Puerto Princesa accommodations are budget-friendly.  You could even have a room for PhP700/night.  But since, I'm still hoping we could get walk-in permits for the PPUR, I checked on the budget accommodations near the city coliseum, where PPUR permit applications are done.

I decided to book Regidor Bed & Breakfast through Booking.com.

Price per night: PhP1200.00 for 2 persons
Amenities: Air-conditioned rooms, free wi-fi, cable tv
(Note: Wi-fi can only be accessible in the lobby and breakfast areas, none in rooms)
Inclusions: Free airport transfers, set breakfast
 

On the left is the lobby/registration area and on top of it is the breakfast area

 

We were given a room with bigger beds at the same price quoted in our booking, since they've given the room assigned to us to walk-in guests who checked in the night before.

Additional Information:

Palawan... here we come! [Puerto Princesa 2013]

My mom and I were already at the Manila Domestic Airport (now known as NAIA T4) before 4AM.  We're taking Zest Air's 05:40 flight to Puerto Princesa (PPS).  Terminal Fee is already included in the airfare, so after the 1st security scan and check-in process, we proceeded straight to the 2nd security scan and onto the passenger's waiting area.

Check-in counter

A lot of people are already at the airport this early.

That's our plane... Flight Z2426

The beauty of sunrise

We were already in Puerto Princesa by 6:40AM.  Our ETA was supposedly 6:55AM.  We got no check-in bags so we went straight out.  The pick-up service wasn't there yet (might be due to the early arrival of the plane) so we still waited for a bit.

Puerto Princesa Airport (PPS)

Welcome to Puerto Princesa

Tip: You can check the lowest airfares at SkyScanner.

Puerto Princesa Summer Trip 2013 at a Glance

Three weeks before my filed vacation, it has been a choice between Davao, Iloilo or Puerto Princesa.  The airfare and accommodation cost helped me decide which would be our destination.

After booking our plane tickets (searched for airfares at SkyScanner), I've searched for our accommodation (Regidor Bed and Breakfast; read my post here) via Booking.com.  I then started doing research on things that could be done in Puerto Princesa.  This is when I've known that permits for the underground river are hard to get by during summer season. Oh well, there are lots of other activities that we could do here.  We're planning to just do the tours ourselves so as not to be restrained with time.

Here's our itinerary:

Day 1:
- City Coliseum, Butterfly Farm, Baker's Hill, Mitra Ranch
- Crocodile Farm
- Iwahig Firefly Watching

4-hr city tour from travel agents normally costs PhP600 including transportation, entrance fees and attractions: Butterfly Farm, Baker's Hill, Mitra Ranch, Crocodile Farm, Cathedral, Plaza Cuartel and baywalk.
Our DIY city tour costs around PhP130 although we haven't gone to the last 3 places mentioned above.  If we did, it could just be an additional PhP10-20.  Still, that's a lot of savings.

Iwahig Firefly watching tour costs PhP900 (no dinner) including transportation and boat hire.  Our DIY tour costs PhP595/person.

For reservations on Iwahig Firefly Watching, call +63 916 780 9118.


Day 2:
- Honda Bay Island Hopping
- Immaculate Conception Cathedral

The Honda Bay Island Hopping DIY tour for 2 persons turned out to be more costly than taking the tour.  We spent around PhP1,550/person as compared to the PhP1,300/person for the tour.  The advantage is that we could choose which islands to go to and how much time we want to spend on those.

For reservations on tricycle hire and coordination of other tours, you may contact:
Marco Paolo de Vera
+63 999 978 8921
 

Day 3: Anything goes for this day.
- Pasalubong shopping
- Irawan Eco Park
- Balinsasayaw Restaurant and Itoy's Coffee House
- Palawan Provincial Capitol


Tip: If you're planning on doing the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) tour on your own, you can check this site to give you an idea of availability of the permits: PPUR Booking Schedule