On Sunday we took a Philippine Airlines Bombardier Q400 prop to Busuanga, Coron, Philippines. It was a trip I planned months ago to celebrate my BIG 3-0 this year. I wanted to bring my family to see these beautiful islands. I pictured beaches, open seas, fresh seafood, barbecues and for some strange reason– vintage coke bottles.

NAIA-3 on a Sunday morning was fairly quiet. Check-in was a breeze and we were at our gate about two hours before boarding. I ordered tapa at Army Navy because… I haven’t had tapa in ages! I was worried about possible flight cancellations since prop plane flights usually get cancelled due to air traffic or weather conditions. Luckily, nothing was cancelled. We departed almost in time and landed in picturesque Busuanga Island 45 minutes later. Landing in this vast green valley on an island was a sight! You could see cattle and little farm houses on the horizon.

Airport transfer was quick and we were in Coron town within 30 minutes. You could tell how few people lived on this island. A population of only about 70,000 people. My hometown in Cavite has more than twice that amount in a much compressed space!

We checked in at our lodging for four nights: One Averee Bay Hotel. Location was downtown, surrounded by t-shirt stores and open lots. The port was just a 5 minute walk away. Fantastic. We also had the family suite since we wanted to stay together in one room. The suite is quite large and looks like it could fit about six adults.

Essentially, this was our Coron itinerary:

• Monday – private birthday picnic at Smith Point, Coron Island
• Tuesday – Island Escapades Tour (Malpacuyo, Banana, and Bulog Dos islands)
• Wednesday – Coron Island Tour (Kayangan Lake, Coral Garden, Twin Lagoon, Beach 91, Japanese Shipwreck, and CYC Beach)
• Thursday – return to Manila

In photos: 

– End of Part 1 –

Get notified on your news feed when I write something new! Like Bekpackr on Facebook. You can also follow me on Instagram (@bekpackr) and Twitter (@bekpackr).