Discovering Coron: Arrival

September 13, 2012

This is it! After months of not being away from Manila, it's finally time for our much awaited Coron escapade.

Our flight was supposed to be around 3:05 in the afternoon. But as expected, our Cebu Pacific plane arrived late pushing our flight to be delayed for an hour. This was announced 30 minutes before the scheduled flight at the per-departure area. Anyways, when we were picked up by the Cebu Pacific shuttle to be taken to the plane bound for Coron, we were surprised to see that our plane would be the propeller type. It was everyone's first time to ride one.

Propeller-type plane

When we got in, we noticed that there were only four seats in a row. What was scary was the propeller itself. Everyone was "Is this safe?". But hey, do we have a choice? So here goes. The take off was a bit okay. When we were up in the air, the turbulence was really bad. The plane was shaking and my friend forced herself to sleep so as not to feel sick. A few miles to Coron, the turbulence got really bad that the we felt the plane drop for a few feet. Some got really scared and couldn't help but shout. But the kid sitting behind me was giggling and enjoying it. It made the mood a bit better. Everyone was amazed with the kid and kept asking the kid "Was it like a roller coaster?". After awhile, we were then informed that we would be landing soon. One of the best news of the day.

When we landed, it was raining so a Cebu Pacific ground personnel was handling umbrellas to everyone who were coming out from the plane. I noticed that though the airport is small, it was clean and the floor was made of tiles. So far, it was the best domestic airport I've seen.

When we got out of the arrival area, we were welcomed by Ate Eden,the representative from RGO tours, our tour agency.

Welcome to Coron!

To get to the city from the airport, we rode a van. When I asked how much is the van from the airport to the city, I was informed that it only costs Php 150.00. That's reasonable for a 30 minute ride. On the way to the city, we passed by a ranch that has hundreds of cows scattered all over the place. It was a nice view to welcome visitors to Coron.

When we got to the town, we were accompanied by Ate Eden to our lodge. We were booked at Sea Coral Lodge which was a newly built lodge located in the town proper in front of the Coron Drugstore and Cebu Pacific ticketing office. We were met by Ate Lorraine of RGO in the lodge. Since there were four of us, we were assigned at room 202 which has one queen bed and a single bed with a pull out bed. When we saw our room, we were impressed with the cleanliness of the place. The beds were neatly presented with the towels on top. The bathroom was clean and has a hot/cold shower. They included some soap and a tissue as complimentary toiletries.

The Queen Size Bed

The bathroom

Sea Coral Lodge's price is as follows:

Room 201: Php 1,300/night (1 Queen bed, 1 single bed - 3 pax with extra bed)

Room 202: Php 1,300/night (1 Queen bed, 1 single bed - 3 pax with extra bed)

Room 203: Php 1,000/night (1 Queen bed -2 pax)

Room 204: Php 1,000/night (1 Queen bed, 2 pax)

Room 205: Php Php 1,200/night (2 Single bed - 2 pax with extra bed)

Room 206: Php 1,000/night (1 Queen bed, 2 pax)

Room 207: Php 2,500/night ( 2 Queen bed, 2 single bed - maximum of 8 persons with extra bed)

Extra bed: Php 300
Breakfast: Php 150


Since it was already around 6PM when we decided to have dinner. Ate Lorraine suggested that we try Gising-gising, Bistro or Sea Dive. These were just a few blocks from our lodge so we could walk to these places. We decided to try Gising-gising. Since it was raining, we had to ride a tricycle to get there. The fare was only Php8.00 per person. Tricycles in Coron were bigger than those in Manila so it was able to accommodate all four of us without us feeling uncomfortable. The seat beside the driver could fit two persons while the seat at the back can accommodate up to four people.

When we got to the place, we immediately looked at their menu. The people there said that their best seller was the Sultana de Coron which was made up of a mixed of sea foods. So we ordered one of that and the garlic chilli crabs. Unfortunately, they run out of the crabs so they suggested we take the grilled pusit instead, which we did. The food was good. For our first meal in town, it was a great welcome meal. And the price was also reasonable.

Menu

Sultana de Coron

Grilled Pusit

After dinner, we decided to walk back to the lodge since it was not raining. We passed by a zagu shop and decided to buy coolers. The price is the that in Manila. While waiting for our coolers, we decided to buy some snacks for the next day's activities in the nearby sari-sari store. We got excited that we just took the chips we wanted and when we were at the counter, we were surprised of the excessive prices of the groceries. Since we didn't have a choice, we just paid for the items and went back to zagu for our coolers.

Zagu Coolers - Coron version

We finished our coolers at the lodge. A great way to end the day. Before going to sleep, one of the receptionists got our orders for breakfast which was to be served at 7AM the next day. We chose to have danggit. Weeeeh. Excited for tomorrow's breakfast and tour.

Malcapuya and Banana Islands, here we come!