we survived Coron!

To say that our trip to Coron was adventurous is an understatement. It was a whole new beachcapade for my friends and I as we were used to just bumming around and chillaxin’. We were lucky enough to book a 4-day vacation during the holy week. Holy week in the Philippines is the time to revisit our Roman Catholic roots and pay our respects for our religious traditions. An example of which is through penitence (or “penitensya”). It’s also the usual time when working people file for vacation leaves to make most of the holidays. We chose Coron as our destination simply because it hasn’t been too commercialized. We just did not know that we were up for an unforgettable back-breaking leg-swelling adventure.

One of my officemates recommended Coron Village Lodge. We availed of their tour package for a group of six because it was safer for us to have someone arrange all our activities, since none of us had gone there before.

Coron Village Lodge at night

FACILITIES: Most (if not all) accommodations in Coron are located in the town proper. Coron’s geographical make up is mostly mountains of limestone, therefore, beachfront hotels with sandy shorelines are non-existent. These sandy shorelines have been kept for day trips only to preserve their beauty. It makes a lot of sense because banca rental services have become one of the main sources of income of the fishermen. Coron Village Lodge used to be an old house for the Fernandez family. Ms. Rebecca Fernandez (the owner) was very kind to tell me about its history. When Coron was not yet popular, very few people started asking her caretaker to accommodate them in their rooms. She started allowing people to stay, and even served meals for a minimum cost. People started to know about Coron, the airport in Busuanga became bigger and airline companies started booking more flights. The rest is history! Ms. Bec renovated her ancestral home, which also used to be a mini-factory for her crafts. Now they have around 20 rooms, 1 indoor resto and 2 outdoor (garden) dining areas.

The rooms are basic. They have air conditioning, clean shower and toilet, plus towels are provided. We were lucky to have our own nook in front of our rooms. So choose rooms 11 and 12 if you want to chill in your own garden too. Oh! I cannot forget the biggest key chain of my life! A 12-inch wooden statue! Well, it’s supposed to prevent guests from bringing and losing keys…heck, we still brought them anyway. Hahaha. I felt like I won the immunity idol of SURVIVOR!

RESTAURANT: I will not argue about the food because it’s really good. They serve authentic Filipino dishes…although the choices are limited. The price is somewhat average. Viands to share cost around 80 to 200 pesos. If you’re on a package tour, all meals are included. Our boys enjoyed the unlimited rice so much. But your food will be served as if you’re in your house…not buffet style.

on top of Mt. Tapyas!

Banol Beach

BEACHFRONT: Nada! Like I said, it’s in the town proper. You have to ride the tricycle to reach the wharf, then ride your banca to go to different islands, lakes and reefs. It’s only a 10-min ride to the wharf anyway. The roads are cemented too so no painful bumpy ride here. A tricycle can fit 7 people!

PRICE: Our 4 day / 3 night package cost Php 6,400 each for 6 pax. Our PAL Express ticket RT MNL/Busuanga is 5,400 pesos. Cebu Pac offers cheaper flights around Php 3,500. I will never ride PAL not-so-Express ever again… they were delayed twice! I suggest you take Cebu Pacific. Book early!

trekking Barracuda Lake

HAPPINESS FACTOR: Like I said to Ms. Bec, she was the most accommodating of all, except for her STAFF (you won’t miss her, she’s the petite lady in her 60s who smiles a lot). She admitted that her staff is new so she has to train them more. Be sure you pack a lot of patience because some waitresses can be snooty, hehehe. Or maybe it’s the culture? But I loooove Coron so I will go back for sure!

HOW TO GET THERE: MNL/Busuanga via Cebu Pacific or PAL Express. Van from Busuanga airport to your hotel/lodge in Coron town (45-min trip).

snorkeling at the gun boat

MUST-TRY: You have to go to ALL DESTINATIONS as much as possible. Here’s a list of what you can visit there (ok…breathe!): Cayangan Lake , Lake Barracuda , Twin Lagoon, Caliwantay Beach, Siete Pecados (coral reefs),  Banol Beach, Makinit Hot spring. 786 steps of Mt. Tapyas for a wonderful sunrise and a panoramic view of the town and the islands (guaranteed 2-month  workout and penitence in one!). Calomboyan Island , Coral Garden , WW II Gunboat for snorkeling. Calauit Animal Sanctuary.

You have to ask beforehand if the WAVES are safe enough to sail in. Coron’s waves tend to be erratic…and it becomes dangerous to take the banca in the open sea as waves can reach sky high even on a perfectly sunny day. So ask about the wind direction! We actually missed two islands because we had to sail back as it was dangerous to push through. It’s exciting though! Haha.

Do tour the TOWN PROPER. It’s an interesting trip for the walkaholics, like me. You get to appreciate the unique charm of Coron…how people live there…and wonder how the hell they entertain themselves everyday! Good photo ops too! I also love visiting the sari-sari stores. They still have old candies, chips and softdrinks which I used to have years ago. Sparkle and Cheers anyone?

Things you should not forget to bring: AQUA SHOES (you will trek the stoney lakes and hills, giant sea urchins are scary to step on too!), SNORKELING GEAR (if you want to buy. but you can rent for 150 pesos a day at Unico Hijo store), VEST (a must for the non-swimmers), CASH (no ATMs there, but you can send yourself some cash via Western Union located near the market), lots of water (you will sweat a lot!) and UNDERWATER CAMERA (you can’t miss taking shots of the fishies and the sunken ships).

Visit http://www.coronvillagelodge.com/index.php

guardian of the sea