Where to Stay in Coron: Your Guide to the Top Areas and Best Hotels

Coron: it’s known for chiselled green islands, lagoons and secret beaches. But here’s the thing: if you go wrong when choosing where to stay in Coron, you’ll have a hard time seeing any of it.

I’ve been to Coron twice now, and I totally understand where most people get confused. “Coron” isn’t just one place; it’s the name of a municipality, an island and a town.

The best place to stay in the municipality is actually Coron town, which, confusingly, is not on Coron Island. It’s on the neighbouring island of Busuanga.

From Coron Port, you can then visit Coron Island by boat. There are four main island-hopping tours, and my guide to the best Coron island hopping tours will help you choose the best one for your needs.

In this post, I’ll explain why picking where to stay in Coron is so important for your Coron travel itinerary, plus the best hotels in Coron and how to get off the beaten track.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.

Where to Stay in Coron: Why It Matters

Choosing where to stay in Coron matters if you’re going island hopping. As I explained briefly in the introduction, the island-hoping tours all depart from Coron Port.

The port is only a five-minute drive from the hotels in Coron town. However, if you stay further away (in Concepcion, for example), it’s over an hour’s drive away.

Coron Port

There is another option: you can stay on Coron Island itself. However, there’s only one hotel, the Paolyn Houseboats, and it’s quite expensive.

Here’s a quick overview of the best places to stay in Coron and why you might want to consider them:

1. Coron town proper: Best for most tourists.
   • Island-hopping tours to Coron Island depart directly from Coron port.
   • It has a large selection of hotels, hostels, restaurants and shops.
   • There are hotels for all budgets.
   • Downside: It’s crowded with tourists from December to April.
2. Coron Island: If you don’t mind feeling cut off, it’s spectacular.
   • The Paolyn Houseboats are surrounded by turquoise water and limestone cliffs.
   • Downside: The hotel provides free kayaks, but the boat tours are expensive. There’s also only one restaurant.
3. Concepcion: The best place to get off the beaten track and/or dive.
   • It’s home to a couple of excellent dive schools.
   • You get a less-crowded, more authentic experience.
   • Downside: It’s over an hour’s drive from Coron town and port.
4. Island resorts: Best for a luxury holiday.
   • Most island resorts are located in the south of Busuanga, near Coron Island.
   • The private islands have luxurious beaches and incredible scenery.
   • They’re perfect for a special occasion or long-awaited holiday.
   • Downside: They cost 25,400+ PHP (£330+) per night.

Where to Stay in Coron: The Best Areas

1. Coron Town

There’s no question about it. For most people, Coron town is the best place to stay in Coron.

Firstly, it’s just a five-minute drive from Coron port, making it easy to visit big attractions like Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake.

Twin Lagoon

Secondly, it has a wide selection of hotels for all budgets, plus restaurants and shops.

The main downside of staying in Coron town is that it gets very crowded from December to April (especially later in the season).

Despite being the main tourist location for Coron, it’s just a small town. If you don’t book your hotel or hostel several weeks (or even months) in advance, you may find that options are limited.

As a rule of thumb, the more central your hotel, the better. The centre of town has the majority of the restaurants and good access to the Mount Tapyas stairway.

Most of the luxury hotels in Coron town are set a little outside of the centre, opposite Discovery Island. This requires a longer walk or, more likely, a short tricycle ride to the town centre.

🛌 Top Places to Stay:

• Two Seasons Coron Bayside (£££)
• The Ridge Coron (£££)
• Outpost Hostel (£££)

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2. Coron Island

When you look up images of Coron, you’ll see remote sandy beaches, turquoise lakes and limestone rock formations. These are not in Coron town itself, but on the island of Coron.

However, there’s only one place to stay on Coron Island: the Paolyn Houseboats, a luxury hotel with houseboats, private speedboats and free kayaks.

It’s worth considering if you like the idea of waking up to limestone islands and beating the main tour boats to the island’s attractions.

However, the hotel is quite isolated and cut off from the restaurants, shops and life in Coron. It’s better suited to families and couples who are happy to spend their time at the one hotel.

The private speedboat is also more expensive than the standard island-hopping tours you can take from the town.

3. Concepcion (West Busuanga)

Concepcion is a small area on Busuanga Island, around an hour’s drive northwest of Coron town and 50 minutes from the airport.

This is a good place to get off the beaten track; it’s well known for diving and the beautiful Concepcion Falls.

There are two main diving schools based in Concepcion, Pirate Divers and Gunter’s Dive Center.

Their focus is on dives at Coron’s wreck dive sites, such as Lusong Gunboat and East Tangat, but the longer courses also feature dives at locations such as Kayangan Lake.

In Concepcion, you’re more likely to get an authentic experience with fewer tourist crowds. It’ll be a little harder to get around, especially if you don’t ride a scooter, but worth the effort.

🛌 Top Places to Stay:

• Marina del Sol Resort & Yacht Club (£££)
• Cocovana Beach Resort (£££)

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4. The Islands (Bulalacao or Dimaquiat Islands)

Palawan is world renowned for its luxury island resorts. These hotels are based on private, remote islands where guests can unwind on private beaches and go island-hopping directly from the resort.

There are a fair few island resorts scattered around Coron, including the sprawling Two Seasons Coron Island Resort on Bulalacao Island (South Busuanga) and Discovery Coron on Dimaquiat Island (Northeast Busuanga).

These are really ‘slices of paradise’ that let you experience Coron’s islands in all their glory. If you’re celebrating a special occasion or a long-awaited holiday, it’s worth considering.

🛌 Top Places to Stay:

• Two Seasons Coron Island Resort (£££)
• Discovery Coron (£££)

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The Best Hostels in Coron: Cheap Places to Stay

There are 20-30 hostels in Coron municipality. Over 96% of these are located in Coron town.

If you’re visiting on a budget, it’s more important than ever to stay in the town. Otherwise, you risk having to take multiple over-priced taxis.

There are plenty of budget restaurants in Coron town, which make it easier to stick to your budget. It’s also easier to catch a cheap tricycle to Coron port.

Island-hopping tours can be booked directly at your hostel or online (if you don’t want to risk them selling out). Hostels often offer cheap, budget-friendly tours designed for backpackers.

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The Best Mid Budget Hotels in Coron

If you don’t want to splash the cash or live on a shoestring budget, don’t worry. There are plenty of mid-budget hotels in Coron.

Again, most of these are in Coron town. Just take note that during high season, from December to February, the best-reviewed hotels book up several months in advance.

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The Best Luxury Hotels in Coron Town

There aren’t quite as many luxury hotels in Coron town. Two Seasons Coron Bayside Hotel is the most well-established, although more and more smaller boutique hotels are starting to pop up.

Space is limited in Coron, which is why you’ll notice that most of the luxury hotels are located just a little outside of the town centre, opposite Discovery Island.

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I hope you found my guide to where to stay in Coron helpful! Feel free to leave a comment below with any questions that sprung to mind, or simply to let me know your trip plans.