One Minute Travel: palawan

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Puerto Princesa (Part 2) - Honda Bay Tour

Puerto Princesa (Part 1) - DIY City Tour

After we had our breakfast, our Tour Guide, Kuya Rodel arrived to take us to Sta. Lourdes Wharf, the pick-up and drop-off point for Honda Bay Island Hopping. He agreed to take us there and back to Tres for P500.

Japanese-style Breakfast at Tres

On our way to the port, we dropped by a shop to rent some snorkeling gears (P150/set) and a waterproof camera case (P350). It's a bit pricey compared to those shops on the pier itself but it was explained to us that the gears are being sterilized before they are rented out so I guess it won't harm to shed a few extra bucks for hygiene.

At the wharf, Kuya Rodel assisted us in getting a boat. He gave us a list of what we need to pay. It includes the rental for a small boat (P1300) and Environmental fee (P80/pax)

This is an outdated rate. The entrance fees already increased.Pandan P125, Starfish P50, Pambato Reef P50, LuLi P60

We head off to Pandan Island first. It's my favorite among the other islands we visited. It's called Pandan Island because the Pandan Trees are abundant here.

Pandan Island

Underwater View

I enjoyed this place very much because you can see fishes swimming even in the shallow part of the beach. Fish feeding is also allowed so we brought some bread crumbs while snorkeling.

We didn't brought any packed meal so we spent our lunch here. It's pricey but we don't have any choice. Other islands don't have restos or stores where you can buy food.

Our lunch: BBQ (P20/stick), Steamed Talaba (P300/order), Rice (P20/cup)
Table rental is at P300

Fresh Buko at P25

At 1PM, we head off to Starfish Island. There's not much to see there but it has some cottages where you can take a nap. But who wants to nap on an Island Hopping Tour?

Starfish Island

Next destination is Pambato Reef. This is where the snorkeling gears are needed because you will not see the view underwater without them. I was too afraid to snorkel here since the water they said is about 40m deep but our boatman guided us. He had us hold on to a rope while pulling us around.

Floating cottages in Pambato Reef

Our fourth and final destination was the LuLi Island. It's called LuLi which is short for Lulubog-Lilitaw since the island is not visible during high tide. We're so tired already after arriving on that island so we just rested and waited for the boatman to take us back to the wharf.

The overall experience was great. It's something that is really worth-trying in Palawan

Puerto Princesa (Part 1) - DIY City Tour

My husband and I went to Puerto Princesa last January 2013. We didn't really know what to expect since it's both our first time to visit the city.

A few weeks before our "three-day Palawan getaway", I booked a room for two nights at Tres Pension House for P2500 via Agoda.com. It's much cheaper if you will book with them directly since the room only costs P1100. The price includes complementary breakfast for two and airport transfer.

So, after arriving at the airport, their van is already waiting for us outside.

We arrived at 9AM and they don't allow early check-in, so we have to wait until 1PM.

The receptionist asked us if we have any itinerary for the day. We said we'll just have a DIY city tour so she immediately called Kuya Rodel, an accredited tour guide to take us around. The usual charge for a half day city tour usually costs P600/head if arranged by a travel agency, but with Kuya Rodel, we only paid P600 for a whole day tour.