"Palawan Vacation" Busuanga by suenatm

We were a big group of Filipino and foreign nationals that spent three nights in Busuanga Islands in northern Palawan. El RIo y Mar is one of the few places I had been to where "service with a smile" was genuine and sincere. All the resort's staff, from the manager down to the utility people saw to it that your stay would be enjoyable.

Food was good as well. Each buffet meal consisted of many varieties, both local and western cuisine.

Cayangan Lake - see how clear the water is

Aside from the various activities available in the resort (snorkelling, swimming, kayaking, mountain climbing, mah jong, karaoke), we also took a day trip to Coron (the resort prepared our lunchboxes) and explored the mountain lagoons and lakes, viewed the limestone rock formations, and took a dip in the Maquinit Hot Springs in one of the islands.

Since none of us were divers, we did not venture into scuba diving, which is very popular in Coron.

El Rio y Mar Resort on Maricaban Bay

The resort is situated on the cove facing left. This is the view from the plane, northward. Beyond, on the upper right quadrant of photo is South China Sea.

• Pros:This is a good place to relax and commune with nature
• Cons:The 20-minute road trip from airport to Decalachao Pier (where a boat would take us to the island resort) was too bumpy. Most of the corals around the resort are dead, a result of the 10-year drought several years back, according to our kayak guide.
• In a nutshell:When visiting the Philippines, this place is worth going to.