March 12-14, 2018

My friend and I had a three day escapade in Palawan before I leave during my vacation in the Philippines.

We actually planned it ahead of time before I had my vacation because we booked Cebu Pacific plane tickets for a cheaper price. We were not able to get the PISO fare, Filipinos are always waiting for this promotion because you will just pay for 1 peso base fare plus other charges and it is round-trip. It is a big discount actually. We were still lucky because we got our round-trip tickets for each of us for 2,800 pesos only.

I arrived at Puerto Princesa Airport two hours earlier than Mariel because I got the 10:30 AM flight and hers was 12:00 PM. It was Monday and I encountered an intense traffic in the morning. I traveled like four hours from home to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. It’s crazy that traveling within Metro Manila is longer than going to Palawan.

I didn’t get bored while waiting for my friend because of this dance group who performed Philippine folk dance to welcome the tourists who were arriving from the airport.

Our hotel in Puerto Princesa sent a driver to pick-up us from the airport. We booked our room in Casanas Suites, it is located in Brgy. San Pedro and 15 minutes via car from the airport. It’s an affordable, decent and clean hotel that is very accessible to the shopping areas in Puerto Princesa. It costs 2,700 pesos only for the two of us.

We just took a rest until the evening and then we went to SM Palawan for dinner. We had a short brainstorming of which tour we are going to take for the following day. In the end, we decided to book with the hotel reception our day tour in El Nido.

We joined the group tour and the driver fetched us at 2:00 AM during our second day. It took us five hours to travel from Puerto Princesa to El Nido. We supposed to go to Puerto Princesa day tour initially but based on the recommendations of my other friends in Manila, El Nido is better to be prioritized if you have a very tight schedule.

We reached El Nido around 8:00 AM because we had our breakfast along the way. We chose the Tour A under El Bacuit Philippines which has five stops to the following for island hopping:

1. 7 Commando Beach

2. Small Lagoon

3. Shimizu Island

4. Secret Lagoon

5. Big Lagoon

At first, we had a stop for an hour at 7 Commando Beach to enjoy the crystal clear water and white sands.

Second stop was at the Small Lagoon. This place is such a paradise.

You may do kayaking here for free!

We had our satisfying lunch in our boat that was freshly prepared by the boat staff. It is included in the package that we paid for 1,500 pesos per head.

Then, we had our diving and snorkeling during our stopover in Shimizu Island. Then, sightseeing at the Secret Lagoon. It looks like a cave with a way going to the lagoon that’s why the name was like that. Nothing to do there, just for photo opportunity. The last stop was at the Big Lagoon which is almost same with Small Lagoon that you can do kayaking. There is an extra fee of 200 per head for the kayak there.

Palawan is a worth visiting place in my home country. I didn’t regret going there even it was a long hour travel time especially the service of El Bacuit team was amazing. They make sure that the tourists will be safe during the trip. For sure, I will come back in El Nido and I will include Coron in my itinerary.

After a lovely trip in El Nido, we don’t know what to do and where to go for our third day in Palawan. We just need to buy some “pasalubong” for our loved ones. The hotel receptionist told us to go to Baker’s Hill. We thought that it is just an ordinary store of delicacies but we were wrong. We were surprised that it looks like a theme park for lovers. This place is really good even for picture taking.

A funny quote for a heartbroken person. It is usual in the Philippines to hear pick-up lines, also known as “hugot”. Same with what’s written above.

There is also this cute artwork at the entrance of Baker’s Hill.

This place is perfect for nature lovers, families and even couples.

You will gonna appreciate the fully bloomed flowers all over the place. We didn’t expect that we will have a very good time in this place. They have a large variety of food to choose from.

I bought homemade cookies, hopia, pastillas, and other delicacies. I requested them to put it in a carton so it will be easy for me to bring it in the airport. I paid 2,500 pesos for everything. Outside the store, there are vendors who were selling earrings and bracelets made from authentic pearl. Per bracelet costs 150 pesos and you can cut it down up to 100 pesos if you know how to haggle.

Lastly, we rushed to the market near our hotel to buy dried fish and mussels.

Then, the driver of the hotel sent us to the airport for our flight going back to Manila. I enjoyed our trip in Palawan even for a short time.