Malcapuya Island

Part of Bacau Bay Resort-sponsored Island Hopping Tour

After our short visit to Waling-Waling Island, we again boarded our motorized outrigger boat for the short 15-min. trip to Malcapuya Island, located 2 hours away from the town of Coron.  The most beautiful island in Coron, it is also renowned throughout the region as one of the most singularly beautiful islands in the archipelago.

Check out “Resort Review: Bacau Bay Resort Coron“

Southern beach

The privately-owned Malcapuya Island was supposed to be the third and last stop of our island-hopping tour but we skipped Banana Island (or Dicalabuan Island) due to time constraints. Although still part of Coron, the sparsely populated Malcapuya is located about 30 kms. south of Coron town and actually lies off the south-western coast of Culion Island in the east.

Past clear waters where we clearly saw corals of different sizes, shapes and hues, our boat slowly glided into and docked along the beige sand beach on the island’s western side.  Boats are only allowed to dock on the western beach because the island’s owner wants to preserve the beauty of the picture-perfect southern beach.

Boat docking site at western beach

Upon disembarking, we slowly made our way past the beach into a clearing and then, over a small hill across a narrow inland portion of the island, to the southern beach.

The path leading to the southern beach

Via Baroma, Sara Grace Fojas and Leica Dacuycuy making their way to the southern beach

The heavenly idyllic southern beach, suitable for swimming, sunbathing, or even snorkeling, consists of a long stretch of powdery fine, white sand with shallow waters of varying shades of aquamarine, turquoise and emerald. A nice, but shorter, stretch of white sand beach, along the island’s northern shores, is a long walk from the southern beach.

White party tents, under coconut trees, along the southern beach

There’s a long line of coconut palm trees that provide a good shade for visitors. Underneath the coconut palms are a few bamboo and thatch huts and white canvas party tents with tables and chairs for  lunch and snack breaks.  They also provide more shade and a place to store one’s personal effects.  Hammocks are also available.

Nipa and bamboo picnic huts

There’s a decent public restroom where you can also take a bath, but don’t expect much here. Mobile phone signal is not that consistent on the island. Refreshing coconut juice and meat is sold by the island’s caretakers.

Karst limestone formations

We chose a picnic hut and, while our food was being laid out, I decided to explore the quite rocky but more quiet western portion of the beach which offers a great picturesque view. Less frequented by tourists, it contains tall karst or limestone rock formations that provided excellent photo opportunities for me.

Though perfect for swimming, there is a growth of sea grass several meters from the shore (bad news for swimmers looking for a nice, perfectly clean beach).  Not 100 meters from the shore, beyond the sea grass,  is an extensive bed of corals.

A good snorkeling spot, it is home to a wide variety of colorful marine life including giant clams and a few species of clownfish. Beyond the corals, is a sudden drop of the sea floor as evidenced by the deep blue color of the water.

Even if this day was blisteringly hot, a beach this beautiful deserves a long walk from end to end. As lunch was still being prepared on my return to the hut, I walked to the eastern end of the beach. At the left most end of the beach is a cliff accessed by a stair carved on the slope.

A seal-like rock formation

On top of the cliff is a view point with magnificent and panoramic views of the whole southern beach, the rich growth of corals surrounding the island, a portion of the island’s eastern shores and distant views of Banana Island and Bulog Dos/Malaroyroy Peninsula.

Check out “Waling-Waling Island (Bulog Uno)“

View of the eastern shores of the island from the top of the cliff

Another view of the southern beach from the top of the cliff

For overnight accommodation, there’s a simple enclosed thatched hut by the beach (PhP750/person) provided with an electric fan and a mattress on the floor plus outlets where you can charge phones and camera batteries. Two restrooms, with open air showers, are located a few meters away from the huts.

A villa that could be rented

Though the island does not have electricity, there is a generator which provides light and electricity at night.  There’s also a simple villa, on an elevated portion a few meters from the shoreline, which can also be rented.  It has a single room, with basic but comfortable beds, plus a decent restroom.

Among all the beaches I have visited so far, Malcapuya’s white and powdery sand, forested knolls and postcard-perfect, crystal clear blue waters rivals the famous Boracay Island. Malcapuya’s long stretch of  beaches almost spans the entire length of the island, equivalent to about two boat stations of Boracay.

Bulog Uno (Waling-Waling) Island and Bulog Dos Island with the sandbar in between the two

Because of its distance from Coron, its many deserted and protected beaches has remained relatively underdeveloped like those in Banana and Bulalacao Islands, which only adds to its charm.

The author goes exploring ….

But not for long.  The upscale Two Seasons resort has already opened at Malaroyroy Peninsula in Bulalacao.  Development, specifically by the same folks who developed the Boracay Regency Hotel, is soon underway to turn Malcapuya Island into a private resort, eventually becoming Coron Regency Resort.

Our rented picnic hut.  L-R- Ms. Armina O. Mangune, Mr. Pete Dacuycuy, Ms. Leica Dacuycuy, Mr. Feliciano Rodriguez III, the author, Ms. Via Baroma and Ms. Sara Grace Fojas

Business and development may mean good news for the local economy of Coron but it means that fewer people would get to bear witness to the beauty of this island. So, it is uncertain how long it will remain open to the public. Still, I am glad to have visited Malcapuya before it’s closed off from the public.

Grilled fish

Boodle fight

Malcapuya Island: Coron, Palawan.Entrance fee: PhP200 per person.

How to Get There: Those who want to visit Malcapuya usually go on a tour package that includes the 2 other islands of the cluster, namely Bulog Dos and Banana Islands. The boat ride to this island can be a little rough because of the strong waves but it’s definitely worth it. One can also charter a boat (its advantage being you get to choose the islands you want to visit) to get there. If there are 10-15 people in your group (the normal complement of boats traversing this route),you can keep the cost down.  Otherwise, it will be a bit more expensive.

Bacau Bay Resort Coron: Governor’s Drive, Sitio Jolo, Poblacion 5, Coron 5316, Palawan.  Mobile numbers: (0995) 760-3444 and (0995) 760-3445. E-mail: info@bacaubaycoron.com.   Website: www.bacaubayresortcoron.com.

Manila Sales & Marketing Office: Anya Hospitality Corporation, 5/F Pilgrim Building, 111 Aguirre St., Legazpi Village, Makati City 1229, Metro Manila.  Tel: +63-553 8888 loc. 34-36.  Fax: +632 874-0426.  E-mail: reservations@bacaubaycoron.com.  Website:www.anyahospitalitycorp.com.

The sandbar of Waling-Waling Island

Part of Bacau Bay Resort-sponsored Island Hopping Tour

After breakfast at Bacau Bay Resort’s Amihan Restaurant, we proceeded to the resort’s private port where our motorized outrigger boat for our island hopping tour awaited us.  We were scheduled to visit three islands (Waling-Waling Island, Banana Island and Malcapuya Island) as well as Kayangan Lake. Getting to Waling-Waling Island (also called Bulog Uno), the first island in our tour, entailed a long 1.5-hour trip.

Check out “Malcapuya Island“

Bulog Uno Island (Waling-Waling)

Even though the sun was at its peak during our boat trip, the seas were very rough and those seated at front were drenched by the huge waves. Some of the ladies even became seasick.

Check out “Resort Review: Bacau Bay Resort Coron“

An open-air cabana

Nearing the end of our trip, a couple of very small, rocky islands (Bulog Uno and Dos) soon came into view. Our boat soon made landfall at Waling-Waling Island (Bulog Uno) and, upon alighting, some of us made our way up a path up a small hill.

The island has a number of open-air cabanas (said to have been used by celebrities), clean bathrooms, an island bar as well as a big house at the top of the hill where one can stay overnight.

Pathway leading up to the top

A separate path led us to a cool and windy viewpoint where we had a gorgeous view of both sides of the island, the powdery white sand beach below, the two-toned clear and azure waters, the surrounding islands and the neighboring, uber-hyped and expensive Two Seasons Resort on Bulog Dos which is connected to Waling-Waling by a very nice and long sandbar (currently submerged during our visit as it was high tide).

The island bar

Overall, this lovely, private island, perfect for honeymooners, is clean, with beautiful scenery. Bring comfortable water shoes or slippers as the long uphill walk up the path to small hill in the middle of the island is lined with small coral stones.

View of offshore islands from the viewpoint

The sand in the beach is very fine and good for swimming, taking pictures or just lazing under the sun. There are some nice fish shoals around and the beach goes slowly down into the water. The water here is warm and the current is calm.

L-R: the author, Mr, Feliciano Rodriguez III, Ms. Sara Grace Fojas, Ms. Leica Dacuycuy and Ms. Via Marie Claire Baroma

While the corals here were not the best in Coron, it was still good enough. About 15-20 feet from the beach is some excellent snorkeling with starfish, angel fish, barracudas, snapper, blue tang, triggerfish, trunkfish, Moorish idols and parrotfish. We were lucky to have been able to stop here as construction of another resort on the island was slated to start.

Frolicking on the sandbar

Waling-Waling Island: Coron, Palawan.  Admission: PhP150 per adult.  Children are free of charge.

Bacau Bay Resort Coron: Governor’s Drive, Sitio Jolo, Poblacion 5, Coron 5316, Palawan.  Mobile numbers: (0995) 760-3444 and (0995) 760-3445. E-mail: info@bacaubaycoron.com.   Website: www.bacaubayresortcoron.com.

Manila Sales & Marketing Office: Anya Hospitality Corporation, 5/F Pilgrim Building, 111 Aguirre St., Legazpi Village, Makati City 1229, Metro Manila.  Tel: +63-553 8888 loc. 34-36.  Fax: +632 874-0426.  E-mail: reservations@bacaubaycoron.com.  Website:www.anyahospitalitycorp.com.

CYC Beach

After lunch at Atwayan Beach, we again boarded our boat and proceeded on to our next destination – CYC Island, a part of the Coron Island Ultimate Tour we availed of from Asia Gran View Hotel.  From our boat, we had to alight into the waist-high and clear waters of the sea and walk, a little way, to the island’s beach.

Approching CYC Island

Guests are advised to put on booties and be extra careful walking as there are rocks under the water and they may injure their feet.  Although there were other tourists already there, the beach was not too crowded.

Cheska, Kyle and Jandy land on the beach

CYC, short for Coron Youth Club, is the only free beach in the area.  Other beaches charge a PhP100 entrance fee (Coron’s islands are jokingly called the “Hundred Islands”). The island’s beach sand is white (though not as white as Banol’s and the other beaches in Coron) and its surrounding waters are crystal clear.

Kyle playing in the sand

There were also some rock formations and beautiful mangrove trees located all over the island but guests are discouraged to go there by the guides due to the possible presence of stonefish partly hidden in the sand. There are also sea urchins and sea snakes (locally known as walo-walo).

Some of the mangroves surrounding the island

Being a public beach, I expected the beach to be dirty but, surprisingly, it was clean. Its long, shallow sand approach makes it ideal for kids to swim in and its water temperature is perfectly lukewarm.  The sea breeze adds to the memorable experience.  Two dogs were serenely watching us as Kyle played with the sand.

The island’s two resident dogs

The dogs were said to have come from the opposite island, swimming back and forth before the day ends. The monkey who used to live here is already dead.  The wide beach has a division as part of its white sand was said to have been illegally quarried by a politician for his private beach, thus deforming the island’s beach.

View of the main island from CYC Beach

The island has no cottages but the area is suitable for camping (just bring your own tent, food and water). Go there when it’s off season so you can get the most out of it. If you love snorkeling, you will love this beach as well.

A tangle of mangrove roots

There’s not much sea life in the shallows, with just a few sporadic clown fishes, but there’s some very good snorkeling farther off, in deeper water, to a coral forest on the reef to the east of this pretty beach. Here, you will find beautiful colorful coral walls and much sea life.  If you’re a non-diver, you can have your Discover Scuba Skills Test here.

CYC Beach, great for a swim and relaxation, is still good for a 30-minute to 1-hour stay even if you are not into snorkeling or camping.

The author at CYC Beach

Seven Commando Beach

The last part of our Island Tour A was to be spent at the picturesque and very laid back Seven Commando Beach which boasts the clearest beach waters in El Nido. Accessible only by boat, it is called as such because, a long time ago, seven soldiers (others say 7 fishermen) were stranded on the island. According to locals, their names can be seen printed on the rocks here.

Picnic huts along the beach

Store selling food and drinks

Ideal for swimming, beach volleyball, silhouette shots or just beach bumming, it has fine and clean but a little coarse white sands, turquoise clear waters, calm waves (very nice for snorkeling and swimming), fabulous rock formations and coconut trees.Despite having a souvenir shop, a stall that sells quite pricey smoothies, water, alcoholic drinks (beer, pina coladas, mango daiquiris, etc.)and food (chips and bananacue), and a restroom facility in this area, the wide, clean and white beach still retains its natural charm.

Swinging hammock

Sunset at Seven Commando Beach

For those who are not into swimming, you can just lounge around and have very refreshing halo-halo on a coconut shell (PhP150), fruit shakes, fresh coconuts (PhP50) and other thirst quenching refreshments at the store while enjoying the view, especially during sunset time. There is also a swinging hammock seat and sheltered beach tables which can be used for free.

The author (third from left) with, L-R, Meng, Osang and Melissa

Also within this beach is the 4-room Vellagio’s Resort which opened last January 2015. Full moon parties are held on this island in February. As the beach is only a 10-min. boat ride from the mainland, it is sometimes the first stop on the island hopping tour as it gets really crowded by beach bums in the afternoon.