Hotel Maya in Culion Island, Palawan

Majority of the tourists visiting Culion in Northern Palawan would stay in the island for a few hours and leave immediately to proceed to the next tour destination. I want to experience an overnight stay in the island simply because I want to make most out of my dream trip. I already revealed in one entry the reason behind my eagerness to visit the former leper colony and I just want it to be perfect.

Hotel Maya is the only hotel I found online. In fact, a lot of writers rave about their simple yet hassle-free stay in the said hotel. It is not a five-star accommodation, but Hotel Maya is special in its own way.

We saw the big ‘Hotel Maya’ sign when we were approaching the island. Kuya Toto, one of the staff, picked us up from the port area.

Upon arrival, the staff greeted us with complimentary drinks and flower necklaces. Hola! Feeling balikbayan 😛

We originally booked the cheapest room, but we fell in love with the Kabel-Kabel room because of the big windows and the sight of the bay area. Ms. Jona also mentioned that the sunrise view from the window is beautiful.

Hotel Maya is a perfect place for those who wish to ‘disconnect’ for a while. When I asked if they have wifi, they said there’s none. It is the reason why Yoshke and I left our laptops in Coron. Risky, but the laptop can sometimes distract a supposedly relaxing vacation, right?

We did the Culion Historical Walking Tour after we placed our bags in the room. The Culion Museum and Archives gave me chills (in a good and appreciative way) and transformed me from an eager tourist to a semi-sentimental visitor.

We did a bit of walking tours to some of the significant spots that will make you imagine what it was like to live there years ago. The group, with the guidance of Kuya Toto, even went to the Culion Aguila. Early Holy Week penitensya, eh?

For dinner, we went to Safari Lodge. We spent the rest of the night just lounging in Hotel Maya. When I saw the hammock outside, I just stayed there while my companions shared their stories. I loved it. Relaxing in the hammock as I listen to my companions. No laptop, no cellphone. Disconnect to Reconnect!

We woke up early the next day to enjoy a magnificent view of the sunrise and at the same time catch the ferry ride back to Coron. I have some problems waking up especially if I am in a comfortable room. Having the big windows in our room made me appreciate the Culion Sunrise – in a laidback way.

By 6:30AM, we were on our way to the Culion Port for our trip back to Culion. As a remembrance, we wrote a message on the graffiti wall of Hotel Maya. An overnight Culion Trip is something that I recommend and won’t regret doing again. .. and again.. and again!

CONTACT DETAILS:

HOTEL MAYA – Culion Island, Palawan
Email: culion_hotelmaya@yahoo.com
Contact Number: +63 939 254 2744