Continuing on with our first day in the Philippines! In my previous post I talked about our 26 hour journey TO Manila and our Island hopping flight to Coron. We got to our hotel right around noon, too early to check in so we dropped our bags, traded my socks for sandals, and headed out to explore. We had expected to take it somewhat easy on our first day but we had energy, and with a lack of beaches close to the town, we settled for our more demanding bucket list item:
Climb Mt. Tapyas
Trail Stats:
1.5 miles RT if you start down in the town.
700+ steps and around 700 feet of elevation gain
It's free to climb and there are shaded benches along the route for weary travelers to take a break.
The views at the top were SO worth it! Incredible views of Coron bay and the surrounding islands as well as inland from Coron town.
We loved the mural of Coron on the base of the cross!
There's more trails around and behind the viewing deck that lead to more stunning photo spots and seating areas.
One of the fun covered seating areas looking inland to the island of Busuanga!
Heading back down
Back in town and looking for sustenance, we passed this fun sign saying "thank you!"
We ended up at an ok place in town where I tried chicken adobo (a popular dish in the Philippines as I'd come to find out) and cucumber lemonade.
Then it was time to finish our check in, which promptly lead to being comfortable, and thus falling asleep at a tradgically early time... of 5 PM. but hey jet lag! haha we had our tours figured out for the next day and it would be a long one so we missed out on sunset night 1 but sleep was oh so sweet.
Days 1 Costs:
Taxi to airport: $0.75 pp
Seattle's Best coffee and muffin: $3.50
Flight from Manila to Busuanga airport (Coron): $85 pp
Shuttle from Busuanga airport to Coron town proper (hotel): $2.89 pp
Lunch/dinner in Coron town: $4.00
Lodging:
Night 2- Luis Bay Traveler's Lodge $12.50 pp Great location! Reviews were mixed on this place, and they did have cheaper non ac rooms but I'm glad we "splurged" since our room was great! We had a powerful AC unit AND a fan, TV, and really sturdy twin beds. The room was quiet from street noise although one night there was a weird dripping noise that about drove me nuts but for the price?! It was a nice location too, 2 minutes from the market and tour shops.
Day 1 Total Costs: $108.64 including our most expensive domestic flight
Up next: The Ultimate Coron Boat tour