Can you tell I wasn’t that into Coron? Maybe it was because it was towards the end of our time in the Philippines, or because I was generally just tired from travelling so long… I’m not sure. Either way, I felt like Coron just didn’t have the magic that the rest of Philippines had to offer. Subsequently, here are my top 8 perfectly average things to do in Coron.
Mount Tapyas
Sure, there’s about 1 million stairs to get to the top, but heck, the views are totally worth it. Head up just before sunset to see the sun sink behind Coron Bay. One of the only things on this like that I don’t think is perfectly average. Although I felt perfectly average once I got to the top. Who knew I was so unfit!
Island Hopping Coron Bay
The MOST average thing to do in Coron. If you want to island hop, do it somewhere else. I recommend El Nido or Honda Bay. The boat was above maximum capacity, there were sales people at basically every stop and it every second stop you had to wear your life jacket to swim. In fact, at one snorkel stop, the tour guide told everyone that it was totally average and maybe don’t bother… and then got upset with us when no one snorkeled.
Bali Beach
Situated a few km’s away from Coron, you’ll need to hire a scooter or tricycle to get there. Bali Beach is a small beach with a little sand, a small sitting area and a fee to get in. Not particularly clean, but it is favoured by the locals.
Cabo Beach
Even further than Bali Beach, Cabo Beach itself is considerably cleaner, but the mangroves behind it is basically a rubbish tip. The water is shallow and the bottom silty and smooshy. Funnily enough, the lady who handles the small entry fee tried to marry off her son to our mate who came with us, so head here if you’re looking for an arranged marriage.
Maquinit Hot Springs
To be perfectly honest, we droned the springs before going there to see if it was worth the high entry fee. Turns out it was a man-made pool around a spring. Seeing as it was hot as fuck, we decided to skip a stinky hot bath. As a result, this is kinda just assuming it’s an average thing to do in Coron.
Concepcion Falls
Philippines is spoilt for waterfalls, and Matt and I have visited plenty. My favourite were those on Cebu. Unfortunately Concepcion Falls, about a 1 hour drive from Coron just didn’t live up to my Filipino standard, so once again, this was just another average thing to do in Coron.
Levine’s for Sunset
I love a good sunset, there was some fantastic ones in Moalboal and Siquijor. Coron was no different! Absolutely amazing colours. The problem was Levine’s. Poor service, run down and the speakers needed replacing. I like music as much as the next person, but I’m just not into the loud rasping and static that comes with a shitty speaker. I score this sunset location a ZERO out of ten.
Wreck Diving
Finally, the not so average. I love diving, and the wreck diving around Coron is definitely not average. Multiple wrecks of different sizes and found at different depths, from World War 2. Matt and I love it so much that we made a video about it! You can check it out in my previous post. You will not be disappointed.
While I don’t want to sound like a privileged brat, I do want to give you my honest opinion of places I visit. As you can probably tell in all my previous Philippines posts, I had the most amazing time! Unfortunately, Coron just did not live up to the standard that the rest of the Philippines has set. That said, I’ll let you make your own mind up!
Matt and I stayed at Aquilah Homestay which was a reasonably new (but no frills) little homestay just outside the town. Whilst a nice place, it is a little bit of a walk or a tricycle ride.
