Backpacking in Coron: the town and Maquinit Hot Springs (Day 1)

After weeks of itinerary planning, PinayOnFoot and her family finally set foot in Busuanga Airport.

Actual Itinerary - Day 1, Coron town and Maquinit Hot Springs

1410H – arrived in Busuanga Airport

1420H – left the airport

1455H – arrived in Seadive Resort, coffee break, sightseeing and town tour

1645H – left the harbour

1710H – arrived in Maquinit Hot Springs

1805H – left the hot springs

1830H – arrived in Harbour Center

At the arrival area, guests are asked to fill out a short survey form about
their visit in Coron. The tourism information desk has plenty of brochures
and maps. Make sure to get copies especially if you haven’t made
any arrangements prior to your arrival.

Commuting from the airport to Coron town is easy since shuttle service (van) is available at the parking lot of the airport. Travel time takes an average of 30 minutes (I should know because we took that road not only twice but six times!). The fare is Php150 per person per way.

The view on the way to Coron town. Cows are often seen feeding in
these green pastures. (According to our driver, the grass in this
area is from New Zealand).

Airport transfers can also be arranged by your chosen accommodation. We didn't plan on having it arranged since we knew that commuting to Coron town requires very little effort but the helpful receptionist from Busuanga Seadive Resort, the place where we stayed, offered to arrange our airport transfers at the same rate. =) 

Before dropping us off in Seadive Resort, we went to a nearby bank first to load up on cash.

Tip: Bring enough cash when traveling to Coron. Not all ATM accept international cards (except for BPI, which accepts Visa and MasterCard) and very, very few establishments accept credit cards.

The alleyway to Seadive.

Our home for four six days in Coron - Busuanga Seadive Resort.

After having coffee break at Seadive (they offer free unlimited coffee or tea for guests), we went to the Harbour Center to look for a boatman who can guide us in our island hopping tours on Day 2 and Day 3.

The Harbour Center in Coron is where you will find the Tourism
Office and Lualhati Park. The area is part of the Coron Bay
Development Project that involves the reclamation of 50
hectares. The public market is also within the vicinity.

Lualhati Park is situated at the harbour where the boats
used for island hopping are docked.

It is named after the mother of the mayor of Coron and the
governor of Palawan. The Filipino word "lualhati" translates
to "glory".

To cap the day off, we went to Maquinit Hot Springs. We hired one tricycle for the six of us at the Harbour Center. The fare is Php100 per person or Php600 for the 6 of us, roundtrip; my dad's bargaining skills brought it down to Php400.

Tip: It is suggested that you visit the hot springs after climbing the 700 plus steps of Mt. Tapyas or after a whole day of snorkeling and island hopping. A dip in the hot spring will surely relax your tired muscles.

Maquinit Hot Springs. Hmmm, I wonder if it is true that this is
one of the three salt water hot springs in the entire world.

Cottages can be used by guests for free.

Maquinit Hotsprings entrance fees (effective Aug. 1, 2011)

Non-residenly adults - Php150

Senior Citiznes / Students - Php120

Children 5-10 y/o - Php75

Children below 5 y/o - free

Coron / Culion Residents - Php75

Tip: Bring your IDs to avail of the discounts. There is no shower room in Maquinit, just toilets and small rooms where you can change your clothes.

We returned to the Harbour Center, had dinner in a nearby restaurant (that later turned into the family's favorite eating place in Coron) and slept early – all of us excited to explore the Coron Island Loop.