This was our 3rd visit to this remote yet magnificent Philippines jewel. As always, our base for exploring it was in San Vicente, more precisely Sunset Beach Resort. After nearly four-hour drive from Puerto Princesa, we were finally able to stretch our legs properly since we were in transit from early morning when we left Manila.
When To Go:
Palawan is warm, dry and stunning from mid-October to early May. It’s always warm, but the wet season often shows up from late May to early September, depending on the year. If you go then, expect some brief, but intense showers – and humidity. On our previous visits we had lots of luck with the weather so it was bound that our luck will eventually run out. Thankfully, we didn’t have a complete wash out but mostly just a few rainy hours per day.
Where to stay:
In San Vicente we stayed at Sunset Beach Resort, the place owned by a German expat Roberto Fish. This place is a real gem in the middle of Palawan Island. We were here last time in 2018 so on this year’s trip to the Philippines we just had to come back for a few days. They had quite an adventurous year prior to our visit with covid restrictions as well as typhoon Odette but being there, you really couldn’t tell that they were struggling just months before our visit. The owner of the place, Roberto took the tourist absence to good use and really improved the resort with additional building serving as an isolation room, redesigning the main building on the beach with a small coffee shop like hanging area as well as an overall maintenance around the property and the rooms. Roberto and his staff are so nice and they really make an effort to make you feel like home and to take you to most amazing trips away from the tourist crowds. The food is delicious, there are plenty of choices and the prices are reasonable. We even had pizza night and it was one of the best pizzas we had in a while. Absolutely a must place to stay in while in Palawan.
The other stop on Palawan was Tera Sancta Resort in El Nido. The rooms are really nicely decorated, the downer would be the bathroom pipe that dislodged almost every day. Also, the fact that for the first few days we didn’t have a WIFI didn’t help although we are fully aware that may not be their fault. A really nice touch is a Netflix in the rooms, so after we got internet and it rained most of the day, this really helped. It’s close to El Nido Poblacion only about 10 min with motorcycle and even closer to Pops District when you can find different varieties of food.
Good to know:
Palawan is renowned for its fantastic beaches, so it makes sense that some of the best things to do revolve around the sea and sand. Spend time enjoying the many beaches, but also make time to explore the mountainous interior and thick jungle.
If you are first time here than by all means head to the popular beach towns of El Nido and Puerto Princesa to find a full range of leisure activities such as island-hopping tours, caving, ziplining, snorkelling and, most famously, scuba diving. If you’re looking for the best underwater experiences, you can plan an adventurous day out on the beautiful island of Coron in the far north of Palawan. But if you want to experience the real Palawan you just have to make a stop in the towns like San Vicente or Port Barton. The island-hopping tours are much cheaper and you would most probably be alone in the boat which will make the experience much better.
Regarding ATM’s the situation is much much better than few years ago. At lest in El Nido town but if you are visiting other smaller towns, it’s still better to bring cash from Puerto Princesa since card payment is not an option.
Also be aware that internet is not self-granted here so have patience if there’s no signal around and just enjoy your vacation, you can still post stuff later.
Things to do/see:
- San Vicente
- A definite must here is a dirt bike ride up the hills to catch the magnificent views at Bato Ni Ningning. You have seen the photos taken from this point all over internet. The bike ride is an experience on itself but views are even more rewarding.
- Island hopping in the bay around San Vicente. We did some snorkelling, beach bumming but the best part was visiting two local fisherman’s villages that Roberto arranged and giving the kids school supplies. Two of his girl staff even showed us their home and introduced us to their family while Roberto brought some school books and pencils for the village kids which our two kids help distribute. It was quite a humbling experience for them and us adults too.
- A visit to Taytay is great half day experience. Roberto has lent us his car so we drove up north to visit this former capital city of Palawan. A good hour drive on rustic Palawan roads was really fun thing to do and our goal there was one of the country’s oldest fortresses – Fuerza Santa Isabel de la Paragua. It was named in honour off Queen Isabella II of Spain and was used by Spanish soldiers as a defensive port against the Muslim raiders.
- El Nido
- When staying in El Nido, renting a motorcycle is a must. This will get you mobile to explore areas around the town so the island hopping – the reason why people are flocking here – won’t be your only activity. Visiting Nacpan Beach is on a bucket list of every visitor that comes here. And rightfully so, since the beach is considered the best, not only in El Nido, but throughout the Palawan Island. You’ll need a slow 1,5 hour to get there but be careful if you are going after the rain since last kilometre or so is a bit tricky with all of the holes on the road. A palm grove stretches parallel to the shore so you can sit in natural shade. The bottom is soft sand, without stones and dead corals and the entry in the water is comfortable and smooth. The shallow water is quite long, so the beach is great for families and our two kids were in the water for hours.
- Regarding Island hopping tours you can read about experience in our previous posts on Palawan since this year the primary reason that we come back to El Nido was a boat trip to stunning island of We read about it years ago and this year we’ve decided to make a trip there. But remoteness of the island and the bad weather prevented us from doing so. This was really a blow for us since the entire Palawan trip was based on this.
The Overall Experience:
Palawan Philippines is packed with some of the world’s finest wonders, with perfect beaches, abundant corals, magnificent rock formations and home of the ever-famous Puerto Princesa Underground River. What was once an untouched and undiscovered island now attracting thousands of tourists around the world. There are not enough superlatives to be able to describe Palawan up close and personal. Island hopping around Honda Bay, El Nido or Coron are just magnificent. But Palawan has much more to offer, so you should go off the beaten path, like we did, visit local villages, rent a car per day and drive around and stop wherever you want will be an experience on its own that you will never forget.
