El Nido and Coron
April 12th-29th,2016
As we boarded our flight on Malaysian Airlines, we both said our prayers and fastened our seat belts, making sure they were a little extra snug! We were both a little uneasy, especially due to the lack of passengers that were on the plane. 
Phew, we made it! Once we landed in Manila, we had to find accommodations, due to our 21 hour layover. The Manila Airport had a perfect sleeping lounge available, so we headed to the room and had a good nights rest.
The next morning we boarded our direct flight to the nearby city of Puerto Princessa, located on Palawan Island.
During the flight on Cebu Air, we enjoyed our birds eye-view as we passed over the beautiful islands.
Once we landed, we purchased bus tickets that took us into the city of El Nido, six hours away. The driver was pleasant and made sure to stop for snacks and drinks along the way.
We arrived late at night, after our six hour ride. We did not have our accommodation booked, so we quickly found a place nearby on Agoda and took a taxi there.
The next morning we woke up early and enjoyed a beautiful waterfront breakfast at the Art Cafe. Fueled up on caffeine, we and hit the town by foot, searching up and down the beach for a bungalow to call home.
After of hours of viewing rooms and negotiating on price, we began to lose hope… then the last place we stumbled upon was perfect, everything we imagined our stay would be!
The first few days were spent relaxing by the beach and then we were ready to explore the island, so we rented a motorbike!
We also took full advantage of the inexpensive massages($6 per hour), shopped for pearls and enjoyed dining out each night. After dinner, my evening wasn’t complete without a visit to the nearby crepe stand. My favorite was the mango and condensed milk…so yummy!
We wanted to visit the nearby lagoons, so we booked Tour A (highly recommended). Our first stop was at the Seven Commando Beach, named after the seven remaining Japanese commandos who lived on the island after World War II.
As our boat drifted across the crystal blue water, making its way toward shore, we were mesmerized by the white sandy beach, lined with endless swaying palm trees. What a way to kick off the tour, this place was spectacular. We could have spent all day on the soft sand, but it was time to move on.
By this time, we were all working up an appetite, so we pulled into a nearby cove and enjoyed snorkeling while the crew prepared our lunch. The food was delicious and the company was amazing as well.
The Secret Lagoon was our third stop of the day. Once we arrived to the outskirts of the island, we all were instructed to jump out of the boat and swim to the entry of the lagoon. To enter the lagoon you had to climb through a small, cavelike opening. Once we both crawled through the opening, we came out on the other side, surrounded by towering limestone karst cliffs. Inside, we listened to the joyful soundtrack of echoes that bounced between the walls. We then exited the lagoon, wandered around the island and checked out the beach, before making our swim back to the boat. Once we got back on board, we enjoyed a well deserved cold beverage, delivered by kayak!
Next stop…the much anticipated Big Lagoon! Kayaks were delivered to the boat, so we quickly purchased one for $6.00 and we were off! A true sense of peace overcame us as we glided across the smooth, tranquil turquoise-green water. Tropical birds soared above us, as we admired the marine life swimming below.
We paddled every inch of the lagoon, splashed around and soaked up the sweet sun! We then set out in search for the perfect vantage point to capture the beauty of this hidden gem. In order to achieve this, David climbed his way up a jagged rock in the middle of the lagoon! As we heard the whistle blow in the distance, signaling it was time to leave, we paddled back with all our might and made it just in time! That shot almost made us miss our boat back, but it was worth it!
Our last stop for the day was the small lagoon, located in a cove on Miniloc Island. To enter the small lagoon, we once again had to swim a good distance from our boat. Along the way we dodged countless jellyfish and made sure to swim quickly over the coral to avoid the biting fish that were protecting their home. Once we entered the lagoon we were surrounded by beautiful orchid-lined limestone walls. We discovered a hidden cave before heading back to the boat.
Once we returned from our day on the water, we watched the sun disappear behind the cliffs and enjoyed dinner, right on the waters edge!
With only a couple days left in El Nido, we spent the remainder of our time enjoying the sun, sand, seafood and the lively town! We were able to catch a full moon party on the beach and we also cheered on El Nido’s Best Dance Crew, as they performed on stage.
The days passed quickly and before we knew it was time to pack our bags…goodbye El Nido!
~We had a wonderful time over all in El Nido, the one and only downfall to the stay was when we found the manager of our property stealing from us on multiple occasions…After our first couple nights, we enjoyed the property so much that we decided to extended our stay, twice. Both times we spoke with the manager, who then had to call and verify with her boss to find out the new daily rate (if you stayed at least a week, most times they would give you a discounted rate). To our surprise, we quickly realized that she was giving us a much higher rate than what her boss instructed her to give us. She was pocketing the rest of the money, and ultimately stealing from us and her boss. We caught on when we asked for our written receipt and the amounts didn’t match up with the amount that we gave to her (the boss wrote out all the receipts for the guests). She told many lies to cover her tracks, the best one was that her boss was blind and sick when we asked to speak to him about the missing money. After much effort and hassle we did receive our money back-another lesson well learned!~
CORON-
On the hottest day of the week, we made our way to the port of El Nido and boarded the small ferry to Coron.
The boat ride was a long six hours, with limited seating, space was at a premium. As we took notice of the leaky floor boards and strong waves, David and I proudly wore our life jackets the entire trip. 
Once we arrived, we found a place to stay in the center of town. Coron is a small, undeveloped town on the island of Busuanga, known as a jumping point for fantastic divinig nearby.
This laid back town forced us to slow down and enjoy the simplistic way of life. Here we truly learned that patience is a virtue!
The sunsets each evening were breathtaking…and will be missed.
DiMichele's Destinations 