Coron Travel Guide – Visit Coron – Budget Travel In The Philippines

Visit Coron to experience a popular destination for thrill-seeking travellers who flock to the island for its many coral reefs, lagoons, snorkeling and diving opportunities and a chance to explore sunken Japanese warships.

We had originally planned to spend more time in Coron but, as we heard it was a small resort, we decided to spend more time in El Nido. This still left us with six nights in Coron before our flight to Manila where our adventure in the Philippines would come to an end.

How To Get To Coron From El Nido 

There are a limited number of flights from El Nido to Coron but these fill up very quickly and are the most expensive option. The cheaper option is to take the ferry.

Until fairly recently, the only company providing this ferry service was ‘Montenegro Lines’. They have two options:

• fast ferry – departs at 6 am, journey time approx 4 hours
• slow ferry – departs at 8.30 am, journey time up to 9 hours

The fast ferry is more expensive but is the best option, if your budget allows. However, the 6 am departure means a very early start as you have to check in an hour earlier.

Phimal Ferry

We discovered another company called ‘Phimal’ who run a fast ferry that departs at 8.20 am for 1800 peso. This was the ferry we booked.

We had heard some horror stories about the ‘Phimal’ boats and service but you can find horror stories about every travel company.

We arrived at the terminal and only had to wait a short time after checking in before boarding the boat. The front area of the boat was air-conditioned and had a TV so we made ourselves comfortable there.

The boat set off on time and the weather was not too bad which meant for a smooth ride. I tried to grab a bit of sleep to make the journey shorter. However, as soon I closed my eyes, the TV came on and it was so unbelievably loud, no-one could get any rest. It was bizarre because they showed a film from the halfway point so nobody was interested anyway. The film was not family-friendly at all and had lots of violence and obscene language. Something to consider if you’re travelling with kids.

We arrived at the port in Coron after around 4 1/2 hours (the advertised 3 hours is nonsense). From here, we had a twenty minute walk to our hostel.

Where To Stay In Coron

These are some of the best budget hostels in Coron, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Hub Backpackers Hangout
• The Flat – Discounted for Divers
• Joval Homestay
• Hop Hostel
• Happy Camper Hostel
• Prim Guest House
• Ecocio Hostel

Hop Hostel

We had looked at many homestays and small hostels for a private room. All looked like they might be a bit rough or not offer hot showers or good WiFi. After 9 rainy days in El Nido, we really wanted a bit of comfort. The only place that looked like it might offer this was ‘Hop Hostel’ (map), though it did mean we were staying in dorm rooms.

We arrived at the hostel and our first impressions were that it was clean an modern. Just what we had missed in El Nido.

On entering, we saw a decent looking bar and restaurant.

We checked in and headed to our rooms. The dorms were spacious and the beds were huge. We could have easily shared a bed and saved money but the hostel does not allow this (the rules that you have to sign clearly says NO SEX). It did mean that we could spread out and have a bit of space for a change. Each bed has its own small locker for devices and small items and you also have a big locker to keep your backpacks and bigger items. They do not provide locks but you can buy them cheaply at reception. WiFi is available throughout the hostel but didn’t work in the dorm. Showers were nice and hot.

We spent some time exploring the hostel and discovered a cinema room, a rooftop bar, a kitchen, laundry services, a chill out room and some cool wall art. We were very impressed.

Each evening, providing you sign up, the hostel provides a free light lunch. The food was basic but decent and they also cater for vegetarians. The hostel also run daily events such as tours and drinking games. During our stay, these were organised by an Australian volunteer called Tom whose mission was to get everyone drunk on free shots so they would embarrass themselves in the bar games and head off to the reggae bar. He was usually successful in this task. Tom was a super-friendly guy and he really made our stay more fun. I imagine he will never leave Hop Hostel so say hello from us if you stay.

Our stay in Coron was quite stressful (more of why later) but staying at Hop Hostel made it a fantastic 6 days. We met so many people here and had some great nights out (usually at the reggae bar). I would go as far to say it has been the best hostel we have visited in 10 months of travel.

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We paid £130.52 for 6 nights in a 8 bed dorm (2 king-sized beds) with shared bathroom.

Click here to book a stay at Hop Hostel.

Free Shots!

On our first night, we had a beer in the reception bar as the rooftop bar was closed because of the rain. This was where we first met Tom, who introduced himself and chatted before repeatedly giving us free shots. It was quite clear from an early stage that this night might get more messy than we had planned. Whenever you see a beer pong table, you know the kind of night it’s going to be.

The rain seemed to have followed us from El Nido so most people staying in the hostel where drinking in the hostel bar. There were plenty of other travellers not staying at the hostel there too. It was clear we weren’t moving on so we had some food in the hostel restaurant. The chicken was pretty good!

Coron Reggae Bar

Finally, close to midnight, there was a pause in the rain and a lot of people decided that we must all pile down to the reggae bar, or ‘Tribu Kuridas Bar and Tattoo’ (map) to give it its proper name. This seemed like a logical idea. There must have been at least 20 of us and the barman saw pesos in his eyes as we entered. It’s a great bar with friendly staff and locals, who seemed bemused by this sudden influx of tourists. The music was good to; it even got Joanna dancing and she doesn’t even like reggae!

Arkham Club

Fuelled by gin and beer and aware that the reggae bar wouldn’t stay open forever, a decision was made to move on to the nearby ‘Arkham Club’ (map). This was as cheesy as you could get but still fun. By this point, we were all very drunk. That’s my excuse for dancing to the Spice Girls.

You can’t really top dancing to the Spice Girls so we called it a night and slipped away.

Hangover From Hell

Funnily enough, after the previous night’s shenanigans, most people in the hostel chose to have a relaxing day. I was certainly suffering. I obviously drank lots of gin and beer, but wasn’t there even some rum involved at some point?

We began the day by heading out for breakfast. We got as far as ‘Dali Dali Food Station’ (map), a Korean restaurant. Now why I chose the dish that I did, I’ll never know as it was certainly not hangover food. Tofu and rice? No, thank you! Where’s the greasy English breakfast?

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, watching Pulp Fiction in the cinema room and hiding from Tom.

A New Day

Having a dreadful hangover and doing nothing all day has its benefits. It means you have a great night sleep and wake up the next day feeling great! We were up reasonably early and we headed out to explore Coron. First of all, we stopped for breakfast at a nice place called ‘Coffee Kong’ (map). And then it started to rain. And it never stopped. We were in there an hour before we decided that exploring Coron was not going to be an option so we rushed back to the hotel. It did, at least, give me a chance to work on the blog.

Party Time

As everyone had fully recovered by now, and there were new arrivals, it was party night in Hop Hostel. This time, there was no hiding from Tom who took on the responsibility of both getting people stupidly drunk and organising the party games. He was in his element!

Hangover Bar

All of this drinking and tomfoolery obviously led everyone back to the reggae bar. After many more drinks and a ‘discussion’ with some self-confessed ‘vegan police’, we moved on from the reggae bar. This time, we went to a place called ‘Hangover Bar’ (map)

At first, we were not allowed in as a local, who was very drunk, had tagged along with us and there was no way, quite rightly, the bouncers were going to let him in. The local refused to accept this decision and it looked like it might turn a bit ugly before Tom moved the local along, just before a big, overweight guy came out looking to resolve things in a seemingly more violent way.

Inside, the bar was too full and the music was loud and not very good. We didn’t feel a good vibe about this place so we had one drink and left.

No Name Bar

Within minutes, the rain started again and it was coming down with some force.

We rushed into a place called ‘No Name Bar’ which doesn’t appear to be on Google Maps. It was quiet and seemed like a nice place to have one last drink. However, suddenly a guy entered closely followed by the overweight guy from ‘Hangover Bar’ who was desperate to start a fight. Despite getting nothing but apologies, the overweight guy started beating up the other guy. The bar then filled with locals who stood and watched. It was quite a disturbing scene. Eventually, the overweight guy listened to reason and stopped beating up the other guy. It wasn’t the greatest end to the night.

Cancelled Flights

The rain had started to become a major concern now. People had been leaving the hostel for flights, only to find they were cancelled with no confirmed replacements. We had a flight out to Manila on the Wednesday and another flight the same night to Hanoi. Our visas were also due to expire. From this point on, we were checking the status of all flights from Coron to Manila and every single one was cancelled because of the rain, caused by what was being called ‘Storm Hana’.

Finally Exploring Coron

There was a gap in the rain so we decided to go for it and finally leave the hotel for something other than the reggae bar!  Away from the main street, we found the area to be very under-developed; possibly even more so than El Nido and even Port Barton.

It wasn’t long before the rain returned so we headed back to relax.

Levine’s Eatery

In the evening, a few of the people we’d met were going out for dinner and we got invited. It was a nice, relaxing evening and there were more new travellers to get to know. We had a chilled night as we were hopefully heading out on an island-hopping tour the next morning.

Coron Ultimate Tour

Klook.com

The previous day, we had found a tour operator that offered the ‘Ultimate Tour’ for 150,000 pesos including all fees, snorkeling, lunch, etc. We sent a message and he confirmed. As it was hammering it down with rain, we were unsure whether the trip would go ahead.

However, the tricycle picked us up and dropped us off at the boat departure. The boat filled up with other tourists and, despite the torrential rain, we were off!

Our first stop was ‘Kayangon Lake’. We had been told that there was strictly no swimming without a life jacket. No problem for me as I wouldn’t go in without one anyway, being a poor swimmer. It made me laugh when I saw the guy that told us this happily swimming around without a jacket!

The lake itself was very beautiful and it was nice to jump into the warm water as we were all soaked and cold.

Next up was ‘Luluyuan Lake’. It was now very grey and the rain was coming down with some force. It gave the lake a ghostly atmosphere that might be hard to imagine for tourists who have visited in the sunny season.

Skeleton Wreck Coron

Our next two stops were for snorkeling. I had been really looking forward to seeing the Skeleton Wreck, a 25m long Japanese warship that had been sunk by an American airstrike in WWII. The water was not that clear and it took me a while to actually find it! I was expecting to see more, if I’m honest, but it still had a creepiness to it, even from above. There were many people scuba diving to explore the remains further and I’m sure this would have been a better experience. It was still something to remember though and the nearby coral reef was excellent, despite the hundreds of scary sea urchins!

Twin Lagoon

Following lunch on a small beach, we headed to the ‘Twin Lagoon’. As you’d imagine, this is two lagoons of clear turquoise water surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. You can swim through a small gap in one of the cliffs to move from one to the other or you can climb the stairs (be careful, they are VERY slippy). As we were swimming the whole time we were in the twin lagoon, I was unable to take any photos so you will just have to believe me when I say the scenery is stunning. This image is from the ‘Island Hopping in the Philippines’ web site and gives you some idea.

By now, the rain was even worse. We headed back to El Nido soaking wet and shivering with cold. We got back to our hotel to discover all the days flights had been cancelled again.

Games Night

That evening, we settled into the hostel bar to have a chilled out night with new friends and some games and absolutely no reggae bar.

I’d never played ‘cards against humanity’ before and I won the first game easily. As more people joined, I got bored so instead concentrated on enjoying a few beers. Quite a few more beers actually. And yes, we ended up at the reggae bar.

More Rain

Despite ending up at the reggae bar again, the night wasn’t anywhere near as messy as previous evenings so I woke up feeling pretty good. The rain was still persistent so this meant another day hanging around the hostel. The weather made us appreciate the hostel more. Our time in Coron would have been miserable if we had been staying in a grotty homestay, or like the Cliffside Cottages in El Nido. At least here, it was clean and you could watch a movie, play guitar, chill out or sit and chat with new friends.

This was our last full day in Coron before trying to fly back to Manila. Things were not looking good. All flights were cancelled again and now there was a waiting list of people wanting to take up any spaces created by cancellations. We would be at the end of that queue if our plane didn’t leave. More and more people were returning back from the airport after discovering their flight was cancelled and dealing with the resulting chaos.

Ala-e The Hippie Bar

In the evening, we went to ‘Ala-e The Hippie Bar’ (map) which was situated just a few minutes walk up the road from ‘Hop Hostel’. This was one of the places I had wanted to check out since arriving but the preferred destination of all the travellers had been the reggae bar. Finally, on our last night, we made a visit.

It turned out to be a very cool place. It was full upstairs meaning we had to sit downstairs and have the place to ourselves. It’s a very laidback, floor-cushion type of place, as you might imagine with it being called ‘Hippie Bar’. The food took a long time to arrive but it was worth the wait. The burger was fantastic and served with proper, home-cut chips. It was a shame we’d left it to the last minute to check this place out as I would have gone more than once.

Fingers Crossed At The Airport

The next morning, we headed for the airport knowing that not a single Skyjet plane had flown between Coron and Manila all week: six cancelled flights every day. The storm was not moving, according to weather satellites, so we were not holding out much hope.

Good News

We arrived at the airport and saw some fellow travellers who had been there since 4 am, trying desperately to add their names to a standby list. As we arrived, we heard news that the first Skyjet flight of the day was about to arrive and would be departing. There was a big cheer in the airport and people were in tears. For some, this was their third attempt at leaving the island.

We got our bags checked in, which we felt was a good sign until we were told that some of the cancelled flights also had their bags checked in. An announcement then said that the flight we were waiting for was on the runway in Manila and about to leave. It would be about 2 hours late. That, we could handle!

Another announcement said that the plane was due to arrive. Seconds after this announcement, the entire airport, which had been mostly clear until this point, was engulfed in fog. Just as we were beginning to think we might get off the island!

Hurrah!

Thankfully, the fog vanished as quickly as it had arrived and, around half an hour later, our plane landed to big cheers and tears of relief. We were so lucky. We were leaving Coron!

After hating Manila at the start of our Philippine’s adventure, I never expected to be so happy to be returning. Our onward flight to Vietnam wasn’t until 10 pm so the delay made no difference to us. After all that worrying, we were outta there!

* The next day, all flights were cancelled again, meaning that the day we flew was the only day that whole week that any Skyjet flights left Coron for Manila.

Is Coron Worth Visiting?

Despite the constant threat of being stranded on the island, we had a great time in Coron. This is entirely due to our choice of accommodation. If you stay in Coron, stay in ‘Hop Hostel’. It’s as simple as that. It’s such a social place that you will make new friends immediately and there is always fun stuff going on. A big shout out to the Australian volunteer ‘Tom’ who always made sure everyone was suitably lubricated and was just an all-round good egg. Make sure you do the ‘Ultimate Island-hopping Tour’ as it is stunning, even with torrential rain.

Other things we never got to do because of the rain was the hot springs and climb Mount Tapyas. These are also supposed to be worth a visit.

Which Is Better… Coron Or El Nido?

As our time on the island of Coron was during torrential rain, it is probably unfair to make a comparison to the Palawan resort of El Nido. Both places offer excellent snorkelling/island hopping opportunities and Coron has the added bonus of the sunken warship to explore.

There are much more bars and restaurants in El Nido and I would say it is much more suited to tourists. Personally, I think I preferred El Nido but I still enjoyed Coron, despite the dreadful weather and the threat of cancelled flights. My advice? Visit both and make your own opinion 🙂