Romantic Philippines in 11 days: Bacuit Bay and Coron, slowly
Two islands, both in Palawan, and only two real unpackings in eleven days. Five nights on Bacuit Bay and three in Coron, with a private bangka and crew on every water day, which in this country is the upgrade that actually changes a honeymoon. It is not the thread count. It is arriving at the Big La
- Duration
- 11 days
- Pace
- Relaxed
- Hotel changes
- 4
- Best months
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
- From
- $3,960 per person
One honest note before the days. El Nido town is busy and scruffy, and the photographs you have seen are of the bay, not the town. That is why this route puts you on a beach outside it rather than on the main strip, and why almost every morning starts with a boat leaving.
Who it suits: honeymooners and couples who would rather have five nights in one bay than eleven nights in five places.
Planned by: Mai Est, our Head of Travel Consulting, with our own office in Manila.
Day by day
Day 1: Arrive in Manila. Airport transfer and a hotel in Makati. Nothing scheduled, because most long-haul routings land here late and tomorrow starts early.
Day 2: Manila to El Nido. A morning flight into Lio, the small strip ten minutes from town, where seats are available at a sensible price; otherwise Puerto Princesa and a road transfer north, which we plan the whole day around rather than pretending is quick. Afternoon at the resort. Sunset from Las Cabañas, or from your own beach, depending which side of the bay we have put you on. Five nights.
Day 3: Bacuit Bay, the inner islands. Private boat, crew, and a departure at eight rather than the standard ten, which is the single decision that separates this day from everybody else’s. Big Lagoon by kayak at opening, before the flotilla. Small Lagoon, Shimizu, and lunch cooked on board at an anchorage your boatman picks.
Day 4: Bacuit Bay, the outer islands. The longer run west to Hidden Beach, Matinloc, Secret Beach and Helicopter Island. The better of the two days in our view, and quieter, because the outer route takes more fuel than the operators selling to the crowd want to spend.
Day 5: Nothing. Deliberately empty. A spa afternoon, the pool, a walk to a beach at the end of the road, a very long lunch. This day is in the itinerary on purpose and we would ask you not to fill it.
Day 6: Nacpan, or the water again. Nacpan Beach is four kilometres of open sand forty minutes north of town, with two or three places to eat and very little else, and it is the antidote to lagoon-hopping. The alternative is a half-day sail out into the bay in the late afternoon, which is the best light of the day and the version most couples choose.
Day 7: El Nido to Coron. The fast craft north takes three and a half to four hours across open water. It is a good crossing in the dry season and it is suspended outright when the coast guard declares the sea state unsafe, which happens. Your document carries the alternative, a flight via Manila or Puerto Princesa, and our Manila office moves you onto it without being asked. Three nights in Coron, at a resort on its own water rather than in town.
Day 8: Kayangan and the lakes. Private boat again, and again early. Kayangan Lake at opening, which means climbing a limestone staircase before the day boats arrive and swimming in water clear enough to be disorienting. Twin Lagoon after it, through the gap at low tide. Back for a late lunch.
Day 9: The southern islands. Malcapuya, Banana and Bulog, an hour and a half south, which are white sand and shallow turquoise water and nothing else at all. Or, if you would rather not spend a day on a boat, the reefs immediately off Coron in the morning and the Maquinit saltwater hot springs at dusk, which sit in mangroves and are best in the last hour of light.
Day 10: Coron to Manila. A late-morning flight south, then the afternoon and a proper dinner in the capital. This night is not padding. We never put a domestic flight and an international departure on the same day in the Philippines.
Day 11: Departure.
What is included
Accommodation with breakfast, all internal flights, all transfers, the El Nido to Coron crossing with the alternative routing pre-booked, four full private boat days with crew, lunch on board and snorkel gear, park and environmental fees, one spa treatment for two, a day-by-day document with boat times and the tide notes that determine them, and a WhatsApp group with your consultant in Tel Aviv and our Manila office for the duration.
What we would change, and when
- Want it quieter still? We move you out of El Nido entirely to San Vicente or Port Barton, which have the coastline without the boat traffic, and accept a longer road transfer to get there.
- Budget at the top of the market? Amanpulo sits on its own island with its own airstrip, reached direct from Manila, and three or four nights there replaces the whole Coron leg. It is a different price bracket and we will show you the numbers before you decide.
- Travelling in August or September? Palawan sits on the sheltered western edge of the archipelago and is the part of the country we would still send you to in the wet months. We add a contingency day and weight the itinerary towards Coron, whose lagoons are twenty minutes from shelter.
- Eleven days feels short? Three more nights buys you Amanpulo, or Siquijor, or simply five nights in Coron instead of three, which is what we would suggest.
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