Island Hopping in Palawan

Voted the world’s best island for a few years, my husband and I were excited to go island hopping in Palawan. We packed our masks, snorkels, flippers and beach gear and headed off with visions of white sand and clear blue water. In that regard, Palawan certainly did not disappoint!

Day 1

All about getting there.

We flew Singapore to Manila… then Manila to Puerto Princesa. It took all day. Our flight into Puerto Princesa was delayed. Next time, I’d probably fly Singapore to Clark… then Clark to Puerto Princesa or San Vicente.

Insider tips for Terminal 3 at Manila:

It was actually a really nice terminal. Lots of food options on the land side; once you go through security, the food options are much more limited, especially in the domestic terminal.

We used our layover time for a relaxed lunch and an hour long massage each. We tried both massage places on either end of our trip to Palawan. The first place gave you a full body massage in a private room, the second place is smaller; your full body massage is in a curtained off space with other massage beds. Very different feel between the two places. Check them out for yourself. I enjoyed my foot, hand and upper back massage at the second place the most.

You don't have to look far to find Jollibee in the Philippines

For your own sanity, it’s best to expect any domestic flights to be delayed. If you have data, TripIt (one of the best travel apps – link to article here) will keep you updated on your flight times/delays.

Arrival in Palawan

We got into Puerto Princesa after 9pm, two hours after originally scheduled. Cool Extreme Palawan Rental Car met us at the airport to deliver our rental car. It went without a hitch but was a relaxed affair where we followed our guy to the carpark and at the car, in the dark, we signed papers and handed over the full rental amount in cash.

Our hotel was close to the airport – Hotel Fleuris. It cost us SGD 100 for the night (and breakfast). Very friendly check in; a small but clean establishment. Like most of Asia, the beds were hard. We also discovered they have thin windows which let through lots of outside noise. The first plane flew overhead at 6am the next morning.

For dinner our options were limited because of the late hour, so we walked up the road to Jollibee, the favourite fast food outlet of the Philippines. Thankfully, an ATM nearby allowed us to withdraw more cash since the rental car transaction had sucked us dry. I second the advice to always have ‘destination’ cash ready when you arrive!

Day 2

Breakfast at Hotel Fleuris was a la carte choice – totally adequate for their 3 star rating.

We had planned to get up at 6am to drive two hours to Sabang and do the Underground River. But, after lots of discussion the night before we ditched that idea because we’d arrived so late and didn’t know the roads yet. We were advised by the hotel staff that we’d be lucky to get a ticket too since we hadn’t organised a permit first.

So, my advice if you want to DIY the underground river (as opposed to joining a tour) – have a day or two up your sleeve so you can get a permit from the City Coliseum in Puerto Princesa one day, and have time to drive out to Sabang port early the following morning.

South to Napsan

So unexpectedly we found ourselves with an unscheduled day to explore before checking into our next pre-booked accommodation. Though our accommodation was north of Puerto Princesa, we headed south to search for Napsan beach, a beautiful beach my Filipina friend had told me about.

We downloaded offline maps (Google maps feature) before we left the hotel. Be warned: there’s not a lot of data coverage in Palawan.

On the way we passed the prison, the crocodile farm and the Iwahig firefly watching place. All stops in their own right, but not for us this time.

It took us 1.5 hours to get to Napsan. The road disappeared for a short time a few kilometres before Napsan which was interesting, but thankfully it reappeared! We followed our map and our noses, and finally found the beach. It is not signposted, but it was beautiful.

Napsan Beach was unspoilt. With warm ocean waves!

When we’d had our fill of the beach we drove a few kms further on to check out Kaibigan Soul Camp which I’d heard about. It was peaceful, and looked like a very relaxing place to stay if you like rustic and no aircon. My surfie friends from Manila, Philippines have stayed there and recommend it. We had a coke in the cool breeze before retracing our steps back to Puerto Princesa.

North again to Astoria

We got to the SM Mall (behind Hotel Fleuris) at 1pm. It was a nice shiny mall with everything you need including a cinema and a supermarket. Lunch cost us $25 at a pizza restaurant. On our way out of town heading north we noticed another mall – Robinson Mall – if you want to shop.

It took us an hour to reach our next stop – Astoria Palawan Resort. It cost us $260 SGD for one night (and breakfast).

Terrible beach. But they make up for it with a nice pool and a waterpark which was empty and awesome. It was totally kid’s paradise! If I had kids I’d definitely stay here a night just to use the waterpark. (Otherwise you can get discount tickets to the waterpark here.)

Plus there is mini putt golf and games rooms for the kids. Dinner at the restaurant was good – fun entertainment with live music and fire dancers. Want to know what really raised the Astoria up in our opinion? The karaoke room! Book it all to yourselves at reception. We love karaoke and they had a great selection of English songs to sing along too. The beds were hard, but the room was quiet and the wifi was good.

Day 3

After a deliciously relaxed breakfast we left at 8.45am and headed for San Vicente. The roads of Palawan are a real adventure. Be vigilant for dogs, rice drying on the side of the road, chickens, children, tricycles, huge holes in the road, and reduced lanes – all with no warning signs!

With a stop for petrol and another stop for some drone footage in the hills, we got to San Vicente market at 12 noon.

San Vicente is a sleepy little place, very local, not at all pandering to the tourists yet.

The market at the port had limited fresh food options so we drove a few kms further to our next accommodation – Club Agutaya.

Blissful pool at Club Agutaya San Vicente

Club Agutaya runs a small turtle sanctuary operation. Unfortunately for us, we missed the latest batch of released baby turtles by just one night! After lunch (delicious, fresh food made from local ingredients including their own gardens) we spent the afternoon relaxing at the beach and at the pool. It’s a great little resort with a homely feel to it.

There are hammocks on the beach, paddle boards and kayaks available. The pool though was definitely my favourite thing here. Gorgeous pool in a stunning setting.

My husband booked a massage before dinner that evening. While the massage itself was good, he found the environment, up in the tree house, a little disconcerting.

Dinner at Cafe Lily was just as good as lunch had been. After a game of pool we laid out our snorkelling gear (we had brought our own gear with us) and went to bed excited for the Island Hopping Trip – Tour A – we’d booked for the next day.

Day 4

We booked through Club Agutaya. Booking through the hotel cost us 2100 php each, as opposed to 1200 php each if we’d booked directly with the boat/tour operator at San Vicente port the day before. For the premium we paid, the hotel drove us back to the port armed with a couple of sandwiches, iced water, a can of soda and towels. We were less than impressed with the sandwiches (honestly, 2 pieces of white bread with a cheese slice between it), and it turns out that a fully cooked lunch was provided by the boat operator anyway. The hotel was also waiting for us when we returned back to port. Boat operators provide snorkelling gear, towels, life jackets and water for those who need them.

We loved our first island hopping tour of Palawan! On our boat was us and four Filipinos from Manila who were taking a few days off work to explore their own country. From them we learned about Coron which we’d like to visit next time.

We left San Vicente Port and headed to Port Barton Marine Reserve which is about 40 mins away by boat.

This is a huge area full of islands, reefs and amazing snorkelling and diving.

San Vicente Island Hopping Tour A

First stop was Exotic Island and Paradise Island – connected by a short sandbar. So wonderful to walk from white sandy beaches in to clear water and snorkel.

Then to Inaladelan Island. This is a popular lunch stop for the boat operators with facilities such as tables and hammocks. There was plenty of shade on the island, and two hours there flew by. I made the most of it with my kindle and an empty hammock. Our boat crew grilled up a fresh fish, set a table on the island and we enjoyed a relaxed lunch of grilled chicken, fish, rice and fresh fruit for lunch.

Next we motored to the turtle sanctuary next door and yes! – we saw a large turtle and swam along with it for a while. Best bit of the whole day.

After that, we went to Twin Reef and fed the tropical fish. Right there was the best snorkelling of the whole week in my opinion.

Our last stop was a sandbar in the middle of deep blue water. It was a stunning sight. Here, in the middle of the ocean we had the fastest internet connection of the week here, thanks to a nearby cell tower!

The water really is this clear at Twin Reef Port Barton

All up, it was five stops in total, and was a glorious day. White sand, clear water, tropical fish – it was amazing. We got back to San Vicente just after 4pm.

Dinner was at Cafe Lily, Club Agutaya. If you go, make sure you try the moist chocolate cake; it was superb. It cost us $466 SGD for our two nights there.

Day 5

We drove away at 9.30am, heading further north.

At 10.50am we arrived at Taytay. It was hot! Make sure you always have water with you.

Taytay

Next time, I’d be keen to stay in Taytay for a night or two. It looks like the kind of place you can wrap your head around with what appeared to be a bustling market centre. As well as island tours the jewel in the Taytay crown is Fuerza de Santa Isabel – the historic Spanish fort which is well-kept, compact and definitely worth stopping by for the princely sum of 30 php. After wandering round the fort we needed a cool drink and a clean bathroom. Nearby Pension Pems was exactly what the doctor ordered. We considered having lunch there, but instead we stopped at a side stall bakery and tried some local delicacies on our way out.

It took another hour for us to reach El Nido. We had booked at Lally and Abet Beach Cottages for the next three nights, but we could only handle it for two nights. It was 2 star accommodation at best. We had left our accommodation bookings quite late, so this was not our first pick, but beggars can’t be choosers. No hand towels, mismatched, small bath towels, no complimentary water in the rooms. Its redeeming features were the facts that it had parking for our car, and was an easy walk to everything else. Though it fronted the beach directly, it wasn’t the kind of beach front where you can sit and relax.

It was the type of beachfront that tricycles and motorbikes use as a road to get round the point.

El Nido

After checking in we explored El Nido on foot. It is clearly a town that was not prepared for its tourist fame. It has lots of food, bars, tourist shopping stalls and markets but it has a cramped feel and the locals seem jaded by all the backpacking foreigners who spill through their streets everyday.

We had a late lunch at Cafe Athena. Many menu items had run out but on such a hot day the sea breeze and ocean view was gorgeous.

The main reason we were in El Nido was for more island hopping. We booked a tour – we chose Tour A – from John, a tour reseller on the beach. We gave him our names and hotel name to register as booked, and paid for it the following morning at the beginning of the tour.

The tours from El Nido are now on a per quota basis. Later that evening we noticed that all tour operators (they are everywhere) had sold out of Tour A for the next day. It cost us 1600 php each. (Discounted tickets for Tour A are here)

For dinner that night we waved down a tricycle and for 100 php got a ride to Boodle Fight, a recommendation from my Filipina friend. Dinner for the two of us cost 700 php. It is a fun meal that you eat with your hands – and it was delicious.

Day 6

Breakfast didn’t appear till 8am. But as it turns out we had plenty of time to get to our boat.

All the tours leave from El Nido beach which, between the hours of 9-10am is full of tourists getting to their boats, and hawkers selling beach shoes (if you don’t have your own, rent some – there are rocks to navigate on the tours) or dry bags for your belongings and cameras. We decided to buy a dry bag (it cost 400 php for a 20l bag) after we saw everyone walking in the water out to the boats. My husband had his drone and we didn’t want to risk that getting wet! It was almost high tide when we walked (or swam) out to our boat – the water came up to my neck.

Unfortunately, there was some kind of overbooking with our boat, and we were delayed in leaving. We finally left at 11am, about an hour after everyone else. There were two other boats also delayed who left after us. We were on a much larger boat than our San Vicente experience. We had 20 passengers but it didn’t feel cramped on board.

Island hopping boats in Palawan, El Nido

El Nido Island Hopping Tour A

Our day of island hopping consisted of five stops.

First was 7-Commando Beach at 11.10am, just round the corner from El Nido. We were told this is normally the last stop but with the aim to avoid the crowds, our captain took us there first. Time for a quick swim before motoring on to a snorkeling spot where we swam from the boat. The islands at El Nido have a different feel from those in Port Barton – more “Avatar” and limestone, but the snorkelling was nothing like the variety of Port Barton.

Our third stop was Shimuzu Island for lunch. A small white sandy beach where everyone lunches it seems.

Our crew cooked up lunch and swam it in to the beach for us to enjoy.

From there we went to Secret Lagoon (walk through a hole in the rock to see it) and then finally, Small Lagoon. Small lagoon was the highlight of the tour for me. You’ll need 200 php to hire a kayak, but it’s worth it. You kayak into the small lagoon which you can’t see from the bay. It’s like an undiscovered place. I think we were fortunate that because we’d left late, our boat had the whole place to ourselves. As we kayaked around we saw a huge sea turtle in the lagoon below us. So very cool.

We got back to El Nido at 6pm. And by now we’d decided we did not want to do another El Nido tour the next day as we’d originally planned.

We walked into El Nido for a delicious pasta at Alexander’s for dinner. So,one more night at Lally and Abet’s and then…

Day 7

… first thing in the morning we looked online for somewhere to stay that night. We found Qi Palawan with one room left for that night. We rang them to book it. Right after that was confirmed we went to the reception at Lally and Abet and asked for one night’s refund. They gave it without hesitation. It had cost us 340 SGD for two nights at Lally and Abet.

Qi Palawan is an hour drive from El Nido. We arrived at 1pm. It is a beachfront establishment with a long, bumpy driveway from the main road. It’s worth it though. Built in 2013, it is off the grid and feels like a hidden paradise. No traffic and crush of tourists like in El Nido.

We stayed in a garden cottage for 11088 php for one night. While it has a rustic feel with outdoor showers (nicer than it sounds!) for your room, it has everything you want including fluffy white towels in your room and a good menu with extensive vegan options. We spent the afternoon paddleboarding and swimming in the pool (my husband had another massage) before a delicious dinner.

Day 8

Yummy breakfast. We wished we’d stayed here instead of the two crappy nights in El Nido. It was a six hour drive back to Puerto Princesa and we left it as long as possible before we had to leave. Qi Palawan offers kiteboarding lessons which we seriously considered.

We finally drove away just after lunch having loved the last 24 hours there.

The drive back to Puerto Princesa was without mishap. We arrived at 6pm at Best Western Ivywall Hotel. This is a quiet hotel close to the airport.

We texted our car rental guy and told him where we were staying. He came by that night to pick up the car.

For dinner we wandered a few minutes up the road to Kinabuchs Grill and Bar. Popular outdoor restaurant which I’d happily go to again.

Such a great sleep that night in the quietest room we’d slept in all week. $200 SGD.

Day 9

Time to fly home. We had a good breakfast at the hotel before catching the free shuttle to the airport.

The Puerto Princesa airport is clean and modern. Once you’re through security there are drink and food stands upstairs and shops and a small massage corner downstairs.

On our trip home we talked about our experience in Palawan in detail.

If we had the chance to do it over we would:

Fly into San Vicente and stay at Club Agutaya. Do one or two days of island hopping.
Get a car or bus to Taytay. Stay there a night or two to explore.
Stay at Qi Palawan two nights and do some island tours or kiteboarding.
Find a way to get to Coron – a smaller island north of Palawan (you can catch a boat there from El Nido).

Meanwhile, if you’re considering a trip to Palawan I definitely recommend it if you enjoy a beautiful beach getaway! The great thing about Palawan (and El Nido particularly) is the island’s desire to do the right thing and reduce the impact of tourism on the environment. Make sure you help them out.

-Take your own water bottle and carry a reusable shopping bag.

Finally, a note about taking drone footage in Palawan. In your search for the best beaches of Palawan, a drone is a big help. Make sure you check, and abide by, the drone regulations of any country you visit. Click here for the drone regulations for the Philippines. We have a DJI Mavic 2 Pro.

Editor’s note: Did you check out the drone footage yet? The water is UNBELIEVABLE.

Trip taken February 2019.

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