Cowrie Island: Experience complete fun in Puerto Princesa

• Source: http://palawan-news.com/cowrie-island-experience-complete-fun-puerto-princesa/
• Saturday, February 11, 2017

By Joy Tabuada

Are you a local of Puerto Princesa or a tourist from outside the city looking for a short moment of solitude away from the hustle and bustle of city life? Here’s another Puerto Princesa destination that you will surely enjoy—Cowrie Island. Cowrie Island, named after the brightly-shelled mollusks which residents said thrive in the area (these are shells also popularly used as decoration in some Filipino houses) is one of the many islands in Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa.

It is reachable through a 10-15 minute boat ride from the Honda Bay wharf. The island, which recently surged in popularity with its upgrade in amenities, is an ideal place for family gatherings, team building and other outdoor activities, or even your simple ‘me-time’. It is an ideal venue for weddings and pre-nuptial shooting.

There are tent cottages at a fair price of Php 200 each and native cottages for only Php 250. The tables and chairs situated near the pavilion are free if you need it.

One of the first things that you will notice in the island is its breath-taking stretch of white sand that teasingly welcomes you to an expanse of clear blue waters. Coupled this with amenities to accommodate your basic needs and you get the idea of how satisfying a Cowrie Island experience can be. The beach is not all to it, however.

Cowrie’s island management team serves sumptuous lunch for tourists for only Php 200 per person. You’ve probably seen some of your friends in Facebook or Instagram posting photos of these mouth-watering lunch sets, which include Palawan’s famously fresh fish and other seafoods, along with vegetables, pasta, soup and desserts. The food is certainly among the highlights of our stay in the island. Certainly masabor.

The island bar also serves Palawan local beer ‘ayahay’, mixed drinks, halo-halo and fruit shakes that could quench your thirst while you are basking under the sun.

Based on personal experience, among the best part of the Cowrie experience is the banana boat ride in the island. You can shout your heart out riding a boat while being pulled over the waves (you just need to hold on tight as you might fall into the water, for which case, you don’t have to panic as you’d be wearing a life vest. The staff team is experienced too, with licensed divers and trained rescue personnel). If you’re not that adventurous enough, however, you may also just swim around the island and enjoy the clean and clear waters.

Bring your ‘malong’ in case you want to sit on the sand and enjoy a moment of solitude. Once you are finished with your swimming, banana boat ride and all the ‘water-fun’ in the island, you can conveniently freshen up in the shower rooms and changing rooms.

By the way, you may also avail the henna tattoo starting at Php 50 depending on the size and design you want.

If you’re now planning to book a visit to Cowrie Island, here’s some basic information: the island offers big cottages that can accommodate up to 20 persons and most of these are under the trees. Boat ride per individual (if you’re just joining a group) is usually around Php 200; if you want to hire the whole boat, it will cost you around Php 800 for six persons.

Some additional pro-tips from the Palawan News team: the best time to visit Cowrie Island is early morning as you will have the chance to see the beautiful sunrise (the early morning sunlight doesn’t hurt the skin, promise!), while the best time to leave is around 6 p.m. so you can witness bats from the nearby ‘Bat Island’ fly their way to the mainland. Amazing sight. Really. Indeed, among the islands in Honda Bay, Cowrie Island is among the top choices of visitors in Puerto Princesa City. So, next time you plan a trip, make sure to include in your itinerary a visit to this island. For bookings and reservations email palawancowrieisland@gmail.com