Coron 2015 Series: Micasa Lodge

During our five-day stay in Coron, we opted to check in at Micasa Lodge which is situated right smack in the middle of town, literally walking distance to the popular restaurants and cafes as well as the starting point of Mt. Tapyas and the Catholic Church. Travel time from airport to Micasa Lodge is around 30-40 minutes.

We booked two rooms at the third floor, one for my mum and dad, one for my brother and I. Micasa Lodge looked very basic from the outside but I'm actually surprised that the interior looked very "hotel-like". My brother and I's room had  single bed and a double bed with a ton of pillows each and a comfortable duvet and another fleece blanket. We also had a flat screen TV with cable, a cabinet with a full mirror, a bedside table and another table at the foot of the beds. The room itself is spacious and bright. 

The toilet on the other hand has a complete set of toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrush. You have to ask for toilet paper if you run out since they don't change it everyday. The water pressure is okay and the toilet is spacious as well. 

That's me! Hi guyssss!

If you plan to spend your days hopping from one island to the next, I doubt that you'll need extravagant accommodations, after all you'll just be sleeping in it. 

All rooms do not have balconies, what you get is a common terrace area, wherein you can hang your wet clothes. There are also chairs and tables if guests want to smoke or drink coffee or just chill here. The rooms are non-smoking rooms by the way.

Our room rate plan also includes breakfast, (TIP: pre-order the night before and ask for it to be served at a specific time so you won't wait long). We ordered rice for breakfast for the full length of our stay. Food is okay, typical hotel food, viands are not proportionate with the rice, too much rice, too little viand. The hotel doesn't serve room service by the way, they only have breakfast food. 

You also get unlimited drinking water from their dispenser found near the reception area. Wi-fi only works at the second floor as well, they have couches there so you can comfortably sit. 

The staff are friendly enough to accommodate all our questions and concerns, a major plus point for me, I can't stand people in the customer service industry who are just downright rude or impolite.

All in all, I found my stay in Micasa Lodge very pleasant, it had what I expected it to have, though it would have been better if the wifi connection in the rooms worked.

Prices are so darn reasonable too, you can find their room rates HERE.

MICASA LODGE CORON

National Highway, Baranggay 1, Coron, Palawan, Philippines

Website: http://www.micasalodgecoron.com/index.php

Coron 2015 Series: Coron Nxtcapade Tour

Day three of our stay in Coron was dedicated for another island hopping/snorkeling day. This time, we opted to take the Coron Nxtcapade Tour. Basically there are only three destinations, the islands to be visited here are some Coron's most popular. Again, our tour was handled by Nice in Paradise Travel and Tours.

If you've already read my Coron Islands Tour post, you'd know that I was a bit disappointed with how the locals handled our time, I was also a bit annoyed during the morning of our Nxtcapade Tour since our sundo was late again. As per our hotel's confirmation, we were to be picked up at 8:30am, again, we were ready by 8:15, our sundo arrived a little before 9:00am. Upon arriving at the dock, we waited again for almost half an hour since the boatmen kept telling us that the food wasn't complete yet. If one of the tourists didn't even call the boatmen's attention that our tour group has been complete for the last half hour and that we've been waiting for so long, they wouldn't even rush to start the tour, I was like... "Do we really have to call you pa to start the tour?!". Luckily, among the tourists inside the boat was the manager of another popular hotel in Coron, she patiently explained that everyone in Coron is on island time, meaning everything is much slower as compared to the city. Okay I get that. 

Fastforward to when we actually arrived at our first destination... The islands to be visited are quite far from the town proper itself, I felt as if it took us more than an hour to reach the first destination, also the islands in the itinerary itself are quite far from each other. The destinations were:

Malcapuya Island:

A wide stretch of beach and crystal clear waters will greet you upon arrival at Banana Island, here you can enjoy swimming, basking under the sun and some snorkeling, though there aren't a lot of fishes underwater since the beach itself is very busy, with boats that come and go every so often. There's also a view deck that you can climb that offers a different perspective of the island.

Isla Bulog Dos:

The beach front isn't as wide as Malcapuya's but this island has bamboo huts where the tourists can eat lunch. If you feel quite tired already from swimming, a nice nap in the huts will refresh you with the see breeze lulling you to sleep. There's also a small hut in a nearby sandbar that you can swim to.

Banana Island:

This island is right beside Two Seasons Coron, with only a sandbar separating them. The water surrounding this island is very shallow, perfect for those who's afraid of the open sea. The sand here is extremely fine but the parts near the beach are quite littered with rocks and broken shells which tend to be, not only painful when stepped on, but slippery. You can also climb up a view deck and take pictures above.

The lunch again was a feast, there's adobong pusit, fried fish, fresh lato, rice and chicken, pineapple for dessert and water and softdrinks. We were also served Puto and water as snacks.

View from the boat.

Malcapuya Island

Isla Bulog Dos

Banana Island

You can also rent snorkels and goggles for Php150/set. Flippers are also available but I highly suggest wearing aqua shoes instead. 

Tour Price: Php1,200/head

Inclusions:

Transporation to and from your accomodation

Boat rides to destinations

Life jackets

Buffet lunch

Entrance fees

Tour guides

Coron 2015 Series: Coron Islands Tour

Our island hopping tours were arranged by the hotel staff, there are a lot of tour agencies that offer basically the same island hopping tours, however, it was Nice in Paradise Travel and Tours which handled all our tour activities. 

We actually spent three whole days hopping all over Coron's gorgeous islands. First off the list was Coron Islands Tour, the destinations were:

Kayangan Lake:

You have to hike up a mountain to reach this beautiful lake. Going to the lake itself is around three hundred steps, one-fifty going up, one-fifty going down, you just have to be really careful because some steps are too high while some are uneven, but there's a wooden railing you can hold on to so you won't fall. Half-way to the lake is the view deck wherein you can see the turquoise waters and rock formations surrounding Kayangan Lake. I would highly suggest wearing aqua shoes here because the rocks are quite sharp, if you also don't know how to swim, bring your life jacket. 

Twin Peaks:

Also known as Twin Lagoons, the waters here are so deep it literally appears black, but I asked the boatmen how deep it was and they said it was around seventy feet. You actually have to swim from where your boat 'parked' to the lagoons, so again, I suggest wearing your life jackets, especially since there aren't big rocks for you to rest on when you get tired from swimming. During lowtide, you can swim from one lagoon to the next, however, during high tide, you have to climb up a ladder on a rock formation to reach the other lagoon

Banol Beach:

Third stop is for lunch time. Oh boy this island took my breath away, the water was a beautiful turquoise shade and the sand was pure white and extremely fine, plus it was really quiet here. 

CYC Beach:

This is a large-ish island with a wide beachfront, you can enjoy your swimming and snorkeling here.

Balinsasayaw Floating House:

Last stop is Balinsasayaw, don't be fooled, you won't actually step into the floating house, the main activity here is snorkeling around the floating bamboo houses, while the marine life underwater is really amazing (lots of fishes and corals), the waves during our stop here were overwhelming, so much that everytime I lift my head from the water, I get slapped around by the big waves. 

Though the destinations were really beautiful and the snorkeling spots were full of fishes and corals, I was extremely disappointed with how the boatmen handled the whole tour, we were told the night before that pick up from our hotel would be around 8:30am. We were all ready by 8.15am and we were picked up from our hotel around 9:00am. The boat dock is only around five minutes away. When we got there, we had to wait another 40 minutes for us to leave, the boatmen kept telling us that the food for our lunch was not complete yet, and when we finally left, the boat was literally so slow that other boats kept passing us. We reached our first stop a little before 11:30am so we had to hike up the mountain under the grueling heat of the summer sun. It actually made me feel as if the boatmen were minimizing our time on the tour, AKA their time working. Being a corporate slave in the city, time is extremely valuable to me, so to be kept waiting for so long was not exactly the best start for the tour.

But enough about that, let talk food. It was a feast! We had grilled fish, crabs, ensaladang talong (eggplant, tomatoes and onion salad), grilled liempo, softdrinks and water, even the condiments like soy sauce were complete. The menu was so perfect for a lunch by the beach. Snacks were also served: we had different breads and softdrinks.

Kayangan Lake

Bulungan Beach

Twin Lagoons

The tour ended at around 4:00pm and after dropping you off at the boat dock, the tour agency would also be the one to bring you back to your hotel.

Tour Price: Php850/head

Tour Inclusions:
Transpo to and from your accommodation
Boat ride to destinations
Tour guides
All entrance fees
Buffet lunch, drinks and snacks
Life jackets

Coron2015 Series: Coron Islands Tour

Our island hopping tours were arranged by the hotel staff, there are a lot of tour agencies that offer basically the same island hopping tours, however, it was Nice in Paradise Travel and Tours which handled all our tour activities. 

We actually spent three whole days hopping all over Coron's gorgeous islands. First off the list was Coron Islands Tour, the destinations were:

Kayangan Lake:

You have to hike up a mountain to reach this beautiful lake. Going to the lake itself is around three hundred steps, one-fifty going up, one-fifty going down, you just have to be really careful because some steps are too high while some are uneven, but there's a wooden railing you can hold on to so you won't fall. Half-way to the lake is the view deck wherein you can see the turquoise waters and rock formations surrounding Kayangan Lake. I would highly suggest wearing aqua shoes here because the rocks are quite sharp, if you also don't know how to swim, bring your life jacket. 

Twin Peaks:

Also known as Twin Lagoons, the waters here are so deep it literally appears black, but I asked the boatmen how deep it was and they said it was around seventy feet. You actually have to swim from where your boat 'parked' to the lagoons, so again, I suggest wearing your life jackets, especially since there aren't big rocks for you to rest on when you get tired from swimming. During lowtide, you can swim from one lagoon to the next, however, during high tide, you have to climb up a ladder on a rock formation to reach the other lagoon

Banol Beach:

Third stop is for lunch time. Oh boy this island took my breath away, the water was a beautiful turquoise shade and the sand was pure white and extremely fine, plus it was really quiet here. 

CYC Beach:

This is a large-ish island with a wide beachfront, you can enjoy your swimming and snorkeling here.

Balinsasayaw Floating House:

Last stop is Balinsasayaw, don't be fooled, you won't actually step into the floating house, the main activity here is snorkeling around the floating bamboo houses, while the marine life underwater is really amazing (lots of fishes and corals), the waves during our stop here were overwhelming, so much that everytime I lift my head from the water, I get slapped around by the big waves. 

Though the destinations were really beautiful and the snorkeling spots were full of fishes and corals, I was extremely disappointed with how the boatmen handled the whole tour, we were told the night before that pick up from our hotel would be around 8:30am. We were all ready by 8.15am and we were picked up from our hotel around 9:00am. The boat dock is only around five minutes away. When we got there, we had to wait another 40 minutes for us to leave, the boatmen kept telling us that the food for our lunch was not complete yet, and when we finally left, the boat was literally so slow that other boats kept passing us. We reached our first stop a little before 11:30am so we had to hike up the mountain under the grueling heat of the summer sun. It actually made me feel as if the boatmen were minimizing our time on the tour, AKA their time working. Being a corporate slave in the city, time is extremely valuable to me, so to be kept waiting for so long was not exactly the best start for the tour.

But enough about that, let talk food. It was a feast! We had grilled fish, crabs, ensaladang talong (eggplant, tomatoes and onion salad), grilled liempo, softdrinks and water, even the condiments like soy sauce were complete. The menu was so perfect for a lunch by the beach. 

The tour ended at around 4pm and after dropping you off at the boat dock, the tour agency would also be the one to bring you back to your hotel.