Just a short flight away from Taipei is an island off the Philippines filled with ziplines, beaches, and food. We started off with two days in Puerta Princesa, then took a 6-hour van to El Nido for the rest of our trip. Here’s a quick guide on what we ate, drank, and experienced in Puerto Princesa.
How To Get To Puerto Princesa from Taipei
Tigerair offers cheap flights from Taipei to Puerto Princesa.
*Keep in mind, there might be an extra 700 php (425nt) tax to pay at the airport when leaving if booking using Tiger Air. This cost doesn’t show up when booking on the site.
If however you want to go to El Nido or Cebu, I would recommend flying straight there through Manila to avoid the 6 hour van ride from Puerto Princesa to El Nido.
Where We Stayed
Blue Palawan is a lovely resort 10-15 minutes ride away from the airport, and 10 minutes from downtown. It’s situated a little further away, but you get a secluded beach, mangrove trees, and an awesome little cabin. See videos of the resort on IG highlights.
Blue Palawan was different from the many hostels in Puerto as it focused on being a secret getaway. You can get a massage by the beach, relax in their hammocks, or attend their weekly DJ nights. I spent my mornings waking up to catch the sunrise, then paddle boarding and swimming in the sea.
What To Do in Puerto Princesa
Kayak and Paddle board through the Tunnel of Love Mangrove Trees
We got to see the mangroves up close and personal on another tour at Blue Palawan. As we were paddle boarding we saw a storm forming out in the ocean. It was cool to be in between that and the secluded forest of the mangrove trees. At the resort you can go through a peaceful tunnel made out of these trees and spend some time relaxing.
Visit Shrek’s Swamp at Bakers Hill
What started as a simple bakery is now an amusement park of sorts. Snacks, peacocks, bread, and Shrek? Had a great time snacking, taking photos and seeing all the different things going on in the park.
Zipline at Mitra’s Ranch
Owned by the Philippine senator, Mitra’s ranch is a nice scenic place to lounge on the grass, look at some farm animals, and even zipline. They recently installed a giant swing which is more like a mini-bungee jump. Try it if you dare.
Where To Eat At Puerto Princesa
Kalui Restaurant
Kalui is one of Puerto’s most well-known restaurants. It’s half art gallery, half restaurant serving local Filipino food. The food was mostly fried except for the sweet fruit dessert. As a side they had lato which I was excited to eat (that’s the seaweed you’ll see more of later). Their frozen pineapple margaritas were delicious and would recommend coming here for drinks.
Badjao Seafront Restaurant
For dinner at Puerto Princesa, we opted for Badjao Seafront, a lodge situated over the beach by the mangrove trees serving freshly caught seafood. What made us want to come however was this first dish of Ensaladang Lato. This seaweed is sometimes called seaweed grapes because of it’s shape. I was instantly in love with its flavor and textures. Unlike other seaweeds, this one tasted strongly like the sea, and the little bulbs pop in your mouth as you eat them. Super addicting.
Blue Palawan Food
Because I landed and got to the resort late evening, I decided to have dinner there. I met the chef and learned that they valued local ingredients and I think it shows! Their angel hair sea-crab pasta used local sea crabs (instead of mud crabs), and was cooked with minimal ingredients to highlight the taste.
For appetizers they had a cashew chicken using local cashews which you can find in abundance in the town.
For drinks, I tried their lychee mojito made with Lakan, and a local coconut spirit.
Breakfast in the morning was my favourite: bacon, eggs, and buttered toast. Super satisfied and with a banana to go I was ready for our day ahead.
Taho on the beach
While on the beach, a lovely man carrying to containers walked by and offered some Taho, a Filipino snack made out of fresh tofu. It reminded me of Douhua, but with a few extra condiments! (And Taho was drunk with a straw, instead of eaten with a spoon like in Taiwan)
Where To Drink in Puerto Princesa
Tiki Bar
After dinner we walked to Tiki Bar, which was less tiki more foam party, live music, pool table bar. An interesting mix, but being the largest bar in Puerto Princesa we stopped by to play. The beers were cheap, and their cocktails sweet.
Have more than one day at Puerto Princesa? Try the 3-in-1 Underground River, Zipline, Mangrove Tree Tour.
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Here’s a similar tour on Klook: Puerto Princesa City Heritage Tour
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