The view from the beach on a moody afternoon at Coco Loco island

The Coco Loco island and resort was certainly one of the highlights of my last trip to the Philippines. The seven hectares spec of land that make up this microscopic sized island consists but of two things. Flat land abundant with Coconut trees which is completely surrounded by beautiful white sandy beaches that lead into the inviting crystal blue to turquoise green seas. All this with clear view of the lofty mountains of mainland Palawan in the background. Whats makes Coco Loco particularly special is that there’s only 34 cottages which are spread out through the island so its in no way overcrowded and you still kind of have a sense as if you were on your own. The entire island can be walked around at a relaxed pace in about 30 to 40 minutes so you get that castaway “away from it all” feel to it, a true Heaven on earth experience. The pictures don’t give justice to the place mainly due to covered skies where the absence of sunlight doesn’t let the colors look as vibrant as they really were.

Coco Loco Island

We hadn’t really planned to do anything on such a short stay so we played it very relaxed and carefree by the beach. Our only activity was swimming and snorkeling and it’s definitively an excellent place for that. You could snorkel right off the beach into what would seem like an aquarium full of tropical fish. Never seen quite something like this so for sure no need to rent a boat to do some quality snorkeling here. If you plan to stay there a while activities can be arranged such as island hopping, fishing, windsurfing, beach volleyball, kayaking, scuba diving or beginners diving courses (PADI).

Getting There

After a 2½ hours Van hire journey from Puerto Princesa on a paved road through the amazing and very unique Palawan scenery we arrived in the small Municipality of Roxas. Once at the Roxas’ wharf we proceed onto a banca for the last portion of the trip, a 40 minutes boat ride East onto the sea set to reach the paradisaic island of Coco Loco.

Map of Roxas to Coco Loco island and resort

Coco Loco Accommodation

The accommodations of Coco Loco resort are all made of traditional Filipino native style bamboo cottages. This means they are very basic but clean. Each one comes inside with the standard: The bed and its mosquito net, an electric fan, table and chairs, a bathroom with a non heated salty water shower and a flush toilet. The electricity is provided by the resorts generator which runs 12 hours a day from 6PM to 6AM. There is also a dive shop that also sells some souvenir items and a bar restaurant where guests can play billiard, ping pong, darts or watch cable TV.

Price and Food

The price is around P2,000 (roughly $40/€30) per person, per day and includes three meals“a la carte’” and boat transfers. Definitely a good run for your money for what you actually get at this resort, especially compared to other private island resorts of El Nido. This place stands out and is definitely recommended.