This is our very first long out-of-town vacation since John came from Canada so it really means a lot to us!

There has been a need for catching up as John just came back from Canada last August. He went to Vancouver for 6 months for work and I am just here in Manila working (and partying haha!).  So we have decided last April to have our very first out-of-town vacation in Puerto Princesa. It was supposed to be in El Nido, but we have no idea that it would take us around 6-9 hours on a van/bus trip going there from PPS Airport!


This is how far El Nido is!

So we have decided to stay in Puerto Princesa City instead just so we won’t be wasting our time since we only got 4 days and 3 night to spend. We got a good package from Villa Manuel Resort and it was a great experience with them. Read more about it here: Villa Manuel Resort in Puerto Princesa City.

Puerto Princesa was dubbed as the Greenest City in the Philippines for several years.

We were looking for more of sun and beach since we missed dating on a summer. John missed our Cagbalete, Puerto Galera, and especially, Laboracay vacations. And we finally have the chance to enjoy the sands and clear waters in a place full of serenity and calm waters, Palawan. So here’s how it went for us during our 4D3N stay. You can always make this your own itinerary, or modify it based on what you and your partner wants to do.

Day 1:

We arrived at the airport and boy it looks like we are in for a rainy Palawan type of vacation. The grounds are wet, and it rained hard soon as we arrived at the hotel. Both of us felt a huge frustration as we were looking forward to getting a good tan (and photoshoots too!).

Arrived at around 12 noon, we have decided to find a good place to eat, and Ka Inato was just a trike away. Had a plate of Inasal Chicken each and an order of Crocodile Sisig (it was sooooo good!), but we were too hungry so we had another plate of chicken meal!

During the afternoon, there really isn’t anything we can do because of the rain. So we have decided to have a dip in the pool inside the resort, and took some videos and these photos:

puerto-princesa-our-travel-dates-palawan-budget-itinerarySaw this peg somewhere on Instagram, and we want our version!

Before the sunset, we’ve decided to stop by Puerto Princesa Baywalk. It pretty much looks like the old Manila Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard, which used to have a bunch of party nightout establishments, but has already closed due to its transfer behind SM Mall of Asia. It has all the similar promenade, but the view is so much better…

puerto-princea-city-baywalk-image1See?

Then we capped the night with a cozy dinner at KaLui, one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa City. This is a must for first-time visitors, wherein aside from the affordable set meal, it gives you a unique dining experience as it requires you to walk around in barefoot.

Day 2:

Our package lets us choose between Underground River and Honda Bay Tour, and since we want to island hop more than exploring the bats, we have decided to go to Honda Bay instead. It was a wonderful experience as God has answered our prayers to at least bring some sun for the next 2 days! We’ve visited Starfish Island, Luli (Lulubog-Lilitaw) Island, and Cowrie Island complete with a buffet lunch! It was a perfect day to have a beach photoshoot, and so here we are camwhoring the whole entire day:

You’ll feel exhausted after this long island-hop trip. So in our case, we just took the time to edit and upload photos for the rest of the day, and we just ordered again at Ka Inato. This time it was delivered right at our doorstep!

Day 3:

The final trip goes to where we really want this vacation to happen, Dos Palmas Resort! It was just another episode of camwhoring and endless eating! But what we really like about the place even if it’s just a daytrip, is that in this particular time of the year, there aren’t much people around in this island. We were just around 20-50 people roaming around the island and most of the time, you’ll find yourselves alone in a particular spot. If you want a silent beach vacation, do it here during September. But pray for the sun, because we did!

We ended the day with a sunset dinner at Kinabuch to finally complete the KKK experience, and ordered the Chili Crab! I’m a sucker for seafood especially shrimps and crabs, so I ate it alone myself. Sorry John it’s all mine. We also ordered the wood worm called Tamilok, but we both aren’t fans of exotic food, so we just gave it to Ate Cy and Chi at the hotel.

And finally, we rounded up the whole vacation going back to the pool (it was all ours when we went there), and had some drinks and quality time talking about the whole experience before taking a rest ready to go back to Manila in the morning.

So for the couples out there especially the LGBT ones, we hope you find our experience as something you’d want to try out. Don’t forget to put the KKK on your checklist, because whenever you ask any of the hotel receptionist in PPC on where you can eat good food, they will always respond with a single answer… the KKK. Although there are a lot more in Rizal Avenue (way way lots you won’t have a hard time looking for what you’re craving), these three I think are the “must”.

Read more about them here:

  • KaLui – To be updated soon
  • Ka Inato – To be updated soon
  • Kinabuchs Bar & Grill – To be updated soon

Here are some of the handy tips for you as you go on to a trip like ours:

  1. The location of Puerto Princesa City isn’t that prone to heavy rains and storms, but prepare hats and umbrellas if you can. Because when the sun goes out, it can easily put you into a summer tan as the heat is really scorching. Prepare sunblock.
  2. Don’t worry much about negotiating, because people in Puerto Princesa speaks tagalog.
  3. If your hotel or pension house is near the main road, walk going there and do not wait for a trike right in front of your vacation place. It will cost you a lot compared to riding outside which costs around 10 or 12 pesos each.
  4. If you have more time, there are even more places to visit in PPC. Mitra’s Ranch, Firefly Watching, Dolphin Watching, Port Barton, and Baker’s Hill to name a few.
  5. We got the airfares at a super cheap price! Make sure you follow your favorite airline’s social media networks to get the best ticket deal.
  6. Some deal sites offer package of a hotel accomodation + Underground River + Honda Bay + Fireflies. Look around!
  7. ATMs are a bit of a pain-in-the-arse, unless your hotel is just a few kilometers away from Robinson’s Palawan, make sure you have enough cash in your pocket for the whole duration of stay to prevent hassle.

ourtraveldates-idea

J & J Wants You To Know: Most importantly, based on our experience, tricycles are the main transport service in Puerto Princesa City. Be ready for rip-off prices ranging from 100 pesos to “magkano kaya nyo?” asked by drivers. Want to save up? Act local. Hide your photography stuff in your small bags. Dress like you’re not tourists.

You can always go on this trip on a tight budget, but if you want to maximize your trip together at this amazing island, ready your wallet:

puerto-princesa-city-4d3n-vacation-itinerary-budget

And with that, we would like to conclude this travel experience with our Puerto Princesa Palawan 2014 music video displaying most of the places we’ve been to, inspired by Yeng Constantino’s prenup video, Ikaw.

Locations (in order): Puerto Princesa Airport, Villa Manuel, Villa Manuel Pool, Puerto Princesa City Baywalk, Dos Palmas, Honda Bay: Starfish Island.

Cheers and happy couple traveling! From Jeff and John.

7 COMMENTS

  1. hey guys ,

    just saw your travel blog by coinsedence. I am Ryan from germany. would like to know if u guys have a website where i can follow your travel. i myself travels a lot , since i am working in the travel industry. if u want u can add me on facebook.

      • hey guys ,

        thanks for the reply. I will definitely . NO, I only have like 202 Facebook friends , but I forgot that no one can add me as a friend besides friends of my friends… Can you just give me your name on facebook so that I can make a request to you guys ?

  2. hi jeff and john, im katherine i have seen a your travelling experience in palawan puerto princessa..i also want to go there,..whats part of puerto princessa having a cheapest and adventurous and ofcourse 1st the safety ,..can you share it to me?? add me on my fb account im waitin for it..thank you. KATHERINE YAM SALVADOR

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