INTRODUCTION TO CORON
Over 20 years ago, I (Sean) worked in Saudi Arabia in a hospital where a lot of my co-workers were Filipino. I was single and looking for a place to go on vacation so of course, my friends suggested the Philippines. At the time I didn’t know much about the country and had only really heard of how bad Manila was, so didn’t give it another thought. But then I had the idea to visit Hong Kong which was top of my bucket list at the time, and as the Philippines was just a short hop across the South China Sea, I decided to incorporate it into my schedule. I can’t remember why, but the place I chose to visit was Coron !!
I spent a week in Coron on a small island called Sangat and did my PADI diving license while I was there and that was the start of my love affair with this country. I didn’t meet any girls while I was there, I was just attracted by the sheer beauty of the country, the weather, and the delicious food. And even to this day, I am still grateful for going to Coron as it led to me setting my goals on coming back here, and I am now glad to call the Philippines my home.
Coron has another special place in our memories for both of us, as it was the place where I asked Harline to marry me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a romantic down on one knee affair, like I had planned, instead it was just conversation on the hammock outside our villa….where I mentioned it and Harline said yes !! But here we are years later and very happy together, so Coron had a part to play in that.
There are also many places to visit in Coron, which we will cover in more depth in our trips section, but visiting the lakes and lagoons and going island hopping is an absolute must. And if you are a scuba diver, then Coron bay is full of great dive locations including beautiful reefs and World War 2 shipwrecks.
WHERE IS CORON ?
Coron is part of the Calamian Islands which is in the North of Palawan Province to the far west of the Philippines.
HOW TO GET TO CORON BY AIR
Coron is served by Busuanga Airport which is an hour or so from Manila and then the transfer to the Coron touist areas is another 30 mins. The airport in Busuanga now is a vast improvement since my first visit in the rear 2000. It was basically a field at that time, and I flew from Manila ia a 6 seater plane and I was sat directly behind the pilot and could see through the windscreen, which was pretty scary to say the least.
SEARCH CORON FLIGHTS
You can search for and book the cheapest flights to Coron or any other destination you wish by using the search forms below. It searches hundreds of airlines to get you the best deal.
HOW TO GET TO CORON BY FERRY
2Go is the only ferry company that has a direct route from Manila to Coron. You board in the port in Tondo, Manila, which can be a big problem as there is always traffic in the part of the city so allow extra time. Your trip is going to be a long one, at least 12 hours, but its an overnight ferry so thankfully you have a bunk for the whole journey with the the comfort varying dependent on what cabin class you are in.
But the trip is worth it as you will find yourself the next morning in beautiful Coron with the main tourist spots very close by.
For those of you planning to visit El Nido, there is also a ferry between the 2 destinations which takes around 4 hours.
Details of the all the ferries and prices can be found at
WHERE TO STAY IN CORON
The accommodation is very spreadout in Coron with places in the town but also beautiful exclusive resorts on some of the outlying islands So here are our recommendations, either because we have stayed at these places ourselves or they get good reviews from fellow travellers.
Two Seasons Coron Bayside Hotel
Club Paradise Resort
Sangat Island Dive Resort
CORON WESTOWN RESORT
Sea Horse Guest House
Dayon Hostel
CORON HOTEL SEARCH
If the above choices don’t meet your needs then please use the search box below to take you directly to Agoda’s site. We have been using Agoda for a number of years, and they always provide a quality service at guaranteed lowest prices, in addition to AgodaCash where you can earn cash on every booking to spend on future trips.
WHERE TO EAT IN CORON
As the only times we have been to Coron, we have stayed on remote islands with only the resort on the island and nothing else, to the food was all inclusive within the hotel. Normally we like to go out and explore and try different foods but this wasn’t an option where we were staying. Therefore we can’t personally recommend restaurants in Coron so the below have good ratings on trip advisor and we will be sure to update when we visit Coron again.
Poco Deli
Corto Del Mar
La Sirenetta Restaurant & Bar
WATCH OUR CORON VIDEO
Not one of our best videos as it was made before we got into making proper videos, but hopefully it gives you a good feel of how beautiful Coron is.
CORON DAY TRIPS
This is a selection of excursions available in Coron that you won’t want to miss. You can also see further trips in our Tours and Day Trips section