Coron - Apo Reef - 31 - Thee Team
FEBRUARY 2016: Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. INTRODUCTION: It was time to move on from Palawan Island. It was also time to do some LIVING… I had done a 1 Day Island Hopping Trip in Honda Bay near Puerto Princesa. I had done another 1 Day Island Hopping Trip in Port Barton. I had also tried a 2 Day 1 Night Island Hopping Trip in El Nido – which was abandoned on the 2nd day. This was a little bit of LIVING but not enough. I was in search of something more…  In El Nido, the SCUBA Diving wasn’t good. […]

Coron – Philippines – Apo Reef SCUBA ...

  FEBRUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I was coming to the end of my 9 night stay in El Nido and it was time to look forward to Coron. I asked a few of the locals which was the best ferry to Coron; they said the ‘Bonso’. On Thursday, I went down to the Art Cafe to book my ticket for the Saturday morning. The ticket was PHP1500; I believe that you can get them for PHP1400 elsewhere. GETTING TO THE FERRY TERMINAL: I was told to be at the Ferry Terminal at 8:00am. The Ferry […]

El Nido – Philippines – To Coron

FEBRUARY 2016: OVERVIEW: My costs start at the Bus Terminal near Carong Carong Beach and include: 1 night in a BELOW GRANDPAcking Standard room 9 nights in an BELOW GRANDPAcking Standard room on the beach Food & Drink Mobile Data / Communications Visa cost apportionment Trips & Tours A Ferry from El Nido to Coron CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about El Nido – Philippines – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON […]

El Nido – Philippines – GRANDPAcking Costs

FEBRUARY 2016: Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I was disappointed with El Nido Town; it doesn’t live up to its ‘hype’: The accommodation is over-priced and poor value for money; it is almost impossible to find anything decent on the beachfront for less than PHP2500 / night The island hopping is over-priced and poor value for money; it is twice the price of the better Island Hopping Trips that you can get in Port Barton The restaurants are over-priced and poor value for money; it is almost impossible to find anything decent to eat for less than PHP200 – if you do, expect small […]

El Nido – Philippines – Nacpan Beach

  FEBRUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: It is said that ‘El Nido is another one of those ‘must see’ places in Palawan… if not THE place that most people come to Palawan to see‘. El Nido is not just a target location in itself, it is also the gateway to the Bacuit Archipelago of 40 islands ‘which rivals Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay for sheer dramatic seascape. Idyllic days are spent island hopping in a “bangka” (a traditional outrigger canoe)‘. Online write-ups paint an idyllic picture of El Nido: ‘Jaw-dropping El Nido has been dubbed as one of the most beautiful […]

El Nido – Philippines – Information

FEBRUARY 2016: INTRODUCTION: I was staying in El Nido for 8 nights. One of the main things to do in El Nido is Island Hopping. I had already done Island Hopping in Honda Bay whilst in Puerto Princesa and, again, Island Hopping in Port Barton. The Honda Bay trip cost PHP1200 PLUS PHP150 for Mask & Snorkel PLUS PHP150 for Watershoes PLUS PHP150 for Fins. A total of PHP1650 with less than 5 hours on the water. The Port Barton Trip cost PHP700 PLUS PHP50 for the Permit. The Port Barton Trip was much better than the Honda Bay one, had better […]

El Nido – Philippines – Island Hopping ...

FEBRUARY 2016: Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: As with Sabang and Port Barton, the costs of pre-booking accommodation online where too high for my GRANDPAcking Budget. I had been lucky in Sabang to just arrive and find somewhere walking in off of the street in a resort that was not online. I wasn’t so lucky on my first night in Port Barton, but got there in the end on my second day – again, walking in off of the street into a resort that was not online. I knew that El Nido was more popular, so did not want to take […]

El Nido – Philippines – Where To ...

DECEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: In Hoi An, I was able to Get Around By Bicycle for 2 days investigating. I concluded that the only real area for GRANDPAckers to stay in was in the heart of or within walking distance of the heart of the Old Town. Some hotels out from center provide complimentary bicycles – they have to because, otherwise, it is too problematic for their guests to get around. You can easily get from the Old Town to the Beaches on a bicycle… and, it is a pleasant 25 minute ride. WHERE TO STAY: It is worth noting […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Where To ...

NOVEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: In Phu Quoc, I rented a scooter and went Around The Island for 2 days investigating. I concluded that the only real area for GRANDPAckers to stay in was in the 5km strip along Long Beach south of Duong Dong. It reminded me of Cenang Beach, Langkawi, Malaysia where (similarly) this was the only beach on the island suitable for GRANDPAckers to stay long term. The rest of the island is either being built, up-market, unkempt, or not to GRANDPAcking standard. On my 3rd day, I sat down to have breakfast, and used BOOKING.COM to create a […]

Phu Quoc – Vietnam – Where To ...

  FEBRUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I had already made my own way from Puerto Princesa to Sabang and from Sabang to Port Barton. The Sabang to Port Barton trip was particularly onerous. The trip is scheduled for 3.5 hours but the door-to-door time depends on how long you have to wait transferring from the first bus (Sabang to the North Road transfer point) to the second bus (North Road to Port Barton), and how many people ‘drop off detours’ they make on the way. My trip took 4.5 hours. The 2nd bus was full and they had to […]

Port Barton – Philippines – To El ...

FEBRUARY 2016: OVERVIEW: My costs start in Port Barton Town Centre and include: 1 night in a BELOW GRANDPAcking Standard dorm 5 nights in a GRANDPAcking Standard cottage 100m from the beach Food & Drink Mobile Data / Communications Visa cost apportionment Trips & Tours Transport from Port Barton to El Nido CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Port Barton – Philippines – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON GRANDPAcking COSTS: Cost […]

Port Barton – Philippines – GRANDPAcking Costs

  JANUARY 2015:   Click here to read our Philippines Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: Port Barton is another one of those ‘must see’ places in Palawan. Many blogs say that it is ‘off the beaten track’; it is not. It is now on the beaten track, full of backpackers, and getting busier and busier every year. I met a seasoned expat from Australia who was also here last year. He said that accommodation and food prices have ‘doubled’ since last year (and that he won’t be coming again next year because of it). The man was, obviously, disappointed so you take such things with […]

Port Barton – Philippines – Information