We recently went on a 4d/3n vacation in Puerto Princesa, Palawan - home of two UNESCO world heritage sites and considered among the last frontiers. What follows are some things you might want to consider when going to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. You can find more info at http://visitpuertoprincesa.com/.
Getting there
Air Philippines, Philippine Airlines, and Cebu Pacific offer daily flights to Puerto Princesa from Manila. Air Philippines and Philippine Airlines leave and arrive Manila through the Centennial airport, while Cebu Pacific uses the Manila domestic airport. Cebu Pacific's flights to and from Puerto Princesa/Manila leave earlier than Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines. We boarded Air Philippines as the flight schedules were more manageable. Each flight takes about an hour and you have to check in at least an hour before the flight.
Trips to and from the airport are either via tricycles or the hotel/inn shuttle. Short trips within Puerto Princesa city proper is usually via tricycle at Php7.00 per person. For longer trips, Vans/cars can be rented and in some destinations, bus and ferry transfers are included in the trip package.
Eat your heart out
We ate at Kaluis (great native ambience and art decor- great for family lunches and dinners), Balinsasayaw Restaurant (specialties are bird's nest soup and grilled chicken, try their group meal packages for more variety), Vietnamese chowlong canteens (try the noodle soup and french bread), and at Kinabuchs (al fresco pub and restaurant with billiards).
Try the Vietnamese noodle soups, they call it "chow long" but it's called "pho" in Manila. Also try tamilok - "fear factor"-ish local delicacy made of worm-like creatures that feed on mangrove tree trunks served blanched, then dipped in vinegar just before you eat it. Although tamilok looks yucky, they actually taste like oysters.
Seafood (tuna, lobster, prawns, crabs) is cheap here and you can have them wrapped specially at the market for the trip back to Manila. Cashew nuts are abundant in the city and these are served roasted, fried, or as candies - turrones (cylindrical wafers with milk and cashew powder) and tarts. Lamayo (fresh fish marinated with vinegar, salt, garlic, pepper and other spices) is a popular buy at the market you can fry or grill this. Dried small shrimps (hibe), danggit (dried salted rounded small fish), and lato (seaweeds) are also available in the market.
Baker's Hill serves good pastries and bread. These are the ones flown in to Manila.
For the uninspired or those who miss the usual city food, Jollibee, Chow King, Mister Donuts, and Dunkin Donuts are also available in Puerto Princesa.
Shop 'til you drop
If you like shopping for pearls, mother-of-pearl, and other jewelry, beach-style clothes and decors then its best to do your shopping at the city market in Puerto Princesa. The prices of jewelry are at least 75% less than their Manila prices.
Rainmakers (bamboo shoots with small shells and pebbles that make rain-like sounds) can be bought at the market, at the Crocodile farm, and other native shops.
For your basic needs (food, drinks, toiletries) and for t-shirt hunting, there's a mall (NCCC) at the city proper.
Sleeping in the city
The Legend Hotel and Asturias hotels are nice hotels with their own swimming pools and serve breakfast, rates start at Php2,500 per night for standard rooms.
There are also pension houses and inns throughout the city purely for lodging. We stayed at Raq's Pension Inn which rents out family rooms at Php750 per night (air-conditioned rooms, cable tv, toilet and shower, potable water (hot/cold), airport transfer).
Wet your feet
Dos Palmas Island resort info is here. Their Manila office is at Antel building along Julia Vargas Avenue-the street in between the 2 buildings of SM Mega Mall. Its a short trip via bus (about an hour or less) from city proper to Honda Bay and from there, a ferry boat will take you to Arrecefi Island (Dos Palmas resort), Their overnight packages include meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner), use of swimming pools, bikes, kayaking, snorkeling trips ("aquarium" fishes and corals), billiards, videoke, and either spa treatment or introductory diving lesson. You can arrange your trips to Dos Palmas from Manila or at Puerto Princesa directly or through the hotel/inn where you're staying.
We went on a day trip to Dos Palmas for Php1800 each (adult) and stayed at the city for the rest of the vacation. Bus ride to and from the hotel, ferry ride to and from the bay area, welcome drink, lunch and all day tea/coffee are included in the day-tour package plus all the things listed above except the use of swimming pools, spa treatment, and diving lesson.
Aside from Dos Palmas Island resort, you can also check out other island tours in Palawan to Coron Island or go island hopping to Pandan Island and Snake Island. High-end destinations are El Nido and Amanpulo - they arrange chartered flights from Manila just for these.
We went to the Subterranean (underground) river national park and caves. The place itself is ok - good for trekking, seeing wildlife (monkeys and geckos), and a bit of swimming. Getting there is one hell of a ride- about 2 hours of rough roads, so be sure to rent a suitable 4X4 with enough seatbelts to keep you sane. Also bring food and drinks with you. You'll need it.
We also went to Sabang white beach and sipped young coconut juice straight from the source. The beach is clean and has a laid-back quality to it. For groups, meals are served buffet style at Php150 per person. Our lunch included grilled pork chops, adobong kangkong, grilled tuna, beef salpicao, bananas, and watermelon chunks.
Tame the wild(life)
We went to Crocodile farm+mini zoo but missed the trip to the Butterfly house. At the hatchery, the crocs were grouped according to age and species. There were two big pools where the older crocs were placed. They look immobile and stoned so the guide threw in some fish to get a reaction from them. The poor crocs fought for it and some came out bloodied in the end.
Hope I can start uploading the pictures. :-)
