Bad Experience at Rudy's Place

It was Wednesday night in Rudy's Place in Coron, Palawan. We will not be returning to Manila until Friday and our money is just a handful of coins and small bills that didn't even sum up to a hundred pesos.

We were not aware that we already lost our money until the time we are about to give a tip to our boat crew for helping us find one of the two snorkeling masks we misplaced that day.

To our surprise, the only wallet that we have with us didn't have money in it. My girlfriend was sure that she had all her money there. I said to her that it might have just slipped out of the wallet and was left in our hotel room. I've managed to convince her that with that. The day ended and we only managed to give the boat guys a hundred pesos because that's the only money I got.

We waited for around 20 minutes for our ride back to Rudy's Place but to no avail. So we had to call out for another tricycle even knowing that we don't have money for fare. When we reached Rudy's Place, we had to ask the tricycle to wait for our payment. I sent my girlfriend to our room to get money. When she got back, that  was when she told me about my wallet not having any money in it as well. I first thought she was just joking but she was not. I then asked her to wait by the tricycle and I went rushing to our room. I checked all my things, my money was nowhere to be found.

We had to borrow Php20 from our hotel hostess to pay for the ride. We went back and double checked our belongings and even all the nooks and cranny in our room but we never found our money. We also thought that we even lost our cellphones when we couldn't find it until we searched under the pillows. It was weird because we didn't leave our cellphones there.

We told this to our hostess and shocked as we were, we calmly discussed what could have possibly happened.  She advised us to look for it again so we did. What we found out is that even my girlfriend's digital camera was also missing. What else could possibly have gone? My girlfriend is starting to get hysterical and I couldn't blame her, we just lost a total of Php7,500 and digital camera.

After taking a shower, we went to the town proper to withdraw some cash and eat dinner. We also thought about what have just happened.

The next morning, we discussed everything with Mang Rudy, the owner of place, thus, Rudy's Place. We told him that our stuff were definitely got stolen given the nature of how they got lost. Although we were not pointing fingers, the fact that it happened in their premise should be enough for them to take responsibility. They have already done their part of searching their staff's belongings, though not in our presence. Mang Rudy proposed that he'd pay half of the value that we lost. Even though initially, we couldn't accept it, we eventually understood that it is only fair since none would have wanted what happened and it would not have happened in the first place if we did not entrust our valuables to the security of their room. It was just unfortunate that it happened there.

Even before the incident, our experience in Rudy's Place is not that very good. We had to do a makeshift filter for the faucet in the bath room because the weak flowing water have rust in it. And at night, scratching noise can be heard  because a mouse is trying to dig a hole through the wall near the ceiling.

On a good note, though, aling Fatima and her mother were very accomodating, even Mang Rudy. Their staff, not very well. The food is also great, a hefty amount during dinner and basic Filipino breakfast every morning. Our lunch is provided during tours and is not part of Rudy's Place.

I don't think I would be recommending Rudy's Place to anyone I know who would go to Coron. Firstly, because of the bad experience my girlfriend and I had. Secondly, there are definitely better place within the same price range. And last but not the least, it is a tricycle ride from the town proper, not very practical if you will be doing Coron on your own.

Sample Itinerary

The itinerary below is only a rough draft of what an ideal Coron vacation that you can have. You can loosely follow this and just considered is as a guide in creating your own.

As much as possible, spend at least 3 days when you decide to go to Coron, Palawan. Believe me, the place is so awesome and there is so much things to do, staying less than that is a waste.

Take note that this itinerary assumes that you will be doing the Coron Experience on your own and you will be arriving early in the morning and departing late in the afternoon.

3 Days 2 Nights

Day 1
0700 - arrival at Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga
         - vans are just outside the airport, at the time of this writing, the fare price per person is Php150
0730 - arrival at Coron Town proper
         - start looking for hotel or lodge house where you want to stay
         - familiarize yourself with the surrounding establishments and take note of the ones that offer boating trips
         - make reservation for 'Day 1' (Coron Island Loop) trip, if you want, you may reserve your slots for 'Day2' (Malcapuya, etc..) as well
0830 - settle your things at your selected hotel/lodge house and prepare for your 'Day 1'
         - 0900 is the usual departure of island hopping boats so make sure to make it up on time
         - if you are within the vicinity of Coron Town proper, it will be around 5-10 minutes of walk to the boat port
0900 - start of 'Day 1' trip
         - the itinerary for this particular trip will vary
1700 - end of 'Day 1' trip
         - while in town, buy all the necessary things you may need e.g. toiletries, etc..
1730 - back to hotel
         - shower
         - rest a bit, check pictures, charge your cameras and/or cellphones
1900 - back to town, dinner
         - stroll around the plaza
2000 - back to hotel
         - socials
         - end of the day

Day 2
0500 - wake up, prepare for hiking Mt. Tapyas
0600 - arrival at Mt. Tapyas view deck, take pictures, appreciate panoramic view of Coron town
0730 - back to town, if your hotel doesn't offer free breakfast, you can have your breakfast in the many
           restaurants in town
0830 - back to hotel, prepare for 'Day 2' trip
0900 - start of 'Day 2' trip
         - the itinerary for this particular trip will vary
1700 - end of 'Day 2' trip
         - start looking for a tricycle give you a ride to and from Maquinit Saltwater Hotspring, the usual rent is Php300 the driver will wait for you until you are ready to depart.
1800 - arrival at Maquinit Saltwater Hotspring. Dip. Relax. Enjoy
1930 - back to town / hotel
         - shower, rest a bit
2000 - dinner, stroll around the plaza
2100 - socials, end of the day

Day 3
*you may hike Mt. Tapyas again for another extraordinary Coron morning but it's completely optional
**it will be really hard to squeeze another island hopping tour on your 3rd day but you may do so. Otherwise you may go around the town of Coron to buy souvenirs and pasalubong until it is time to go to the airport.
0700 - wake up, get ready
0730 - before you head out for breakfast, inform your hotel host/hostess that you will leaving today, arrange a van ride going to the airport
         - breakfast
0800 - stroll around town, buy souvernirs, pasalubong
1200 - lunch
1300 - back to hotel, prepare things, relax / bum around until ready to depart to airport
1500 - depart to airport
1700 - ETA Manila

This itinerary is idealistic, given the flight times.  At most, you can only do Coron Island Loop if you arrive mid day and about to depart mid day as well. That is why it is really advisable to dedicate 5 days at most to really enjoy the beauty of Coron, Palawan.

Do It Yourself Coron

When we went to Coron, Palawan earlier this March, we had pre-arranged tour package from Rudy's Place. It included two-way airport transfer, 4 days 3 nights accomodation, breakfast and dinner and island tours with buffet lunch. The price was Php5,500 per person after a Php2,000 down payment. You may check their website for more details.

To my surprice (my better half being oblivious to the thought), we could have saved a lot if we did a Do-It-Yourself trip. We pretty much don't know anything beforehand so we opted to a prearranged vacation.

But if we will ever plan to go back to Coron (because it is such a beautiful place!), we will definitely do it ourselves!


Some Tips in Do-It-Youself visit to Coron:


Any do-it-yourself activities usually require more time than adopting what is currently existing. It is like the wheel have already been invented but you want to build your own to cut the cost and make it more personalized. Not mentioning it is more fun and a great learning experience as well.

The same goes for do-it-yourself vacations. You may cut your cost but it will require more time. So be prepared.

Book your flight to Busuanga ahead of time. If you do it like more than a month or two before your actual vacation, you can save money on your air fare price.

Contact and pre-arrange your lodging in Coron. Other than the plane ticket reservation, this is another thing you need to do before you fly there. Although it is much more exciting to go around the town and look for places to stay on your own, it is not fun during peak days of summer where most affordable hotels are fully booked and you will be likely left with more expensive options. Just make sure to go to a place that is within the town proper to save yourself some cash from tricycle rides to and from.

If the hotels and/or resorts offer you packages that include island tours, kindly decline them since you will be doing it yourself. This is the reason why you are reading this post in the first place.

Once you have your tickets booked and have paid the hotel reservation (if there's any), patiently deal with the anticipation of going to the beautiful island of Coron.

Depending on time of the day that you will land on Busuanga's Francisco B. Reyes Airport, the first thing that you need to do is pre-arrange your island hopping/tour. You have two ways to do this: first one is the true to the word Do-It-Yourself and the second one, join a trip with other tourists.

True to word Do-It-Yourself:

Most often that not, your hotel host/hostess will know some one from the local boating association.  Ask them to refer you to someone that will arrange a boating trip for you. At the time of this writing, the regulated fee for a whole day trip to Coron Island is Php1500. That already includes boat rent, crew fee and gasoline. You will have to shoulder your lunch and the entrance fees to the destinations you wish visit which is usually up to 5 to 6 locations.

For your lunch, you may buy fresh seafood from the just nearby wet market and inform your boat crew to prepare it for you (you may return this kindness by giving them some amount as tip when the day is over). But be informed that they can only grill on the boat. For this matter you will need to provide the charcoal as well. You can buy cooked rice from some carinderias which are also within the market.

You can enjoy this way of touring around the island of Coron if you are a group of 5-8 (or more) people. The amount to be spent per person will be minimized as you have to divide it among yourselves. Not mentioning that you own the entire boat for the day. Unlike the second option which follows.

Join a trip with other tourists:

In cases where you are just with your special someone, it is more affordable to take this route.

Within the town area, there are lots of establishments that offer packaged island tours. After you have settled your things in your place of stay, go around town and look for the package that you are most comfortable with. If you arrived in the morning, the most suited tour you can take is the Coron Island Tour. It is considered 'Day 1' tour and costs around Php650-800 per person depending on where you will book your trip.

These packages include everything (boat rent, crew fee, gasoline, buffet lunch and site entrance fees). The reservation that you will make is actually a slot in the boat that usually takes up to 8 passengers. If your group (especially if you are only two), does not meet the minimum passenger requirement of a trip (Day 1 minimum is 5), other tourists will have to fill the necessary vacancies.



Around Town: Coron

Some hotels include touring around the town of Coron in their packages. The usual destinations are Mt. Tapyas, Maquinit Saltwater Hotspring and souvenir buying around Coron town proper.

The main mode of transportation in Coron is tricycle. At the time of this writing, the fare is Php10 per person. You may also rent a bike or motorcycle if you feel like it. Everything (souvenir shops, other goods shops, restaurants, wet/dry market, tricycle terminal) you need is within a walking distance from the town proper. That is why it is more advisable to book your lodging nearby.

Mt. Tapyas

Mt. Tapyas is a low-rising mountain developed by the local government for its people and tourists. If you like to walk, the jump off point to Mt. Tapyas is around 500 or so meters from the town. Get to San Agustin Street and look for a road sign that will lead you to where you can start to hike. You are in the right place if you see a single field goal basketball court. Tricycles will be seen parked there as visiting Mt. Tapyas can be part of your tour package from your hotel. Kids with styrofoam boxes containing cold refreshments will  surely approach you in they notice that you will climbing. You may avail these in case you don't have your own.

The Mt. Tapyas view deck is situated at the end of a 700+ step concrete stairway. For the many of us who work in the office and have no time to work out, this is a really strenuous activity. Bringing water along with you is a must as the climb will really tire you out. Fortunately, there some landing area with concrete benches where you can rest, breath in fresh air and enjoy the view. Half way through, there is also a picnic ground where you can eat. Rest rooms are available as well if you need take leaks or dumps if you may.

After a long tiring climb, the prominent steel, white cross that can be seen from anywhere in town will greet you majestically and offer you the spectacular view of the town of Coron. The most noticeable, aside from the Coron island itself, is the reclaimed land (the brown patch of land) where most of the touring boats are anchored. My take is that it will be future business center in Coron.

It is more advisable to do the Mt Tapyas hike when the sun is about to set or when it is about to rise. It can be hot along the way and on the deck itself because there are not much trees. Mt. Tapyas is surely a very nice place to bring out the photographer in everyone.

Coron, Palawan

From Manila, the plane that will take you to Coron, Palawan will be bound to land on Busuanga's Fransisco B. Reyes Airport.

From there, it will be another 30 minute van ride going to Coron's town proper. If you don't have any pre-arranged airport transfer service from hotels/lodging houses, there are vans waiting just in front of the airport. The per person rate as of this writing is Php150.

Along the way, you might be taken aback by the low-rising mountains and hills that are lacking of trees and shade. It might be because of the local practice of 'kaingin' or burning of the forest woods to use the land as fertile ground. Nonetheless, the herd of cows grazing nearby, some will even cross the road and slow your travel down, is definitely sight to see.

Aside from being a fishing town, Coron's main source of income is tourism. Coron boasts Japanese ship wrecks as Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top-10 best scuba diving sites in the world. Island loops also offer great snorkeling opportunities.

In the year 2000 Philippine census, Coron had a population of 32,243 people in 6,264 households and the town's annual income made Coron a first class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines.

The town covers part of Busuanga Island and all of the nearby Coron Island. Both islands are part of the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan.