Get away? Visit San Vicente and move north

By Abraham Latoza

July 14, 2018

Proximity to the capital, newly opened airport, good access road are all that a paradise experience of Palawan’s long beach in the town of San Vicente offer to tourists.

How to access the massive nature’s beauty? It is just about three hours from the city of Puerto Princesa through a regular public transport. Not only that. It has now an open domestic airport that gives access to the longest white sand beaches and resorts in the same municipality of San Vicente.

Visitors can take domestic flights available eight times a week from Clark Airport to San Vicente. Another airline flies from Cebu to San Vicente, from San Vicente to El Nido, Coron and to the Capital. Tourists from Manila can have as many options unlike before, to choose from any airline flying to Puerto Princesa. It is the same way with those who would want to take their cue from Cebu or Iloilo to explore Palawan or to spend holidays.

Foreign guests and local visitors travelling in their vehicles will only take a couple of hours from Puerto Princesa to San Vicente. Transport and Car Rental are likewise available in Puerto for only about PhP2,000.00, or roughly 40 USD per day.

What are some of the “best” to “average” places to stay? Tourists may click any hotel website for reservations. Some of these hotel websites have virtual assistants who respond politely and promptly. Backpacker’s accommodation and lodging houses have opened doors to guests at San Vicente. There are bars and grills now serving guests with quality ambiance and chilling experience.

For those who would like to spend more, there are also hotels and resorts for them. During my last visit in December 2017, I saw it myself and I thought that this could be the new Boracay if not its booming rival in tourism to raise the scale of a frequently visited place that must be seen in the soonest possible time.

Palawan, the beautiful province with heart-warming and friendly welcoming locals, can assure the turistas who are swarming into the island everyday a very relaxing and rewarding stay. San Vicente offers an alternative in terms of quintessential bliss and affordability.

What activities a tourist can do at San Vicente? There are many things you can do while spending time in San Vicente. Backpackers are most welcome while some others who would love to test their prowess in diving may do so with delight.

There is a lot more: sailing, island hopping, swimming (obviously), camping by the beach at night, strolling on the long beach to spend more time with your friends and family is a huge factor of being there. December is a potential season for surfing aficionados. Guests must make sure they don’t rush in booking and spending holidays in places that has a long and stressful cue and end up disappointed in the process. Choose places like San Vicente with its long white sand beaches for the guests to experience an exceedingly beautiful and quiet place to be.

Guests should not miss the feeling of awe and wonder to such a natural giftedness of the place. The scenery could always be panoramic finely, clear water, matched with the green coconut trees along the beach. For some good and tasty local dishes, guests can have barbecue, crabs and fresh fish because these are mouth-watering food of San Vicente. The splendour of the shoreline while eating delicious menu is a stupefying moment.

On the other hand, tourists and locals from the northern part of Palawan who had been to El Nido, good news for you, there is an on-going construction of road connecting El Nido through Oton which is only 10 kilometres away to Sandoval and Busy Bees.

As soon as this highway would be completed in due time, the trips from El Nido via Oton highway would be of great advantage to proceed to Taytay town and be back to Puerto Princesa circumnavigating the island from the north-eastern side of Palawan’s National road.

One thing good about this, between Sandoval and Busy Bees, there is a newly concreted runway now almost ready to be operational. Taytay local officials have named it Caesar Rodriguez Airport. Tourists, businesses and locals are equally optimistic about this development. Sandoval is a blossoming community of Cuyonon and Visayans and soon to have a parish of its own.

Busy Bees is a mixed culture of Bicolanos and Visayans, the home of a vast green mangrove reserve; the favourite niches of crabs (Alimango) for a very lovely, reasonable price. Busy Bees has waterfalls waiting to be explored. Accessibility to the magnificent waterfalls is a huge problem for now but in any time soon it will become a famous tourist attraction.

What are you waiting for? Make up your mind. Get away? Visit San Vicente and move to the north.