El Nido and Puerto Princesa, Palawan 2013

Last September 6-11, 2013, me and other ten of my officemates went to Palawan. Our flight was at 1pm of Septemer 6, 2013. When we arrived at the town, most of us were hungry so we had to fill our stomachs at Chaolong Restaurant. The reason why we had a heavy meal is that we would still need to travel to El Nido for approximately five hours. It was really a tiring trip! We arrived at El Nido town around 8pm. Upon reaching the place, we decided to take our dinner at El Nido Corner Restaurant. The prices are reasonable. It would cost you around 150-300 per dish. But mind you, one dish is good for 2-3 persons. After dinner, we didn't bother to roam around the town since we were very tired already. We stayed at Hadefe Cottages. It is one of the good places to stay in El Nido though you need to walk for 15 minutes to be able to reach El Nido town. And the most exciting part is that you would need to pass by a cemetery in order to reach the hotel. Basically, Hadefe is a good place to stay. We did not regret our stay there.

Puerto Princesa Airport

Our trip was arranged by Hadefe Travel and Tours. This is owned by Mr. Hanny Enor. The tour costed us 6, 500 pesos exclusive of dinner for the rest of the tour.

Here are the contact details of the said agency:
Mr Hanny Enor
Manager/Owner
Hadefe Travel and Tours
09209523280

09178496877

Here is our itinerary of the rest of our trip.

El Nido Day 2: Small Lagoon. Big Lagoon. Miniloc Island. Simizu Beach. Seven Commando.

Big Lagoon.

Miniloc Island.

 Simizu Beach.

                        

Seven Commando.

Pristine waters of El Nido.

We had our dinner at Atmosphere Restaurant. The food was good but the prices were so overpriced since the serving is very small. I would not recommend this restaurant to travellers especially those who are on a tight budget. :(

El Nido Day 3: Hidden Beach. Matinloc Shrine. Talisay Beach. Secret Beach. Helicopter Island.

Hidden Beach.

Awesome view at Matinloc Shrine. A very mysterious place because of its untold history, yet very amazing.

Helicopter Island. The island where Survivor Philippines had their shooting. A great island to relax. The island is named such because of its shape. 

After the island hopping, we had our dinner at Sea Slug Restaurant. The food is good, prices are reasonable, BUT, the service is slow. Don't follow the hype.

The next day, we had to leave El Nido and travel to Puerto Princesa. It was another five long hour trip. We had our lunch at Paneo Restaurant. Food there is not that great. :P Then afterwards, went to the Puerto Princesa Underground River.

Puerto Princesa Day 4: Lunch at Paneo Restaurant. Puerto Princesa Underground River. Ugong Rock Adventures.

World's Famous Puerto Princesa Underground River. A must-travel site when you go to Puerto Princesa.

Amazing rock formations inside the underground river.

Ugong Rock Adventures. Spelunking is a must-try activity here. We were able to conquer the tiring activity up to the top of the mountain.

We had our dinner at K'na Boyet sa Baywalk. The food was good and the prices were affordable. After we had our dinner, we had an hour of strolling at Baywalk. Bicycles are for rent for 50-75 pesos per hour.

After which, we went back to the hotel, Ysabelle Mansion. A very great and clean place to stay. :D

Puerto Princesa Day 5: Isla Pandan. Starfish Island. Cowrie Island.                                                                    

Our Honda Bay Tour was arranged by La Tiara Travel and Tours. The whole day island hopping was 1, 140 pesos per head, and honestly, it was not worth it. Island hopping in El Nido is way better than in Honda Bay. If in case, you would want to rent booties and snorkels, there are a number of stores that offers renting of booties and snorkels for 100 pesos each in Honda Bay Port. DO NOT rent if it is 150 pesos each. We got scammed because our tour guide brought us to a store meters away from the port. 

Isla Pandan. We had snorkeling here since there are lots of fishes on this island.

Starfish Island. Nothing but starfish, fishes are hard to find. Water was kinda itchy.

Cowrie Island. The most developed island we went. There is a restaurant on this island, though I was not able to take a look at the prices of their menu.

Since we still had ample time to stroll before having dinner, we decided to buy souvenirs instead. We rode on tricycles going to the shops. Our driver was Mr. Catalino Vitug. You can contact him thru Facebook if in case you would want a private driver when having a city tour at Puerto Princesa.

We had our dinner at JA Restaurant near Baywalk. Food and prices were good. :)

Day 6: City Tour. Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral. Binuatan Creation's Factory. Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Preservation Institute. Rancho Sta. Monica. Baker's Hill. Lunch at Dampa Restaurant.

Binuatan Creation's Factory. We were able to try weaving. Souvenirs are also sold here at a reasonable price.

Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Preservation Institute. Lots of crocodiles here.

Rancho Sta. Monica. Overlooking view of Honda Bay.

Baker's Hill. Their products are sold at a reasonable price. Also a good place to buy pasalubong.

Basically, I really had a fun vacation at El Nido and Puerto Princesa. But, I would still prefer Coron, Palawan over El Nido/Puerto Princesa. Why? Coron seas are richer in marine life that the El Nido seas.

Bohol 2013

It was a very special day last August 10, 2013 for my former team lead. It was the day that he shared vows with the woman he loved for a decade. Since the bride's hometown is at Baclayon, Bohol, the guests from other places have to travel all the way to Bohol. We arrived at Tagbilaran Port at around 12 noon. We rode a fast craft going to Tagbilaran that costs 450 round trip. We had lunch at my colleague's canteen located at the town of Tagbilaran. Some of us did not have to check in on a hotel since my colleague, Teresa lives at Bohol. Fortunately, we just stayed at their house for 3 days. We were really able to save money. :D We went to Island City Mall that afternoon to prepare and buy stuffs for the next day’s big event. We also had our dinner at the mall.

The next day, we were so excited for the big event! The wedding was held at Baclayon Church at 2pm. It is one of the oldest churches in the country. The reception was held at Panglao Nature Resort and Spa. The setting was very beautiful and unique! Indeed, I would really consider it a fairytale wedding.

                                          at Baclayon Church

Reception at Panglao Nature Resort and Spa 

So, the day after the wedding, my team lead decided to go to the beach, instead. So we went beaching at Dumaluan Beach Resort at Panglao. Since the weather that time was not that good, we weren’t able to witness the clear waters of Panglao. We went back to Cebu around 6pm that day.

                                                                at Dumaluan Beach Resort