Sunz en Coron, Busuanga

At the top of our accommodation list for Coron were The Village Lodge and Princess of Coron. The former only because I've read reviews of it from marketmanila.com, and the latter because Liza's friends stayed there already.  I was still going to do more research, but then Cecilia bumped into good friend and presidential dive instructor, Gigi Santos, and Gigi recommended staying at "this new place, Sunz en Coron". Since we trust Gigi's recommendations, Cecilia promptly checked them on the internet and booked our rooms.

Sunz en Coron is owned and run by a Korean couple. It seemed strange to me that we were going to the province and staying in a foreign-run place. I usually prefer hotels or inns that are run by locals only because they're naturally connected to the town and can give "insider"  information on many things. But since I  already was in touch with  a highly recommended local guide, I didn't mind going with the flow.

The grass hasn't grown in yet

The grounds at the resort are tastefully done. The layout is convenient because all rooms are on the ground floor and face the pool, giving it a small-resort intimate feel. We only had breakfast in the resort and spent full days out exploring Coron and neighboring Culion.  In the evenings, the outdoor lighting is subdued and pleasant. We would hang out in the cogon huts before going into town for dinner.

The kids loved coming home after a full day at sea.  They also enjoyed the pool lights that  changed color every few seconds.  I've heard of whirlpools with this chroma feature but didn't realize that it's also done for swimming pools. Interesting effect.

This place is a few minutes from the market and pier by tricycle. The resort had it's own tricycle to bring people into town. I think it's also walkable, but we just never needed to--there was always a trike outside.

The Korean lady, Angela, told us that she's lived in the Philippines for 8 years now, 7 of those living in Boracay. There she ran a small lodging house with a few rooms, and a salon. When they decided to invest in their own place, they found property values too high in the very competitive Boracay so they looked elsewhere.  Coron town, which is still quite behind in tourism, seemed like a good place to put up their business. When I asked Jin, the man, why the resort was called "Sunz en Coron", he said something about the sun being in Coron (my thought bubble with matching question marks: "Huh!?"). But even if the name is a bit strange, you have to admit it's memorable. It sounds like a cross between Spanish and ...Korean? Hmmm...

The "super family room" we booked had two queen beds which was spacious enough for the four of us. The rooms had new aircons (as well as ceiling fans), flat screen TVs and strong water pressure with heaters. Comparing other Coron town resorts online, this one looks rather upscale. We were very comfortable. The exterior of the resort is nicely done, but what could use a lot of improvement is the interiors and attention to detail.

I think if an interior designer put in her two cents and jazzed up the the rooms and bathrooms, it would make a big difference. Details like the availability of hooks, towel racks in the bathroom, a place to lay down your things in the bathroom and in the room, a bigger night table, bedroom lamp-- are overlooked. They are all minor details, but when the exteriors are nicely done, expectations are become naturally higher for the interiors.  Sunz has only been open for 4 months and I'm sure they will eventually get to this. (btw, since they are so new, they still don't accept credit cards).

Overall Sunz was a good experience for all of us. Jin, Angela, and her sister, Victoria, are all very accommodating and have a very good service attitude. They were responsive by email, and also attentive whenever we asked for anything while we were there.  They live on the premises, in the home above the restaurant.

Front desk

The waiters were pleasant and always had a smile, even if service took a bit long. I had to keep reminding myself  that even if this place looked modern and is outfitted with modern conveniences, it's still laid-back, not-so-touristy Palawan, where people are in no rush and the service industry is still new (compared to a place like Boracay). You just have to leave your expectations at the door, adjust and relax--after all, this is a vacation.

Business-wise, I think more local lodges could learn a marketing lesson from Sunz. Sunz is very new  yet they had 2 European families there that weekend, and three Pinoy groups. Their website, which is under their own domain name, must be the reason for this.

Still building up the outdoor signage

We have to thank Gigi for this recommendation and remember to get in touch with her before our next local group trip!

Sunz En Coron Resort
+63-906-206-0048 and +63-917-714-5457
sunzencoron@hotmail.com
www.sunzencoron (Korean)
www.sunzencoron.ph (English)

Ps.
Additional notes from my guest blogger today, C, who is 8.

List 5 things you liked about your stay at Sunz en Coron. The Korean owner, Victoria, her puppy, Yuki, her sister, Angela, and Angela's puppy, Mong. Mong is a boy and very calm, while Yuki has cutesy little giant puffballs on her legs. And the 5th thing I like is the shapes they make the towels while you are gone during the day. Okay, I liked the pool because it changes colors at night and the little huts you can chat in and watch Karate movies. (note: I think they were watching movies on someone's laptop)