REVIEW: Busuanga Bay Lodge and Coron, Palawan

I finally had the pleasure of traveling back to the Philippines, my second ancestral home after nearly 14 years. I always considered these 7,107 islands to be beautiful, and was lucky enough to venture out to new provinces I had never been to before. My family and I flew to Coron, Palawan in the middle of December and spent a few days in the luxurious and wonderful Busuanga Bay Lodge, located about 25 miles (40 km) from the town of Coron. The moment we landed at the small Francisco B. Reyes Airport and was shuttled for an hour to our resort, we felt nothing but excitement. We awed at the rural scenery in winding narrow roads scattered with shacks in the fields or makeshift homes and sleepy dogs laying on the gravel almost a foot away from oncoming vehicles.

After the humbling drive, we arrived at the resort which was nestled away behind trees and up a steep hill. We were greeted with a smiling band and had banana leaf necklaces bestowed upon our necks and were handed cucumber champagne drinks as we scooted out of the van. The entrance to the resort revealed a beautiful open-air lobby and restaurant with an infinity pool that overlooked the ocean and magnificent islands. The scenery was almost unreal to me, I had never seen anything like it!

 

The Room

The resort consisted of bungalows and consolidated rooms in mountainous levels, so we could “hike” to get around or call a golf cart to whisk us from the sand to the lobby. When we initially arrived, we rode up to our room with two double beds that had an amazing view of the water with no obstruction. The interior was bright, clean, open, and modern, just like the rest of the hotel.

The room was meticulously clean with a huge bathroom and shower and even a clothes line to hang wet clothes, as well as a hand held bidet hose next to the toilet! Later on I saw another bidet hose at an airport in Manila and I assumed this is common in the Philippines, or maybe East Asia? Enlighten me! In short, I had zero complaints about our room.

Service

In my experience, service and hospitality in all of the Philippines was excellent. The service at Busuanga Bay Lodge, however, was the best I have ever received. During breakfast and dinners, we were always attended to and drinks refilled before we realized we even needed more. The staff was always respectful and attentive with every request we made. It was a rule of the resort that they could not accept tips, but we could leave our tips at the lobby which would then be pooled for “employee activities”, but staff still took personally handed tips despite the rule, which I think they deserved.

Amenities and Activities

It was no surprise that this resort offered activities with awesome amenities. On one of the mountainous levels there was a ping pong table, then one level below would be the beach where scuba diving was available, next to the small store at the marina that had wet suits for rent. At reception you could rent motorbikes and drive in the wondrous views and curving roads of Palawan while getting a closer look at daily life of Palawan locals. Also, you could book boat tours in Coron; but I must advise that their tours are expensive, and I will include more information on boat tours below.

Let me list all of the facilities for you:

• Clubhouse – could be used for weddings and corporate events
• Infinity pool – 10×15 m
• Clubhouse Spa – Please do the sugar scrub that I did! Best massage ever!
• Fitness Gym
• Conference Room – Seating capacity is 15 persons
• Kawayan Native Spa
• Wine Cellar
• Pool Deck Bar
• Seahorse Bar & Grill – Situated at the marina, so it has a fantastic view
• Pavilion Resto – Where you can enjoy your delicious meals
• Marina Boutique – A convenient boutique shop
• Full Service Marina – Provides island tour guides and other marina services
• Water Sports Center – With non-motorized or motorized equipment
• Seaplane Facilities – A dock for refueling and taking you from Manila directly to the resort via seaplane

Want to know some of the activities that are offered? Here ya go!

• Kayaking
• Diving
• Sailing
• Island Tours
• Jetskiing
• Trekking
• Game Fishing
• Sunset Cruise
• Beach Club
• Mountain Biking

 

Tips for Boat Tours

Speaking of the boat tours, I would suggest booking a tour from other tour guides that you’d get in pamphlets that are handed out in the airport when you arrive and don’t hesitate to haggle down the price for the pickup and drop off. We were picked up at 7:30 am because the shuttle took an hour to get to Coron from our location and most boat tours start at 8:30 am. I suggest that you have already brought a waterproof bag to put belongings into it because the boat will constantly get wet from passengers boarding the boat from swimming and snorkeling in the water. If you don’t already have one, don’t fret! You could buy them at the port or even on the boat because vendors will climb on and sell them in various sizes for about 225 Pesos to 500 Pesos ($5-$10 USD).

Also remember to bring extra money on boat tours for snacks from floating “seven elevens”, small rafts with someone selling chips, drinks, and homemade turon. Life vests and snorkeling gear may not be included and may cost extra, around 250 to 500 Pesos as well, so it is also highly advised that you bring your own snorkeling gear because it will save you money and it’s not guaranteed that the equipment was fully sanitized from previous passengers. Does this seem like a desperate cash grab? The hidden costs shouldn’t dissuade you– the boat tour was the funnest excursion I have ever been on!

 

Overall, I recommend this resort if you ever travel to Palawan, or the Philippines at all. The service, amenities, location, cleanliness, activities, and view is unmatched. I’m already planning to come back here in a few years! Do you have any questions? I would love to answer any questions or you could drop a suggestion for a future post or review.

To find more information or book a room for an upcoming trip, visit http://busuangabaylodge.com/
Address: Sitio Lawi, Barangay Concepcion, Busuanga Island, Palawan, 5317, Philippines
Reservations: (+63) 917 895 5754 | (+63) 927 418 3126 | (+63) 977 2185076 | (+63) 995 038 8734
Sales & Marketing: (+63) 995 224 4588 | (+63) 917 811 0706 | (+63) 917 311 1220
Reservations@busuangabaylodge.com

 

 

Ok, Stephanie Rae