Lagoons Versus Lakes
El Nido's signature is the lagoon. Gray limestone walls rise from the sea. Between them sit pools so enclosed that you kayak in through a gap and the engines fall silent. Big Lagoon is the famous one, Small Lagoon is the most intimate and Secret Lagoon is reached by swimming through a hole in the rock. Add coral gardens with clownfish and giant clams plus coves that vanish at high tide.
Coron's signature is the lake. Kayangan Lake is brackish, glass-clear and ringed by sheer rock, so you can see the shelves falling away beneath you. At Twin Lagoon you climb a ladder over a wall, or swim through a gap at low tide, into a second lagoon where cold fresh water meets warm salt water and the surface shimmers. Barracuda Lake has layers of warm and cool water.
Both are spectacular. El Nido gives more variety in a day; Coron gives the single swims you will talk about for years.
Under the Surface
For divers, Coron is the clear winner. A dozen Japanese ships lie where American carrier planes sank them on September 24, 1944, now encrusted in coral and full of fish. Certified divers can explore vessels such as the seaplane tender Akitsushima. Many wrecks are deep and some are for advanced divers only, so choose an operator that briefs carefully. Because the wrecks sit in sheltered bays, they can be dived year-round.
Snorkelers do well in both. Coron has the Skeleton Wreck and the Lusong Gunboat, both shallow enough to see from the surface. El Nido has easy reefs close to shore around Shimizu and Helicopter islands and in the coves of the bay, with caves and walls for divers.
Visibility is best in the dry season, especially from March to May. If only one of you dives, Coron still works: the non-diver can snorkel the shallow wrecks or relax at the resort.
Where You Will Stay
El Nido has the stronger honeymoon hotels. Out in Bacuit Bay, El Nido Resorts runs island properties where the boat transfer is part of the stay: Pangulasian Island is the most upscale, with pool villas and a long beach, while Lagen Island has water cottages in a forested cove and the calmest feel. Cauayan Island Resort and Spa is another island option. Meal plans vary by resort and package, so check what your rate covers; El Nido Resorts packages usually include breakfast and guided island hopping. On the mainland, Lio's planned beach district and Marimegmeg Beach face the sunset with walkable restaurants.
Coron town is hot, noisy with tricycles and has no real beach, so use it for a night at most. The honeymoon stays are the island resorts off Busuanga. Club Paradise on Dimakya Island has a white beach, a house reef and dugongs feeding nearby. Huma Island Resort and Spa has overwater villas on a small island in the bay.
Weather and When to Go
The two share a calendar. December to May is dry, with January to April the most reliable for calm seas. That matters in both places, because nearly everything involves a boat. April and May are the driest and hottest months, so start boat days early and bring sun shirts.
The southwest monsoon arrives in June, with rain peaking around July and August and typhoon risk highest from about July to October. Swells can cancel island-hopping tours and the fast ferry between the two. Underwater visibility drops.
There is one small difference. Coron's wrecks stay diveable in the wet season because they sit in sheltered bays, so dive-focused couples can gamble on the shoulder months there. El Nido's appeal depends more on beaches and lagoon light, which suffer in the rain.
Christmas, New Year and Holy Week before Easter are busy in both, so book resorts and flights several months ahead for those dates.
Getting In and Out
El Nido's quickest route is a direct AirSWIFT flight from Manila to the small Lio Airport, about 1 hour 15 minutes. It costs more than other domestic flights and the baggage allowance is tight, so pack light or prepay for extra weight. The cheaper option is a flight to Puerto Princesa (PPS) followed by a five- to six-hour van ride on a winding road.
Coron is simpler. Francisco B. Reyes Airport on Busuanga (USU) has direct flights from Manila, Cebu and Clark, about an hour from Manila, then a 30- to 40-minute drive into town. Island resorts send their own transfers and boats.
Linking them, the fast ferry takes about four hours in calm weather and passes the Linapacan islands. It can be bumpy and is often canceled in rough seas, in which case you fly via Manila. In both places, flights out are often delayed, so spend your last night in Manila before the international flight home.
Days Away From the Boat
El Nido has more to do on land. Climb Taraw Cliff above town on the via ferrata, zipline from Las Cabanas to Depeldet Islet and stay for sunset with a drink, or spend an afternoon on Nacpan Beach, a long arc of sand about 45 minutes north of town with the twin beach of Calitang visible from the viewpoint above.
Coron's land days are fewer but distinctive. Climb the roughly 700 steps of Mount Tapyas in the late afternoon for sunset over the bay, then take a tricycle to Maquinit Hot Springs, a saltwater pool by the mangroves that is best after dark. For something unusual, take a full-day trip to Calauit Safari Park, where giraffes and zebras brought from Kenya in 1977 roam northern Busuanga.
Food is similar in both: grilled squid, garlic prawns, kinilaw and a halo-halo in the afternoon heat. El Nido town has more restaurants; Coron is the place to buy Palawan cashews.
Splitting the Trip
Most couples who have ten days in the Philippines should do both. A good plan is one night in Manila, four nights in El Nido, the fast ferry north to Coron, three nights there and a flight back to Manila. Start with El Nido if you want to ease in at a resort, or with Coron if you prefer to finish on its wilder side.
In El Nido, plan one shared tour and one private bangka day. The shared tours, labeled A through D, are cheap, but the boats move in convoy and lagoons fill by midmorning. A private boat leaving at 7 a.m. reaches Big Lagoon first. In Coron, hire a private boat for the Coron Island loop and reach Kayangan before the tour boats.
If you only have five or six nights, stay in El Nido and split them between an island resort and the mainland beaches. Coron makes a better add-on than a standalone honeymoon.
