Palawan
 

I'm going to Palawan for about 8 days in Nov. I'm thinking of flying in to Coron for 3 days, taking the boat to El Nido for 4 days, then to Puerto Princesa to check out the underground river. I can do that in reverse too, if it'll make the boat ride shorter and smoother. I know nothing, other than what I've been reading, so any useful info about anything will be much appreciated (hotels, hikes, transportation, restaurants, beaches etc). I don't think I want to do the 4 star resort thing, (a shack on the beach works) but I will pay $60-70 if I have to. Thank you all in advance; wj

I was in Palawan last year (November) for about 4 days.
Stayed at www.nikoscabanas.com
It's not on a beach, but it has a nice pool.
The food was good too.. and lots of it.
We booked package B with an extra night.
The tours were all great.
You can PM me and I'll send a link to pictures that I took if you are interested.

Has anyone else had experiences with Palawan in the meantime? Our plan is to fly to El Nido and travel overland to Puerto Princes and fly back to Manila back from there.

Seems the only airline to fly to El Nido is SEAir and they seem to suspend flights starting March?!

Any hints welcome.

The drive from El Nido to PP is a bit of a nightmare, but you've gotta see the underground river. If you've got the time, a few days at Coron is a good idea as well. It's stunning. wj

If it wan't for El Nido, I could have suggested taking the flight between USU and PPS, which runs twice a week.

Check with El Nido resorts directly for your flight options as I am sure they will be able to help you as they were most helpful when I was inquiring about going over there. The flights are air charters by Island Transvoyager. We ended up with a trip to Coron instead due to budget constraints, but I definitely want to visit El Nido again! :D

Mid-March onwards is probably the start of the summer vacation there so it be best if you start firming up your plans soon.

Has anyone done this recently? I'm hoping to fly direct to El Nido from MNL but the airline doesn't seem to take bookings nor respond to emails :/

Which airline? I know as far as last year it was only charter aircraft available through a couple of the resorts. SEAir, I recall, used to serve El Nido but they had a bad service reputation.

Island Transvoyager (ITI)

Have you tried calling them directly? Considering this is Philippines, you should call them directly. Emails tend to be given less priority or ignored.

Always good advice in SE Asia. Dont know about the other airline, but SEA Air used to fly only 'high season', say Dec-Mar.

Good idea. Called them and they said they're sold out from Dec 1 until 3rd week of January. Very frustrating! Looks like we have to fly into Puerto Princesa and bus it up :/

I would recommend getting a flight that arrives in the morning. The trip takes about 6-7 hours. If you're staying at a resort, will they have someone picking you up?

Yes, I think we'll splurge for a private van given there should be at least 3 of us. Thanks for the tip - not looking forward to such a long ride but I guess there's nothing better, as the ferries seem just as long.

Also bring a lot of local currency, like a little bit over what you think you need. There are no money changers there and I think there is only one atm in the whole place. Be aware that they cutoff power between 10am to about 3-5pm. This shouldn't be an issue if you're out doing excursions.