Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
activity is lounging on the beach. Malcapuya has monkeys inland, while Bolog features
alluring
Malaroyroy Beach
, a curving bar of silky white sand.
Sangat Island
Sea Dive
(see p.393) charges P3500/boat, while the boat association (see box, p.393) rate is P2500 and Calamianes Expeditions (see box,
p.393) charges P950/person
Sangat Island
, west of Coron Town (1hr 30min by boat), is yet another craggy,
picture-perfect tropical island. As well as plenty of coral gardens laced with tropical
fish, the island is close to eleven World War II shipwrecks, some of which can be
explored by snorkellers at low tide.
ACCOMMODATION
CORON BAY ISLANDS
Coral Bay
Resort
Potototan Island
T
0916 544
1843,
W
coralbay.ph; map p.391.
Comfy, rustic accommo-
dation in fan-cooled wooden huts on a 900m white sand
beach about 1hr 30min from Coron Town by bangka (free
transfer from Coron o
ce if you stay two nights or more).
This is a peaceful place to chill out, and you can trek around
the island or snorkel just
offsh
ore on a beautiful reef
teeming with tropical fish.
P3000
Discovery Resort
Decanituan Island
T
0918 398
7125,
W
discoverydiversresorts.com; map p.391.
Popular dive-oriented resort, a 10min bangka ride from
Coron Town, with a 24hr shuttle service back and forth.
The bungalows all have private bathrooms and terraces
with fine views of the bay. Staff are friendly and reasonably
e
cient, and there's a good restaurant. The beach here
is nothin
g spec
ial, but horseriding and kayaking are
available.
P1500
Mangenguey Resort
Mangenguey Island
T
0908
896 8488,
W
mangenguey.com; map p.391.
The top
choice for splendid isolation, this luxury resort is a 1hr
30min boat ride from Coron Town - the island is private
(with plenty of snorkelling and trekking), the suites are
beautifully designed and furnished with art, and there's
wi-fi, a/c and cable TV. Verandas provide views of the
ocean and the food is ex
quisite.
Minimum two nights
except during peak season.
P11000
★
★
★
7
Sangat Island Dive Resort
Sangat Island
T
0919
617 5187,
W
sangat.com.ph; map p.391.
Established by
a British expat in 1994 on a gorgeous island - 30min from
Coron Town - with a giddy interior of cliffs and jungle and
a shore of coves and coral reefs. Accommodation is in
thirteen native-style beachfront and hillside cottages (with
fans), and they specialize in diving course
s. Free
wi-fi or
P100/hr for internet. Full board. Per person
P4500
Culion Island
Few travellers make it to the curious island of
Culion
, around two hours south of
Coron Town by boat. In 1904 the Americans decided to create an isolated but
self-su
cient leper colony here - it became the world's largest
leprosarium
, a place
that inspired fear and often revulsion. Today the leper colony has all but been erased,
but haunting monuments of the island's past remain, as well as some untouched,
empty beaches. Like Busuanga, Culion is quite large and undeveloped, but the main
attractions lie in the pretty little capital,
Culion Town
. The approach to town is
dominated by the striking coral-walled
La Inmaculada Concepción Church
, which was
rebuilt in 1933 on the site of an older fortified Spanish chapel, completed in 1740.
Beside it is the old lighthouse, with tremendous views north to Coron Town. Note that
electricity only runs from noon to midnight in Culion, which can make for a hot night
when there's no breeze.
Culion Museum
Culion Sanatorium and General Hospital compound • Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1-4pm • P200
The intriguing
Culion Museum
, housed in the island's former leprosy research lab (built
in 1930), details the history of the colony. Featuring medical relics and photographs
from the turn of the last century, with a vast archive of patient records that you can
browse, it also maintains the rooms where doctors worked, complete with original,
rather frightening-looking equipment.
