Corregidor Island: A historical weekend getaway

When one talks about Corregidor Island, the violent war memories are the first thing that comes into our mind. Well, blame it to our Philippine history classes.

Dubbed as the Island of Valor Peace and International Understanding, Corregidor offers a rich historic past and a beautiful tropical land area. The only reason why I have cross listed this as a weekend getaway is the knowledge of thousands of men died in the island during the war.

“It must be haunted.” I always thought.

When I saw a deal from Metrodeal.com, I said “Why not give it a try”. So there I am, booking an overnight trip to Corregidor. The deal was not that bad because it only cost Php 3,900 good for 2 people.

On the said booking here are the inclusions:

• Corregidor Day Tour package
  Ferry ride from and to Manila
  Day tour with guide + buffet lunch and welcome drinks
• Overnight accommodation via Corregidor Inn with complimentary breakfast

Actual prices of the inclusion:

• Corregidor Day Tour package
  Ferry ride from and to Manila
  Day tour with guide + buffet lunch and welcome drinks

Php 2,449 + 100 fuel charge x 2 = Php 5, 098

• Overnight accommodation via Corregidor Inn with complimentary breakfast

Php 2,000 good for two

Total damage: Php 7,098.

So all in all, I saved Php 3, 198! Not bad right?

For the rate of other packages, click here.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Day 1

06:00 AM – Dee and I arrived around 6 AM in Sun Cruises boarding area beside Folk Arts Theater. We have enough time take our breakfast, get the boarding sticker and deposit our bags.
08:00 AM – We departed from Manila.
09:30 AM – We arrived in Corregidor Island, where we hop in a Tranvia.

09:30 AM – 12:10 NN – TOUR: I won’t be a spoiler. This is for me to keep and for you to find out. Here are some of the pictures:

12:10 PM – 02:00 PM – The continuation of the tour.

Tour continues…[/caption]

02:00 PM – 02:30 PM – Malinta Tunnel show at additional cost (200 per head).

02:30 PM – Check in at the hotel.
02:30 PM onwards – Free time for other activities, relaxation, walk tour around the island and more. It’s really up to you. We decided to spend it on South Beach with beers bought from MacArthur’s café. By the way, 1 bottle of San Mig from La Playa restaurant is Php 86.00, 1 can of San Mig from MacArthur’s café is Php 60.00.

South Beach[/caption]

07:00 PM – Dinner at La Playa. Our order were: BBQ Spareribs served with Mixed Veggies and a cup of rice (Php 240), Sugbahan Platter served with Mixed Veggies and a cup of rice (Php 370), extra rice (Php 35.00) and can of coke (Php 76.00).

Day 2
06:00 AM – We started our day early. I waited for the sunrise in South Beach port.

07:00 AM – We took our plated breakfast in La Playa.

08:00 AM – We thought of swimming in the pool but decided not to.
12:00 NN – Check out in hotel and deposit our luggages.
01:00 PM – Lunch at MacArthur’s café. Our orders were: Nilagang baka with 2 rice (Php 300), Lechon Kawali (Php 200) and bottle of coke (Php 25.00)

02:30 PM – Ferry onboarding

03:45 PM – We are back in Manila!

If you cannot get the same deal anymore, that’s okay. I can share other ways for you to experience the island. All of the contact information will be posted at the end of this post.

HOW TO GET THERE

Sun Cruises is the sole provider of ferry rides from and back to Manila. But, bancas and yatch are also allowed to dock in if you will be coming from Cavite (around 6 miles away) or Mariveles, Bataan (around 3 miles away).

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed in Corregidor Inn as part of the package. It was dubbed “the best and the only hotel in the island”. Aside from this, there are cheaper options to spend the night in the Island:

• MacArthur’s Café Lodging Rooms at the Bottomside – Manang said, overnight stay for 2 is Php 1500 (rooms with aircon).
• Sea Calm Inn at the Middleside – No idea about their rates.
• Camping – You can bring your tent with you or you can rent it from DJIAN Café.

WHERE TO EAT

The tour guide said that there are 4 places where we can eat from the island. We were able to visit the 3 of them.

• La Playa Restaurant in Corregidor Inn
• MacArthur’s Café
• DJIAN Cafe

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Provider: Sun Cruises

• Hiking/Trekking Activity: Easy Hike / Moderate Hike / Endurance Hike
• Off-Island: Fishing by the boat with boat rental
• Off-Island: Island runabout with boat rental
• Off-Island: Island hopping with boat rental
• In-Island: Activity Package Tour – Sunset and sun rise viewing, hospital visit, night lateral tour and short hike
• Zipline: “The Rocket”
• Kayak and ATV rental

CONTACT INFORMATION

1. Corregidor Foundation Inc. (CFI)
Mobile no: 0916 306 3693; 0917 440 1971
Email: corregidorislandphil@yahoo.com

2. Sun Cruises Inc.
Phone no: 02 527 5555 loc 4511, 4512 and 4515
Email: sales@suncruises.com.ph
Website: http://www.corregidorphilippines.com//

3. MacArthur’s Café
Phone no: 02 4567333; 02 362 6518
Email: titoperezsantos@yahoo.com

4. Prime Square Enterprise for motor bancas, Tour buses and jeepneys
Phone no: 02 833 4679; 02 831 9514
Email: Labrador_wilfredo@yahoo.com

5. Sea Calm Inn
Mobile no: 0949 725 1621; 0926 757 9440
Email: itsumo143143@yahoo.com

7. Other activities provided by Sun Cruises: 0917 527 6350 (Corregidor Inn); 0916 306 3693 (CFI/Island Manager)

Trip date: November 9 – 10 2014 || Photos taken using Sony Xperia phone

This post originally appeared in my personal blog

How about you?

Have you been to Corregidor before? Tell me more about your experience!
Would you like to visit the island? Why or why not?