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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Trip: Coron Travel

Date Budget: PhP 4000
Actual Spend: PhP 3311.68
Quality: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Accessibility: 3/5
Fun Factor: 3/5
Overall Experience: 3/5
Highlights 
  • Aircon bus transfer service from NAIA Terminal 3 to the roomy ATR 72-500 plane
  • No-frills flight with Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare
  • Great view of Coron's mountain tops
  • Coron Airport: the most simple and relaxed we've seen so far
  • Aircon van transfer to Coron Town, directly to your hotel
  • Enjoy a nice view of the ranch country: cows, cattle grids, wooden bridges, and more!
The Experience
Just like our Boracay Travel, we got a vacation to Coron, Palawan thanks to a piso fare promo, this time from budget carrier Cebu Pacific.
From the NAIA3 departure area, we were picked up by an air conditioned shuttle bus to the ATR 72-500 turbo prop plane. 

The ATR is more roomy compared to PAL/Airphil's Bombardier planes. It also has much more leg room compared to a Cebu Pac configured Airbus. 
The staff were strict through in letting in the passengers seated in front first. After doing some research, I learned that such is necessary as the ATR's nose may lift if the plane is not loaded properly (yes, funny but it does happen).
The flight was smooth and less noisy compared to a Bombardier flight. The view we got though was not as spectacular as Boracay, but still gave us a relaxed atmosphere. 
 
Seeing the view from the top, we learned that Coron's landscape is mountainous. The airport in fact is located in a short flat strip of land between these mountains, making it impossible to land larger planes like Boeings and Airbuses.

Busuanga Airport, the gateway to Coron, is the simplest airport we've seen so far. It actually looks more like a bus terminal than an airport.

It has no conveyor belts, no x-ray machines, no airconditioning, and no walk-through metal detectors. This is not a bad thing though as it gives guests a more "relaxed" feel that you would never get in a tense modern airport. 


After the manongs handed over our baggage to us at the "baggage counter", we crossed the driveway to get to the transport terminal where we rode an airconditioned van going to Coron Town.

The trip went smoothly, mostly on paved roads. There were occasional cattle grids that keep the cows from roaming out of the area.

There were also bridges made of metal frames and wooden planks. Until then, I haven't seen one in years!
The van dropped us off at our hotel (Villa Hermosa) in Coron Town. It is here where our Coron adventure starts!

Spend Breakdown
Airfare via Cebu Pacific
2711.68
Airport Transfer (150/pax)
600
Actual Spend
3311.68

How to get there

  1. From the Busuanga (Coron) Airport arrival area, cross the driveway to the Transport Terminal.
  2. Ride a van going to Coron Town. Vans depart from the airport after a flight arrives. No need to make prior arrangements.
  3. For return trips to the airport, you may ask you hotel to arrange a transfer service for you. Usually, the vans roam around the town to pick up passengers.

    Landmarks: Busuanga Airport, Ranch, Cattle Grid, Coron Town
    Address:
    Busuanga Airport
    Busuanga, Calamian Islands
    Palawan, Philippines

    4. View Larger Map
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