New films tout Palawan as traveller's paradise
Back in February, I spent two weeks touring around the Filipino island of Palawan and can easily boast that it offered the best snorkeling experience I've yet enjoyed. The people of Palawan are humble but gracious hosts and seemingly some of the happiest folks around.
The island certainly offers plenty of charm within its capital of Puerto Princesa City and beyond, if visitors are able to look past its poverty. I spent the first five days in PPC, staying at Green Park Tourist Inn. The major city on the island, it is in truth no more than a small town patched together in the middle of a tropical jungle, but it has plenty on offer. I enjoyed especially tasty food at Artisans, White Fence Cafe, Olio e Basilico Ristorante, Ima's Vegetarian Restaurant, and others. I also snorkeled in Honda Bay, napped on a beach, took a boat tour of an impressive cave, did some shopping, and treated myself to a 90-minute massage that cost less than $10! This first video, called "Palawan Paradise: Spring Break Adventure in the Philippines 2018," highlights some of these experiences as well as those I enjoyed in my next destination of El Nido:
The island certainly offers plenty of charm within its capital of Puerto Princesa City and beyond, if visitors are able to look past its poverty. I spent the first five days in PPC, staying at Green Park Tourist Inn. The major city on the island, it is in truth no more than a small town patched together in the middle of a tropical jungle, but it has plenty on offer. I enjoyed especially tasty food at Artisans, White Fence Cafe, Olio e Basilico Ristorante, Ima's Vegetarian Restaurant, and others. I also snorkeled in Honda Bay, napped on a beach, took a boat tour of an impressive cave, did some shopping, and treated myself to a 90-minute massage that cost less than $10! This first video, called "Palawan Paradise: Spring Break Adventure in the Philippines 2018," highlights some of these experiences as well as those I enjoyed in my next destination of El Nido:
Palawan Paradise from Sheila Busteed on Vimeo.
The best part about my time in El Nido was certainly the snorkeling, but the town also offered some good dining, shops, and plenty of pristine beaches on which I took long walks. My favourite places in town included Artcafe, Happiness Beach Bar, Taverna Agape, Odessa Mama, Midtown Bakery, among others. The food served on the snorkeling excursion was also quite good, I discovered, but I think part of this had to do with the fact that I booked mine through Artcafe's in-house tour company. They made sure a special vegetarian meal was prepared for me, and it was fantastic! Tour C, which is the best option for snorkeling aficionados, took our small group to three different reefs. Destinations included Matinloc and Tapuitan Islands, a stop at the famous Secret Beach, as well as Hidden Beach and Helicopter Island. Waters were crystal clear and reefs were teeming with fish. This next video, called "Fish & Fins: Exploring El Nido's Reefs," gives you a taste of the joy I experienced during that tour:
My Palawan adventure ended with a few days in the secluded coastal village of Port Barton. I rented one of Evergreen Bayview's bungalows, which rest high on a hillside at the edge of the village. Sunsets from atop this perch were incredible since it looks out over the whole bay. Port Barton still doesn't see many tourists, so the beaches are quiet and clean. But be sure to pack a flashlight since the village still experiences power outages every day. If you're willing to rough it a bit, this is certainly a place worth visiting.
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