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Hello,

me and my friends are planning trip to Philippines in the middle of March for about 14-15 days of staying there. It is now a headache to choose between Palawan and Siargao, because both are wonderful destinations. In the middle of the trip we are planning to stay in Cebu anyway, to visit Comotes islands (been there last year) and maybe some other island. Do you have any advice which destination is more worth going to? We are thinking Coron and El Nido, not going down to PP. We would prefer nice beaches but also to travel with scooters around the island and looking for nice deserted beaches. Surfing idea is also nice in Siargao, but i'm not a very frequent surfer, just sometimes when there is opportunity. I hope that besides of surfing there is much to do in Siargao. Ideally i would like that our trip would fit to Coron, Cebu and around and Siargao. What you guys think is it possible to make it in 2 weeks? Thanks a lot for your answers!

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1

Hello!

I think it might work, but you will need to fly everywhere, and you can only go to Coron (but not El Nido, there's no time for that) in Palawan. I recommend 4-5 days there, because there are so many things to do and so many awesome places to go to.
I can't comment on Camotes, but since you've been there, you know how much time to calculate with.
Also, I've never been to Siargao yet, but I've already booked my tickets for February, and I'm really excited. I did lot of research on Siargao, and besides surfing (I'm not a big surfer, either) there are lot of activities, for example you can go island hopping, there are several nice islands nearby (I think could be good for 2 days), but also there are rock pools, and I've heard there are many nice beaches around the island, you can rent a scooter and just go around. According to blogs, Siargao is not really touristy, so it has a very nice vibe.

Check the flight connections (there's one daily flight to Siargao through Cebu), so you can calculate how much time to spend at each place, probably you have to calculate with some time in Cebu city or something.
But I recommend 5 days for Coron, 4 days for Siargao, and the rest you could spend in Cebu and Camotes, I think that would be nice.

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2
In response to #1

Thanks a lot Borisz!

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3

You can just about do this and cram in the three destinations in the short time available, but it has to be planned meticulously.

Forget about 'some other island'. You'll have your work cut out as it is just to cover Palawan, Camotes and Siargao.

What is your time of arrival in Manila?

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4

There are now flights between Cebu and El Nido, expensive but will save a lot of time..

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/11/30/airswift-starts-daily-cebu-el-nido-flight-444299

I absolutely loved Siargao, General Luna is a lovely little laid back town right on the seafront, Cloud 9 is awesome and the Island Hopping fantastic. Go there if you can.

Should be possible to do all 3, but as Callippo says you will need to plan it down to the last detail and even then you will only get a few days in each destination.

I wouldnt want to persuade anyone against visiting any of the destinations mentioned above, El Nido, Coron, Siargao or the Camotes as they all have something exceptional to offer..

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5

Do-able but you need to assess the flight departure times. A problem is there is no Mani!a flight, to and from Siargao. So if you do Siargao at the end, you need to allow time to get to Surigao for your flight to Manila at the end. Although you could do that first, and Palawan last.

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6

you can fly from Palawan to Siargao via Cebu city. on Cebu pacific.

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7

Of course they can. But they can't fly to Manila from Siargao at the end. They have to go to the mainland, and fly from Surigao airport (or, possibly Butuan if the timings are better).

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8

I rate Bantayan Island way ahead of Comotes . Bantayan has Jeepneys and Tricycles to get around on but nothing on Comotes so you have to hire motorbike or multicab .

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9
In response to #1

I did lot of research on Siargao, and besides surfing (I'm not a big surfer, either) there are lot of activities, for example you can go island hopping, there are several nice islands nearby (I think could be good for 2 days), but also there are rock pools, and I've heard there are many nice beaches around the island, you can rent a scooter and just go around. According to blogs, Siargao is not really touristy, so it has a very nice vibe.

It's not surf season in March on Siargao, Ive been there a couple times, once late Feb, early March and the second time late March early April. The water both times was more or less flat with a few surfers hanging around waiting for the waves, ok if you have the luxury of time. I'm not a surfer so didn't matter to me, it was truly gorgeous though. Here's what a basic internet search brings up -- -
"The surf in and amongst the Siargao group of Islands is truly awesome. The surfing season starts in August and continues through to November, however, you can find a good wave any time of the year. The high season is in September & October at which time competitions are held at Siargao’s most famous break – Cloud 9."

Do rent a bike though and head over to Magpopongco beach at low tide, great swimming hole.

https://youtu.be/qAkdWhwDEaw

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