Palawan

Palawan is a beach destination first and last. The finest stretch is the north around El Nido, where Bacuit Bay is scattered with limestone islands that hide small white-sand coves, shallow lagoons and clear water at around 28°C to 30°C. On the mainland, Nacpan and Duli are long, open beaches backed by palms and few buildings. Further south, Port Barton and the long sweep of San Vicente are quieter, and around Coron the beaches sit on remote islets between sheer rock.

Most of the best sand is reached by banca boat rather than on foot, and the town beaches in El Nido and Coron are working waterfronts, not places to swim. The dry season from about November to May brings calm, glassy water; from July to October the southwest monsoon brings rain and choppy seas that can cancel boat trips.

Eating in Palawan is pleasant rather than memorable. The best of it is fresh seafood, grilled fish, squid and crab, often eaten on a beach during an island-hopping day. Puerto Princesa has the most local character, with bowls of chao long, a Vietnamese-influenced noodle soup, and tamilok, the woodworm from mangrove trees eaten raw with vinegar as a dare. In El Nido and Coron the restaurants lean towards pizza, smoothie bowls and international comfort food for travellers, with Filipino staples like adobo and sinigang at simple local eateries. There is no market or café culture worth travelling for.

The Tabon Caves on the southwest coast are where remains of some of the earliest known people in the Philippines were found, and the burial jars dug from them are national treasures. The finest pieces sit in museums in Manila, though, and a visit means a long journey south for a guided walk through mostly empty chambers. Closer to the usual routes, Puerto Princesa has its twin-spired cathedral, a small provincial museum and Plaza Cuartel, the site of a wartime massacre of American prisoners in 1944.

In the Calamian islands near Coron, Culion was once a leper colony, and its museum and old church tell that history well. Coral-stone Spanish forts survive at Taytay and on Cuyo, both modest. Someone who travels for architecture and museums will find little here, and most visitors leave these sights out of their trip.

Going out in Palawan centres on El Nido, where a short strip of bars along the town beach and back streets fills with travellers in the dry season, with reggae and acoustic nights, cheap rum and the odd beach party running past midnight. Sunset drinks on the beach at Las Cabanas are a ritual. Coron has a handful of bars and Puerto Princesa a few local spots, but most of the island goes to bed early because the boats leave in the morning. It suits a social backpacker crowd, not anyone looking for clubs.

Palawan's landscape is the reason to come. Around El Nido, Bacuit Bay is a seascape of sheer black limestone islands rising from turquoise water, explored by banca boat and kayak through narrow passages into hidden lagoons. In the north, Coron has freshwater Kayangan and Barracuda lakes set between jagged cliffs, and some of the best wreck diving anywhere on the Japanese supply ships sunk in 1944. Near Puerto Princesa, the Underground River flows for kilometres through a cave system into the sea, reached through forest where monitor lizards and macaques wander.

Snorkelling is excellent almost everywhere, and Tubbataha Reef, far out in the Sulu Sea, is a world-class diving site reached only by liveaboard boats in the calm months from March to June. Inland there is rainforest and trekking on Cleopatra's Needle.

The excursions in Palawan are almost all boat trips to islands, lagoons and reefs rather than visits to other places. Few towns are worth a day out. From El Nido, the small fishing village of Taytay with its old Spanish fort is a couple of hours by road, and Port Barton is a sleepy beach village better for a stay than a day trip. Coron town is too far to visit for the day from the main island. Travellers here combine bases rather than take day trips.

Palawan works best for families with older children who swim confidently and enjoy boat days, snorkelling and kayaking in calm, shallow lagoons. Filipino culture is warm towards children, and beach resorts near El Nido and on the islands of Bacuit Bay make for an easy stay. There is very little built for children beyond the crocodile conservation centre and Honda Bay near Puerto Princesa. The drawbacks are the long, winding road transfers between towns, open boats, the heat, and medical care that is basic outside Puerto Princesa.

Palawan is a long, thin island, and getting around takes time. Most visitors arrive by air in Puerto Princesa and then face a ride of five to six hours by shared van to El Nido, on a road that winds through hills. Coron, in the north, lies on Busuanga island, reached by its own airport or by ferry from El Nido in about four hours, and the crossings can be cancelled in rough weather. Locally, people move by tricycle, scooter and banca boat. A smaller airport near El Nido shortens the journey for those willing to pay.

There is little to shop for in Palawan. Puerto Princesa has its markets and shops selling cashew nuts, dried fish and woven baskets, along with South Sea pearl jewellery. In El Nido and Coron the shops sell sarongs, beachwear and souvenirs aimed at travellers. Nobody plans a trip here around shopping.

Palawan is affordable, but less so than many parts of Southeast Asia. Simple guesthouses, local meals, shared vans and group island-hopping tours are cheap, and a frugal traveller can stay comfortably on a modest budget. Costs rise in El Nido in the dry season, when good rooms fill quickly, and at the private-island resorts, which are among the most expensive in the country. Internal flights, private boats and the conservation fees charged for the lagoons and the Underground River add to a budget.

Palawan has no real performing arts life. Live music means a guitarist or cover band in an El Nido beach bar, and Puerto Princesa sometimes stages folk dance shows for visitors or at its local festivals. There is no theatre, concert hall or regular programme to plan an evening around.

The Maquinit hot spring near Coron town is the one real bathing place: a stone-walled pool of warm, slightly salty spring water at the edge of the mangroves, at its best after dark when the day boats have come back. Elsewhere, wellness mostly means massage. Simple open-sided massage huts and small local spas are common in El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa, offering Filipino hilot and oil massage at modest cost.

The full spas are at the private-island resorts of Bacuit Bay and the Calamian islands, some with treatment pavilions over the water and yoga at sunrise, though they only suit guests staying there. Outside them, the restorative side comes from the pace. Villages such as Port Barton have patchy power and few roads, so days are slow and evenings end early. El Nido town is noisy, with tricycle traffic and bars, and is not the place to unwind.