Mercedes Bed & Breakfast, Palawan

Since most of the cheap accommodations I tried to book were already fully booked, I had no choice but to look for another one regardless of how much would it be. That’s why as soon as checked the website of Mercedes Bed & Breakfast, I immediately called the owner up and inquired if our group can be accommodated on April 28-May 01. I was so thankful for there was still an available room that we can get. Yey! Not only that, it’s just a few meters away from the airport. 🙂 Upon getting Tita Ched’s BDO account, I made a deposit the next day.

Room # 4, our room 😉

As per SIL’s request ~ all of us to be in one room, I reserved for the biggest room that can accommodate 6 persons. But since the room has only 2 queen-sized beds, we had to add 2 extra mattresses for P400/pax inclusive of  breakfast. Not that bad eh?

double queen-sized beds (P2200/night; max of 4 pax)

addittional 2 mattresses for P400/pc

with cable tv

the dining area: free breakfast here 😉

a place where you can relax

free hotel & airport transfer

I got the chance to have a short talk with Tita Ched. She was nice as well as her family and staff. I learned that she and her husband decided to put up Mercedes Bed & Breakfast when her husband retired from work as a Civil Engineer at DPWH Palawan. One of their daughter, who is a Fine Arts graduate, helped with the interior decorating as well as designing. She has a son who is a doctor and a daughter who is a nurse. Wow?! She is the one who also prepares the breakfast. During our stay, these were our breakfast: First day ~ longganisa, tuyo, egg, slices of tomato & cucumber and rice with hot coffee/milo; Second day ~ tocino, tuyo, egg, slices of tomato & cucumber and rice with hot coffee/milo; Third day ~ tapa, egg omelet, tuyo, slices of tomato & cucumber and rice with hot coffee/milo. What can I say? MASARAP pero BITIN… more rice Tita Ched, please???

with Tita Ched, the owner of Mercedes B&B

Mercedes Bed & Breakfast

P. Abrea Road, Puerto Princesa City

http://www.mercedesbb.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mercedes-Bed-Breakfast/116733381682512

mercedesbedandbreakfast@yahoo.com

land line #: +63-48-723-1677

mobile #: +63916-724-5220

Snorkeling at Pambato Reef

The first time I did snorkeling was the time we had our school outing in Bohol, 6 years ago. That’s why I was kinda excited to do it again in Pambato Reef, Palawan. According to a source, Pambato Reef was accidentally discovered by a fisherman when his fish hook got entangled in the reef. When he dove into the sea to get his fish hook, he was enthralled by the beautiful things he had seen under water. From then on, the boat-owners association, where the fisherman who discovered the reef was a member, decided to make it another tourist spot in Hunda Bay.

on our way to Pambato Reef

Entrance fee of P50 per person is required. You can bring your own snorkels with you. We paid P100 for each snorkels that we rented to Allan, the owner of the van. In case that you get hungry, you can buy some snacks at the first kubo.

snacks and reminders

Second cottage: construction is on going

Upon seeing how far the snorkeling area was from the cottage, I had second thoughts of jumping into the water. OMG, I don’t know how to swim! 😥 But since hubby lifted up my spirit and told me that my life jacket would definitely make me float (of course I know that), I jumped. Thinking how deep the water was gave me more fright! Thank God hubby finally joined me for a minute… oh well, it’s his first time that’s why he was so excited to do snorkeling and almost forgot about me. Yayayay! Moving on… After a few minutes of swimming away from the cottage, oh boy.. that was pretty hard on my part, we got to see school of fishes. 🙂 Nice sight!

see how far I was from the cottage?

tiny fish

school of fish

it’s abundant in a certain area, can be reached by the feet…

why can’t I find Nemo here?!

loner ~

thanks to SIL’s underwater camera! yey! 😉

We have only seen small fishes under water, no luck in seeing bigger fish as well as colorful fish. I didn’t see Nemo. Boo! I think this place needs to be taken care of so that the corals would become better than what they are now. Always remember not to take anything away from this place for they are not yours. 🙂

Underground River Tour

Last year, hubby and I were not able to go to the Underground River because we were not able to get a permit. Since we didn’t like it to happen for the second time, hubby and I decided not to waste any single second to get the permit as soon as we arrived to Puerto Princesa together with his family. The new office is now loacated along Rizal Avenue, beside Kinabuch Restaurant and sharing the same building with Badjao Inn. Riding a tricycle would only cost you P8/head.

Underground River Booking Office (right side)

Since it was already four in the afternoon, there were no more slots available for the next day and no more morning slots for the day after next. We had no choice but to take the last tour, at 5:30pm. But the staff advised us to go there early, around 2pm, so that we could have the chance to have the tour earlier than the one we got.

On the day of our tour (3rd day), we started our trip to Sabang at 9:00 in the morning, in that way we can have side trips before our UR Tour. Buenavista Viewdeck was the first stop then we headed to Ugong Rock for the Spelunking & Zipline. At around 1pm, we were already in Sabang, time to have our late lunch. 😀 We ate at Roberts and availed their P200/pax buffet lunch thinking that the food would be better than the one we had at Hunda Bay. But to our disappointment, the food was really not that good. Boooh! I think it would have been better if we ate at the carinderia across the pier. 😉

While we were having our lunch, Kuya Manny, our driver, went to the UR Booking Office in Sabang to make sure that we’ll able to have our tour earlier than 5:30pm. I had no idea how he did it but we were able to take the tour before  4pm. 😀

boat terminal and booking area

Underground River’s Entrance

way to the river

get your life jacket and hard hat here 😀

cave’s entrance

We waited for the next boat and then proceeded in the tour. As usual, the tour guide started his spiel about the cave and everything that can be found inside. Let the pictures speak for the beauty of the cave.

thank God it’s low tide 😉

chandelier

banana blossom?!

another formation

bat’s poop

colony of bats ^-^

amazing stalactites

tourists with the bangkero at the back 😀

the light and the battery 😉

The tour was indeed fun but I was not that satisfied with the cave’s beauty… That’s the reason why I am not daring to vote for this cave to be included in the New Seven Wonders of the World. It’s nothing compared to Sagada…. If Sagada was the one on the list, I would definitely vote for it. 😀

DISCLAIMER: All photos (except for the first two) used in this blog post was taken by my hubby. 😀 Thanks Hon!

24/7 Van Rental in Palawan

We were already on our way to the airport when I remembered that we haven’t booked yet any van rental for our tour in Palawan. Due to my super busy schedule for the past week, it didn’t even cross my mind. Well, thank God I have saved five contact numbers on my phone of those people who own van for rent. However, out of five people I had texted… only one of them has an available van to offer. And that was Kuya Gerald….

Since our flight was delayed, my inlaws decided not to push through the city tour and scheduled it the next day, together with the Hunda Bay tour. Kuya Gerald won’t be driving us to Hunda & Underground River for he has another tour with other guests but he assured me that he would definitely send a driver for the said tours. We’ll be having Hunda Bay Tour as well as City Tour on our second day and Underground River Tour on the third day.

Leo was our driver for Hunda Bay, while Kuya Danny drove us to Underground River. Both of them are nice and easy to talk with. Thank you guys for the patience and assistance. 😉 Hope to see you soon! Of course, a big THANK YOU to Kuya Gerald for the help and my apology for the inconvenience I caused you on the first day. I am so sorry! Thanks for being sooo nice and understanding. 😉

24/7 Transport Van Rental

to any part of Palawan

GERALD T. MOSQUERA

+63-909-596-7779

+63-917-562-2339

043-434-8649

takuyaki7273@yahoo.com

The New Starfish Island in Palawan

Last year, we had been to this island, as part of our Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour, without paying any amount for the entrance. We just took pictures of the island as well as the starfish taken by the boatman for us to see. They are beautiful to look at but never ever dare to take them with you. They belong to the sea and not to you. 😉

When we went back to this island, it is now being called as “Starfish Sandbar Resort”. Not only that, I was a bit shocked when told by our boatman that we have to pay P70 per person for the entrance fee. ^o^ OMG! How come we were able to get in this island last year for nothing? Oh.. well, I don’t know neither.

Manong who collects the entrance fee

According to Kuya, Starfish Island was bought by Dos Palmas from the owner. But since Dos Palmas hasn’t settled yet the payment to the previous owner of the island, they no longer manage the island. Yes, it is now back to the previous owner and he made some improvements at the island. There are now many cottages for the tourists to rent for a very affordable price. Comfort rooms can be found here too.

Cottage for rent at P50 only

the head shots 😉

swimming under the shade

demolished house, previously owned by Dos Palmas

a glimpse at the sandbar

loving the clear water

List of Budget Hotels and Inns in Puerto Princesa

For the past weeks, I was so busy digging the world wide web for any hotels or inns that still have available rooms for April 28-May 01. I know how hard it is to find one for most of the hotels are fully booked on peak season and yeah… late booking. 😦 Advance booking should always be kept in mind (2-4 months early) because most of the hotels or inns can be quickly filled up. Well, after a lot of calls and emails I had done… I was able to find one. 🙂

Now, after that rummage I was able to make a list of some places, that I found and contacted, where you can stay inPuerto Princesa. These hotels or inns are recommended by fellow pexers and have good reviews by travelers (you can check tripadvisor). Not only that, good for the pocket too. 🙂

Note: Click the names of the hotels to view their website.

Casa Linda Inn

+63-48-4332606; +63-48-4332309

Along Trinidad Road Cor. Rizal Avenue

Balay Inato Pension

+63-48-4338595; +63-917-5901155

Along Manalo Extension/ Price Range: P1200-P1400

Hibiscus Garden Inn

+63-48-4341273; hibiscusgardeninn@yahoo.com

Along Manalo extension/ Price Range: P1800-P2800

Badjao Inn

+63-48-4332180; 4332761; badjao_inn@yahoo.com

Along Rizal Avenue: no personal website

Casa Fuerte Bed & Breakfast

PLDT Manila: (02)475-6757; casafuerte@ymail.com

Libis Road, Brgy San Pedro/ Price Range: P1400-P2400

D’Lucky Garden Inn

+63-48- 4332719; luckygardeninn@yahoo.com

P.E.O Road/ Price Range: P790-P1790

Puerto Pension

+63-915-4068568; ppension@pldtdsl.net

Along Malvar Street/ Price Range: P845-P1495

La Charica Inn

+63-48-4342088; lacharicca@yahoo.com

Along Abad Santos/ Price Range: P1500-P2400

Ysabelle Mansion

+63-48-7230992; info@ysabellemansion.com

Along Abad Santos Ext. / Price Range: P850-P2350:

Skylight Hotel

+63-48-4347176 /4344872; support@skylighthotelpalawan.com

Along Rizal Avenue/ Price Range: P1050-P2400

PADS by Legend Hotel

+632-7022700 to 04; 63-917-7022700

Along Malvar Street/ Price Range: P1500-P2625

Tropical Sun Inn

+63-48-4336493; tropicalsuninn@yahoo.com

Along Manalo Street/ Price Range: P849-P1,999

Mercedes Bed & Breakfast

+63 -48-72316 77; mercerdesbedandbreakfast@yahoo.com

P. Abrea Street, very close to the airport/ Price Range: P1200-P2200

Bulwagang Princesa

+63-48-7231023; bulwagangprincesa_ stamonica@yahoo.com

South Nat’l Highway, Sta. Monica/Price Range: P1300-P5000

Kookabura Travel Lodge

+63-48- 4341580; +63-48-7232036; info@kookaburratravellodge.com

Along Abueg Road: Close to local beaches: Price Range: P1200-P1500

Tip: Better to give them a ring in making a reservation rather than sending them an email. 😉

Aniceto Pension House in Puerto Princesa

Before going to Palawan, I kept on browsing the net to find the perfect place to stay for two days and three nights. Staying in a hotel was a no-no for me. Who needs a cozy room when you’re away most of the time? All we need is a place to sleep with a nice bathroom of course. As I was browsing the net, I read some blogs of local travelers who stayed at Aniceto Pension House. Since most of their comments were good, I decided to make a reservation immediately.

I sent an email to the owner, Ms. Tess, asking for any vacant rooms on the date of our tour. We were lucky enough to have a room for two on those dates. Yey! And take note, no downpayment is required! 🙂 Here are some of the pictures of the Pension House.

From Rizal Avenue, take a tricycle and tell the driver to bring you to Aniceto Pension in Roxas St, Corner Reynoso St. P7 fare per head only.

Ground Floor

A mini-store that can be found at the receiving area in the ground floor. You can also rent the pc for surfing the net.

SECOND FLOOR

The living room at the second floor where some of the rooms are also here.

Room 25 was the room reserved for us, double room with queen bed.

Veranda at the second floor.

THIRD FLOOR

At the third floor, you can find the kitchen and dining area here. Rooms can also be found here.

The area where you can cook food and wash the dishes. Utensils are also available here. CLAYGO! Across the kitchen is the dining area with refrigerator. You can store your foods there but make sure to label your goods and don’t get anything that is not yours.

A sofa bed where can you can relax while enjoying the view of the seaside or reading books stored in the shelves.

Books that you can read while relaxing at the third floor.

Don’t forget to write your names here. 🙂

ROOF DECK

Area in the roof deck where can you relax and have some chitchats with your friends.

Smoking and drinking are also allowed in this area but be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of this area.

*****Laundry services can also be requested from the staff of Aniceto.******

****NO RESERVATION FEE***

Aniceto’s Pension House

Address:

71 Reynoso Street, Puerto Princesa City.

Phone numbers:

6348.4346667

0927-2059782

Email address:

arc_tess@yahoo.com.ph

Instruct the trike driver to take you to Roxas Street, corner Reynoso Street.

From Rizal Avenue, Reynoso street can be found at the end of Roxas Street, then turn right.

MAP OF PUERTO PRINCESA CITY

Using this map helped me a lot. I just found it on the net, printed it and brought it along with us in Puerto Princesa. I have read on some blogs that all you have to do is tell the trike driver the place and they’ll take you there. You have no assurance that every trike driver in PP knows exactly the place. We had experienced twice of asking the trike drivers to bring us to Aniceto but their answer was “San po yun?” eventhough you told them it’s in Reynoso Street. Then in going to Ka Lui, the trike driver we met didn’t know where the place was. What the ****!

Sometimes having a map would save you from getting lost. You may print this map and use it as you go to Puerto Princesa.

I got this other map from Aniceto. It was posted on their wall to help their guests in getting around the city. This might be of help in your tour too. =)