of native materials. Do not expect hotel amenities. Hey for the price of Php 600/ night, this is a good deal already!

Bed is very basic, yet I still slept comfortably. The room is airconditioned. However, in Coron, power is really a problem. Blackouts are often. Don't fret as Coron Reef has a generator and a backup fan just in case. You'll be out most of the times so a hotel room might not be a practical idea.

It has a double bed and a single bed, 3 pax can fit in this room.

There is no hot and cold shower in Coron Reef. But the bathroom is clean. When we were there, the entire town has water interruption, but Coron Reef has water pump that gives continuous water supply to the rooms.

They have seaview rooms and a room for big groups. The one that has a second floor can fit 10 pax at Php 1,500/ floor. Not bad!

And they serve sumptuous breakfast at Php 100/ pax. And when I say sumptuous, I mean heavy breakfast! The serving is not per plate (ala carte). its like a controlled buffet with no buffet tables. They will serve you rice, lamayo (danggit), sunny side up eggs, and hotdogs, good for 3-4 pax! The serving is really huge. Coffee and water is free all day.

Coron Reef is walking distance to everything, like the public market, a dive shop, souvenir shop, La Sirenetta, Bistro Coron, Kawayanan Grill, Lolo Nonoy's and even Mt. Tapyas. So it will save you from tricycle fares.

La Sirenetta is at the end of the docking area of Coron Reef. We browsed their menu and one word collectively describes it - expensive. A crepe for example is at Php 250 up. A bottle of coke (as in 8 oz coke) is Php 40.

La Sirenetta is owned by the same owners of cafe del Mar in Boracay and Puerto Del Sol in Busuanga.

The best thing about La Sirenetta, and perhaps the reason why their food is so expensive is that they have the best view of sunset and the Coron Bay.

A view of the port from La Sirenetta. It's a rainbow again!

Seadive, another accomodation in Coron is just a few hops away from La Sirenetta/ Coron Reef.

And here are the breathtaking sunset shots from La Sirenetta.

We headed out for a city tour that same day. Will post soon!