HOTEL CENTRO, PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN

The marker for Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (Photo by LDocena)

Hotel Centro is the newest hotel to rise up in Puerto Princesa City. It softly opened its doors just this March and comes fully equipped to cater to the needs of even the most discriminating visitor to this side of Palawan. Located along the National Highway in San Pedro, it can be reached within minutes from the Puerto Princesa International Airport. It features 111 guest rooms, a grand ballroom, 5 conference venues, a cafe aptly called "Expressions", a poolside bar named "Soul". It also has a spa, a gym and a horde of other amenities that are all guaranteed to pamper its guests in style.

The driveway of the Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (Photo by LDocena)

Recently we were able to sample its outdoor swimming pool as a concession to our 3-year-old daughter who had been nagging us all day for a swim. We checked in rather late in the evening at about 8pm and still had two hours to enjoy the soothing waters of the pool before it closed at 10pm.  The fee was P300 per head.

The lights around the building change from one color combination..

To another..

The "Soul" Poolside Bar, Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa City (Photo by LDocena)

As the crisp, reggae music wafted through the air, the lights around the building and in the water danced along, changing into different hues and combinations, in a subtle way of  uplifting our tired moods. After two hours of frolicking and wading in the two feet deep children's pool area our daughter was now speechless, completely satisfied. Later on we just retired into the night with smiles on our faces knowing fully well that another day has just ended beautifully.

Hotel Centro Puerto Princesa, Palawan

National Highway, San Pedro,

Puerto Princesa City, Palawan 5300

Website: www.hotelcentro.ph

Telephone Number: (6348) 434-1111

VISIT PALAWAN

Welcome to Palawan!

When I first came to Palawan more than 30 years ago it was truly a frontier in every sense of the word..wide open spaces..very few inhabitants..lush tropical forests, and the bluest oceans! It was here that I have come to appreciate the beauty of nature as it has been for so many, many, years, untouched by man. When i rode in boats going to Manila it was all too common to see flying fishes and dolphins riding the boat's trail, oblivious of the people watching them.. 

Over the years Palawan, with its capital city of Puerto Princesa, has metamorphosed into what it is today- a province at the forefront of development. And, thanks to the leadership, vigilance and sacrifices of many local leaders, the environment has largely been preserved especially around Puerto Princesa and all the way up to the northern towns and islands.

As word about its world-class beaches and diving areas came out, tourists from all over the globe started to arrive in droves, with many staying behind in awe, captivated by Palawan's charms. Soon, hotels and resorts of all shapes and sizes began to sprout in Puerto Princesa city as well as in the northern parts of the province especially in the towns of El Nido, Coron, Roxas, San Vicente, and Taytay to cater to the needs of the growing number of visitors.

Palawan is accessible both by air and by sea. Travel from Manila by air takes about an hour while it takes about a day by boat. Most major airlines now serve the province, some even having two flights a day- a stark contrast to the single daily flight to the province back in the 70's. The island province can't be missed on the map; it is that long island that seem to jut out of the Philippines, cradled by the South China Sea to the west and the Sulu Sea to the east. The province has two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, an 8.2 kilometer river which runs deep underground beneath a limestone karst mountain landscape, and the Tubbataha Reefs National Park, an amazing underwater paradise which is home to some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs. It isn't accidental then that Palawan was recently chosen by the prestigious National Geographic Traveller Magazine as one among the 20 Best Trips of the year 2011.

               The Palawan Provincial Capitol Building in Puerto Princesa City. (Photo by LDocena)

Please join me as I attempt to explore the different places, hotel, resorts, events, and attractions here in Palawan beginning in the capital city, Puerto Princesa. There is so much more to explore especially in the remote parts of the island province. The culture, uninhabited islands, the highlands, the indigenous peoples, the traditons.. I've only just begun..