Hotels in Southeast Asia can often feel like playing roulette. You never know what kind of area it’ll be in, whether there will be ants everywhere (as there are in most mid-grade hotels in SE Asia), or if the A/C actually works or not. We have taken the route of playing it by ear and booking hotels once we arrive and we have tried booking ahead of time, each of which has led us to a Catch 22. I can’t quite decide which worked out better for us overall but I can tell you that you will be ten steps ahead of the game if you trust me on Coron Soleil Garden Resort.
THE AREA
Coron Soleil Garden Resort is a bit off the beaten path. It is not in the heart of Coron, which is why we initially did not book a room there. Let me tell you – learn from my mistakes. At our first hotel attempt, we stayed in town and were kept up until 3am every night (or morning?) by the clanking of construction, only to be awoken each morning around 5am by the lovely sound of roosters. If you value your sleep, you will absolutely be grateful to stay off the beaten path. One slightly odd point to consider about the area is that the resort sits directly next to a shooting range. We still felt perfectly safe riding to and from Coron Soleil Garden Resort on a rented scooter (which I’d highly recommend having) and it only took about 5 minutes to ride back into town.
TRANSPORTATION
Rent a scooter or motorbike! They’re relatively inexpensive and are far easier than trying to get a tricycle ride to and from the resort. There is also a free resort shuttle that will take you into town, but you would have to get your own ride back. Coron Soleil Garden Resort does provide free transportation to and from the airport in an air-conditioned van that I swear was brand new and, thankfully, was not overcrowded like every other van ride we experienced in the Philippines.
THE ROOMS
We stayed in the Coron Soleil Express, which is a less expensive and less fancy version of the Garden Resort, but it was still far nicer than our previous hotel and close to the same price. The best part – NO ANTS! Not a single one. Anywhere. Even in the shower. That’s a huge deal for me and my OCD/germaphobe self. The room, although small, was extremely clean, the water was hot, and the A/C worked like a dream. Being on the Express side of the resort, we did not have a view of anything except a wall but we were only about a 30-second walk from the beautiful pool area of the Garden Resort. The wifi was not great in the rooms and was less great in the common areas of the resort but a quick ride into town will get you full LTE cell service.
PRICE
We were able to walk into the lobby at Coron Soleil Express and get a room with a double bed (two long twins pushed together) for about $100USD/night (4900PHP). For the quality of the rooms and still being on the edge of the busy season, this was a great deal. It was still far pricier than we expected to pay in the Philippines, but to have a clean room at a beautiful resort at the end of our trip, I was happy to pay it (don’t tell Devin I said that). This price included breakfast (make sure you order the pancakes) and transportation to and from the airport. One word of warning – the food at the resort restaurant is PRICEY! If you’re looking to save some money, buy your own water in town and skip eating at the resort.
The restaurant was beautiful but fairly expensive. We typically ate here when we were too exhausted/hungry to go into town.
Overall, I was highly impressed by Coron Soleil Garden Resort and when we go back, it will absolutely be my first choice for accommodations.
